Xu Jing and Jiang Ran engaged in psychological activities, Fang Yuan's avatar and name quickly shrank and obediently flew to the top row.
The list was still being announced...
Soon, another name familiar to Fang Yuan appeared.
Hao Feng.
Fang Yuan blinked his eyes and selectively ignored it, anticipating another name.
One... two... three... more than a dozen...
After another twenty or so names had floated by, finally, the name Fang Yuan was waiting for appeared on the screen ahead.
Xu Jing.
"Just as I thought, it's her." Fang Yuan was wide awake.
Among his peers, Fang Yuan had only twice nearly lost, once during the Little Phoenix King Cup battle against Xu Jing, and another time during the Su province rookie league battle against Jiang Ran.
Now, Fang Yuan was looking forward to seeing how far his old rivals had come.
Boasting the best training locations and the most comprehensive inheritance... perhaps it was time for a spectacular showdown with Monferno?
As Fang Yuan was assessing Xu Jing's strength, suddenly, another familiar avatar and name floated by.
This time, Fang Yuan rubbed his eyes.
Seeing this name, Fang Yuan's expression froze.
Although the appearance had changed, from youthful to mature, one could still see shadows of the past in it.
Paired with the name below, Fang Yuan thought to himself, "No way..."
It was already a surprise for Fang Yuan that Xu Jing appeared at this venue, but Jiang Ran from Nan University Middle School... was actually in the hall as well!
...
After the announcement of the 128 passers was completed, the hall immediately became restless.
At this moment, the man in the suit spoke again, "Well, those who've passed the assessment, please remember to arrive at the fourth venue on time tomorrow."
As he finished speaking, the crowd began to stir, the second round had eliminated half of the people, and the third round might see an even higher proportion eliminated.
Some looked around left and right, everyone seeming like a potential next opponent, their faces especially detestable.
If one could know their opponent in advance and research their information, then tomorrow's 6VS6 battle would certainly allow for a better performance.
However, the examiners had no intention of giving the candidates a chance to showcase their intelligence networks, keeping tomorrow's battle roster completely secret.
Even tomorrow, the names would be announced one by one, not all at once.
Of course, if one really wanted to know the opponents' information, one could consider all remaining 127 people as potential opponents and investigate everyone's data.
But aside from the question of whether this information could be obtained, even if one could collect it all, becoming familiar with the data of over a hundred nearly Professional Trainers in just one day was practically an impossible task.
"You could individually research some Trainers worth paying attention to," Fang Yuan was reflecting when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
Fang Yuan turned around and saw Hao Feng grinning at him, "I say, well done!! You actually made it through."
"You too, congratulations," Fang Yuan replied with a smile.
"Why haven't you left?" Hao Feng looked at Fang Yuan, who was still sitting and daydreaming, and scratched his head, saying, the list had been announced, those who passed could just leave, what was Fang Yuan still sitting here for?
"Waiting for someone," Fang Yuan said.
"Who?" Hao Feng asked instinctively.
At the same time, two figures passed through the corridor and came in front of Fang Yuan.
One of them wore unique clothing and had long hair styled in a princess cut. They had an extraordinary look, with eyes like the night sky and an inherently ethereal and transcendent aura.
The other simply wore casual black and had neatly cut short hair, appearing somewhat rebellious. Their face was expressionless, but the eyes beneath their lashes shimmered with a light that kept people at a distance, their handsome face tinged with indifference.
Here they come!
Fang Yuan lifted his head to look at Xu Jing and Jiang Ran and felt a bit emotional. The two girls, who looked quite ordinary in high school, had now changed into such striking figures. It seemed that experiences could easily change a person.
But after having seen the transformation of Ninetales Rock into a beauty that could topple nations and cities, their change did not grab Fang Yuan's attention too much.
"Uh..." Hao Feng noticed Fang Yuan's gaze and his expression changed slightly when he saw the two girls who had come up to Fang Yuan.
Hao Feng knew he had no part in what was happening here.
To avoid being a third wheel, he bid farewell to Fang Yuan and left in frustration…
"Long time no see... Do you two know each other?" Fang Yuan smiled as he stood up and saw Xu Jing and Jiang Ran arriving together.
Fang Yuan knew in his heart that if they both had gone through the Road of Champions training, it was possible they got to know each other and came to take the Professional Exam together, especially since both were talent Trainers from the East China Region.
"Long time no see."
Xu Jing and Jiang Ran nodded their heads, responding one after another, and then, suddenly, they seemed at a loss for what to say next.
Those girls in the university who were good at showing themselves off might be skilled at communication, but for Trainers who had been focused solely on training for a year or two, especially those solely focused on training, although not all were bad at communicating, they were likely the minority. The environment dictated that.
Fang Yuan didn't know what the other person's personality had been like before, but at least now they must have become introverted.
This sort of personality... isn't easily disturbed by trash talk... impressive.
"Didn't you switch to being a Researcher? What brings you here?" Jiang Ran took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, as she raised her question first. Fang Yuan, who had transitioned to being a Researcher, why would he appear at a professional examination site?
Fang Yuan was momentarily stunned, then he smiled and said, "Doing research is just a hobby of mine, but my dream is to become an outstanding Trainer."
"Don't be fooled by my appearance; I haven't slacked off on training at all. How about we have another bout if time permits?"
Xu Jing sensed Fang Yuan's mental fluctuation through Supernatural Sensing and found that Fang Yuan was not lying… unless Fang Yuan's acting skills were high enough to deceive her superpower.
To become a genius university student Researcher with a small fame in the academic world, to enjoy both fame and fortune, and then you tell me that even despite all that, you didn't neglect training?
Xu Jing had her doubts… and felt like begging Fang Yuan, please be human.
That being said, Xu Jing still nodded her head and said, "Alright, if there's a chance, we'll have a battle after the assessment is over."
Jiang Ran was clearly dizzy from Fang Yuan's words, becoming a well-known Researcher while not neglecting training... Did Fang Yuan think he was Xie Qingyi? That was an irreplicable feat!
However, Jiang Ran could indeed clearly feel the self-confidence in Fang Yuan's words.
At this moment, Xu Jing and Jiang Ran realized that perhaps Fang Yuan really was like he said, he hadn't excessively neglected his training...
Even so... they did not believe that Fang Yuan could achieve a high level in both research and training simultaneously.
"He's showing off—" the same thought emerged in the hearts of the two women.
...
A day is short, and the third phase of the assessment tomorrow was drawing near.
Although Fang Yuan, Xu Jing, and Jiang Ran really wanted to battle each other again, they wouldn't do it the day before an assessment, as it could easily affect the performance the next day.
If they could meet in the assessment, that would be best. If not, it wouldn't matter. There would be plenty of time after the assessment was over.
After returning, Fang Yuan intended to look up information about Xu Jing and Jiang Ran, but Rotom couldn't find anything. Under Rotom's tearful gaze, Fang Yuan gave up.
The information on other candidates was too vast to consider. Although Fang Yuan had heard of a few famous Trainers mentioned by Hao Feng, whether he would meet them was another matter, and Fang Yuan, finding it too troublesome, gave up as well.
Rather than researching in advance, it was better to make use of this time for a last-minute push.
For example, giving Eevee a last-minute intense boost on Substitute and triple-tasking proficiency. Of course, the intensity of today's training had to be moderate, otherwise, it would as well affect tomorrow's condition.
...
The next day!
At the Trainer Association East China Division, the fourth battle arena.
Trainers who had passed the second phase of the assessment were steadily arriving, gathering at this location.
The fourth arena was different from the previous conference hall filled with seats, resembling more a high school sports field with a huge battleground.
However, there were spectator stands on only one side, with the examiners' seats opposite on the second floor.
Beyond that, above the second floor, a huge screen had been installed, ready to display battle assessment information.
Over a hundred examinees were seated in the spectator area waiting... Fang Yuan among them.
Thirteen examiners were present, including Master Liu from the second phase who was still the main examiner, as well as Emperor Capital University's Teacher Hu, Fighter Trainer Zhou Jiakai, whom Fang Yuan knew, all part of the group.
The atmosphere on-site was serious. The man in the suit appeared again, saying, "The current time is 7:45 AM Imperial Capital time. At 8:00 AM sharp, we will commence the 6VS6 battle among the examinees."
"Each pair of Trainers, a Pokemon can enter the fight only once, win or lose, and must switch out for the next Pokemon after each battle ends."
"Each examinee has three chances to send out a Pokemon second, while the battle terrain will be entirely random."
"One final reminder, the purpose of this rule is for the examiner team to evaluate each Trainer's battles as well as the strength of each Pokemon. The passing rate is around 30%, so please show your best abilities. If you are misjudged by the examiners due to holding back, that's on you."
After the man in the suit finished speaking, silence fell over the spectator seats.
This was an assessment, a crucial battle deciding the qualifications of a Professional Trainer, and not like ordinary battles. It wasn't about fighting etiquette; the only aim was to use all one's power within the rules to defeat the opponent. Although victory wasn't the key, winning was naturally better.
Holding back to save face for the opponent and to give them a chance was purely self-sabotage. The examiner team would select only the best of the best... With the rules clarified by the man in the suit, he eliminated some people's thoughts of hiding their trump cards.
Everyone had passed the preceding phases with great difficulty, investing time and energy, and it would be a terrible injustice to fail the professional assessment over such trivialities.
"I'm all in for going all-out..."
Fang Yuan was also warming up, ready to show his prowess. With one hundred twenty-eight contestants, it wasn't a large number, and just as the main examiner was about to announce the first group for assessment, several gazes landed precisely on Fang Yuan.
"Xu Jing and Jiang Ran looking at me is one thing, but what's with these older guys staring at me?" Fang Yuan also surveyed his surroundings, realizing that many of the older candidates seemed to think of them, the younger Trainers, as easy targets, all bearing the look of "I hope I get matched with them."