The title of Champion was virtually unattainable.
If someone declared their goal was to become a Champion, those around them might murmur "wishful thinking" at most. Without outright hostility, they might offer a few encouraging words with a polite smile.
But Roy's behavior was even more audacious. He directly claimed that his Fighting-type Pokémon possessed potential rivaling Champions.
When someone posted about this on the university forum, it immediately attracted hundreds of replies filled with ridicule, jokes, and sarcasm...
"Young trainers these days are more arrogant than ever."
"They don't know respect. It's insulting to true Champions. The school should discipline him."
"Makes me sick!"
"I heard he comes from an ordinary family?"
"I was ambitious when I first enrolled too. Thought I was no worse than those recommended students and trainer legacies. Ha! Reality's Wakeup Slap hit me hard."
The post started at this level of discussion, but suddenly took a turn, shifting away from Roy altogether.
"No money, no resources, nothing. I regret becoming a trainer. Wouldn't it have been better to just keep a few Pokémon at home? Now I'm stuck here, introverted and unable to quit because I've invested so much already. I'm neither advancing nor able to go back..."
"That's what they call a sunk cost fallacy, buddy."
"Come on, it's much better once you're admitted as a professional trainer with official League support."
"Like professional certification is easy to get? How many people wait years after graduation to succeed? Anyway, I'm giving up. After graduation, I'll just inherit my family's shop and live peacefully with my Pokémon..."
"The poor play with cars, the middle class play with watches, and the rich play with Pokémon."
Despite it being premature, the entire thread filled with an atmosphere of internet depression, melancholy reflections, and bitter complaints. Occasionally, a few wealthy students would emerge to encourage others not to give up, to keep working hard—while simultaneously flaunting their privilege.
If allowed to develop normally, except for Roy's classmates, most students would forget about this in a few days, and discussion would cease.
However, the paid commenters entered right on schedule.
"How would you evaluate a Champion-potential Riolu?"
"One thing to say—I think there's nothing wrong with young trainers dreaming big."
"My cousin works as a breeder at the Pokémon Lab. He told me this Riolu is truly remarkable. Its father excels in all aspects, and it really might have Champion potential!"
"Just a casual observer here, but what today's young trainers lack is precisely Roy's ambitious spirit!"
"Obvious paid comments. Can you at least wait for that Roy guy to win against the recommended students before hyping him up?"
"Thanks for asking. I work with the Pokémon League—just got off the plane. I have insider information that student Roy is already on the League's key development watchlist."
A flood of posts dominated the university forum's homepage—click on any thread and you'd see the keywords "Roy" and "Riolu" everywhere.
Since Capital University's founding, no incoming class had ever attempted such a flashy publicity stunt.
—Because such operations were completely pointless!
—Popularity? Yes, but it was all infamy, all negative attention.
Yet despite the obviousness of the bait, large numbers of students were still hooked and engaged in intense flame wars.
Once the momentum built, even those who recognized the orchestrated nature of the campaign couldn't stop its progress.
In just one night, the entire forum filled with related topics, with tensions escalating. Several users were banned for their aggressive language.
The recommended students from several classes were inadvertently dragged into the fray. Everyone hoped they could teach the presumptuous Roy a lesson in the freshman tournament scheduled for the following week.
"Callan, you can't lose. Slap that arrogant kid's face hard!"
"...I'll do my best."
Callan looked at the message with exasperation. This was already the sixth person demanding he teach Roy a harsh lesson.
"Where did these paid commenters come from?" Callan rubbed his chin, not suspecting Roy had hired them, as it seemed to offer him no advantage. "Did this kid offend someone? That's strange... I noticed Serena's attitude toward him is completely different from others..."
"A man's petty jealousy..."
Callan shook his head.
The recommended student system had already faced criticism in recent years, with many feeling it was unfair and overly privileged.
After this incident, all recommended students were under fire. If any of them lost to Roy, they would face merciless public ridicule.
Therefore, even though Callan had no personal grievance against Roy, he would need to battle with full strength during the freshman tournament next week—losing wasn't an option.
"This incident won't disrupt my plans. I'll continue training as normal. The real challenge isn't this Roy character, but that person..."
Callan's thinking aligned with most recommended students. Roy was just an obstacle to be crushed. The only person they truly wanted to challenge was the top recommended student.
—The true Elite Trainer's heir.
—
Looking at his account balance after paying 5,000 PokéDollars for the comment service, Roy felt pained all night. This was several months' worth of his pocket money.
But when he woke the next morning and saw his popularity value had skyrocketed to '67,850' on the system panel, he instantly felt the money was well spent!
"Woohoo, we're taking off!"
Roy jumped excitedly out of bed, startling Riolu who was curled up at his feet—the fur on its body standing on end!
"Ri!??"
"Sorry, sorry."
Roy apologetically patted the Pokémon's head, immediately receiving Riolu's understanding.
Riolu never held grudges.
After licking the back of Roy's hand a few times, Riolu stretched and followed Roy to the bathroom.
Roy glanced around the sink area but couldn't find what he needed, so he called out instinctively: "Mom, where did you put the things I bought for Riolu yesterday?"
"They're in the closet. Are you blind?" Roy's mother replied energetically. "I'm warning you—you're confused enough yourself. Don't lead Riolu down the wrong path!"
"Got it, got it." Roy lamented his family status: minus one. He took out a package from the cabinet containing a set of toothbrush tools.
After unwrapping and rinsing everything, Roy handed Riolu its toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Come on, Riolu. Look, brush your teeth like this."
Riolu was quite intelligent. It could hold the toothpaste with its paws and brush its teeth alongside Roy.
After filling their mouths with foam, they rinsed together, tilting their heads back with a "Gululu~" sound before spitting in unison.
During the week between the entrance ceremony and the freshman tournament, the school suspended classes, giving students sufficient time to prepare for the competition.
This system was admittedly unfair to freshmen from ordinary backgrounds.
It was extremely difficult to compete against trainer legacies before learning any training knowledge from school...
But fairness was never a guarantee in the Pokémon trainer profession.
Roy grabbed the breakfast his parents had prepared, said goodbye, and headed out with Riolu.
After finishing his breakfast on the bus, Roy arrived at his destination.
—The Pokémon Center.