-125- The Collection Vault (Please Subscribe!)

The next day.

Tongsi arrived at the Academic Affairs Office early in the morning. It was time to urge Mr. Gu to expedite the approval of his travel-based learning application.

"Tongsi, your application for travel-based learning is... a bit troublesome," Mr. Gu said, looking distressed.

"?" Tongsi was puzzled. A bit troublesome? As far as he knew, several other students had already applied for travel-based learning. Not only had their applications been approved, but they had already set off! This was the main reason Tongsi had come to the office so early—why was his application the only one hitting a snag?

"Tongsi, how long do you intend to be away on this trip?" Mr. Gu asked, his expression unreadable.

"How long?" Tongsi pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Perhaps two months?" He wasn't actually sure how long the trip would take, mainly because his JOJO Breeding House was still in Jiahua City, and he would inevitably have to return at some point.

"Two months?" Mr. Gu fell into deep thought again. "Tongsi, are you aware of the prestigious schools in other cities?"

"Prestigious schools? Do you mean institutions like the Ninghai Third University?"

Mr. Gu nodded. "Many top-tier schools scout talented trainers they encounter during their travels and try to recruit them as students. Tongsi, you are exceptionally talented; I have no doubt about that. Once you embark on this journey, you won't be a small fish in a small pond anymore; you will surely shine. When that time comes, many prestigious schools will try to poach you. I hope... you will choose to remain at Jiahua University."

There was a profound look in Mr. Gu's eyes as he spoke, and Tongsi felt his sincerity.

"Mr. Gu, if you're withholding my approval because you're afraid I'll be poached by another school, there's really no need. I have no plans to transfer at the moment," Tongsi replied, shaking his head.

"At the moment? And what about in the future?" Mr. Gu frowned.

"In the future..." Tongsi wasn't sure. While Jiahua University was a top-tier institution within Jiahua City, it paled in comparison to the universities in the major cities. "Mr. Gu, I will participate in the Top 100 University Championship, and I will do so under the banner of Jiahua University. I can guarantee you that much."

Tongsi couldn't guarantee the far future, but he could commit to this championship. Initially, when he heard about this tournament from Master Lin Mo, he had no interest in participating. However, after his recent experiences, he found himself quite eager to join this competition, which gathered elites from across the entire Linhai Province.

"Good! That word alone is enough!" Mr. Gu slammed his hand on the desk. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. Previously, Tongsi had been indecisive about participating. Now that he had given his word, he couldn't back out. As long as Tongsi competed on behalf of Jiahua University, he would remain a member of the school until at least then.

"Tongsi, I will approve your travel-based learning request. Furthermore, I will allow you to select three items of your choice from Jiahua University's collection vault. My only request is that, for at least the next year, you do not transfer schools."

Mr. Gu’s request was heartfelt. Tongsi’s performance from the summer break through the first month of the semester was plain for all to see. Such an outstanding trainer would undoubtedly attract interest from other schools, and Mr. Gu could not let them succeed. The "shelf life" of a new recruit was one year; after that, schools would turn their attention to the next batch of freshmen, and few would bother trying to poach an older student. If he could keep Tongsi at Jiahua University for a year, Mr. Gu was confident he could ensure he stayed until graduation. After all, having served as the Dean of Academic Affairs for several years, Mr. Gu had developed a fair amount of cunning.

"Deal!" Tongsi agreed without a moment's hesitation. He had already guessed most of Mr. Gu's intentions. He agreed simply because he had never planned on transferring in the first place. His home was in Jiahua City, his breeding house was in Jiahua City, and he would eventually return. His primary occupation was, after all, a professional "pooper scooper" at his breeding house.

Mr. Gu promptly processed the paperwork, and the approval for the travel-based learning was granted. Tongsi was left speechless, realizing that Mr. Gu had been holding up his application purely out of anxiety.

After receiving his approval, Tongsi headed to the school's collection vault. Mr. Gu had promised him three items of his choice.

"This is the school's collection vault. You may choose whatever you like inside. I will wait for you outside," said Mr. Zhu Di, the teacher who had served as a referee for the matches between the breeding and grass-type classes. Tongsi was surprised to learn that he was also the gatekeeper of the vault.

"Understood," Tongsi replied, stepping inside.

The vault was filled with an array of items, much like a high-end shop. It was divided into several sections. Beyond standard tools, there were evolution stones and various specialized items. To his surprise, there were even Pokémon eggs.

Tongsi first approached the section containing the eggs and activated his scanning eyes to check their potential. They were all uniformly at the Gym Leader level! All thirty-eight eggs, without exception, possessed Gym Leader-level potential.

"Jiahua University is quite generous! How did they manage to stock so many Gym Leader-level eggs?" Tongsi couldn't help but marvel. In reality, the university had recently acquired them from the Pokémon Association to reward top-performing students across various departments. These eggs would be distributed to students within two to three months, as they would soon begin to hatch.

"No starters from other regions?" Tongsi felt a tinge of disappointment after scanning all thirty-eight. None of the Pokémon he particularly favored were among them. The most valuable one seemed to be a Horsea egg, but after hesitating, he decided to pass.

Moving past the eggs, he arrived at the section for evolution stones. "Oh?" Aside from the common stones, he spotted a rare Light Stone. However, the vault lacked the Dusk Stone and Dawn Stone he was looking for. "It's a shame I already have a Light Stone; otherwise, I’d definitely take this one," he muttered to himself.

Deep in the item section, he found something interesting: a Binding Band. It increased the damage of binding-type moves. Tongsi immediately thought of Shuckle—specifically, a "buff" Shuckle powered by a red-brown energy cube. A "buff" Shuckle-style bind? Who could withstand that?

Without hesitation, Tongsi locked in his choice.