Besides the chubby kid, Luke, Emma, and Willow had also caught their second Pokémon during the break.
Luke now had a sturdy Aron accompanying him. Willow, in addition to her Grovyle, was holding a cute Vulpix in her arms. Emma had an Eevee, still half-asleep, perched comfortably on her shoulder.
It seemed like everyone had been quite productive during what remained of the summer vacation!
Among these newly caught Pokémon, Luke's Aron had the highest level, having already reached level 16. Eevee and Torkoal were at similar levels, while Vulpix was slightly behind at level 14. Other Trainers who had begun raising their second Pokémon were mostly at comparable levels.
David observed his classmates and let out a quiet sigh. Even though the school year had just started, a noticeable gap in strength had already begun to form among them.
Imperial Capital No. 1 High School's entire third-year had approximately one thousand students. Roughly one-fifth of them had chosen to specialize as Trainers. These students were evenly distributed across three separate classes.
After the class reorganization at the beginning of the school year, Class 1 ended up with about eighty students. A quick scan of the class at this point revealed that most of their Pokémon hovered around level 15.
A smaller group of Trainers, led by David himself—about a dozen or so—had either performed exceptionally well in the Novice Cup or came from families with strong training backgrounds.
Most of their starter Pokémon had either entered the Veteran rank or were on the verge of breaking through to it. These students had already begun raising their second Pokémon.
In terms of overall strength, their beginner starter Pokémon far outmatched those of ordinary students. Even their second Pokémon could already compete with most classmates' starter Pokémon.
Take Miles, for example. When his Growlithe evolved into Arcanine, he must have used a top-quality Fire Stone. His strength was probably second only to David's in Class 1. Even his newly caught Torkoal could hold its own against most classmates' main Pokémon.
Then there was David, who stood as an exception even among the exceptional.
His Riolu could easily sweep through all Pokémon below the Veteran rank present here. If David were to establish an Aura Link with him, even Veteran-rank Pokémon might struggle to defeat the Fighting-type.
The class divisions at Imperial Capital No. 1 High School were determined by academic performance. While it couldn't be claimed that the other Trainer classes lacked strong students entirely, Class 1 was undeniably the strongest overall.
Among the more than two hundred Trainers across all three classes, only about a dozen had begun raising their second Pokémon. These individuals would likely form the core members of the high school league team.
"Since everyone has finished warming up, let's begin physical training with your Pokémon. Boys will run ten laps around the track, girls will run eight laps."
"As for your Pokémon, there are special training weights available here. Please line up to receive them!"
Just when everyone assumed they would be diving straight into Pokémon battles, Dominic surveyed the group and spoke. It was only then that the students noticed a large pile of adjustable weights stacked behind him.
It seemed the reason he had them warm up on the track first was simply to retrieve these training items.
"Ah! Why is it like this...?"
Upon hearing the command, the crowd froze momentarily before erupting into collective groans of despair.
It should be noted that the several tracks at Imperial Capital No. 1 High School far exceeded the normal size of their previous schools. One complete lap measured a full eight hundred meters!
Ten laps would mean running a total of eight kilometers! Even though the average physical fitness in the Pokémon world was considerably superior to what David remembered from his previous life, this kind of run would be no easy feat!
If this were before the world had changed, everyone would probably collapse from exhaustion before finishing.
"'Ah' what? Physical training is the foundation of becoming a proper Trainer. If you can't even handle this much, you might as well go home now."
"Think about it. When you're exploring in the wild or venturing into secret realms, without adequate stamina, you won't even be able to run properly. You'll only end up becoming a burden to your Pokémon."
"And honestly, how many of you actually train alongside your Pokémon during their conditioning sessions? I'm not asking you to train at the same intensity as Pokémon do."
"But as Trainers, when your Pokémon are pushing themselves through hard training, can't you at least work out alongside them and set a proper example?"
"Don't just stand there gawking. All of you, get moving now."
Watching the groaning crowd before him, Dominic spoke with a cold, unwavering expression.
"Let's go. Time to get the weights."
Realizing that this training session was unavoidable and seeing that no one wanted to step forward first, David decided not to wait any longer. He stepped forward and began selecting appropriate weights for his Pokémon.
He examined the weights carefully in his hands. They appeared similar to the ones he had previously used for training Zorua at the Gym, though the quality of those weights had been slightly better than these.
The weights David had used back then could be adjusted up to one hundred kilograms per unit. These school-issued weights, however, could only be adjusted to a maximum of twenty kilograms.
After collecting four sets of weights and adjusting them properly for Zorua and Riolu, David began running laps on the track with his two Pokémon.
Dominic, who had originally intended to assist David with adjusting the weights, watched the boy's retreating figure with a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
It was nothing remarkable for Zorua to carry eighty kilograms of weight. He could sense the Dark-type was a Veteran-rank Pokémon. But for that Riolu to also handle eighty kilograms of weight was genuinely unexpected.
Interesting indeed. It seemed they had experience with this kind of physical training already, as beginners typically wouldn't challenge the upper weight limit from the start.
Seeing David take the lead, Luke, Willow, and the others also began to move forward. Dominic, drawing on his extensive experience, adjusted the weights for each student according to the strength and physical characteristics of their respective Pokémon.
Different Pokémon, due to their varying strength levels and individual body structures, naturally required different weight amounts.
A level 15 Teddiursa could carry over sixty kilograms without much trouble. However, a level 15 Pidgey could only manage a maximum of twenty kilograms.
As for an evolved Arcanine, with its powerful physique, a mere eighty kilograms was practically nothing. Dominic specifically located several weights that could be adjusted to fifty kilograms each, finally resolving the issue.
With David and his group leading by example, all the students in Class 1 quickly fell into line and began their training runs.
The morning passed by swiftly in this manner.
Besides running laps, they also conducted evasion drills, Poké Ball deployment practice, and various other training exercises.
Because they had undergone an entire morning of intensive physical training, Dominic proved to be "very generous" at the end, releasing them from class half an hour early.
When class finally ended, everyone felt thoroughly sore all over their bodies.
"How can this be? This is completely different from the training class I had imagined. I'm absolutely exhausted!"
"Shouldn't training class focus on teaching us Pokémon battles? Why is everything centered around training the Trainer instead?"
"That Teacher Dominic is simply a demon. If this continues every single day, I'll probably lose all my body fat." This particular complaint came from Miles, who was rubbing his aching legs.
Back in the classroom, the students of Class 1 continued complaining while massaging their sore shoulders and cramping calves.
David, however, felt relatively fine at this moment. Ever since he had awakened his Aura Power, his physical fitness had been passively improving at a steady rate.
By now, even if Zorua perched on his shoulder for half a day, he wouldn't feel any discomfort. Moreover, he had frequently exercised alongside his two Pokémon during the summer break, so today's physical training session hadn't been particularly challenging for him.
Soon enough, lunchtime arrived. After enduring a full morning of training, and with a Pokémon knowledge class scheduled for the afternoon, David felt too tired to bother heading home. He simply gathered his two Pokémon and headed toward the school cafeteria.