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Finally.... It was time to retrieve Incineroar from the recovery room.
"There are no issues with its body, but pay attention to the lower back area. You can massage it yourself after the regular sessions are over."
The doctor pointed at Incineroar's lower back. "This is a key stress point; the muscles are quite tense. Pay attention to maintenance."
"Okay, okay."
Li Xiang nodded. The masseur had mentioned something similar before, and he had been following the advice.
Incineroar listened to their conversation, twisting its waist slightly. It felt fine itself, without any discomfort.
At most, it felt a bit sore after battles.
"Also, reduce its consumption of Roseli Berries. Control the dosage. Just because it likes them doesn't mean it should eat them excessively. Look at its gums—there are signs of inflammation."
The doctor pried open Incineroar's mouth. "Its teeth are well-maintained, though."
Li Xiang kept nodding. Pokémon could get sick too, and it wasn't limited to status conditions.
"Grrr..."
Incineroar was slightly dissatisfied but didn't dare refute because Li Xiang was already glaring at it.
'What's wrong with eating some fruit? What's this about inflammation? As a Fire-type Pokémon, why would I be afraid of a little "fire"?'
The illiterate Incineroar thought inflammation meant being on fire.
The doctor offered a few more precautions before finally letting Incineroar leave.
They were definitely thorough, especially considering how many points were spent.
The doctor had decades of experience in treating and preventing illnesses. Listening to him was definitely the right move.
"From now on, Roseli Berries are once every three days."
Li Xiang patted Incineroar's arm. The latter displeasedly scratched its mane, feeling resentful but not daring to speak up.
It knew Li Xiang would definitely have a way to refute it, so it was better not to invite trouble.
...
Arriving in the lobby, he was about to book another room when he heard arguing. One of the voices was very familiar.
Li Xiang quickened his pace and found Lin Feng and his former rival facing off, arguing.
Without knowing the context, the content was hard to understand, but from the looks of it, they were on the verge of fighting right there.
"Hey, check your surroundings."
Li Xiang stepped forward with a frown, his voice low.
The two noticed Li Xiang and Incineroar's arrival, and the arguing instantly stopped.
The rival's eyes flashed with fear, but for some reason, he gritted his teeth and said, "This has nothing to do with you! Don't interfere!"
After saying that, he turned back to Lin Feng and said resentfully, "If you can't make her happy, you shouldn't have boasted in the first place!"
"What does that have to do with you? You wishful-thinking fool!" Lin Feng couldn't help but retort.
"And what are you? A Doduo sticking its head in the sand? Do you even know that Xu Wan's dad said if she doesn't get into Tiandu, she'll have to become a Breeder!"
The rival shot back, "You're clever, knowing how to cling to someone powerful, but have you ever considered her future?
"You're going to Yuzhou. Have you thought about her prospects? No! You know nothing! You care about nothing but yourself!"
What nonsense. Such a cliché situation. 3
Was this turning into a long-distance relationship?
Li Xiang picked his ear. This was exactly why relationships were troublesome.
Lin Feng, being berated by his rival, flushed red. He truly hadn't considered Xu Wan's university situation much.
He just thought being together was enough. He truly didn't know that if Xu Wan couldn't get into Tiandu, she could only become a Breeder.
But he still retorted, "Fine! I didn't know! But I'll change this situation! What's wrong with Yuzhou? Yuzhou is strong too! I'll convince Xu Wan's dad!"
"Hah! Easier said than done!" The rival sneered. "Who do you think you are? Just because you have a Charizard, you think you're Xia Chunyu? 'Convince'? You're not even an adult yet! What right do you have to talk to her dad?"
Their arguing attracted security and staff from outside.
An A-class training hall naturally didn't allow them to shout freely here.
Therefore, they were temporarily separated, and their instructors were contacted to pick them up.
Seeing this, Li Xiang shook his head. He really couldn't help Lin Feng with this; he had to figure it out himself.
Besides, shouldn't students focus on studying?
What's with this relationship nonsense!
...
Evening.
After the day's classes ended, Li Xiang lay in bed scrolling through his phone and found that the situation involving Lin Feng, Xu Wan, and that rival seemed to have sparked heated discussion.
The core of the discussion wasn't the relationship itself but whether Yuzhou was really as inferior compared to Tiandu.
As expected, everyone's focus was on higher education.
Some said, Tiandu was one of the Big Six in Zhu Xia and ranked among the top globally, while Yuzhou might not even make the top two hundred.
The difference between the two was definitely significant.
Others said, these rankings were determined by student performance.
If strong students entered Yuzhou and fought their way to the global stage, even if its ranking was lower initially, it would rise afterward.
Just like Shen Island.
Initially, Shen Island wasn't much better than Yuzhou until Xia Chunyu emerged, propelling it to become one of the Big Six.
Who could say Yuzhou wouldn't become the next Big Six... no, Big Seven?
These people had too much time on their hands, debating back and forth.
However, this was also driven by the anxiety of approaching graduation.
Only six months remained. Almost everyone was on edge.
But the accompanying sense of restlessness was also a lingering nightmare in their hearts.
Li Xiang and Song Jie were fine; their strong abilities gave them confidence, but others weren't as fortunate.
Everyone around them was improving rapidly, and there were only twenty spots.
Even Fang Xin, upon seeing the diligently improving Wu Ruoxue, didn't dare claim he was stronger than her.
Since losing to Li Xiang last semester, this girl had been working like crazy. Her progress was swift, and now she seemed poised to become the top contender beneath the two powerhouses.
Yes.
Her improvement was that exaggerated.
It left Fang Xin and Luo Dayou feeling uneasy, even questioning their life choices.
Previously, they were the ones right below the two powerhouses!
But this was reality. They couldn't help but push themselves even harder.
April passed slowly amidst this restlessness.
The planned rewards and punishments session was canceled. Xiang Yangwei started stirring up trouble by calling it off.
Instead, the top ten earners from the point competition gained the right to challenge the bottom ten. The points wagered in the challenge would be the total points they earned in the competition.
In other words, if Li Xiang earned 150 points and his opponent earned 50 points, if Li Xiang won, the opponent would have to hand over both the 50 points and an additional 150 points.
Under these rules, many people were left with no way out, but in the final semester, it was necessary to eliminate more of the remaining ninety-plus students.
The total points seemed to be used for school applications after the camp ended.
Higher scores meant earlier access to limited slots. The Big Six would definitely be the most popular choices.
Additionally, the key training sequence would also determine some outcomes.
At least, that's what Song Jie said.
After this round, the camp added more Pokémon to the venues while keeping the number of matches the same—fifty students competing.
The results were indeed quite good.
At least everyone in Li Xiang's group earned over two hundred points each.
After the post-competition rewards and punishments session, each person's total exceeded five hundred points.
Five hundred points per person.
This led to twenty-six people leaving the training camp in early May. The original ninety-four students dropped sharply to sixty-eight.
At this rate, it felt like almost everyone would be gone by the end of June.
Li Xiang looked at the dwindling number of students in the group chat, not knowing what to say.
By the way, Gong Xu had somehow gotten his WeChat Group number and insisted on adding him as a friend, constantly asking which school he had decided on.
Li Xiang initially considered deleting him, but since Gong Xu hadn't done anything bad and genuinely wanted to be friends, deleting him outright seemed too harsh.
So, he occasionally replied that he hadn't decided yet and left it at that.
A cold treatment. But, why couldn't it be a girl adding him instead?
Lying in bed, Li Xiang felt life was bleak.
Indeed, only his senior sister's embrace could warm his heart.
But she was six years older...
Song Jie's sister and Abigael were also three years older than him.
"You were born when I was not, I was born when you were already old."
Disgusting.
Li Xiang pinched Riolu's cheeks hard. The latter looked confused, as if wondering what nerve he had struck now.
"Your trainer is contemplating life's big questions!"
He dragged it closer and bit its face. "The troubles of adolescence! Do you get it?!"
Riolu rolled its eyes. What did it know about adolescence or whatever?
Nearby, at the desk, Rotom and Metang were working on a function problem together, discussing quite intensely.
Incineroar was pouting, balancing a pen on its mouth. Its test paper was blank, not a single word written, lost in thought and occasionally giggling foolishly.
Greninja was counting on its fingers, looking utterly confused.
Lycanroc, Pupitar, and Aggron were sound asleep, their test papers pristine.
On the balcony, Corviknight was showcasing its vocal skills, singing mostly off-key and especially fond of hitting high notes.
Bronzong and Alolan Golem provided accompaniment.
Aerodactyl flew around in fancy patterns, looking as if it thought it was a fairy dancing under the moonlight.
The four Pokémon were enjoying themselves.
Then, they disturbed Song Jie, who was reading, and he shouted at them. Corviknight drooped its head, feeling its talent as a singer was being stifled.
This was jealousy and persecution!
Humans and crows truly couldn't understand each other.
"Bzzz~"
"Gurl!"
"Roar!"
Bronzong and the others comforted the heartbroken Corviknight, completely unaware that they were also being noisy.
Corviknight didn't realize this either and looked gratefully at its companions.
It firmly announced that in the future, it would definitely participate in "I Am a Pokémon Singer" and have them provide music and dance accompaniment!
For a moment, the balcony was filled with joy and harmony.