Group stage

"I told you I'm fine. I just went to bed late yesterday. A little rest and I'll be okay," Xiao Ran said helplessly.

"Campus Belle, staying up late is a beauty killer! You can't do this to yourself if you want to keep those good looks!" Shen Yue said with such regret that she looked ready to cry.

"Shoo, shoo!" Too tired to bother with them, Xiao Ran headed straight to the check-in desk. He had returned to his dorm around half past midnight, and by the time he finished washing up, it was past one. Then he had made some Pokéblocks and hadn't gone to sleep until two or three, so he wasn't exactly feeling his best today.

"Bu~" The little Baby Eevee in his arms called out in concern.

"Hehe, don't worry, Yiyi. I really am fine!" Xiao Ran reassured the little Pokémon.

"Grr~" At Xiao Ran's words, Eevee suddenly extended a paw and let out a low growl.

"Hm? You want to battle too?" A trace of surprise crossed Xiao Ran's face. The little one was still young, and he needed to build their friendship, so he hadn't started a training program yet. He hadn't expected a single Freshman Challenge to awaken Eevee's desire to fight.

"Vee~ Vee~" Little Eevee gestured repeatedly, pointing at the Poké Ball containing Popplio, then at the training ground where the matches were about to begin.

"Are you saying Qiuqiu isn't up to it, but you can fight and protect me?" Xiao Ran guessed with a smile.

"Bu~" Little Eevee nodded excitedly.

"Hehe, all right, I understand. Wait until you're a little older. You're still too young right now, and you deserve a comfortable childhood. Besides, Qiuqiu has been working hard too." Xiao Ran hadn't expected last night's training alone to make Baby Eevee want to fight and protect him. He couldn't help feeling touched.

"Bu~" At Xiao Ran's words, Baby Eevee immediately lowered that small head and lay limply in his arms like a defeated rooster.

"All right, growing up takes one step at a time. When you're older, you'll definitely become a very powerful Pokémon. Don't go trying to get out of training then. Remember, you still have to protect me!" Xiao Ran reassured Eevee with a smile.

"Vee~~ Vee, vee~" Little Eevee immediately perked up, calling out repeatedly to show that determination.

"Hey! Campus Belle, you're here!" Just then, someone tapped his shoulder, and a familiar voice sounded beside his ear. He turned to see Lan Yanxi, who had been in his group yesterday.

"Morning. Fancy meeting you here!" Xiao Ran paused briefly, then smiled.

Today, she wore an aqua-blue long dress that complemented her long blue hair. Those colors, like the sky and sea, brought out her boundless vitality and beauty.

"Oh! If it isn't the lovely Lan and our Campus Belle Xiao. You both made it into the next round too?" Before they could say much more, a slightly teasing voice rang out, drawing sidelong glances from several people.

Xiao Ran turned to see two boys in casual clothes. He vaguely remembered them as fellow students from Class One. One was a dark-skinned boy with a buzz cut named Duan Tao, who specialized in Rock-types and had a Geodude as his starter Pokémon.

Geodude was not to be underestimated. Although it was a common Pokémon, both its Base Stats and available moves were quite good. With the defensive strengths of its Rock and Ground typing, it was no worse than many starter Pokémon. Unfortunately, it wasn't a Water-, Fire-, or Grass-type, and its type weaknesses were obvious.

"Si Le, is it so strange that we made it into the next round?" Lan Yanxi retorted irritably.

Si Le was the boy who had just spoken. Unlike the dark-skinned, quiet Duan Tao, he was sunny and very arrogant, much like the Snivy following at his side.

Yes, like Xiao Ran and the others, he was a direct descendant of an Alliance family. Although he hadn't awakened any special powers, his strength was certainly not to be underestimated.

"No, no, of course not. Our Campus Belle Xiao is an Awakened, after all! Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Si Le, and he's Duan Tao." Si Le smiled and extended a hand, but his tone made Xiao Ran frown slightly.

"Xiao Ran." Xiao Ran nodded without reaching out, gently stroking the Eevee in his arms instead.

"Hehe, is that an Eevee? Your second Pokémon?" Si Le withdrew his hanging hand without showing the slightest embarrassment and casually looked at the Eevee in Xiao Ran's arms.

"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded indifferently and said nothing more.

"Bu~" Seeing a stranger talking about the little Pokémon, Baby Eevee timidly snuggled closer into Xiao Ran's arms. Then, seemingly remembering that promise to protect him, Baby Eevee poked that little head out again and gave a defiant roar.

"Hehe, that's a rare Pokémon! Why don't you evolve it? Then you could probably win this Freshman Challenge without breaking a sweat, right? Do you not have an Evolution Stone? My family happens to have a Water Stone. Want me to lend it to you?" Si Le said with a smile, but anyone could hear that something was off about his words.

"No need. It isn't time for Eevee to evolve yet," Xiao Ran said unhappily, raising an eyebrow.

Evolution was a form of growth for Pokémon. It wasn't as simple as handing one an Evolution Stone. For an Eevee that had only recently hatched and lacked a sufficient energy level, using an Evolution Stone would only cause the little Pokémon's body to collapse.

Besides, Evolution Stones weren't cheap. Even the poorest ones cost over a million apiece, while good ones could cost tens of millions, depending on the concentration of energy within them. Si Le's offer to lend him one was nothing more than a way to flaunt his wealth. If his family were truly wealthy enough, he would have offered it as a gift rather than a loan.

"Xiao Ran, come over! They're assigning the groups!" Si Le was about to say more when Jiang Cheng's booming voice rang out from a distance. Xiao Ran waved and nodded, then turned back to the two.

"I'm heading over. Yanxi, want to come along?" Xiao Ran asked, making sure to include the girl beside him. He could tell she didn't like this guy either.

"Sure, sure!" Lan Yanxi nodded quickly. Of course she would rather spend time with the Campus Belle, especially since she had already spotted her close friend and roommate over there.

"Oh, not bad! You went out for a bit and brought back a beauty!" Jiang Cheng waggled his eyebrows when he saw the girl beside Xiao Ran.

"Would it kill you to stop talking nonsense?" Xiao Ran said irritably. This guy just loved stirring up trouble.

"Yanxi!" Xuan Yuan Nian came over and linked arms with her in greeting. They shared a dorm room and were both class officers, so they had already taken to spending most of their time with Xiao Ran and his friends.

After a short wait, the group assignments finally came out. Xiao Ran was in Group Thirteen, Jiang Cheng in Group Four, Shen Yue in Group Seven, and Ye Ling in Group Twelve. Unexpectedly, Lan Yanxi had ended up in Xiao Ran's group again, leaving him feeling rather helpless.

Over eighty people had advanced to the next round, averaging five or six per group. Xiao Ran's Group Thirteen was lucky enough to have only five, meaning he only needed to play four matches, just like yesterday. Unfortunately, Ye Ling's and Jiang Cheng's groups each had six people, so they would have to play a full six matches. That would put enormous pressure on Jiang Cheng's Magnemite.

"I'm in the first match. I'll head over now!" After checking the match schedule, Xiao Ran called out to his friends, then hurried toward his assigned arena with Lan Yanxi.

"Campus Belle, you've got this!" Standing below the battle platform, Lan Yanxi cheered Xiao Ran on.

"No problem. Thanks!" Xiao Ran smiled and stepped onto the battle platform with ease.

When he arrived at Training Ground 13, his opponent was already standing on the platform. She was a girl in a white T-shirt and a short red skirt, and her Pokémon was a school-issued Pidgey, another Pokémon that was ideal for beginners and had tremendous potential.

"Go, Popplio!" After checking in, Xiao Ran took his position on the training ground, pulled out a Poké Ball, and summoned Popplio.

"Arrrooo~~~" Popplio gave a long cry and landed energetically on the ground.

Although they had trained late into the night, Popplio had clearly recovered completely. That was thanks to the special Pokéblocks Xiao Ran had prepared yesterday, the result of his work until two or three in the morning. They used a special formula that promoted restful sleep and rapidly restored stamina.

"Pidgey, charge in and use Tackle!" The moment the match began, the girl opposite him ordered her Pidgey to attack first.

"Make a Water Balloon, then dodge!" Xiao Ran said calmly.

A translucent Water Balloon formed, and Popplio quickly leaped away before Pidgey could reach the little Pokémon.

"What move is that?" The girl froze briefly as she watched Popplio easily evade the charge. She had never seen this species before, much less Water Balloon, Popplio's signature move.

"Turn around and use Water Gun!" Without giving her much time to think, Xiao Ran issued his next command.

Still in midair, Popplio turned around and immediately fired a jet of water toward Pidgey, who was hurtling forward after missing the Tackle.

"A Water-type!" The girl quickly classified Popplio in her mind, then immediately noticed the danger Pidgey was in. "Dodge it! Quick Attack!"

Girl had no idea how powerful Popplio's move was, but she certainly couldn't let her Pidgey take a direct hit. She had no choice but to use her trump card to evade the attack.

"No rush. Land first, then make a Water Balloon!" Xiao Ran said calmly.

Without waiting to see whether Water Gun had hit, Popplio turned gracefully and landed on the ground, creating another Water Balloon at the same time.

"Pidgey, use Gust and blow all those water balls away!" Girl shouted. She realized those Water Balloons might be the key to defeating her opponent. If she could restrict Popplio's mobility, victory would only be a matter of time.

"Jump straight out of the way!" Xiao Ran said. Gust dealt damage, so he certainly wouldn't let Popplio stand there and take it. There were still three matches ahead, and he couldn't let Popplio waste too much stamina here.

At Xiao Ran's command, Popplio used the nearby Water Balloon to leap away without hesitation. Pidgey naturally pursued relentlessly, but the bird was still a newly raised Pokémon. Although Pidgey had successfully learned Gust, its range was limited. Repeatedly using the move had already drained a great deal of stamina, while Popplio had spent very little simply making Water Balloons and hopping around.

"Pidgey, stop! Use Quick Attack and charge straight in!" The girl clearly realized this couldn't continue. Her original plan to conserve stamina, just like Xiao Ran, was no longer possible. She could only have Pidgey use the highly draining Quick Attack again. That was the only way to get a chance to hit the opponent.

It all comes down to this move! the girl prayed inwardly. Quick Attack had become her last hope. The nimble Popplio left her with no openings at all.

"Popplio, take your time. Watch carefully. Now—Aqua Jet!" Xiao Ran said calmly. Popplio wasn't far from him, and his quiet voice couldn't be clearly heard from the opposite side.

As Xiao Ran finished speaking, streams of water began gathering wildly around Popplio. Just as Pidgey's Quick Attack was about to connect, a powerful torrent carried Popplio skyward, narrowly avoiding Pidgey's lightning-fast strike.

Moreover, with so little time left, Pidgey couldn't change direction while using Quick Attack and plunged headfirst into the lingering torrent behind Popplio. An attack even stronger than Water Gun immediately knocked Pidgey down. Still moving at high speed, Pidgey hit the ground headfirst and tumbled several times before finally stopping.

"Popplio, turn around and use Water Gun!" Xiao Ran called to Popplio in the air.

"Pidgey! Referee, I forfeit!" At the sight of Pidgey, Girl cried out and rushed onto the field toward her Pokémon. Seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately had Popplio stop. This was only a school competition, after all. He couldn't let his opponent's Pokémon suffer an injury that would be difficult to heal.

"Well done!" "Bu~~"

After taking an easy victory, Xiao Ran praised Popplio upon the little Pokémon's return to his side, and Eevee chimed in with praise at just the right moment. Popplio immediately puffed up proudly and let out an excited cry.