Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

“Bee—” Pidgeot responded excitedly, this was the most exhilarating flight he had ever had since he was born.

An endless blue sky, a horizon that stretches to the horizon, and no tall buildings to obstruct the view.

I am the king of the sky here!

"Alright, don't forget our agreement. Let's head in that direction first." Xia Shen patted the overly excited Pidgeot and pointed to the location of the Azure Coast.

“Pidgey—” Pidgey responded, flapping its wings and flying off in that direction.

……

Although the description of Condor Heroes in the Pokédex is: "[It can fly around in the air at Mach 2]".

However, Xia Shen, who actually experienced it, said that this, like the claim that Dragonite can circle the Earth in 16 hours, is a rumor.

What does Mach 2 mean? It's twice the speed of sound, and you can fly 680 meters per second!

This encyclopedia entry probably wasn't made by the alpaca itself, it's really quite inaccurate.

After a flight of more than an hour, Xia Shen finally landed safely.

Pidgeot also said it had a great time flying and could now go back to its Poké Ball to rest.

Since it was a borrowed Pokémon, Xia Shen gave it full respect and freedom. Besides, he hadn't caught any Pokémon on the Azure Coast yet, so there was no need to change locations for the time being.

Xia Shen looked at a silly-looking yellow duck not far away and threw a Poké Ball at it.

"Zoroa, this Psyduck is yours."

"Yo-"

…………

The plan went surprisingly smoothly; on the first day alone, Xia Shen caught eight Pokémon.

Basically, all the Pokémon that can be defeated in the area south of the Azure Coast have been included in the Pokédex.

However, Yan Yan has helped me so much this time, I should thank her properly.

There are quite a few good things in the Emerald Realm. When we find the right elf items for her, we'll just sell them to her cheaply.

As for why it was a sale rather than a gift, Xia Shen guessed that given the girl's personality, she would absolutely not accept something given away for free, at least not at this stage of their relationship.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Xia Shen stretched contentedly, got up, and went to school.

------

At noon, an unexpected guest arrived at the training area of ​​the school team in the battle arena.

Of course, Xia Shen was the least qualified person to say that, because he had come to the school team in the same way...

The visitor was Jiang Chuan, the runner-up in the Zhijiang Cup rookie group.

Since Xia Shen didn't deliberately hide the news that he had been promoted to the school team as a substitute, Jiang Chuan naturally approached Teacher Ye to inquire about the connections.

As a good teacher who treats everyone equally, she naturally couldn't refuse Jiang Chuan's request, after all, winning second place is also a way to bring honor to the school.

From a completely uninformed perspective, if the champion were a student from Zhijiang Middle School, most people would probably think, "Wow, this trainer is amazing!"

But if both the champion and runner-up are students from Zhijiang Middle School... then their thought will definitely be, "This school is amazing!"

As an indispensable part of the school's most boast-worthy achievements this year, Jiang Chuan also got the opportunity to challenge the school team.

However, Xia Shen was not optimistic that Jiang Chuan's performance would win the coach's favor.

It's not that he now believes his strength has definitely surpassed Jiang Chuan's.

On the other hand, the school team, having learned from Chu Si's previous mistake, was determined not to be careless again.

As expected, faced with Jiang Chuan's challenge, Chu Si volunteered to overcome the inner demons she had encountered that day.

Therefore, Jiang Chuan's opponent in the team entry test was Chu Si and her giant swamp monster.

Speaking of Swampert, its resistances are really good, with only one weakness: a 4x weakness to Grass.

The Dragonite family's move set happens to lack Grass-type damage moves.

However, Dragonair is resistant to water and can fly, so in a battle of the same level, Dragonair can actually have a certain advantage over Swampert.

However, the outcome of a battle is not so easily determined...

Looking at Chu Si's serious expression and the giant swamp monster with a menacing look, Xia Shen couldn't help but silently mourn for Jiang Chuan.

The match officially began, with everyone on the school team watching.

…………

"Fly up, Hakuryu!" Jiang Chuan chose the least risky strategy.

"Swamp Monster, rain first." No matter how the opponent attacked, Chu Si activated the weather first.

Rainy weather only increases the power of Water-type moves by 50%, without any other special effects.

So Chu Si's intentions were pretty clear: you're resistant to water, huh? I'm going to use water-based moves on you!

Jiang Chuan naturally understood this as well, and reminded Hakron, "Be careful to avoid the water..."

Before the word "cannon" could even be uttered, a thick jet of water shot out from Swampert's mouth, heading straight for Hakkar, who was flying in mid-air.

Seeing Jiang Chuan's incredulous expression, Xia Shen shook his head. This guy really didn't take the school team's singles main player seriously.

Did they never expect their opponent wouldn't announce their moves before attacking?

I had clearly anticipated my opponent's moves...

No, it should be said that since the opponent has already revealed their hand, couldn't you be a little more prudent and offer some protection as a sign of respect?

"Yo—" With a familiar mournful cry, Hakron fell from the sky.

Without any trainer's command, Swampert charged toward Dragonair's landing spot the instant its water cannon was fired.

The deep blue water-based energy flowing around his fists indicated that he was about to unleash a water-shattering attack.

It's an open card game again, how are you going to respond?

"Hakron, protect me!" Jiang Chuan shouted urgently, using the only move that could save him.

During its descent, Hakron stubbornly created a transparent barrier.

"Buzz—" Despite Hakuryu's strained expression, the water burst was ultimately absorbed by the protective force that Hakuryu exerted with all its might.

"Dragon Tail, quick!" Protecting the dragon tail, Hakkar expertly deflected the Swampert, whose hands were already raised.

This familiar combo is so skillfully executed it's almost heartbreaking.

He managed to survive, but Hakron's remaining strength was almost gone.

Jiang Chuan, seeing the Swamp Monster seemingly about to launch another charge, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Fly again!"

With a powerful flap of its wings, Hakron took flight with difficulty.

There's no other way; at least once it takes flight, Swampert only has Water Cannon as its only attack, giving it a better chance to survive.

"Swamp Monster, fire!" Chu Si's voice was cold and ruthless.

The water cannon shot out again, though not as powerful as the previous one, but it was more continuous and sustained, following the flying, dodging Hakron all the way.

Ultimately, exhausted, Hakron was unable to win the pursuit and fell to his death on the battlefield once again.

This time, however, he never had the chance to fly again.

……

"Hakrond is unable to fight. The winner is Swampert," Coach Zhang's emotionless voice rang out.

Jiang Chuan silently recalled his Dragonair, turned and left, but his hand holding the Poké Ball trembled slightly.

"Well played. Remember to report to the school team tomorrow." Coach Zhang's tone remained unchanged behind him.

Jiang Chuan paused for a moment, but without turning around, he shouted, "Understood, thank you, Coach!"

## Chapter Fifty-Eight: Midterm Exams in the Elf World

While everyone was enjoying the spectacle, this battle also allowed Xia Shen to witness the true strength of Chu Si and her Swampert.

Assuming this is the average strength of the national high school elf battle tournament, then I must train harder and strive to narrow the gap.

Simply going to the competition to coast along doesn't reflect his attitude towards Pokémon battles.

However, before the school team selection competition at the end of December, Xia Shen was facing an inescapable nightmare during his student days—the midterm exams.

Although it's a Pokémon battle subject, that doesn't mean the exam only covers Pokémon battles.

Basic theories of Pokémon breeding, basic theories of Pokémon battles, physical education exams for trainers...

In Teacher Ye's words, being a trainer is not a profession that anyone can just decide to pursue.

…………

In the classroom in early November, Xia Shen was biting his pen, deep in thought as he stared at the test paper in front of him.

What abnormal conditions can limousine cure?

[A: Burning, B: Freezing, C: Sleep, D: Confusion]

No, I can recite the names of fruits like Wenyou and Muzi fruit by heart, but who would bring Limu fruit in a battle?

Next question: [Which ability of a Pokémon can be cultivated using an Energy Cube made primarily from Phoenix Fruit?]

[A: Speed, B: Physical strength, C: Strength, D, Special defense]

I know this one well. Zhou Keke's recipe for the bear cubs includes high-grade energy cubes made from golden pear fruits, which are used to cultivate the power of elves. They're really expensive.

Next came essay questions such as, "How can we cultivate the electric sacs of the Electric Mouse sprites to enable them to store higher voltage electrical energy?"

……

After finishing an exam, Xia Shen felt more tired than if he had played ten consecutive matches.

Considering that this was only the basics of Pokémon training, his admiration for Zhou Keke, this academically gifted Pokémon breeder, grew even stronger.

Fortunately, this is also the last theoretical exam; the practical exam for Pokémon battles will be held this afternoon.

For Xia Shen, Pokémon battles have long been integrated into his daily life, almost as natural as eating and drinking.

So while other students were discussing the afternoon's battle exam, he was already researching the field assessments for the next few days.