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Hongcheng University.
The team members wearing maroon uniforms got off the bus one by one. They smiled and waved at the reporters while observing their surroundings.
"The Sky Chasm Battle Arena... back at this place of heartbreak again. And such bad luck, running into Mist City University in the first round."
Someone complained. Other schools were one thing, but Mist City University, though often jokingly called the "Ladies' Legion," had its main roster not as graduating sixth-years, but younger members in their fourth and fifth years.
This meant they couldn't decline even if they wanted to.
"Alright, alright, we're already matched up. Let's just show what we've got. Besides, we might not lose by much. I heard Mist City has quite a few new students this year, including three guys! There's a 70-80% chance they'll be fielded."
His companion comfortingly patted his shoulder.
"You two, are you treating the coach's words like bullshit? Giving up before even fighting is not a good habit!"
The captain of Hongcheng University pushed them. Losing morale before the battle was a major taboo.
Was the gap in their strength really that huge?
Not necessarily!
The two smiled awkwardly and followed the crowd forward.
The captain jogged to the front of the line, standing beside the coach, and asked, "Coach, those three guys..."
"The school is already looking into it. Be patient."
The coach replied softly, seemingly also not expecting the school's intel department to be so incompetent, failing to find information on three new team members.
But honestly, it wasn't entirely their fault.
After all, Li Xiang and the others had joined the team reserves through non-standard procedures. Plus, Mist City University had issued a gag order, deliberately controlling information. And Mist City's biggest information broker happened to be Lü Shu.
This led to information about Li Xiang and the others not being widely disseminated yet. If someone deliberately looked, they could probably find traces.
Similar scenes were unfolding within other university teams.
Everyone wanted to know who those three boys with different hair colors were, regardless of whether they would face Mist City University or not.
They hoped it wasn't the answer they least wanted to hear.
A brief thirty minutes later, all ten teams had made their appearances. Wearing their respective school uniforms, representing different cities, they were exposed to the public's gaze. Amidst the chaotic noise, they strode with great vigor into the arena.
Inside the arena, it wasn't as quiet as one might expect. Instead, it was even noisier.
After all, nearly ten thousand spectators were currently entering the venue outside, and that wasn't even counting the Pokémon they brought.
Even tens of thousands of flies buzzing could be deafening.
Many new team members couldn't help but feel intimidated upon hearing this noise. After all, those were tens of thousands of strangers, not their usual schoolmates, nor their coaches and teachers...
Fortunately, the Spring Tournament didn't have a team introduction ceremony.
Schools that hadn't qualified yet weren't eligible for the "opening ceremony." Only after qualifying, becoming one of the twenty-seven schools, would they have the qualification to showcase themselves in front of a national audience.
The teams also didn't enter the main arena directly; instead, they went to the waiting rooms first.
The venue was huge.
Besides the battle arena and spectator stands, there were these rest rooms meant for the various universities.
Even over a hundred people could fit inside. They were fitted with thick carpets and soft sofas. At the front were several massive screens showing live feeds from various angles of the arena.
Everyone filed in, finding their preferred spots, sitting down, and checking their Pokémon's condition.
"The first matches will be Singles. Four sets of matches per day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Our match is in the afternoon, but we can't guarantee that our next opponent won't be from the morning matches."
Xu He stood in front of the numerous screens and said loudly.
"Therefore, unless it's something urgent, I hope everyone stays present."
Behind him, staff were adjusting the screens, with static snowflakes flickering intermittently.
"Understood!"
Everyone responded.
Shortly after, the screens were adjusted, displaying images from various angles inside the arena.
As soon as the images appeared, faint gasps could be heard.
On the screen, a sea of people, waves of sound rising and falling.
It was a vast, densely packed scene, dazzling to the eye. Countless heads moved about in the spectator stands, with numerous Pokémon of various species walking around.
Someone with a fear of crowds would probably faint at first sight.
Even inside the arena itself, hundreds of staff members were walking back and forth, adjusting the equipment to ensure nothing went wrong during the matches.
Li Xiang rested his chin on his hand, silently watching this scene, subconsciously using the Three-Blind Perception Method.
Watching on TV didn't feel like much, but as soon as he thought about soon stepping into that arena, exposed to countless eyes, panicked emotions surged like tides.
After cultivating his mind for over three years, he was still so inept.
He truly didn't have much talent in martial arts.
After taking two deep breaths, Li Xiang gradually regained his composure, his demeanor becoming calm again.
The Three-Blind Perception Method was indeed useful.
He turned his head and noticed that Song Jie and Gong Xu, sitting beside him, also weren't very calm.
Song Jie appeared calm on the surface, but he had already drunk half a bottle of water. For someone who rarely drank much water outside, this was most likely due to nervousness.
Gong Xu silently played with his hair, as if his hair were very interesting. It was clear this guy was anxious.
Looking at others, most of the regular team members were composed and calm. They had either been on bigger stages or were already accustomed to it.
The ones who weren't accustomed were still the reserve members.
"You two, need to pee?"
Li Xiang couldn't help but laugh, putting his hands on the shoulders of the "Gold and Silver Boys."
The latter two were momentarily stunned, their train of thought successfully disrupted. They couldn't help but snort and smile.
"Childish."
Song Jie brushed Li Xiang's hand off and casually put down the water bottle in his hand.
"I actually do need to go a bit. Together?"
Gong Xu stood up, his breathing smooth and natural.
"Let's go."
Li Xiang promptly agreed.
The two then headed to the restroom together.
The bond of going to the bathroom together was also a kind of special trait.
Song Jie twitched the corner of his mouth, showing an expression that said he didn't know them.
A restroom for nearly ten thousand people would, logically, be very crowded.
But luckily, the restrooms for contestants and spectators weren't shared.
The two walked over, chatting and laughing. Not paying attention, Gong Xu almost bumped into a young man coming out of the restroom.
"Huh?"
The young man wore light gray sportswear. Seeing their masks and the silver-black school uniforms, he turned and said with a laugh, "Zhang Bai! These are the two kids you mentioned, right?"
From inside the restroom, another person walked out, shaking water droplets off his hands.
"Mist City University?"
He looked at their school uniforms and said with a laugh, "Still wearing masks even in the bathroom?"
However, Li Xiang and Gong Xu simply ignored them, walking past them into the restroom.
The two also didn't intend to pick a fight. They shook their heads at their backs, tsk-ing a few times before leaving.
Putting on an air of "how the world has declined".
Li Xiang remained silent. At the sink, he asked:
"Dianzhou University?"
"Judging by the uniforms, yes."
"If only we faced them next round."
"I was thinking the same."
The two exchanged a smile, then felt the setting wasn't too presentable and quickly left.
The small incident didn't affect them. Instead, it ignited Gong Xu's fighting spirit.
The Junior World Tournament was inherently a life-or-death battlefield, with no room for pity or going easy.
Back in the restroom, the first and second sets of matches seemed about to begin.
The team members from the four universities walked out slowly from the player tunnels amidst the spectators' cheers.
Although the venue had two arenas, allowing simultaneous matches, considering the potential interference from each other's powerful moves, they would compete one set at a time.
On a screen in the upper right corner, two men in suits walked into the broadcast studio background.
"Ahem, this is the Xia'nan Division of the Junior World Tournament. Good afternoon, viewers. I'm commentator Duo Nan."
"I'm Qian Wei. We will be providing detailed commentary for the upcoming matches."
"That's right."
These two commentators, like crosstalk performers, began explaining the situation to the live audience.
Under the direction of the staff, camera Magnemite continuously captured the players, including their actions and expressions, displaying them one by one on the giant screens.
The image quality was so high it was hard to comprehend.
Seeing this, Song Jie frowned slightly. He hated this kind of close-up filming.
But there was no helping it; he was destined to be closely watched by the camera Magnemite.
Not that he was narcissistic; it was just the reality.
First set.
The opposing sides were Luocheng University and Hengcheng University from Jizhou. Starting with an intra-state rivalry left many spectators somewhat speechless.
Unfortunately, that was how the draw worked.
With only ten teams total, they couldn't always face opponents from other states.
These two university teams didn't have any distinctive features. Their strength was average, often hovering around the bottom three, similar to Qingcheng University's level.
After watching the first two matches, Li Xiang confirmed they were fielding new team members.
The players on both sides not only looked young and inexperienced but also flushed when filmed, their hands not knowing where to put them. They frequently made mistakes during the battles.
It was the epitome of novices pecking at each other.
Perhaps they weren't usually this bad; their mindset was affecting them, affecting their Pokémon.
But mindset was inherently part of one's strength, so nothing more to say.
The commentators shouted passionately, clearly very professional. They managed to make a somewhat boring match sound like the ultimate showdown at the Forbidden City.
In the end, the first set was won by Luocheng University with a score of 5-3. As the victor, Luocheng University would face stronger opponents in the next round.
Second set.
The opposing sides were Yuncheng University from Jizhou and Lincheng University from Dianzhou.
Finally, a noteworthy opponent. Lincheng University was last year's fourth place in the division, only three points behind the third-place Jizhou University. They had strength.
This year, they probably wouldn't be weak either.
As it turned out, Lincheng University's strength was indeed solid.
They smoothly defeated their opponent 5-2. Most of their players were also new members, but even as new members, their overall quality was clearly much higher than their opponent's.
"We are very likely to draw Lincheng University in the next round."
Xu He, after watching their match, instantly jinxed it.
It wasn't really a jinx, since the Spring Tournament's bracket pairing had certain patterns.
Morning matches.
Couldn't be called clinging to life, but these four schools indeed dragged on for a long time, striving hard for victory.
Alas, dreams and reality had a bit of a gap.
Noon.
After eating lunch in the restroom and studying Hongcheng University's information for a long time, after roughly three hours of lunch break, as the spectators slowly returned, preparing for the afternoon matches, the calm and composed Xu He stood up from the sofa, clapped his hands, boosting morale.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's our turn to take the stage! Pull yourselves together! Be prepared! Your performance from now on will represent the spirit and demeanor of Mist City University!"
"Yes!"
A unison response.
Finally, Li Xiang's first Youth Tournament match began.