Chapter 58: The Campus Cup Begins

“Commanding the wind and clouds, I charge ahead as I please, admired by all; commanding the wind and clouds, I never need to look back, overturning heaven and earth, I write my own laws...” With his lips pursed, Agumon sang out in front, leading the chorus. This was the song he had become obsessed with over the past few days. Just as the lyrics proclaimed, he was determined to become a superstar in the Digital World!

Following his voice were the echoes of the other Digimon, each one singing earnestly. If I can’t be the leader, then I must at least claim second place—this is the dignity of a Digimon.

An hour slipped away quickly amidst their practice, and soon it was time for the assessment.

“I’ll go first!”

A Gabumon eagerly raised its hand. After an hour of memorizing, it felt the lyrics were now etched into its very soul.

That second place is mine—Gabumon’s pride!

“All right, you go first then.”

Soon, Gabumon’s singing rang out, but halfway through, it forgot the lyrics and had to give up in frustration.

“I’ll do it!”

As soon as Gabumon stepped down, Betamon jumped out impatiently.

It realized that everyone seemed to be eyeing its position—yes, Betamon thought of it as its own seat—and if it didn’t act quickly, it might really be snatched away.

“Commanding the wind and clouds, I charge ahead as I please, admired by all; commanding the wind and clouds, I never need to look back, overturning heaven and earth, I write my own laws, the fierce, flashing-eyed wild wolf, born proud and arrogant by nature, unrestrained words and deeds, who cares for your respect, an eternal superstar, this is true character...”

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Betamon actually made it through the entire song, albeit with a voice that sounded like a wailing ghost. But it finished.

“This can’t be! That good-for-nothing of the Digital World actually remembered all the lyrics!”

Though it was hard for the other Digimon to believe, the facts spoke for themselves.

“Betamon is the first to finish, so second place is his. Who’s next?”

Agumon cleared his throat, also a bit surprised.

So this foolish little brother isn’t entirely without merit after all!

“I’ll go!” “Me too!”

More Digimon began to sing, one after another. If second place was out of reach, wasn’t there still a third place?

What’s this?

Third place is gone too? Didn’t you, Long-eared Beast, say you only remembered half the lyrics? This is your idea of ‘half’?

We’re through!

The scene was in uproar, and only as noon approached did the rankings finally settle.

“All right, today’s task is over. Tomorrow, we’ll officially begin special training, so don’t tell anyone about what happened today!”

Agumon glanced at his fellow Digimon, youthful and spirited, as he spoke.

...

Over the past month, many of Zhao Jie’s classmates noticed their Digimon behaving strangely, but no matter how they questioned them, they got no answers.

Soon, though, that was forgotten, for the much-anticipated School Cup was about to begin its preliminary rounds.

The event was being held at the Central Sports Arena of Wuling City.

On this day, under the school’s arrangements, a total of 212 students from both Wuling No. 1 and No. 2 High Schools arrived at the city arena.

To prevent accidents, the Digital Association even brought in a digital medical unit to treat Digimon, and for the final match of the School Cup, city leaders would attend as honored guests.

Neither Zhao Jie nor Agumon would be competing this time; despite that, Agumon was acting as a referee.

With a tiny whistle hanging around his neck, Agumon was thoroughly enjoying himself. Besides Agumon, his old acquaintance, Savage Beast, was also serving as a referee.

“Mr. Li Ping.”

Zhao Jie greeted Li Ping respectfully as the teacher appeared before him.

“So, have you decided where you want to go to university?”

Li Ping sat beside Zhao Jie, his eyes fixed on the ring in the distance as his voice drifted to Zhao Jie’s ears.

“Well, I’ll see how my academic scores turn out.”

Zhao Jie’s gaze also went to the ring, though his eyes followed Agumon.

“Stop being so coy. With your mature-stage Greymon, you can pick any university in the country. Academic scores don’t really matter for you anymore.”

Li Ping withdrew his gaze, looking at Zhao Jie with a sigh.

He’d watched Zhao Jie improve step by step. Originally, he thought breaking into the top thirty-two would be impressive—he never imagined Zhao Jie would come back with the championship.

“Is that so? But it’s been over a month, and no university has contacted me yet.”

Zhao Jie scratched his head, puzzled.

“That’s why I’m here.”

Li Ping chuckled at Zhao Jie’s words, relieved that no one else had gotten ahead of him.

“You, sir?”

Zhao Jie was stunned, staring at Li Ping in astonishment; he really hadn’t expected those words from his teacher.

“Surprised, aren’t you? To be honest, I’m surprised too,” Li Ping replied with a dry cough.

“Let’s set aside the matter of universities for now and talk about you. With your title as Newcomer King of Shashi, you’d have no problem getting into top universities in Magic City or the Imperial Capital. Have you thought about which one you’d prefer?”

Li Ping’s question plunged Zhao Jie into thought.

In terms of reputation, the Digital Studies department at Imperial Capital University was very strong, producing powerful Digital Tamers every year.

Magic City University, though lacking in heritage, had received strong official support in recent years, and its Digital Studies department was not much weaker than the Imperial Capital’s.

Between the two, choosing either would be the best option.

“I’ll go with Magic City.”

After some consideration, Zhao Jie gave his answer.

The Imperial Capital’s waters run too deep; Magic City is a bit better.

Just as I thought!

Li Ping was not surprised by Zhao Jie’s answer. Over the past five years, Magic City University had become even more attractive to top talents than the Imperial Capital.

But he wasn’t here as a recruiter for Magic City University. In fact, a name like Magic City needs no recruiters.

“Magic City is a good choice, but I think you could do even better.”

“Actually, even if you go to Magic City, you’d just be an ordinary student—you know what I mean, right? Every year, Magic City University attracts many talented students, and there are plenty who can raise their Digimon to maturity in just one year.”

Zhao Jie nodded. To say nothing else, even in the finals of the Shashi Newcomer Cup, that Elfmon would certainly reach maturity by the time of the big exam.

On a national scale, that number only grows; as the Newcomer King of Shashi, he was just an average prodigy.