The Trainer Academy boasted more than 1,000 battlegrounds of varying sizes. Each css typically had two or three battlegrounds designated for their use, with different terrains aups for training purposes.

  The special css, being the most privileged group within the academy, had access to ten battlegrounds, including be arenas and specialized terrain fields.

  Juliahe way fidently, but halfway through, he slowed his pace. He inteo wait for Shen to catch up, but to his surprise, she had already fallen behind, engrossed in versation with a new friend. The two seemed to be hitting it off.

  "Cough-Shen, e here!" Julian called, coughing lightly to catch her attention.

  "What is it?" Shen asked.

  "Uh... which way is the battlefield?"

  Julian's suddeion clearly embarrassed him. He had been striding forward fidently, but halfway there, it dawned on him that he had no idea where their css's battleground was.

  Shen shot him a sharp look. "You made such a bold decration ba css, ready for a fight, but now you don't even know where the battlefield is?"

  Julian gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, well..."

  Shen sighed, "Just keep walking straight. You'll see it."

  Fortunately, Julian hadn't taken a wrong turn. If he had wandered off in the wrong dire in front of his cssmates—and more importantly, their teacher—it would've been hard to live down.

  After about ten minutes of walking, they arrived at a standard battle arena. A sign beside it read: "2022 Special Css".

  The battlefield was the size of a football field, a ral enviro without any elemental bonuses, a perfek ste for any type of battle.

  Julian took his pce at one end of the field, his expression calm and posed.

  Across the field, however, the six students who had earlier challenged him looked at each other, Finally one of them, a boy wearing gsses, stepped forward.

  "I'll go first," the boy said.

  The head teacher, Frank, who had followed them to the battlefield, stepped forward as the referee. "Would you like to activate the protective shield? It costs 100 credits per match."

  The protective shield was a barrier system that erainers wouldn't be harmed by the aftermath of their Pokémon's moves.

  In publipetitions, it was always used to protect both trainers and spectators from the powerful moves unleashed during battles.

  Julian waved it off. "No his won't take long."

  His casual dismissal sent a ripple of murmurs through the crowd. The boy with gsses, Tyler, was flushed with anger.

  Julian's words felt like a btant challenge, implying he wasn't even worth the time it took to activate the shield.

  "Your friend sure talks big," murmured a girl o Shen. "Tyler is the individual champion of the tral South Provincial High School League, just like your friend Julian."

  Shen simply smiled, "You'll see soon enough."

  Hearing Shen say this, Kate was also curious about how strong Julian really was, and looked forward to the uping match.

  Frank raised his hand to signal the start of the match. "One Pokémon to decide the winner. Agreed?"

  There were six people who challenged Julian. If each of them fought with two or more Pokémon, it would undoubtedly take a lot of time.

  Julian nodded. "Agreed."

  Tyler also hough his face was set in a determined scowl.

  Julian didn't hesitate.

  He released his Pokémon, and in a fsh of light, a silver Metagross floated into the air, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon whose mere presenanded respect.

  The metallic beast hovered effortlessly, its cold eyes focused on the oppo.

  Tyler also threw out his Poké Ball, revealing a t Bziken, a powerful Fire-type known for its speed aating fire-based attacks.

  Tyler was a fire type trainer, fire was super-effective against steel, which was one of the reasons why he refused to accept Julian as the monitor and was the first to challenge him.

  "Bziken, use Fmethrower!"

  Bziken darted forward with astonishing speed, crossing the battlefield in a blur. As it neared Metagross, it unleashed a searing n of fmes.

  "Steel Beam," Julian said, his voice calm.

  Metagross's eyes fshed, and in an instant, a brilliant beam of silver light shot forth, cutting through the air.

  The Steel Beam collided with Bziken's Fmethrower, but the fmes were no matetagross's power. The beam sliced through the fire and struck Bziken head-on.

  The explosion that followed sent Bziken flying across the battlefield, crashing to the ground at the far end.

  "Bziken is uo battle. Metagross wins!"

  Frank announced, gng at Julian with newfound respect.

  Bziken was defeated in a single move. Bziken, who was known for its speed, didn't even have time to dodge.

  Tyler stood frozen, disbelief etched across his face. His Bziken had been taken down with a single move, and he hadn't eve ing.

  The other students watg were equally shocked. If they hadn't know Tyler was a high school league champion, just like Julian, they would have believed this match to just be a py.

  "," Julian said, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.

  Tyler recalled his Bziken, his face pale. He had nothio say as he walked off the battlefield i.

  The remaining five challengers hesitated now. The ease with which Julian had dispatched Tyler had shaken their fidence.

  "That high school league title means nothing. What a joke," sneered one of the remaining challengers as he stepped forward.

  Tyler heard him but didn't say anything, Afterall he did lose the fight.

  "Yanis, he scored highest iional college entrance examination, and I heard his father is ae Trainer," Kate whispered to Shen, her excitement rising.

  "Walrei's go!"

  The other trainer was aype specialist. Seeing the level 58 Walrein, Julian became slightly ied; after all, it had a aptitude.

  Yanis stared intensely at Metagross. Despite his earlier ents about Tyler, he didn't truly look down on him—there were no weaklings in the special css.

  The fact that Tyler's Bziken had been instantly defeated by Metagross only demonstrated how powerful and fearsome Julian's Pokémon was.

  Even though Metagross didn't exude a pseudo-Elite aura, its strength was undeniably at that level.

  "Walrein, Surf!"

  Yanis, uyler, was more strategic. Surf didn't just target Metagross—it also aimed to overwhelm Julian with its enormous wave.

  A massive surge of water formed across the etlefield, with Walrein riding atop it, guiding the wave towards Metagross.

  "Iing... let's see how they hahis," murmured the head teacher Frank.

  This arena didn't have a protective shield, so even if Metagross mao break through the Surf attack, the momentum would carry the leftover water straight towards Julian.

  For Metagross, this was no issue. But Julian? Being hit by such a massive wave would likely leave him drenched and disoriented.

  "Metagross, Psychic."

  Julian's and was simple. As Metagross' eyes gleamed blue, the immense wave came to a sudden stop uhe trol of Psychic.

  The Surf attack, which weighed dozens of tons, and carried incredible force, was frozen mid-motion.