The area for the school team's group battle演习 was located behind the training camp.
According to Senior Tan, the college league involved five people and five Pokémon fighting as a team, so coordination would naturally be inferior to that of one's own Pokémon. Without targeted training, it was hard to build a team battle system. Therefore, the selection of school team members prioritized the individual combat strength of their ace Pokémon over attributes or types.
"But you still need to understand the secret techniques and battle styles of others' Pokémon, which is why we have group battle drills," Senior Tan said. "Today is actually the first group battle drill since the school team members were selected."
"Have there been any replacements among the school team members since then?"
"Yes, yes," Senior Tan replied. "The eighth-place Luo Leiwen and the tenth-place Tang Jiangxue were both replaced. The one who defeated Luo Leiwen was a senior who originally ranked 17th. He was a dark horse and won with a clear advantage. I heard from the school team captain Wang Qi that that senior's ace is among the top in the reserves, and he's only a junior, so he has a shot at competing for the next team captain position!"
She had witnessed the rise of that senior in that battle and got excited just talking about it. She admired him greatly. It was just that his looks weren't up to par, or she would have become a fan.
As they spoke, they walked out of the building complex and saw a vast sunken field ahead. At the far ends of the field, two towers were visible, similar to the venue from the challenge round, but without the complex terrain. Instead, there were hard ground and walls infused with special crystals, etc. It was extremely resistant to bombardment; even super-level destructive power could barely leave marks on the field.
From a distance, Su Hao saw a crowd gathered outside the field ahead. Many faces looked familiar—training camp members and a few instructors. They formed a circle, as if watching something.
At Senior Tan's call, the two squeezed forward, and Su Hao saw a large sand table behind the crowd. Grains of yellow sand flowed, forming forests, mountains, and several lifelike Pokémon figures—clearly a real-scene sand table created by some Pokémon's sand control ability.
"That is...?"
"We're doing strategy simulations," said Jiang Xiuqi, who spotted Su Hao. "Look, the Pokémon are getting familiar with their battle partners down there, while we spirit masters handle the tactics."
Su Hao looked over. The most prominent features on the sand table were the two towers inside the field, but there were also four other spots marked with circles, some with flags planted and some without. It resembled a chess match.
Jiang Xiuqi continued, "In league battles, it's hard for Pokémon to achieve perfect coordination, but tactical arrangements are more important than team fight strategies because the battle rules aren't simply about wiping out the enemy to win. See the towers and those circles? The towers represent core bases, each with a gate. If a gate is breached and the tower is entered, that side loses immediately. But unless the gap is huge, it's hard to break in as long as a Pokémon guards the gate." He paused. "Those four circled spots represent resource points. Occupying one for a minute earns your team one point. Completely defeating an enemy Pokémon earns 100 points. The match lasts only three hours, so victory is usually determined by points. Get it?"
Su Hao understood instantly. Unless the gap was huge, someone had to guard the tower, someone had to seize resource points, whether to group up or split and roam—there had to be a suitable tactic. And tactics had to be tailored to the Pokémon's traits. Still, he found the rules a bit complex; he was used to either going all out or playing it safe.
"Actually, it simulates real battlefield conditions."
"Real conditions?"
"Almost forgot you're a freshman." Jiang Xiuqi looked up and laughed awkwardly. "You might not encounter this until next year or when you reach master level. You'll know then, haha..." He trailed off, then suddenly froze, his eyes widening as he stared at the Pokémon above Su Hao's head. "You, you... that Pokémon? Is it super-level?!"
His voice was dry, laced with disbelief. How long had it been? Not long ago, he'd thought it would be a shame if Su Hao's Dream Mist Butterfly couldn't evolve and stayed at elite level forever, but who would have thought... He pondered, recalling someone mentioning a newly discovered evolution form recently, called... called...
"Fairy Butterfly, the evolved form of Dream Mist Butterfly?!"
"Correct."
Su Hao suppressed the urge to gloat with his hands on his hips; he wasn't a big shot yet and couldn't get cocky. He then asked, "By the way, senior, can I still challenge a school team member now?"
"Uh..." Jiang Xiuqi thought for a moment. "You need to be in the top thirty of the training camp."
Su Hao raised his wristband. His ranking, after clearing the 'Real Illusion Third Level' and achieving 'Ruins Exploration Completion 500%,' had jumped to 19th place even though he'd only completed one task assessment. An elite of the training camp!
Jiang Xiuqi: "..."
"Since the school team has already started group battle drills, you'd need to win with a clear advantage to qualify, I think... Ask the instructor!"
He wasn't optimistic about Su Hao. After all, that Fairy Butterfly had only just broken through to super-level recently. Meanwhile, every school team member, even the reserves, had aces that had been at super-level for at least months. The accumulation was different. But then again, Su Hao was improving fast, and there was still plenty of time before the college league started. By then, Su Hao's strength would surely have increased significantly, making it possible to surpass the reserves.
"Instructor Ma, what do you think?"
"By the rules," Instructor Ma said, looking at Su Hao, "you can issue a challenge, but you must have a clear advantage to replace a reserve member, and the opportunity must be taken no later than a month before the league."
Su Hao looked up at Die Xiaodie and asked her opinion.
Die Xiaodie clenched her little fist and raised it high. "Gunuo~"
...
During the break in the group battle drill, Instructor Ma called someone over. One of the school team reserves, Zhou Mingze. Su Hao's intended challenge target.
"What, you want to challenge me?"
He was surprised at first, but after understanding the situation, he sneered inwardly. A Pokémon that had just reached super-level. Sure, it had decent combat power, but whose Pokémon at Whale Island University had ordinary combat ability? He'd teach this naive junior to be a down-to-earth spirit master. Zhou Mingze put on a warm senior-like smile and extended his hand. "Please."
...
The two rode flying Pokémon to the empty field, facing each other from a distance. The atmosphere was tense, ready to explode.
Outside the field, some trainees who had been observing the sand table or checking out attractive people suddenly learned that another challenge was happening.
"The challenger is... hey hey? It's Junior Su Hao?!!!"
The tall, black-haired Senior Tan had just shifted her gaze to other handsome guys, comparing them and deciding Su Hao was still the best-looking, but when she turned around, she found her junior was gone! After searching, she spotted him inside the field. And he was a challenger! Shocked: The handsome Junior Su Hao was actually a master-level spirit master in disguise! The tall senior gazed at that figure from afar and instantly became smitten.
...
On the empty field, Su Hao sat on Erha Lin's back, looking at the figure in the distance. Die Xiaodie's abilities were mysterious and unknown, while Zhou Mingze's ace Pokémon's data had been analyzed to 70-80% by the panel. He had told Die Xiaodie everything. The intelligence gap between the two sides was enormous. Su Hao silently apologized in his heart, but he had earned this through his own analysis, so he felt no guilt. Striving for fame, status, and resources required no remorse.
"Well, it's not my fault Die Xiaodie and the others are improving so fast. If I don't earn more credits soon, even tens of thousands won't be enough."