179 Unconvinced! The Reason For The S-Class
Qin Yun knew Jiang Cai'er wasn't convinced and likely thought he had won by sheer luck or a fluke tactic.
But a win was a win. And frankly, he didn't know this Jiang Cai'er well.why should he bother explaining anything to her?
It just wasn't worth it.
He wasn't the type to fawn over others.
Kenin was well aware that Jiang Cai'er wouldn't be convinced so easily. He silently blamed himself for being too indulgent with her and couldn't help but let out a sigh.
He turned to Qin Yun, his gaze filled with apology.
"Qin Yun, I'm sorry."
"Senior Kenin, it's alright."
Qin Yun smiled and genuinely didn't take Jiang Cai'er's attitude to heart.
There were far more important things on his mind. Qin Yun wasn't interested in wasting energy on petty emotions.
Kenin could clearly read Qin Yun's thoughts and knew better than to dwell on the topic. Instead, his appreciation for Qin Yun deepened.
"Qin Yun's Pikachu is impressive. For an elite-level junior Pokémon to display such strength, it must have been evaluated as an S-class."
Kenin's focus shifted back to the core matter—Pikachu's extraordinary strength.
"Yes, that Pikachu received an S-class rating."
When Jiang Cai'er heard this, she made a face that clearly said, as expected.
A Pokémon that could perform like that without an S-class rating? Impossible.
"Is that so…"
Kenin couldn't help but take a sharp breath. For a junior elite Pokémon to achieve an S-class rank—such a Pokémon had limitless potential.
"Qin Yun, do you know how the rating system works?" he asked.
"Isn't it based on how well a Trainer understands a Pokémon's training and breeding potential?" Qin Yun replied thoughtfully.
Kenin nodded slightly—then shook his head, surprising Qin Yun.
"Cai'er, you explain it."
"Yes."
Though Jiang Cai'er still resented Qin Yun, she nonetheless shared what she knew.
"A long time ago, the system was binary—Pokémon were either S-class or not."
Hearing this, Qin Yun turned to her with genuine interest.
A faint smirk rose on Jiang Cai'er's lips. So he doesn't know everything after all.
"Later, researchers divided the S-class tier into more refined levels."
"This change came about because of a discovery: Pokémon have a 'limit threshold.' When all of a Pokémon's core stats surpass this threshold, the Pokémon can break past its genetic shackles and enter a new realm of strength."
"Simply having a few S-tier stats, even maxed out, doesn't mean a Pokémon has broken its limits."
"And achieving this limit break? It usually only happens after a Pokémon reaches the Elite level."
Qin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly as he digested this new information.
"You mean becoming a titled Elite Pokémon?"
"Yes. As most Trainers know, Elite-level strength is generally divided into one-star, two-star, and three-star classifications."
"But this division—especially the third star—isn't as straightforward as people think."
Jiang Cai'er paused, noticing Qin Yun's full attention, and continued with satisfaction.
"Most Elite 3-star Pokémon are simply stronger versions of their two-star counterparts. But among them, there's a hidden tier."
"These rare Elite 3-stars possess the power to challenge Titled Elites. They've completely broken past the natural shackles of growth."
"This level is where my master, and the masters of the provincial capital Gyms, reside."
"To reach this level, a key requirement is for a Pokémon to have attained an S-class rating before reaching the professional tier. Without this, a Pokémon will almost certainly hit a ceiling."
Qin Yun nodded slowly. It all made sense now.
Kenin chimed in, "Elite 3-star is more of a placeholder. In the competitive world, we often call it the quasi-championship stage."
Quasi-championship...
Qin Yun now had a clearer picture. His Pikachu... could very well be at that stage.
"And you, Senior?" he asked.
"I've had a few Pokémon brush against the threshold," Kenin replied, shaking his head. "But I've yet to truly reach the quasi-champion level."
What Kenin didn't say was that in the modern Pokémon world, where Trainers were growing stronger by the year, even achieving a Titled Elite rank had become extremely difficult. Let alone qualifying for the quasi-championship stage.
Take the current four Titled Elites, for example—each possessed at least one champion-level Pokémon.
Even Norman's Slaking, known for its laziness, had been revealed to have champion-tier strength—its combat power terrifying in every respect.
"That's why I've been urging Cai'er to push her Aerodactyl to reach S-class before it breaks through," Kenin said. "But it's been difficult. Rock and Flying types are naturally harder to raise due to limited stat growth."
"That limit—that invisible ceiling—isn't so easily broken."
Qin Yun listened quietly, everything becoming clearer.
If he wanted to raise top-tier Pokémon, then hitting S-class was essential. No—every Pokémon had to reach it before advancing.
"Qin Yun," Kenin said seriously, "if you continue training this Pikachu carefully, and help her break through the S-rank shackles, you'll greatly improve her chances of reaching the champion level in the future."
Qin Yun nodded.
Of course, he wouldn't reveal the biggest secret: his Pikachu was already SSS-class.
After that, Kenin took Qin Yun on a tour through the gym's top-tier training venues, exposing him to a variety of professional setups and methods that broadened his understanding.
As they were about to part, Kenin turned to Qin Yun and said:
"The doubles competition is about to begin. If you're interested, I'll sign you up."
Qin Yun's response was instant—and instinctive:
"What's the reward?"
Kenin and the others froze for a moment—then Kenin smiled, remembering Qin Yun came from an ordinary background without access to significant resources.
His gaze softened with empathy.
"There aren't a lot of prizes, just training resources worth about 20 million Pokémon coins."
"I'm in!" Qin Yun's eyes sparkled.
Twenty million may not be much to others, but with his system's thousand-fold multiplier, that was equivalent to 20 billion in training resources.
Who could say no to that?
Seeing Qin Yun's visible excitement, Kenin's heart ached a little.
He pulled out a gold-plated card and handed it over to Qin Yun.
"This is the Gym's elite training card. With it, you can access all of our facilities free of charge—no cost at all."
Qin Yun accepted it in a daze.
When Jiang Cai'er saw the gold card, her heart twisted with jealousy.
Even she didn't have one.
Her master always told her: if you want resources, earn them yourself.
This blatant favoritism made Jiang Cai'er feel completely sour inside. After all, wasn't she the cherished apprentice?
---
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN COMPLETED ON PATREON ....PRICE HAS BEEN DROPPED DOWN OVER 50% FROM THE NORMAL PRICE... VISIT PATREON NOW TO BUY THE COLLECTION
visit patreon.com/Mgoldtranslation to view 150+ chapters