For Su Wen, this was a complete calamity out of nowhere. Thankfully, his classmates were cooperative, and with Chen You's help, he managed not to miss the opening ceremony.
"I've figured it out. Not only does this homeroom teacher love to lecture, but he also holds a serious grudge," Chen You whispered to Su Wen while the principal was speaking.
Su Wen was still a bit tired from moving the books. "I have to deal with this teacher for three years. I'm already considering switching classes."
It wasn't just Su Wen and Chen You; all the students had a bad first impression of Mu Hanzhi.
However, Mu Hanzhi paid no mind to the whispers in the ranks. Instead, he was happily chatting with a female teacher from the neighboring Class Three.
And so, the students added another title for Mu Hanzhi: a greasy, middle-aged pervert.
No classes were scheduled for the first day of school, making it possibly the most leisurely day Su Wen would have in his entire high school life. By the time every student had finished their self-introductions, it wasn't even eleven o'clock.
Compared to the introduction sessions Su Wen had experienced before, the one thing everyone now inevitably mentioned, besides their own name, was their Pokémon.
However, aside from one girl's Bulbasaur, there wasn't much else worth noting in the class.
On the other hand, when Chen You mentioned his Pokémon was a Rotom, he piqued the interest of many. Some boys even hollered for Chen You to let Rotom out for a look, only to be silenced by a glare from Mu Hanzhi.
Mu Hanzhi checked the time and said, "There are still forty minutes until class is over. Let's dismiss at eleven-thirty so you can all go get lunch, alright?"
A cheer erupted from below. The homeroom teacher had finally done something decent.
"In this half hour, let's decide on the class president," Mu Hanzhi said, his gaze casually drifting past Su Wen.
The classmates looked at each other. They had only just met today; how were they supposed to choose a class president?
A girl sitting in the front row said weakly, "Why not just Su Wen?"
Su Wen was stunned. He had been a class president in his past life; in this life, he just wanted to be a slacker.
But before Su Wen could refuse, the students all agreed to go with it.
And so, before Su Wen could voice his opinion, he was pushed into the position of class president.
Forced by Mu Hanzhi, Su Wen had no choice but to go on stage and give a speech, stating that he would definitely work hard to serve his classmates, blah blah blah.
After finally getting through the half-hour, Su Wen thought he could finally go eat. But Mu Hanzhi dismissed all the other students and asked Su Wen alone to walk with him, saying he needed to go over the class president's duties.
Chen You gave Su Wen a "you're on your own" look and unhesitatingly ditched him, slipping away with the other boys who had gathered around.
Seeing the silent Su Wen beside him, Mu Hanzhi lightly slapped the back of his head. "Say something."
Su Wen looked at him with disbelief. "Mr. Mu, weren't you the one who said you had things to discuss?"
"Did I?" Mu Hanzhi said noncommittally, changing the subject. "Did you know your father originally planned for you to attend high school in the Imperial Capital?"
?
A large question mark appeared in Su Wen's mind. Me, go to school in the Imperial Capital?
Mu Hanzhi turned to see Su Wen's blank expression and shook his head. "As I thought, your father didn't tell you."
"Sir, you know my father?"
"Your father was in the first class I ever taught."
Before this, Su Wen never knew his dad had also attended Cloud City High School.
Before Su Wen could ask, Mu Hanzhi took the initiative. "Imperial Capital High School is far stronger than Cloud City High School. I was the one who requested your father to let you come here."
"Requested? Why?" Su Wen asked, confused. For the first time, a look of melancholy appeared on Mu Hanzhi's face. "Do you know about the Ho-Oh Cup?"
Su Wen nodded. "Our country's largest college trainer competition, held every four years. I remember last year's winner was the team from Shanghai University."
"Then do you know about the Little Ho-Oh Cup?"
"Uhh..." Su Wen indeed did not know there was also a Little Ho-Oh Cup.
Mu Hanzhi didn't keep him in suspense. "If the Ho-Oh Cup is the largest college trainer competition, then the Little Ho-Oh Cup is the largest high school trainer competition, held in the same year."
Hearing it was a high school competition, Su Wen wasn't surprised he hadn't heard of it. With the prestigious Ho-Oh Cup overshadowing it, it was perfectly normal for a high school league like the Little Ho-Oh Cup to be less famous.
"What does this have to do with me staying at Cloud High?" Su Wen suddenly thought of something, and his pace unconsciously slowed.
Seeing Su Wen's reaction, Mu Hanzhi figured he had mostly guessed it. "That's right. I hope you can get a top-three finish in the Little Ho-Oh Cup in your third year."
"Mr. Mu, you guys think too highly of me," Su Wen was speechless. Did he really have that much charisma?
Mu Hanzhi chuckled. "Of course, it's not just you. Your friends Zhou Wan and Chen You, the second-place finisher in the high school entrance exam, Ni Xuanya, and other students with potential—we've tried to keep all the ones we could."
It was normal to retain outstanding students, but Cloud High's current methods were highly unusual.
"What conditions did the school offer the others?" Su Wen felt a bit uncomfortable. Zhou Wan and Chen You surely didn't know about this, just like him, which meant the three of them hadn't gotten any benefits.
"Three years of the highest-level scholarship, one opportunity to enter an Advanced Restricted Area, and the school will cover up to one million in Pokémon training expenses," Mu Hanzhi sensed Su Wen's displeasure and added, "Don't worry, your benefits will be the same as theirs. However, there are only five spots for the restricted area."
"Five spots?" Having experienced the Charizard patriarch's spending spree, Su Wen was already immune to the sum of one million. What he cared about was Mu Hanzhi's implication that these five spots were up for competition.
Mu Hanzhi smoothed down the few hairs on his head. "Of course, they require competition. The money is a small matter. Do you think a spot in a restricted area is that easy to get?"
"What is Cloud High trying to achieve with such a big move? I don't believe it's just to get a top-three finish," Su Wen thought of Wu Yan. "They even dug up Teacher Wu Yan. Who are they preparing to deal with?"
Either Cloud High was aiming to climb higher, but it was already the best high school in Cloud City. How much higher could it go? The only other possibility was that someone was about to overtake them. Su Wen thought maliciously.
Hearing Su Wen's words, the bitterness on Mu Hanzhi's face deepened. "Cloud High has failed to qualify for the Little Ho-Oh Cup twice in a row. Meanwhile, Cloud City Second High School and Cloud City Haixu High School have both achieved good results in the Little Ho-Oh Cup these past two years."
"Failed to qualify twice?" Su Wen calculated. That meant Cloud High hadn't officially entered the Little Ho-Oh Cup for nearly a decade.
"Yes. This time, the higher-ups have given a final ultimatum. If Cloud High can't achieve good results again, the resource allocation for high schools in Cloud City will be rearranged." Mu Hanzhi finally revealed the truth.
Su Wen finally understood where Cloud High's desperate, all-or-nothing approach came from. It turned out they really were on the verge of being pushed down.
"Shouldn't this depend more on the college entrance exams?" Su Wen found it hard to believe. "Don't tell me Cloud High is being beaten by Second High and Haixu High in the college entrance exams too."
Mu Hanzhi shook his head. "Not yet. But there are voices now saying that Cloud High gets the best students but does such a lame job of cultivating trainers that it no longer deserves the best resources."
"It is pretty lame," Su Wen nodded unconsciously, earning another slap on the back of his head.
Looking at the murderous Mr. Mu, Su Wen decisively admitted he was wrong.
Mu Hanzhi snorted. To him, Cloud High was a place he had poured half his life's work into, and he wouldn't tolerate anyone slandering it.
"Your father said that your Aura Talent is exceptional and that your Charmander has the best resources. That's why I swallowed my pride and went to great lengths to persuade him to keep you here." The look of expectation in Mu Hanzhi's eyes made Su Wen feel a bit embarrassed.
"Can I tell Zhou Wan and Chen You about this?" Su Wen hadn't wanted to ask, but fearing repercussions later, he decided it was better to check. After all, this was the vengeful Mr. Mu.
Mu Hanzhi considered it for a moment. "No need. They'll find out sooner or later anyway."
Hearing this, Su Wen knew what to do. He could use this to mess with Chen You later, he thought gleefully.