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The mutual suicidal attacks concluded with Corviknight staggering to its feet, flapping its wings to shake off the dust, drawing a pause to the battle.
The opponent's Clefable lay in a sunken pit, covered in mud and grass, its eyes swirled into spirals. Clearly, Corviknight had endured the Thunderbolt, but Clefable had not withstood the Iron Head.
The referee blew his whistle sharply.
The opponent's expression instantly darkened. The onlookers exclaimed in surprise, watching as Corviknight, neck bobbing and claws tapping, emerged triumphantly from the hole, white feathers slowly rising around it.
Its return and use of Roost were seamless, incredibly steady.
"If I hadn't battled Pan Chun before, I'd really believe her Clefable had no offensive power."
"Is its Special Defense too high? Is it fully defensive?"
"Can a fully defensive Pokémon smash the guardrail? You try it!"
"Does his day have 48 hours? How could he raise so many Pokémon in just three and a half years?"
"Stop thinking about it. People are different."
"Why is there no one who can take down even one of his Pokémon?"
Outside the field, countless murmurs arose. With each word spoken, the opponent's face grew paler. Losing to a freshman, even if he was famous and widely watched, wasn't something Pan Chun found glorious.
On the contrary, it was humiliating and felt shameful.
It wasn't about looking down on Li Xiang, but about looking down on herself.
What had she been doing all these four years since enrolling? Had she been training desperately? Had she been focused on improving herself?
The answer was—
No.
Yes, she had worked hard, had been serious. She could comfort herself like that.
But the result?
She couldn't even make it into the team's reserves.
Four whole opportunities, and she hadn't seized a single one.
Back when they first enrolled, everyone was a proud genius from all over, top of their basic academies.
They were all the same, none of them had made the team. Should she still deceive herself with such words?
She lifted her head, looking at Li Xiang not far away. This boy was disliked by many students at Mist City University, including herself. His every action was dissected on the forums.
His battle recordings and his Pokémon were scrutinized by everyone, mocked and ridiculed. If it were her, she would have been panicked and at a loss long ago.
Yet, this underage boy could still maintain his heart and bearings, doing what he should be doing most.
—Working hard.
Recalling those posts where he was seen running at dawn, called a show-off; training late into the night, sneered at as putting on an act; practicing martial arts by the lake, deemed as mystical nonsense...
Pan Chun suddenly understood why Li Xiang's Pokémon could all be so damn powerful.
'Can my efforts really be called effort? Have I ever pushed myself and my Pokémon to the limit, seeking new breakthroughs?'
'Have I ever gone for a jog before the sun rose, facing the darkness?'
Perhaps she had, but that was a long, long time ago.
Now, she was complacent, following the crowd to participate in the selection matches as a show of determination, thinking how great it would be if she got lucky and made the reserves.
'Hah, luck.'
Everything she should have invested, she had let slip away.
Before entering university, she felt the world was hers, but she learned that the world doesn't wait. Repeated failures and looking up at others had reduced her to mediocrity.
'Ah, maybe I should just graduate.'
She'd had this thought more than once.
Anyway, she was already Poké Ball rank - fifth tier now. With a little effort, she could definitely graduate successfully and achieve financial freedom.
What does it matter if I don't go to the Junior World Tournament? It's all something hyped up and marketed by the United Universities.
What's the use of winning? Just getting your name in the Hall of Memories.
Will the Association raise your tier?
It's just about money.
Her family wasn't lacking, and she wasn't in a hurry for that money.
But... But why... Every time she saw those people on TV, she felt so envious.
When she saw the Mist City University team standing on the podium, she felt both happy and yearning.
Sometimes, she would even hide under the covers and cry secretly.
What was she crying about?
It didn't really have much to do with her...
Just....
'I want to stand on that stage too!'
'Why did I come to Mist City University!'
'How did I become like this!'
I—
"I forfeit."
Pan Chun bit her lower lip, speaking before the referee could remind her to send out her next Pokémon.
The referee was stunned for a moment, then blew his whistle.
Outside the field, many people voiced dissatisfied complaints. They wanted to see more of Li Xiang's strength.
'How could you forfeit? Are you that fragile?'
Pan Chun took all these sounds into her heart, her eyes red as if stained with blood, glistening with unshed tears.
She looked at Li Xiang and suddenly shouted, "Next year! I'll be back!"
Her voice was somewhat hysterical, even cracking, but something felt different. At least, she herself felt that something was different.
Victory and defeat were already decided. But here and now, she was ready to start anew, to set off again.
To start working hard again with her Pokémon.
It wasn't too late. No, it's never too late.
Li Xiang was startled by his opponent's shout, but seeing her expression—on the verge of tears yet incredibly serious, as if she had made some firm resolution—all his thoughts condensed into a single sentence.
"Okay."
He nodded, recalling Corviknight into its Poké Ball.
Students of Mist City University ultimately had a different spirit from ordinary people. A simple battle could trigger a change in mentality.
Looking at the completely different demeanor Pan Chun now emanated compared to before, the slight contempt Li Xiang had begun to feel vanished once again.
He wasn't afraid of opponents having flashbacks, nor of opponents powering up suddenly. He wasn't even afraid of opponents' Pokémon powering up alongside them.
'Beings governed by idealism couldn't be measured by common sense. Remember that, remember that.'
He took a deep breath, didn't continue paying attention to this girl whose complex emotions were written all over her face, retrieved his card, and walked out.
Outside the field, the students still watched him with focused gazes. One by one, in groups, gathering together somehow made one apprehensive.
Before, Li Xiang might have pretended not to see and left directly. But today, he really had something he needed to say.
He said, "When watching a match, bring your eyes, your brain, and your ears, but not your mouth. Didn't your teachers teach you that?"
If they were ordinary people, it would be fine. But these people were all students of Mist City University, the so-called proud geniuses from outside rumors.
They would actually make noise during a match, affecting others? Couldn't they put themselves in others' shoes?
Their quality was abysmal.
The onlookers were stunned for a moment. Those who had spoken earlier immediately felt indirectly insulted. Some irrational people immediately shouted, "Is that how you talk to your seniors? Is that what your teacher taught you?"
"So what if you're a bit stronger? Why so arrogant? This is only the third round!"
"The referee didn't say anything, who do you think you are?"
Li Xiang directly filtered out these remarks and walked away from the area. Talent, strength, and character couldn't be equated.
Even in the most excellent groups, there were people with low quality. It was the innate diversity of living beings.
The spectators watched Li Xiang's retreating back. Some left calmly, some reviewed recordings, and some were still yelling, but not one dared to chase after him and cause trouble.
Despite the loud mouths, only fools would actually charge into battle. After all, the school's disciplinary blade was sharp. Fighting and causing trouble easily led to demerits and deducted credits.
Mouthing off was another matter.
...
After three rounds, Li Xiang roughly understood the hierarchy of strength at Mist City University.
Disregarding grade levels and finer details, it was roughly divided into:
Ordinary Students — Excellent Students — Reserves — Alternates — Regulars.
Among them, the first three rounds were against ordinary students. Their strength was passable, worthy of Mist City University's name, but they lacked sufficient ambition. Their usual training could only be described as "fulfilling duties," not slacking off.
Next were the students with the ability and potential to enter the reserves, collectively called Excellent Students.
These people would be Li Xiang's strong competitors in this selection match. They had ambition and were willing to work hard desperately.
Usually, the people Li Xiang encountered most often in the battle arenas were this group.
The remaining three tiers went without saying.
The elite of Mist City University.
There was roughly these five types of people. Currently, Li Xiang basically overpowered the first type. People in this tier, having seen his strength, were slowly starting to shut up.
There would definitely still be nonsense, but much less than before.
Next were the people in the Excellent tier.
The majority of these people were "taciturn," not often on the forums, but they could be seen in posts about the school team or technical discussions.
Not much idle talk, not posting frivolously.
After years, their forum levels might be lower than some second or third-year students.
After all, the time spent posting was used to train their Pokémon.
"Feels like leveling up in a game."
Li Xiang shifted to a more comfortable position, enjoying the kneading on his shoulders and neck from the paw pads.
Incineroar's massage skills were getting better and better. Had it specifically trained for this?
These guys were getting less and less proper.
....
Evening.
The third round of selections concluded entirely.
The number of participants saw another large-scale reduction. Those without sufficient strength were basically eliminated, leaving only those worth being wary of.
Among the freshmen, two more were cut.
But the people Li Xiang knew were all still standing, which surprised him. Were their lucks all this good?
Maybe he had underestimated them.
"Fourth round, the fourth round."
He opened his phone, browsing the intelligence Lu Shu had sent him.
His new opponent was again a fourth-year student, but clearly stronger than the one he faced in the first round.
Skilled in Poison-type Pokémon.
Heh... What kind of luck did he have?
Normal, Fighting, Fairy, Poison... would the fifth round be Ground or Psychic?
'There's something wrong with this school's matching system!'
Not that he was afraid.
"Metalhead!"
He shouted towards the study!
"Meta—gross!"
'Your Metalhead—has arrived!'
Like a flash of lightning, a large silver crab slid out from the room as if skating, its dark golden eyes shining brightly at Li Xiang.
"Metag? Metagross!" (What do you need? Is it my turn to battle tomorrow?)
Li Xiang twitched his mouth. "Yes, but you need to stay calm. Don't get too excited."
"Metag!" (Thank you for the trust! Mission guaranteed!)
Metagross raised its silver arms, face serious.
"Go on, go on."
Li Xiang waved his hand, and Metagross slid back into the study.
On his back, Incineroar, focused on massaging, glanced at the back of Li Xiang's head. After thinking about it, it decided not to slap him down.
'Wait patiently. There will definitely be a chance for me to battle.'