"Seniors, it's been a while."
Li Xiang greeted the three young men politely.
However, these three young men, whom he had only ever shared a meal with, were even more enthusiastic than he had expected. Nagayama Kunimi, in particular, grabbed his hand right away.
"It really has been a while, Junior Li Xiang. How have you been?"
Given that this one had managed to get into the athlete's village, it was certain he was part of the reserve team. Reserves usually had to pay their own way or book outside hotels according to the school's arrangements. They wouldn't be allowed into the hotel.
"Not bad."
Li Xiang casually withdrew his hand and looked at the other two.
Sakura University was quite strong. If not for their crushing defeat against the Mist City team in last year's Summer Tournament and poor luck in the second half, they might have placed sixth. They were an established top-eight team, definitely a strong school.
As Sakura's main and vice-captains, Tendoji and Fujioka were the pillars holding up the Sakura team. Notably, Tendoji was a rare trainer specializing in doubles. This meant Li Xiang could easily run into him early on if his luck was bad.
Tendoji, with his refined demeanor, smiled warmly. "Junior Li, your reputation just keeps growing. I really shouldn't have let you go that day." He said it half-jokingly.
Fujioka, with his spiky hair, stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like he felt the same way. They still vividly remembered the battle where Li Xiang had thrashed the new reserve, Haruki. And after Li Xiang's one-versus-five victory, they'd revisited that memory once more.
They often watched the footage and deeply regretted not having convinced 'Junior Li' to come to Sakura Island. What a waste for such talent to go to one of the Big Six!
Tendoji maintained a smiling face, but he was filled with regret. Who wouldn't want a first-year student who could already compete and pull off a one-versus-five? A definite future leader.
Besides, just look at the attention Li Xiang was getting. Maybe the public reaction wasn't overwhelming for various reasons, but how many students in this lobby weren't looking their way? Intentionally or not, their gazes were fixed on Li Xiang.
A first-year starting player who pulled off a one-versus-five in the snow, taking down fifteen Pokémon—even Xia Chunyu hadn't been that impressive back then. Who wouldn't be wary of such a person?
He had dominated the Spring Tournament as a first-year; he might well dominate the Summer Tournament as a third or fourth-year too. And when the Global Tournament came, he might just go one-versus-five against other regions.
Of course, that was just speculation for now.
"Senior, you flatter me."
Li Xiang replied with a faint smile, ignoring the glances that thought they were subtle but were actually blatantly obvious.
To be honest, this was the first time he realized people's gazes could shift subtly depending on their own strength. Students from stronger schools definitely had more intimidating stares.
Li Xiang casually glanced at a distant group wearing black, stand-collar uniforms with faint orange-red threads visible—the Celestial team, the self-proclaimed name of Shen Island University's team. His senior teammates called them a bunch of people with their eyes on the top of their heads, and they had a decent online following.
They were sizing up Li Xiang, their eyes filled with open hostility and curiosity. Once he might have been someone worth recruiting, but now he was a full-fledged opponent. These students, who considered themselves the strongest team in the country, were quite curious about what would happen if they faced Li Xiang.
The four of them chatted for a while, mainly exchanging recent experiences, like friends catching up. Both sides wisely avoided discussing anything related to the tournament, keeping it brief.
It was just a greeting.
Li Xiang checked the time, worried about Xu He getting concerned, and excused himself. He walked off quickly, disappearing in no time. Many who had seemed to want to approach him appeared slightly disappointed, regretting not having spoken up earlier.
On the other side, Li Xiang took the elevator upstairs and happened to run into a "familiar face."
—Shen Island's Jing Feng, the ace of the Shen Island team, hailed as Xia Chunyu's successor.
He appeared to be a young man with light brown wavy hair, his chin buried in his collar as if he were cold. Yet it was July on Shen Island, hot enough to make your scalp tingle. Strange fellow.
Just like the internet said.
Li Xiang averted his gaze. But when Jing Feng saw him, a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
"Are you... Li Xiang?"
He uncovered his chin and asked curiously.
Why the pause in the middle of just four words? Could he really have a naturally short tongue and poor articulation, as the internet claimed?
"Yes, hello, Senior."
Li Xiang nodded slightly, his expression neutral.
On the topic of Jing Feng being Shen Island's ace rather than captain or vice-captain, the internet was rife with rumors that he had conditions like autism or depression that made socializing difficult. The more credible theory was that Jing Feng's tongue was naturally short, making communication hard and prone to awkwardness. That was supposedly why he wasn't captain.
Li Xiang was fairly certain it was the latter, because he had caught a glimpse and his tongue really did seem a bit short. That's why he kept his mouth covered.
"I know you. In the Spring Tournament, you performed very well."
Jing Feng spoke in short bursts.
Once upon a time, Corviknight had been similar, but now it could curse like a pro. Normal conversation, though, was still a bit lacking.
"Thank you. I don't deserve such praise."
Li Xiang gave a polite smile.
Ding.
The floor arrived. The elevator doors slid open slowly.
"I'll take my leave now." Ignoring Jing Feng's apparent desire to continue the conversation, Li Xiang gave an apologetic smile and walked away.
Jing Feng opened his mouth, then quickly closed it, hiding his chin in his collar. He watched Li Xiang's retreating figure, his expression puzzled.
He left so fast. Was it urgent?
The hotel conditions at the venue were quite good. While not comparable to the school, the rooms were at least spacious, around a hundred square meters. Li Xiang wasn't sure about others, but at least his Pokémon could move around freely in this space.
"Roar!"
Incineroar landed, surveyed the room, and made a disgusted face. This wasn't great either. It had expected better.
It plopped onto the sofa, testing the "bed" it would be sleeping on, its disgust only deepening.
"Alright, alright, just make do. I can't exactly bring the sofa from the villa, can I?"
Li Xiang nudged Incineroar's body. The big tiger was a creature of habit; it always needed time to adjust to new places. If it wasn't comfortable, it would rather stay in its Poké Ball than come out.
"Roar."
Incineroar snorted.
Lucario and the others weren't as fussy as the big tiger, though Metagross was a net addict. The moment it landed, it started fiddling with the built-in computer.
The Galarian Meowth looked around in confusion, then, guided by some instinct, headed toward the kitchen.
Li Xiang had originally planned to give it a break and let it stay at its "old home" for a few days. During the competition, he wouldn't be able to look after it properly, let alone train it. It would be better for it to go back for a few days; it seemed to miss Cat's Nest anyway.
If it wanted to go, it should just go. It wasn't like he was stopping it. Li Xiang had always been a lenient trainer.
But the Galarian Meowth refused. It believed that since it was part of the team, it should stay with the group, even if it had nothing to do.
Li Xiang couldn't change its mind, so he didn't insist.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door.
Li Xiang turned to see Song Jie dragging his luggage in.
"Don't forget to take your stuff inside. What if it gets stolen?" Song Jie scolded.
Luggage was handled by the logistics staff and delivered to the room doors.
"Sorry, I forgot for a second."
Li Xiang grinned sheepishly as he took his bag. There wasn't much inside anyway. He hadn't brought any candy with him. He did have a few Rare Candies, though.
Speaking of which, Song Jie's Pupitar had been growing noticeably faster in terms of energy levels thanks to the Rare Candies (the Jam). The level it was originally supposed to reach in three months might be achieved in just over a month now.
It had been about a month since he provided the Rare Candies, hadn't it? If he were lucky, Song Jie's Pupitar might evolve in the next few days.
Li Xiang stared thoughtfully out the window. The Summer Tournament was here, but it still felt a bit surreal.
In the afternoon, the last few schools seemed to have arrived. After telling everyone not to leave the hotel, Xu He took Su Qian and Chao to a pre-tournament reception. These were events hosted by the United Universities, allowing coaches and selected competitors to mingle.
The entry requirements were simple: coaches and main or vice-captains, at most an ace, no more than four people per team.
Li Xiang didn't go. He had no interest in an event where you stand around all night just to chat, eventually devolving into awkward small talk, and still leave hungry. Besides, he'd already agreed to hang out with Song Jie and the others for a pre-tournament gaming session. There was no way he'd go.
Su Qian expressed her regret. She had wanted to introduce Li Xiang to other top figures from the Big Six. But eventually, he would have to go. Just like he would eventually become Mist City's captain.
That night, the three young men crowded into Li Xiang's room to play games. Though Song Jie looked like a refined gentleman, he was actually quite interested in games. He just rarely indulged due to his usual self-discipline.
This was supposed to be pre-tournament relaxation—mainly to help Li Xiang unwind. And since the hotel had no training facilities, gaming was pretty much the only option.
Midway through, Lü Shu came knocking, saying she'd made a cake and wanted them to come over. They refused, but Zhao Jie showed up and dragged them away.
Left with no choice, they went and grabbed a few bites. Once there, they found almost all the senior female team members gathered in Lü Shu's room, even Miao Shuang, acting like it was their own private party.
Seeing the three of them, many of the senior girls exchanged glances and wouldn't let them leave, blocking the door and insisting they stay to hang out.
The three reluctantly stayed and fooled around with the seniors until past ten. If not for Xu He and the others returning, they probably would have kept going.