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After the match, Li Xiang noticed the student beside Gong Xu bowing repeatedly in apology. Gong Xu simply smiled, placed a hand on his shoulder, said something, and walked away—leaving the other student standing there with his head lowered.
The noise around them made it impossible to hear what was said, but for a brief moment, Li Xiang thought he saw a glint of moisture in the boy's eyes, reflecting the sunlight.
Then, just as quickly, the student turned and ran off.
'Did he… cry?'
Over a practice match? Were the students from Mancheng really that fragile? Or was it something Gong Xu had said?
Either way, there seemed to be more to the situation than met the eye.
Li Xiang shook his head, ignoring Yang Tianwang's attempt to persuade him into a doubles match.
Tomorrow was the exam. He needed to conserve his energy for the grueling run ahead, not waste it on battles now.
These kids really had no sense of urgency once they got excited.
But while Li Xiang refused, Qu Sheng and the others weren't about to pass up the chance for a doubles match. Two other pairs quickly joined them, and the four of them rushed to claim a battlefield.
Li Xiang watched for a while, but the crowd was too dense, making it hard to breathe. His stomach growled, reminding him it was time to eat.
After checking with Song Jie and letting Lin Feng know, he squeezed his way out of the throng and left.
.....
Cafeteria (Open 24/7)
The menu was… interesting. Mancheng's local cuisine had some unique flavors, and Li Xiang hesitated, wary of accidentally ordering something inedible again.
Last time, he'd tried a dish called Vinegar-Stewed Tofu and nearly died from the sourness.
Song Jie wasn't particularly hungry, so he just grabbed a milk tea and went to save a seat.
"Uh… I'd recommend the top two dishes."
A voice with a slight accent suddenly spoke up beside him.
Li Xiang turned and was surprised to see Gong Xu standing there.
Now that he got a proper look, he realized the guy had messy golden hair, though the back and sides were still black.
"Li Xiang, right? That's your name?" Gong Xu extended a hand, his smile easygoing despite his heavily accented Mandarin. "I'm Gong Xu, from Mancheng. Nice to meet you."
'He knows me?'
Li Xiang kept his expression neutral as he shook Gong Xu's hand. "Hello. Is there something you need?"
"Nah, just saw you struggling and thought I'd help."
Gong Xu chuckled, ordered his food from the counter, then turned to leave. "See you around, Li Xiang."
With that, the golden-haired boy walked away, a sleek black Umbreon with golden rings padding silently behind him.
Li Xiang hadn't noticed it earlier—the Dark-type had been lurking in the shadows.
Come to think of it, Gong Xu specialized in Dark and Ghost types—natural enemies of Psychic Pokémon.
Li Xiang wasn't naive enough to think he was the only one who valued information gathering. As the top trainee in Mancheng's camp, Gong Xu undoubtedly had his own ways of collecting intel.
Which meant knowing about Li Xiang wasn't surprising at all.
Wait, where was the third camp again? He'd forgotten to ask.
Carrying his tray, Li Xiang mulled it over as he joined Song Jie at the table.
"Yongcheng's camp. The basic info's in the group chat," Song Jie answered before he even asked.
Of course it was Yongcheng.
Li Xiang chewed on his chopstick, pulling out his phone to skim through the files in the group chat. But while there were profiles on trainees like Fang Xin, there was nothing on someone of Gong Xu's caliber.
Were his classmates becoming mere measuring sticks now?
"Earlier… I saw Gong Xu near you?"
Song Jie suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah. He knew who I was and made a point of saying hi. Probably just marking his territory," Li Xiang replied between bites. "I'm guessing he knows you too. Didn't he greet you?"
"No." Song Jie's fingers tapped the table. "And I think there's something off about him. You should keep your distance."
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. "Off? You know him?"
"Not personally. But someone told me he's arrogant, condescending, and—despite having some talent—not a good person."
'Arrogant? Condescending?'
Li Xiang thought back to Gong Xu's demeanor earlier. He hadn't seemed that bad. But then, the scene from the doubles match flashed through his mind.
Maybe there was some truth to it.
"Alright," he conceded. "Who told you that? Zhou Yao?"
Song Jie nodded. "Yeah, I asked him directly. Oh, and Zhou Yao's not a good guy either. You should stay away from him too."
This guy just casually trashed two people in one breath.
Li Xiang gave him a weird look but didn't argue. It wasn't like it mattered—they'd only be here for four days for the exam. After that, they'd go their separate ways.
After finishing their meal, they returned to the dorm. With the exam tomorrow, night training was canceled to conserve energy.
As for his team selection?
Li Xiang naturally chose his three strongest—Incineroar, Greninja, and Riolu.
Tomorrow would be a marathon, not a sprint. Without endurance and experience, there was no way to last until the end.
50 points per match. 300 participants.
At the very least, he needed to rack up 1,000 points.
Three days, twenty matches—shouldn't be too hard. With that thought, Li Xiang drifted off to sleep.
.....
Next Morning – 5:30 AM
The sky was still pitch black.
Students dragged themselves out of bed, washed up, and gathered at the largest open area in the exam grounds.
Many were still half-asleep, their expressions dull.
Qu Sheng and Yang Tianwang were prime examples—these two had been messaging each other past midnight, debating who was strong and what strategies to watch out for.
When Li Xiang woke up, his phone had been flooded with their nonsense.
'Ah, youth.'
The thought crossed his mind as he stretched—he'd woken up naturally at 4:30 AM.
In the distance, the three camp leaders—middle-aged men who clearly knew each other well—greeted one another with hearty laughs and backslaps.
"Captain Xiang! It's been half a year—you're looking better than ever!"
"Hahaha! Same to you, Old Wang! Brother Liu! Long time no see!"
"You flatter me, Captain Xiang!"
After exchanging pleasantries, their attention turned to the sea of students.
Old Wang, leader of the Mancheng camp, grinned. "Captain Xiang, I heard your camp has a student who hit 6,000 points in four months? The one you handpicked?"
"Just got lucky, that's all. I trust my instincts, and he didn't let me down—worked hard and made me proud. Nothing too special, really."
Xiang Yangwei's tone was modest, but the smugness in his smile was unmistakable.
Li Xiang's achievements had cemented his reputation among all the camp leaders. Now, everyone in the training circuit knew that Xiang Yangwei's camp had produced a monster who hit 6,000 points in four months!
"Captain Xiang has a keen eye for talent," said Brother Liu, the short, lean leader of the Yongcheng camp. Then, with a sigh: "Compared to yours, our trainees are lacking. After six months, only thirteen have even reached 2,000 points. So disappointing."
"Thirteen at 2,000 points? Captain Liu, you're being too humble!"
Old Wang feigned surprise. "My camp only has four who've crossed 3,000 points! Yongcheng must be overflowing with talent!"
"Hahaha, exactly!"
The three leaders continued their humblebragging, each subtly flexing their camp's top students.
Then, they began scanning the crowd.
Xiang Yangwei immediately pointed out Li Xiang and Song Jie. Old Wang singled out Gong Xu and two others—a boy and a girl.
And from Yongcheng?
Brother Liu selected two girls, which made both Old Wang and Xiang Yangwei raise their eyebrows.
Not that they were biased—it was just statistically rare for female trainers to stand out at this level.
Women tended to dominate the Pokémon breeding scene instead.
That's why Nan Gongmeng, the only female among the Elite Four, was hailed as "The Woman Who Led an Era"—her achievements were that extraordinary.
As the leaders chatted, the students buzzed with nervous energy. For many, this final exam would determine whether they had an edge in the official assessments.
After six grueling months, failing here would mean all their effort was for nothing.
The tension in the air was palpable, but Li Xiang wasn't concerned about any of that.
What did bother him was the fact that he couldn't team up with Song Jie for the teleportation phase. The staff had flat-out refused, sternly informing him that group teleportation was prohibited for this exam.
They'd been counter-teamed!
Li Xiang sighed but wasn't too worried. A scent-marked spray on their clothes would do the trick.
Lycanroc's nose wasn't just for show.
Soon, after confirming that no one was carrying anything besides the mandatory escape button, the professional teleporters—a team of Kadabra—arrived.
Each student was encircled by seven or eight translucent rings of energy.
"See you on the field."
"See you there."
Li Xiang and Song Jie exchanged a glance before closing their eyes.
The cacophony of voices around them vanished instantly.
When they opened their eyes again, the scenery had completely changed.
The open field was gone, replaced by a winter forest—barren, towering trees, jagged rocks, and a carpet of rotting leaves underfoot.
Silence.
No birdsong, no rustling of insects—just the howling wind, louder than ever in the absence of other sounds.
Li Xiang tightened his jacket. Winter exams were brutal. With all the running, sweat would freeze, and colds were inevitable—especially for the girls.
Tch. Being a trainer wasn't easy.
Suddenly—
Li Xiang's head snapped to the side.
"Aha! First target spotted!"
A rough voice called out from about twenty meters away. A tanned, muscular boy stood there, pointing straight at him.
"Don't run! I challenge you!"
The boy broke into a sprint, charging toward Li Xiang.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a camera-equipped Magnemite emerged from the trees, hovering above them, its lens trained on both of them.
Recording everything. No cheating allowed.
Li Xiang watched the approaching boy, his hand drifting toward the PokéBalls at his waist.
"Alright then. Let's begin."