When Tang Sheng was questioning, he just took a sip of tea to calm his nerves.
When he heard that Fang Yuan wasn't planning to participate in the King competition, Tang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.
But as soon as Fang Yuan's next words popped out, Tang Sheng immediately sprayed out his drink.
Pfft—
A mouthful of tea was directly sprayed out by Tang Sheng.
"Bwoo!!!" Hearing the commotion, Eevee immediately poked its head out and seeing Tang Sheng, the sloppy old man, dirty the floor, sighed.
Poor Monferno would have to mop the floor again.
"Come on, Old Tang, what's there to be so excited about!" Fang Yuan looked at him with disdain, this might not be his own home, but it was still the dormitory he lived in.
Teacher Tang Sheng pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth first, then wiped the floor while saying, "Can you repeat what you just said?"
Fearing that the other party might not understand, Fang Yuan enunciated every word, "I meant, I'm planning to join the Hua Nation's national team selection for the World Sprite Alliance Conference as a substitute, to join forces with the Four Heavenly Kings and compete in the Alliance Conference, to bring glory to our nation."
"Compared to that, winning honor for the school seems so trivial..."
Teacher Tang Sheng pinched the tissue and exclaimed, "What are you thinking!!"
Tang Sheng's eyes kept looking into Fang Yuan's eyes, he found out that Fang Yuan's gaze was particularly firm, with not a single sign of wavering.
Seeing this, Tang Sheng's words got caught in his throat; this kid Fang Yuan... he was serious, not joking!!
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Hiss..." Tang Sheng slumped back onto the couch and said, "Who told you about this competition?"
In Tang Sheng's view, it was unlikely that Fang Yuan wanted to join the competition on his own initiative; someone must have tempted him.
"Was it Xie Qingyi?"
Tang Sheng had heard that Fang Yuan had a close relationship with Xie Qingyi, so it was very possible that it was Xie Qingyi who talked to Fang Yuan about the World Sprite Alliance Conference.
If the Fairy King thought Fang Yuan was qualified to participate in the Alliance Conference, just how terrifying must Fang Yuan's current strength be?
Nearing Master Level?
"It's not Sister Xie, it's the Champion... Jiang Li..." Fang Yuan said.
Although he had known about the World Sprite Alliance Conference for a long time, it was the conversation with Jiang Li in the Muhai Mountain Range that had determined Fang Yuan's decision to compete in this session.
Between the ages of sixteen and thirty, there are a few four-year cycles, and if he could participate in this Alliance Conference, even if just as a substitute to make up the numbers, it would surely be an extraordinarily rare experience.
"What, Jiang Li?" Tang Sheng didn't expect it to be the Ghost-type Champion who recognized Fang Yuan's potential.
Fortunately, Jiang Li didn't know about the conversation between Fang Yuan and Tang Sheng, otherwise, he would definitely feel wronged; indeed, he had asked Fang Yuan if he was interested in the World Sprite Alliance Conference, but no, he did not tell Fang Yuan to participate in this session!!
Jiang Li acknowledged Fang Yuan's potential for sure, but he had always treated Fang Yuan as a junior with potential, never really considering having Fang Yuan as a teammate...
Tang Sheng misunderstood, but Fang Yuan didn't mind the misunderstanding, and in an instant, Tang Sheng fell silent.
"If it's for the World Sprite Alliance Conference, indeed, the sooner you become a Professional Trainer, the better, as you can access more things. However, do you have any recommendation to participate in the World Sprite Alliance Conference and become a substitute member of the national team?"
"Uh, recommendation? What's that?" Since there was still more than a year left, and he wasn't even a Professional Trainer yet, Fang Yuan hadn't paid much attention to the selection criteria...
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"You don't know??" Tang Sheng had the look of someone who'd seen a ghost.
"Teacher Tang... explain it to me and I will know," Fang Yuan said with a grin.
Tang Sheng choked up but, after sighing, he began to explain.
At the World Sprite Alliance Conference, each member nation of The Pokémon Alliance can send a ten-person national team to compete, which includes five main members who are active on the main stage, and five alternates.
As the competition requires participants to be under 30, to select the young generation to represent their countries at the world conference, some nations have established King competitions.
For example, in Hua Nation, only Professional Trainers under 30 can partake in the King competition, and the top five are known as the Champion and the Four Heavenly Kings.
These five individuals represent the strongest battle force of Hua Nation's younger generation.
At the same time, these five are also the official main members of the national team.
Being able to represent one's country at the world conference and fight for national glory is the main reason why the Champion and the Four Heavenly Kings are so sought after.
Besides the inevitable inclusion of these five main members, the remaining five alternate spots are also highly competitive.
At the World Sprite Alliance Conference, though the alternate Trainers may not shine as brightly as the five main ones, they still carry the honor of their country.
The Champion plus the Four Heavenly Kings are referred to as Team One.
The five alternates, then, make up Team Two.
In critical moments, alternate Trainers can also play a role in turning the tide.
If we say that the major forces can only compete for the five main spots through the King competition, then for the alternate spots, it's the various organizations and institutions that elect Trainers through nomination, allowing them to compete for selection in another format.
These five alternate Trainers, just like the Four Heavenly Kings and the Champion, all represent the factions behind them.
There are many powers with the right to nominate, such as provincial Trainer Associations, major universities, the police and business sectors, as well as some ancient dojos and top-tier lineages like the Dragon Lineage...
These powers all have nomination rights, though the number of available spots varies.
"Then let Mo Da nominate me," Fang Yuan chimed in, thinking it was no big deal.
"Nomination spots are precious beyond measure, and Mo Da won't have many. All Professional Trainers under 30 who graduate from Demon Capital University vie for a nomination spot, and under such intense competition..."
Tang Sheng was about to say why should they nominate you, Fang Yuan, but quickly, he stroked his chin.
A genius Researcher... connections with Sun and Moon Forest... strength recognized by the Champion Jiang Li... young with extraordinary potential and a blank slate background... if he's strong enough, Fang Yuan is indeed the most suitable candidate for nomination.
However, the key point is still that one must be strong enough; a Trainer's strength is the primary factor.
"If the spots are too precious, how about I casually take the title of national champion? That way, I bring glory to the university, trade for a nomination spot, and no one loses out," Fang Yuan clapped his hands, liking the idea. "Let's go for the individual battle champion. The schedule is pretty relaxed for that, so it shouldn't affect my professional assessments. Forget the team battle, I don't have time to join the team training... What do you think?"
Tang Sheng was astonished and said, "Skipping the team battle and only joining the individual battle isn't impossible, but even with the individual battle champion title, it only increases your chances of getting nominated, not guarantees it... It's not about how much glory you bring to the school, but your own strength! As long as you're assured to compete for an alternate spot for the school, even if you don't want to join, the school leaders would come to you on their knees, begging you to participate and throw the nomination spot your way."
Fang Yuan acknowledged that his current strength indeed wasn't enough, still far from the Master Level, but with more than a year's time, he planned to double his efforts and strive for that nomination.
At the same time, he also intended to take part in the national championships, settling for the individual competition. There, he would still encounter professional-level opponents, and with three to four months to go, using Milotic and Dragonite for practice sounded great.
Fang Yuan remembered that the individual battle of the national championships wasn't 1vs1 anymore but rather 3vs3 encounters.
If 1vs1 doesn't put enough pressure on Milotic and Dragonite, then let the two of them take on 3vs1 battles. Taking turns against three opponents should really boost their combat experience and also serve as valuable preparation for the World Alliance Conference...
During the conversation between Teacher Tang Sheng and Fang Yuan in the Research Department Dormitory of Demon Capital University, Fang Yuan confirmed his participation in the national championships' individual battle.
In that moment, Teacher Tang Sheng suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the talented students from Emperor Capital University, as well as the aces from several other key universities.
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