(XXIX) Making the Cut

Isaac was exhilarated! Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, beating the younger kids in Pokémon battles had never given him this amount of satisfaction, but the battle with The Proctor caught him off guard.

"Mr. Firenze... Mr. Firenze..." Professor Flowers had been repeating herself repeatedly as Isaac was engrossed in the battle, unbeknownst to him, practicing image training with his mind due to the system providing everything about his opponents.

Professor Flowers stood in front of his desk and leaned forward slamming both of her palms against his desk, "MISTER FIRENZE!" She yelled, her chest heaving as she glared down at the young man who had been ignoring her.

"Huh?" Isaac snapped back at the loud smacking of his desk and looked up from his desk, "Yes, Professor?" He asked innocently as if it was her first time speaking.

"I've been calling your name for the last minute! The Dean is ready for you. Please make your way to the first floor to her office." She said crossing her arms under her chest and staring sternly down at him.

"I'm sorry! I was lost in thought about that battle..." Isaac said as he stood up and grabbed his bag, walking past her.

She grabbed his arm, stopping him, "Here." She said as she handed him a folded sheet of paper and shooed him out of the classroom, closing the door behind him.

Isaac stared at the sheet of paper, opening it as he walked down the hallway and descended the stairs. He turned around and began opening the piece of paper when the Dean saw him approaching.

"Ah, Mr. Firenze, thank you for coming!" Dean Lilac said proudly, causing Isaac to fold the piece of paper in his hand and place it in his pocket.

"I'm glad to have completed the Remedial Courses, thank you for allowing me to participate!" Isaac said as he extended his hand out and shook hers delicately before she led him inside and closed the door.

"It was nothing!" She said as she sat down and unbuttoned her coat as her chest burst out from underneath, fighting against the two buttons hanging on for their lives of her silky blouse. She leaned back and crossed her leg over her knee and adjusted her short skirt as she slapped his folder down onto her desk.

"Given your scores the past week as well as your showing in the finals, you might be one of the most impressive students we've had, and there have been a lot." Dean Lilac explained as she leaned forward stressing her buttons further as she flipped the folder open and spun it around.

In the upper right corner was a picture of him and the information he provided to the left. Below was information gathered on his entire team before she flipped the page, showing every course he had attended was a perfect 100% and below that his final revealed a 98%.

"So... I didn't make the cut..." Isaac frowned as he leaned back into the chair dejectedly and stared at the ground disappointed, 'All that showboating and just extra shit was for nothing...' He thought to himself embarrassed at his actions during the match with The Proctor.

"Quite the opposite actually..." She said snapping the folder shut and leaning back in her chair once more, "To be honest with you, no one has ever scored a full 100% You tied for second for the highest score, so be proud of yourself. You've won an amazing reward!"

Isaac stared up into her dark eyes as he trembled with happiness and goosebumps ran down his body, "Really!?" He asked with a giant grin on his face.

"Really, really." She replied before explaining further, "You did exceptionally well and for that, you deserve to be rewarded. Normally you would have received a trip to go train with the Champion for a week, but since we don't have one at the moment, Lance, the last alumni to receive this reward has agreed to bring you to his hometown and train you for a week in Blackthorn City."

Isaac's eyes bulged, "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." She said with a blank expression, "He will arrive within a few days, so make sure you handle anything that needs to be done and he will bring you back here when the time has passed. Now, unless you want a punishment, leave my sight and send in the next one."

Isaac nodded and frantically exited the room as a notification appeared on his visor, he tapped the young boy's shoulder as he was sitting in a chair nearby and the nervous boy flinched while Isaac pointed his thumb to the Dean's Office.

Isaac grinned in excitement as he went to the front desk and paid the ₽10,000 to the front desk and rushed off the campus. He rubbed his hands together excitedly as he strolled toward Hugh's Ranch.

He pulled up the Quest Notifications, excited to see what his rewards were as he ascended the hill toward the ranch.

『Temporary Quest Updated!』

『Temporary Quest Completed!』

『Primary Objective: [Pass your finals] (Completed』

『Secondary Objective: [Achieve a Perfect Score] (Completed』

『Reward: ₽2,500, Draconic Visage』

Isaac stopped in his tracks as he stared at the notifications when the stack of ₽2,500 in ₽100 bills appeared and he placed them into his bag with the rest of his money.

The light dimmed as he received the Draconic Visage and inspecting it lifted very little of the veil of his confusion.

『Draconic Visage』

『The skull of this once mighty Dragon Pokémon has been crafted into an octagonal coin. A strong dragon is etched into the coin.』

"I wonder what this could be for..?" Isaac muttered as he placed it into his pocket before recalling the note he had received from Professor Flowers and opened it, reading its contents and smiling.

"Congratulations on passing the finals! If you ever need any tutoring, here's my Pokégear number..."

He added her number to his Pokégear and crumpled the note, returning both to his pocket as he entered the large Hugh residence.

Isaac had begun helping Hugh clean the ranch up as his entire team began chipping in as they made the entrance and pens look more presentable.

The next day went by without anything of note as Isaac remained on the ranch helping Hugh and practicing in his free time. That Sunday morning, Isaac was outside helping when a draconic, bipedal Pokémon with light orange skin landed just outside the gates kicking up a massive dust cloud.

Hugh ran over to where Isaac was standing, both stood staring curiously as the dust cloud dissipated. It had large, grayish-green eyes and a round snout with small nostrils.

A pair of long, thin antennae sprouted from the top of its head with a small set of horns between them. It had surprisingly small wings relative to its size. Its striated underbelly was cream-colored and extended from its neck to the tip of its long, tapering tail.

A spiky-haired redheaded boy jumped off Dragonite's back as his black cape billowed behind him. All of his dark clothing was trimmed with golden thread that gave him an air of regality.

He approached with a smile and raised his hand, "Good morning! Sorry to bother you so early, but I went to the PokéSchool and they said I could find an Isaac Firenze here. Is he available?"

"I'm Isaac." The young man said stepping forward, immediately recognizing Lance and his signature Dragonite as he extended his hand.

Lance shook his hand and nodded, "Nice to meet you, I'm Lance! So you were able to pass their assessment, you get to meet those old geezers?"

"Geezers? The oldest person there I'd guess was Dean Lilac..." Isaac said, confused.

"Ah, so you didn't... Maybe they held it against you because of your age, oh well!" Lance said with a smile, asking, "You ready?"

"Ah... Yeah, one sec, let me get my bag." Isaac said as he turned around and ran into the house putting on his trainer belt and the rest of his trainer outfit before throwing his bag over his shoulder and saying goodbye to the Hughs family.

'The journey to Pewter City is delayed by yet another week...' Isaac sighed to himself as he approached Lance.

"How old are you by the way?" Isaac asked curiously as he was still slightly taken aback by how young Lance looked.

Lance threw a pokéball releasing Aerodactyl before hopping on top of Dragonite's back, "Oh, I just turned 17 a few months ago, why do you ask?"

"17!?!?" Isaac exclaimed, "Really?"

"Yeah, I graduated from the PokéSchool a few years ago!" Lance proudly declared, "You can ride Aerodactyl, we'll be in Blackthorn in about an hour!"

'Lance was at least 25 when he lost to Blue and Red so I have at least 8 years before Professor Oak sends them out...' Isaac thought to himself as he hopped on the back of Aerodactyl when both launched off the ground and flew away from Viridian City.

———

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