Given Qiu Yan's circumstances, Yangbeila Branch School could not possibly know how she had performed in the T Tournament.
"That's good, then."
"You... don't think I'll lose to Xixia, do you?"
Qiu Yan swept a cool glance his way. "I was only one point short of the Fuchsia Badge. Xixia took the Natsukan Gym assessment, and the Gym Leader's evaluation was that she still needed to work harder."
Their assessment scores showed a clear gap. Besides, how could the difficulty of the Orange Islands' Gym assessments compare with the Fuchsia Gym's?
"As long as you're confident."
"Of course."
Unlike the other students at Pokémon High School, Qiu Yan had fought in many battles. Thanks to the ninja training her family had put her through since childhood, her composure was as calm as still water.
In terms of battle experience alone, Qiu Yan had far more than Shen Qi.
"If we're talking about someone in a bad state of mind, that would be her."
Qiu Yan gestured with her lips. Shen Qi had already heard the singing too.
Beside the pool ahead, a girl wearing traditional Orange Islands accessories sang softly, her voice clear and pure.
It was Flula, the Saint of Shamouti Island and the Island Chief's granddaughter.
In tomorrow's second match, which would also close out the student division, Flula would face Koji.
An Orange Islands star cultivated by the Shamouti Island Chief, a Saint, a genius, a future top Coordinator, a T1 professional Pokémon Trainer... with all those expectations weighing on her, it would be strange if she did not feel miserable.
Leaving such distant matters aside, if Flula lost tomorrow, that slap would land not on Yangbeila Branch School's face, but on the faces of the Shamouti Island Chief, who had been promoting her so heavily, and