Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
6:00 PM.
The sky was pitch black.
The moon flickered in and out of the clouds, casting a faint glow.
On the ground, tall streetlights illuminated the surroundings, pushing back the darkness, while smaller path lights made the cobblestone walkways clearly visible, guiding the way forward.
The soft glow attracted swarms of Ledyba and other light-seeking Pokémon.
Not many people had returned to the open gathering area—only about thirty or so. Glancing toward the distant dormitory buildings, they were brightly lit and buzzing with noise.
Most had already withdrawn early to rest.
Gong Xu, however, had stayed until the very end—though his two lackeys were nowhere to be seen. Whether they had left early or lost all their wooden tokens was anyone's guess.
When Li Xiang looked over, the guy actually waved with a grin, acting like they were old friends.
"So it really is Gong Xu… Alright, I'll dig up some info for you tonight."
Yang Tianwang whispered in his ear.
Li Xiang nodded.
From his performance in the exam, Gong Xu was clearly an arrogant guy who looked down on weaker students.
Song Jie was similar in nature, but the difference was that the latter at least maintained basic courtesy—his disdain was limited to their skills as trainers.
Gong Xu, on the other hand, radiated outright contempt, looking down on people as a whole.
During their earlier battle, plenty of students had been watching from hiding spots, but Gong Xu hadn't spared them a single glance, completely ignoring their presence—a textbook example of arrogance.
Li Xiang was curious about Gong Xu's actual reputation in the Mancheng training camp. Logically, someone like that would be ostracized even if they were strong.
Shifting his gaze, he quickly spotted his other three companions.
Lin Feng was, as usual, sticking close to Xu Wan—probably having teamed up at some point. Qu Sheng stood alone in another corner, but the moment he saw Yang Tianwang and the others, he rushed over.
He immediately started complaining—saying he'd been running around all day without catching a single glimpse of them, to the point where his legs were about to give out.
Judging by the dried grass and dead leaves stuck to his pants and his sweat-drenched hair clinging to his skin, he wasn't exaggerating. High-intensity outdoor activity for that long meant no one was coming out unscathed.
After hearing Qu Sheng's complaints, Yang Tianwang mercilessly laughed at him, bragging about how early he had run into Li Xiang and the others.
'No contrast, no harm.'
Yang Tianwang had been exhausted earlier, but seeing Qu Sheng's state instantly rejuvenated him—so much so that he felt like he could sprint a few more laps around the exam grounds. At least, until an embarrassed and furious Qu Sheng shut him up.
Once they regrouped with Lin Feng and the others, the six of them shared their experiences and gains from the exam, turned in their wooden tokens at the designated spot, visited the Pokémon Center, and then noisily headed off to eat.
Nighttime.
After finishing a detailed map of the exam grounds and marking key landmarks, Li Xiang snapped a photo and sent it to their six-person group chat for review.
There were still plenty of blank spots—areas they hadn't explored yet. Unfortunately, the other four admitted their memories were too fuzzy to fill in the gaps.
Though he hadn't expected much from their recollections to begin with, Li Xiang still felt a twinge of disappointment.
They'd just have to complete it tomorrow.
Switching tabs to the main camp group chat, he was instantly bombarded by what could only be described as organized chaos.
Nine out of ten messages were about the exam.
After washing up, Li Xiang lay in bed, silently scrolling through the flood of messages without responding, even when tagged.
A quick skim revealed that quite a few had been eliminated on the first day—close to a hundred.
From Qingcheng's camp alone, over thirty had withdrawn. About twenty of them had lost 150 points, dropping below the threshold—ending their first semester prematurely.
Their wails of despair dominated the chat.
But the rules were absolute. No second chances.
"Fewer than a hundred left now…"
Li Xiang did a quick headcount and realized they'd dipped below triple digits.
Still, tomorrow would likely be better. Those who survived the first day were the real contenders.
As he kept scrolling, he noticed another tag.
Clicking on it, he found a series of chat screenshots—people he didn't recognize discussing his name and strength.
One was from Mancheng's main group.
There was even a photo of him—blurry, taken outside the exam grounds.
Li Xiang frowned. He hadn't noticed anyone snapping pictures of him.
His Three-Blind Perception Technique clearly wasn't perfected yet.
In any case, thanks to his overwhelming performance in the exam—and Greninja's "cheating" camouflage tactics—he'd gained notoriety in the other two camps.
Nicknames like "Ambush Master," "Sneaky Bastard," "King of the Three Villains," and "Final Boss (Run Immediately If You See Him)" were being thrown at him left and right.
Li Xiang's eye twitched.
Clearly, the other camps had no shortage of talented individuals. That said, this kind of attention went against his usual "low-key, big profits" philosophy.
But there was no helping it. Showing overwhelming strength naturally made people wary—unless they were dumb enough to ignore a glaring threat right in front of them.
A trade-off, then.
When someone in the group asked how many tokens he'd collected, he ignored it—because Yang Tianwang had just messaged him.
Lizard Poop Scooper: "Got the info. Damn, this guy's something else."
Li Xiang: "How so?"
Lizard Poop Scooper: "Polarizing reputation. People who like him really like him. People who hate him act like he murdered their family."
Li Xiang: "And?"
Lizard Poop Scooper: "He's publicly declared his goal is to win the Junior World Doubles Championship—four times in a row—and take MVP honors each time."
Li Xiang: "…"
This guy's arrogance was off the charts. Four championships in a row?
What was he, the Faker of Pokémon?
Lizard Poop Scooper: "Rumor has it he's scouting for a 'qualified' partner. Calls anyone who can't keep up with him 'trash'—says stuff like, 'If even I can't carry you, you might as well go home and farm.'"
'Wow.'
Li Xiang's expression morphed into the "Subway, Old Man, Phone, Squint" meme.
Gong Xu was next-level toxic.
Calling people trash to their faces—how had he not been dragged into a bathroom and beaten up in his sleep yet?
'Ah, right. Status and strength protect you, kid.'
Lizard Poop Scooper: "That said, he's apparently decent to people he does respect. Shares points during competitions and all that. Problem is, the list of people he respects is very short."
"Oh, and he's got a bunch of fangirls at school who think his attitude is 'cool.' Even some girls in the training camp are into him."
Tch. Another guy with inexplicable popularity among girls.
Li Xiang clicked his tongue. Since when did cold, rude bad boys become the ideal?
Nearby, Song Jie—who had been quietly reading—suddenly shuddered, frowning as he glanced at Li Xiang. Seeing him on his phone, he turned back, looking vaguely confused.
Li Xiang: "Anything else? Like which school he's planning to attend?"
Lizard Poop Scooper: "No clue. I'll ask around and let you know if I hear anything."
Li Xiang: "Thanks, Bro Tianwang. You're the best."
Lizard Poop Scooper: "Hmm, my throat's feeling a bit dry….... ︿(￣︶￣)︿"
Li Xiang: "Say no more. Your little bro's got Coke. Coming right up."
Closing his phone, Li Xiang cheerfully delivered the soda—and casually collected a little interest on the way back.
Nothing major. Just an entire pizza.
Locking the door and ignoring Yang Tianwang's shouts outside, he shared the spoils with Song Jie before brushing his teeth and turning in for the night.
A new day awaited.
And his small goal—fifty wooden tokens—was just the beginning.
.....
The Next Day.
Second Day of the Three-Camp Joint Exam.
Fewer people stood in the open area, while more spectators watched from a distance. After agreeing to regroup at a designated rest point, everyone vanished.
Today's goal remained the same—start from zero, collect fifty tokens, and fill in the remaining blanks on the map.
'Blame the obsessive-compulsive tendencies.'
When Li Xiang reappeared, his vision was filled with rows of short white trees—likely peach blossoms, stretching out in a breathtaking display.
If they'd come here in March or April, the sight would've been even more stunning.
Shaking off the thought, he scanned his surroundings.
The area was just as vast as before, but with fewer participants, the frequency of battles would probably drop.
Not far away, another examinee had spawned in the same location.
Li Xiang immediately rushed over and challenged him.
The guy blinked in confusion—the dim lighting made it hard to see clearly—but soon wore a thoughtful expression.
Then they both pulled out their PokéBalls.
The moment the opponent saw the abnormally large and menacing Incineroar materialize, his face darkened like coal.
He'd literally just been discussing in the group chat what to do if he ran into Li Xiang. And now, on the second day, he'd hit the jackpot.
A free delivery straight to Li Xiang's doorstep.
Despite his reluctance, he tried to fight back—only to realize it didn't matter either way.
His Pokémon couldn't even withstand a single hit.
After being Intimidated, it froze in place, letting Incineroar stroll over and bitch-slap it into oblivion.
No room for argument.
No chance to resist.
Defeated, he handed over a wooden token and bolted like Li Xiang was the plague—as if even speaking to him would bring bad luck.
"Are we… hated now?"
Li Xiang glanced at Incineroar, who nodded solemnly.
"The loneliness of invincibility."
He shook his head with a melancholic expression—though inwardly, he couldn't care less. He wasn't some social butterfly who'd wither without attention.
"Grr-ow."
Incineroar wrapped an arm around Li Xiang, cooling its belt before offering its paw with a low growl.
'Don't care if others hate you. Your bro Big Kitty's got your back. Here, squeeze the toe beans.'
"Thanks, bro."
Li Xiang chuckled, gently pressing the fiery pads on Incineroar's paw.
The Fire-type grinned, radiating warmth.
Though that guy hadn't affected his mood, his reaction was slightly concerning. If everyone started running away on sight, wouldn't that make hitting his fifty-token goal way harder?
After confirming his location (and having Riolu scout from above), Li Xiang adjusted his cap to obscure his face and headed toward his next destination.