Pokémon: I just became a Gym Leader, and Cynthia proposed to me.

Chapter 860 Not Giving You a Lesson Is Giving You One Lesson

The students were stunned for a moment, and then the chubby boy was the first to rush over.

"Hey, you little rascal! I thought you went out to slack off! Turns out you went out to find something to eat!"

The bamboo shoot man placed the tree fruit on the ground and grinned.

"When we passed a grove earlier, we saw many fruit trees. I had the apes pick some, and there are still some over there, enough for everyone to eat."

The students gathered around to share the fruit from the tree.

A few students who still had the energy followed the bamboo shoot workers back to continue picking tree fruits, while the rest ate and continued clearing the way.

As the sun began to set, the students looked up at the mountaintop and realized that it was still quite a distance away.

Some people started to pant heavily, some bent over, supporting their knees, and their steps became slower and slower.

One girl couldn't help but speak up:

"Should we go back? It's getting dark soon, and we can come back tomorrow?"

The bamboo shoot man, carrying the second batch of tree fruit, chased after them from behind, sweating profusely as he ran.

"No! Master Shuwen said we need perseverance, how can we give up!"

One girl nodded in agreement, "My Mianmian can use a flashlight, so even at night, it can still light the way for everyone!"

A soft glow appeared, illuminating the path ahead shrouded in twilight.

A teacher quietly walked up to Li Shuwen and asked in a low voice:

"Master Shuwen, we can't possibly stay out until dark, can we?"

Li Shuwen smiled slightly, "This class will only truly begin after dark."

The sun has completely set.

Only a faint flash of light illuminated a small area along the mountain road.

The light from Fireflies, Magneton, Sunflower, Umbreon, and Sunrock converged from different directions, barely illuminating the mountain path.

The line stopped.

Most of the students huddled together, exhausted, hungry, and sleepy. Some sat down against tree stumps and didn't want to move anymore, while others hugged their Pokémon and dozed off with their eyes closed.

The bamboo shoot maker kept shouting, "Everyone, hang in there! We're almost there!"

His voice was already hoarse.

Li Shuwen walked to the middle of the line and said, "Students, I've seen your perseverance in persisting until now."

"If anyone wants to go back to school, my Gallade can use Teleport to send them back."

"If you want to continue the challenge, you can release a second Pokémon to assist you."

After a moment of silence, a student stood up, bowed to Li Shuwen, and then walked up to Gallade.

A flash of blue light, and he disappeared.

The second, the third, the fourth—more and more students are choosing to go back.

In the end, only five people remained on the mountain path.

The five people, dragging their weary bodies, continued their ascent under the glow of the light.

The bamboo shoot man walked at the front, led by his hyperactive ape, whose claws pried through the rubble and dead branches, leaving clear marks on the mountainside with every step.

The four people behind them supported each other, taking one step after another without stopping.

After walking for another two hours, the blurry outline of the mountain peak under the moonlight was still far away.

Li Shuwen stopped and began to applaud.

Congratulations everyone, you have successfully completed this course.

The bamboo shoot man turned around and stared wide-eyed:

"Master Shuwen, we haven't even reached the summit yet! How come it's over already?"

Li Shuwen looked at them and said with a smile:

"Because from the very beginning, the mountain I chose was impossible to climb in a single day, or even overnight."

"Knowing it's impossible yet still doing it—that's the motivation that perseverance gives you. I hope you'll remember your experience climbing the mountain today."

"Whenever you feel like giving up in the future, just think about today."

The five people were teleported back to school one after another by Gallade's Teleport.

After returning, Li Shuwen asked the teacher next to him:

Where are there any lakes nearby where I can go fishing?

The teacher thought for a moment:

There's a lake not far to the east of the school.

Li Shuwen said, "I hope the school can put a hundred Magikarp inside."

The teacher blinked: "There are already many Magikarp in that lake. If we put another hundred in... wouldn't we only be able to catch Magikarp?"

Li Shuwen nodded. "This is the effect I wanted."

The next morning, Li Shuwen led the thirty students ranked in the middle to the lakeside.

The lake was vast, with emerald green water and willow branches hanging along the shore. Some students were already holding fishing rods, eager to try their luck.

Li Shuwen stood by the lake and spoke:

"Today's activity is simple: fishing! I will give a reward to the best participants based on the Pokémon they catch."

"As for what kind of Pokémon is considered excellent, I can't tell you right now."

The students looked at each other in bewilderment. There were no standards, no scoring rules; they only knew that there would be a reward for good fishing.

They began to wonder if catching a rare fish species was considered a good catch.

Is bigger always better?

Fishing lines were cast into the water one by one, creating ripples on the lake's surface.

A morning has passed.

Some people caught goldfish, some caught mackerel, but the vast majority of people had king carp on their hooks.

It's Magikarp again and again.

Some people started to get impatient, carrying their fishing rods and moving around the lakeshore, trying to find a place with fewer carp.

I tried several different spots, but the hook was still stuck with a king carp.

Some people started to sigh, while others put their fishing rods down on the bank and sat there in a daze.

Only one person remained in the same position from beginning to end.

It was a girl wearing a straw hat, and her fishing rod barely moved after she cast it.

She sat there, unhurried and calm, occasionally raising her fishing rod.

She pulled up a king carp, so she removed the hook, put it back, re-baited it, and cast it again.

Throughout the entire day, she was the only one who maintained a steady pace.

As evening fell, Li Shuwen walked up to her and took out a golden scale from his pocket.

The scale gleamed warmly in the setting sun, its edges rounded and its surface covered with fine lines—it was the scale of a Golden Gyarados.

The girl wearing the straw hat looked up and froze in place.

Li Shuwen placed the scale in her palm:

"You've caught the most Magikarp; I hope you can transform into a dragon like the Magikarp."

He turned to look at the other students and raised his voice, saying:

"Don't look down on Magikarp. You are like Magikarp, constantly accumulating potential. One day you too will transform into dragons."

The students quieted down; some looked down at their empty fish baskets, while others patted their Pokémon's head.

The girl wearing the straw hat clutched the scales in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

On the third day, Li Shuwen did not come to the group of the most outstanding students.

Thirty people sat in the lecture hall, backs straight, eyes focused, notebooks open, pens in hand, ready to take notes.

Their grades were among the best in the school, and everyone was used to being noticed, praised, and regarded as a role model.

A teacher walked into the classroom, stood in front of the podium, looked around, and then began to speak.

"The Master of Calligraphy has passed away."

The students immediately erupted in chaos!

"How can you do that!"

The teacher gestured for everyone to be quiet, and then said, "Don't rush, Master Shuwen has left you a recording."

The teacher began playing a recording: "Class, today's lesson for you is called accepting what those classmates who seem less capable than you have achieved, but you haven't."

"Although I haven't been giving you lessons, not giving lessons is itself a form of instruction."

"You've succeeded too many times; you need a failure more than success."

"You probably need to relax more than study."

"Use this day to do what you really want to do."

"Remember, relaxation is for better fighting."

Thirty students sat in their seats, and the classroom remained quiet for a long time.

At this time, Li Shuwen encountered an unexpected person at the Tianguan Mountain Trainer Academy.

"Xiao Fei, what are you doing here?"

Li Fei smiled and said, "Mike challenged me! I had no choice but to take action! Don't worry, bro, the Veiled Dojo will definitely be fine!"

Li Shuwen raised an eyebrow. "Tell me the details."