Rustboro Trainer School

On the battlefield, Yingnan's eyes blazed as he shouted, "Keep using Mud Shot!" The moment his words fell, Mudkip swiftly flicked his tail fin, sending mud surging toward Phanpy like a raging waterfall.

At the center of the field, the swirling dust had yet to fully settle. Though Trainer Matsuda could not clearly see the situation, he keenly sensed his opponent's strategy.

His expression tightened, and he hurriedly shouted, "Phanpy, get out of there! Use Rollout!"

Phanpy responded at once, curling into a ball and trying to roll quickly out of the dust cloud.

But how could Yingnan possibly give his opponent such an easy chance? A confident smile curled across his lips as he laughed. "Trying to run? Too late! Use Rock Slide!"

Mudkip immediately gathered the surrounding rocks and hurled them at Phanpy like meteors under his control.

Because the field was covered in mud scattered by Mudkip, Phanpy's rolling speed was severely affected, making it difficult for him to dodge flexibly.

The whistling rocks crashed heavily into his rolling body. Amid the dull impacts, Phanpy let out a pained "Baa~." His round body was knocked off course, and he slipped awkwardly through the mud.

Hearing Phanpy's cries, Trainer Matsuda stomped his feet in panic and shouted, "Quick, use Rock Tomb to block the attack!"

Phanpy hurriedly formed rocks in front of himself, barely withstanding the following Rock Slide barrage. However, the rocks soon shattered and could no longer shelter him.

At the same time, the dust that had only just begun to settle spread across the entire field again due to the clash of moves, blocking everyone's view.

The audience: ┻━┻︵╰(‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ Refund us!

Seizing the perfect opportunity, Yingnan raised an arm and shouted, "Press the advantage! Rapid-fire Mud Shot!"

Mudkip swiftly scooped up mud from the ground and continuously hurled it at Phanpy like a precise catapult.

Phanpy panicked and dodged in every direction, but under the tracking of Mudkip's radar-like fins, he had nowhere to hide.

Trainer Matsuda also lost his composure, his commands becoming a confused mess. "Phanpy, use Rollout! No, Rock Tomb!"

But before Phanpy could react, his eyes were plastered shut with mud. He could only swing his trunk wildly on instinct and barely release Rock Tomb.

"Finish him! Water Pulse!" Yingnan's voice rang throughout the battlefield.

Blue-purple light surged around Mudkip's body. A twisted vortex of energy swept up the mud like an unstoppable torrent and violently flipped Phanpy onto the ground.

Mud splashed everywhere as Phanpy collapsed onto the ground, unable to battle.

With Mudkip's cheerful "Kah-lo~," Yingnan gave no further orders and quietly waited for the dust to clear.

Seeing this, Trainer Matsuda had already guessed the outcome. His tightly clenched fists fell weakly to his sides.

The dust slowly dispersed, revealing the battle-incapable Phanpy and the lightly panting Mudkip exhaling Qi before everyone.

After stepping forward to inspect them, the referee raised his flag and announced, "Phanpy is unable to battle. Mudkip wins. Trainer Sugimoto advances."

Sparse applause rose from below the stage. Since the dust had obscured the battle, the audience had not seen what happened at all. They found it rather dull, with none of the excitement of a Pokémon battle.

Watching Yingnan walk off the stage, the referee muttered quietly, "This contestant's strength and reactions are both excellent. His information should be recorded."

Yingnan walked off the battlefield, patting at dust that was not on his clothes, and headed toward Xinhai. Xinhai approached him with a broad smile. "Nice battle. That was exciting! The tactic was simple but clever—you used your Pokémon's traits to create a favorable environment and restricted your opponent too!"

Yingnan laughed heartily. "Haha, it's simple and effective. It suits me perfectly!"

The two walked out side by side. Outside the venue, the blazing sun still hung high overhead. Yingnan checked the time. It was only a little past three, so he said to Xinhai, "The draw for the next round is tomorrow, and it's still early. Want to visit the Trainer School? Rustboro City's Trainer School has plenty of interesting Pokémon training facilities, as well as a huge practical battle simulation field. It's far better than Verdanturf Town's Trainer School."

Xinhai's eyes lit up at that, and he quickly nodded. "Of course I want to take a look! I've long been curious about Rustboro City Trainer School's training system. I've always heard that your school's equipment is extremely advanced, but I've never seen it myself!"

With a proud look, Yingnan led the way while Xinhai followed closely behind. Yingnan introduced the school enthusiastically. "Our school has every kind of training field imaginable. We have the equipment available on the market, and we even have equipment that isn't available on the market. It's incredible. We also have simulated battle rooms that can recreate all kinds of complex combat environments. They're especially helpful for training Pokémon's adaptability."

Xinhai listened with rapt attention and could not help asking, "That sounds pretty advanced! Can we try out those facilities?"

Yingnan scratched his head and gave a helpless smile. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. School starts soon, and most of the training rooms are being used by students and teachers. But taking a look around won't be a problem."

"I see! Well, just visiting is good enough!" Xinhai did not dwell on it, and he headed to Rustboro Trainer School with Yingnan.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Trainer School and saw the crowd coming and going, Yingnan showed his credentials to the guard along with Xinhai. After confirming their identities, the guard handed Xinhai a temporary visitor card.

The two swiped their cards and entered the school. The moment they stepped inside, a towering boulder came into view. Carved into it was the school motto: "Humans and Pokémon Grow Together." The vigorous calligraphy reflected the school's educational philosophy.

Inside Rustboro Trainer School, lush green trees shaded the paths, and a breeze rustled through the leaves.

On a lawn not far away, students played and trained with their Pokémon. Laughter echoed over the campus, creating a harmonious and beautiful atmosphere.

Moved by the warm atmosphere, Xinhai and Yingnan released their Pokémon and held them in their arms as they headed deeper into the campus. Yingnan introduced the school warmly as they walked. "From the main gate to the teaching building, there are four large sports fields. You can see students' Pokémon battling over there. It's usually very lively. The back mountain has the school's breeding rooms. Apparently, the Pokémon inside all know at least two Egg Moves..."

His feet never stopped, nor did his mouth. The two passed through a wisteria-covered corridor and around a fruitful berry orchard before soon arriving before a cluster of buildings with vastly different architectural styles.

"This is the school's Energy Room area. These buildings contain energy rooms for all seventeen types. The one in front of us is the Rock Cavern, that one is the Sunlight Room, and there's also..." Yingnan pointed at the buildings as he explained in detail. "The various special environments inside can speed up how quickly Pokémon master moves and meet their usual training needs."

As Xinhai listened to the names of these facilities, he could not help marveling that this visit had truly been worthwhile. However, Yingnan's next introduction left him so shocked that he was nearly speechless.

"This is the school library. The first two floors are a collection area for all kinds of move manuals. Aside from especially rare moves, they have records of almost everything. The third and fourth floors contain Pokémon breeding manuals. They have breeding manuals for every Pokémon currently known, and each Pokémon has different breeding paths. Most importantly, the breeding manuals here are at least Elite level."

At this point, Yingnan lowered his voice. "I heard the manuals here are mainly Gym level. Only some of the more complete Elite-level ones are included. The school doesn't think the rest are worth collecting. Otherwise, there might be even more breeding manuals here."

Xinhai was completely dumbfounded. What was this supposed to be? Verdanturf Town's Trainer School had pitifully few Elite-level breeding manuals, yet Yingnan was telling him that this place did not even think most Elite-level manuals were worth collecting, while it probably had over ten thousand Gym-level breeding manuals.

Yingnan still was not done. He continued, "The fifth floor is the Breeder Knowledge Collection Area. It contains all kinds of knowledge breeders need, and even many Pokéblock recipes. Aside from the lost ones, it also records the general evolution process of Pokéblock recipes in the outside world..."

Xinhai sharply sucked in a cool breath of Qi and thought, So this is the best Trainer School in the Hoenn Region? Its foundation is terrifying!

At that moment, Xinhai finally understood why those trainers fought so desperately to send their children to Rustboro Trainer School.

The difference was even more outrageous than passing the imperial examination in ancient times. At least those scholars had to study bitterly for decades, but here, as long as you had connections and money, you could gain such abundant resources.

In such a superior environment, even if you were terrible, as long as you graduated successfully and were not expelled, becoming a Gym-level Trainer was practically guaranteed. Those with exceptional talent could even have a real chance at reaching Elite level.

Seeing Xinhai standing there in stunned shock, Yingnan gently patted his shoulder. "All right. I was just as shocked when I first learned about it, but you're different!" He let out a sigh of Qi before speaking again.

"When we were in school, the teachers all said you were a true genius, and everything you've done has proven it. To be honest, I'm still very fortunate to have entered Rustboro City's Trainer School. If I competed with you normally, I definitely wouldn't be able to beat you. But here, I have such abundant resources and pressure from so many strong classmates. That's why I have the confidence to compete with you!"

Yingnan's words made Xinhai pause slightly. He looked up at his friend and saw blazing light in Yingnan's eyes.

Xinhai took a deep breath of Qi, steadied himself, and held out his hand to Yingnan.

Yingnan froze for a moment, then broke into a brilliant smile and firmly clasped Xinhai's hand.

As their palms met, they seemed to feel the boiling passion within each other.

Torchic, Mudkip, and Ralts excitedly cried, "Chamo," "Kah-lo," and "Ralts," happily hopping around the two of them.

Under the lingering glow of the setting sun, fine, dazzling light refracted around them, painting this friendship filled with passion and dreams in warm colors.