Chapter 380: In Three Minutes, I Want His Entire File!
"Swamp-pert~"
Having won three consecutive battles, Swampert finally felt vindicated, its spirits high. It pounded its chest vigorously, like a frenzied gorilla.
"How can there be such a strong Swampert? Is this even a fish? It's practically a Rillaboom!"
Someone exclaimed in awe. Swampert's muscles and strength were indeed a bit excessive.
"No wonder the evaluators were amazed by Basalt's Pokémon. They truly are unique."
"Hey, who do you think would win if Basalt faced Zayne Zhang?"
"That... is hard to say! Based on current performance, Basalt seems slightly better. But both of them haven't shown more than half of their lineups yet, so anything we say now is just guessing."
"True! But I'm already looking forward to their encounter in the Secret Realm. It's going to be explosive!"
As Basalt walked back, the other candidates eyed him and Zayne, whispering among themselves.
"Mission accomplished!"
Basalt smiled at Zayne as he walked past him.
Zayne huffed coldly. "I'll find you in the third stage."
After speaking, he reached out and patted Basalt on the shoulder, then turned and left.
Basalt's eyes narrowed slightly. With that pat, his scent had been compromised. Calculating from this, Zayne must have a Pokémon skilled in scent tracking. Otherwise, in a Secret Realm as large as the Pro-level assessment's, there was no guarantee they would meet.
But this was exactly what Basalt wanted. Defeating Zayne and making headlines was a surefire plan!
Basalt and Zayne's confrontation didn't affect the continuation of the assessment. However, the subsequent battles saw no more crushing victories. The biggest advantage achieved was 3-6, and even then, the winner had to use all six Pokémon, with the remaining three heavily injured.
An hour later, the assessments for Basalt's group finally concluded. The staff collected all the evaluators' scores and carefully tallied them. The candidates were asked to wait in the hall for the results.
Watching Basalt leave, a few evaluators had strange glints in their eyes.
Seeing this, the gray-haired chief evaluator immediately warned, "Everyone, as evaluators, we must maintain professional ethics. The candidates' Pokémon data must absolutely not be leaked, or you will face the consequences!"
Hearing this, the few evaluators who had planned to leak Basalt's information to familiar clubs so they could make an early move immediately dismissed the thought.
...
In the hall.
It was already overcrowded. Besides the candidates, there were nearly a hundred personnel managers and professional agents from various clubs. Their goal was clear: to scout for outstanding talent!
Although there was still a third stage of assessment and the scores released shortly weren't final, the results of the second stage were highly indicative. Crucially, if they didn't act early, the talent would likely be snatched up by the time the final results were out. These were lessons learned in blood.
So, they had to strike early!
"Hello, are you Zayne Zhang? I'm Mo Zhenyan, the manager of the Landscape Club from Jiangbei Province. I think we should have a talk!"
Zayne's fame in Saffron City was significant recently. Even before the results were out, a club manager approached him.
"Landscape Club? That's one of the top clubs in Jiangbei Province, always active in the First Division League." Someone nearby exclaimed, envy written all over their face.
Hearing this, Mo Zhenyan of the Landscape Club looked smug. Jiangbei Province was close to Saffron City, bordered by mountains and sea, and was an economically strong province. The club's strength was considerable even on a national scale, a paradise many dreamed of joining.
Unexpectedly, Zayne showed no emotion upon hearing the name. He simply waved his hand lightly. "Sorry, I don't want to discuss this for now. Let's talk after I pass the third stage!"
Zayne's mind was currently filled with Basalt. To ensure victory, he had already asked someone to dig up detailed information on Basalt. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Of course, another important reason was that Zayne looked down on the Landscape Club. It was a paradise for ordinary people, perhaps. But Zayne knew that the Landscape Club had performed poorly in the First Division in recent years, sitting at the bottom of the standings, and lacked the ability to create stars. They hadn't produced a superstar player in years. At this rate, they might be relegated to the Second Division within a few years. He had no interest in a club that was past its prime.
Unfortunately, the managers of the top-tier clubs Zayne actually wanted to join were all acting calm and unhurried. But then again, they could afford to be! True top-tier clubs didn't lack talent! What they lacked were super geniuses! Besides domestic talent, some foreign geniuses would even lower their asking price to beg for a spot in a top-tier club. The Alliance's Professional League was one of the top five in the world, a globally renowned cradle for strong trainers. Strictly speaking, it probably ranked second, just after the Unova League.
"Then... alright!"
Mo Zhenyan looked embarrassed. He naturally understood Zayne's thoughts, but maintaining his professional demeanor, he handed over a business card before leaving, awkwardly praising Zayne as he went.
Seeing this, the other managers who had wanted to approach Zayne held back. Personnel managers were shrewd people. If they couldn't get Zayne, they could look for others. Some relatively well-known young trainers were practically stuffed with business cards.
Only Basalt continued to wear his cap, pretending to sleep in a corner.
About ten minutes later, the results for all candidates were released.
In Basalt's group, Basalt naturally ranked first. After removing the highest and lowest scores from the seven evaluators, his composite score was 96. This was an exceptionally high score, rarely seen even once a year.
As for Zayne, he scored 93. Although a high score, it clearly lacked the weight of Basalt's. But it couldn't be helped; if he hadn't been careless, Porygon2 could have been preserved.
The second stage results were listed by group, so there were effectively 16 lists, and the number of names was quite large. However, the top club managers were only interested in trainers scoring above 85 or 90. Candidates scoring above 85 were rare, not even present in every group, so the managers scanned the lists quickly.
When they reached the ninth list, they were stunned.
"96 points?"
Zheng Tong, the personnel manager of Saffron City's top-tier Warlord Club, widened his eyes, thinking he had misread it. This score was uncommon! He rubbed his eyes and looked again, confirming he hadn't made a mistake.
"Could it be... Zayne Zhang from Saffron U?" Zheng Tong guessed inwardly. For efficiency, he usually looked at the score first, then the name.
But when he shifted his gaze to the left, he froze. It was a name completely unfamiliar to him: Basalt!
"Basalt? Never heard of him!"
Zheng Tong scratched his head but immediately dialed a number, speaking loudly: "Look up a trainer named Basalt. B-A-S-A-L-T. In three minutes, I want his entire file!"
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