To rapidly raise Kubfu's strength before the Fighting-Type Tournament, Oliver completely restructured his training regimen.
For the next several days:
Training volume increased by 50%.
Oliver personally crafted large quantities of top-tier Fighting-type energy blocks.
Recovery windows were optimized.
Sparring intensity was refined.
Yet—
After only a few days, Oliver noticed something shocking.
Kubfu's growth rate was far exceeding expectations.
Its physical condition had improved by an entire tier in an alarmingly short time.
After careful inspection, Oliver finally discovered the reason:
Kubfu had secretly increased the gravity on his training suit—
From 2× to 2.5×.
It looked like a small difference.
It wasn't.
The 2× setting had already been precisely calibrated to Kubfu's current physical limit.
Raising it independently meant serious risk of internal strain.
Worse—
Oliver had unknowingly increased total training volume by 50%.
The burden Kubfu had endured was enormous.
Thankfully, after a full examination, Oliver found no hidden injuries.
Kubfu's physical resilience was far stronger than predicted.
Still—
Oliver's expression turned serious.
"You're not allowed to do that again."
"I want you to improve quickly too."
"But not at the cost of your body."
There were countless examples in this world of Trainers overworking their Pokémon—leading to irreversible damage.
Once a Pokémon's foundation was harmed, future growth could be permanently capped.
Garchomp could recklessly absorb damage because it possessed divine-origin power as a foundation—plus Oliver's Evergreen Force healing.
Kubfu had neither.
Oliver could not guarantee absolute safety with Evergreen Force alone.
"A tournament means nothing compared to you."
"Understand?"
Kubfu met his gaze.
And nodded firmly.
No words were needed.
Their bond deepened silently.
Aura resonance strengthened.
Because Kubfu had already adapted to 2.5× gravity without injury, Oliver did not reduce it.
Kubfu had surpassed a personal limit—
Both physically.
And mentally.
The System Intervenes
As the end of the semester approached, another important event arrived:
The National College Entrance Examination.
Oliver originally had no intention of participating.
He had already been admitted to Peking University.
The exam would only delay Kubfu's preparation.
But the system had other plans.
[Choice Event Triggered]
Option 1: Take the exam and become Sichuan Province's top scorer.
Reward: Scroll of Darkness ×1
Option 2: Skip the exam and report directly to university.
Reward: Random Pokémon Egg ×1
Oliver immediately dismissed Option 2.
His current focus was Kubfu.
Raising another Pokémon now was inefficient.
But Option 1's reward—
Was significant.
The Scroll of Darkness.
In the original Dark Tower, this scroll was the treasure at its peak.
If Kubfu observed it—
He would evolve into Urshifu (Single Strike Style).
For most Kubfu owners, this was a blessing.
For Oliver—
It was a dilemma.
His vision for Kubfu was not to choose between Single Strike or Rapid Strike.
He wanted both.
Perfect dual integration.
In reality, evolution could not simply be cancelled like pressing "B" in a game.
"System. Is there a way for Kubfu to absorb its power without evolving?"
System Response:
Two possible methods detected.
Method 1: Use Everstone to suppress evolution.
Drawback: Power absorption incomplete. Future imbalance likely.
Meaning—
Kubfu would gain partial Single Strike essence.
But future integration with Rapid Strike would be unstable.
"Second method?"
Method 2: Wait until both Scroll of Darkness and Scroll of Water are obtained.
Combine with Trial Tower to construct a Dual-Aspect Tower.
Upon reaching the summit, Kubfu will perfectly integrate both forces and evolve in balanced form.
Oliver's eyes lit up.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Perfect fusion.
The downside?
Enormous prerequisites.
The Scroll of Water.
A mysterious Trial Tower.
Unknown acquisition timeline.
But either way—
The Scroll of Darkness was required.
Oliver chose Option 1.
Becoming provincial top scorer?
Easy.
The Day of the Exam
The long-awaited day arrived.
Across the nation, final-year students entered exam halls with nervous hearts.
Parents stood under the scorching sun outside school gates.
Some had not sent their children to school in years—
But today, they did.
Oliver's mother wanted to accompany him.
He refused gently.
"It's just a small test."
"I've already signed with Peking University."
"Even if I fail, I'm still admitted."
And so—
Among the sea of anxious students and emotional farewells—
One anomaly appeared.
He wore:
A mask.
Sunglasses.
Casual clothes.
No backpack.
A single pen in his pocket.
Four Poké Balls at his waist.
He walked into the campus as if going for a stroll.
Relaxed.
Unhurried.
The security guards stared repeatedly.
If not for his admission ticket and ID—
They might have suspected he wasn't even an examinee.
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