Start of the University League!
December 19th, the day before the opening of the University Student League.
A week ago, the competition committee for the University Student League had already started to gain momentum, and several online platforms were flooded with related reports.
Various school forums also began discussing the list of players from the school who would participate in the University Student League, and the popularity continued to rise until the last day before the start of the game, reaching its peak.
Today is the day when each school announces the list of participants.
Countless students from Metropolis University quickly accessed the school's forum and saw the official list of participants announced by the school: Liam, Bruce, Maxwell, Eliza, Mike, David.
In the comment section, the most liked comment is surprisingly: "Damn, Bruce!"
Scrolling down, more comments appeared one by one.
"No, dude, did I write the name wrong? Why is Bruce here?"
"Is there another strong player named Bruce Bayne from our school?"
"According to rumors from Metropolis University, Bruce Bayne passed the Ace level exam a week ago."
"Let me summarize it for you. Two months ago, Bruce participated in the First-Year Student Exchange Tournament, and his three Pokemon were at Ace level. Two months later, Bruce participates in the University Student League, and his three Pokemon are at least at Ace level. What does that mean?"
"Is Bruce even human?"
In short, within just one hour, the number of comments on this post announcing the list of participants had already reached tens of thousands and continued to increase at an astonishing rate.
In today's networked society, the speed at which news spreads is unimaginable: one spreads to ten, ten spreads to a hundred...
Shortly after this post was published, Bruce's phone vibrated repeatedly. He didn't need to turn on the phone to know that someone must have asked about it to confirm the authenticity.
Obviously, this news had caused quite a stir among many people.
But when the phone vibrated again, Bruce had no choice but to answer the call due to the name that appeared on it.
— "Hello, Professor Kelvin," he said proactively.
Kelvin seemed to pause for a moment, and Bruce's heavy breathing could be heard through the phone.
"Are you asking for permission again?" Kelvin asked.
Hearing this, Bruce replied, "Yes, I'll tell Master Kelvin. I'll participate in the University League, so I should take a week off."
Master Kelvin fell silent again, and after a long pause, he spoke softly, "I see. Prepare well for the competition and try to get a good result."
"Don't worry about the final exam," he added.
"Thank you, Master Kelvin," Bruce smiled.
After hanging up, Bruce received a message from Master Rodriguez.
"Get ready, this afternoon we'll check into the hotel next to the Metropolis City Sports Center to prepare for tomorrow's official match."
"Received."
After replying to the message, Bruce began packing his luggage.
At the same time,
The coaches from the participating schools in the University Student League started gathering information about the other contestants from Metropolis University, especially Liam, a well-known and popular player, who required extra caution and thorough information.
But when they saw the list of participants from Metropolis University, they were stunned for a moment.
Bruce Bayne?
After confirming again, these coaches found out that this Bruce was the same Bruce from the First-Year Student Exchange Tournament, and their frowns deepened as their expressions became even stranger.
The coach from Kandor University bit his pen, looked at the list of registrants from Metropolis University, and cursed his bad luck.
He had mentally prepared for the competition against Liam, Maxwell, and Eliza, but someone he never expected to appear had shown up.
This was the person who crushed all the other players in the First-Year Student Exchange Tournament and won the championship with unstoppable momentum.
Now, he had indeed come to the University Student League and successfully qualified for the competition.
"How the hell has he been raising his Pokemon?" wondered the Coach.
What kind of breeding method can take three of his Pokemon from Professional level to Ace level in two months, allowing him to qualify for the competition?
Naturally, the coach would not underestimate Bruce just because of his age; qualifying for the competition shows that his strength is fully qualified and worthy of everyone's attention.
— "This year's University Student League... seems to have become complicated again," he scribbled on paper and murmured softly.
In the end, the names of Liam and Bruce were written on the paper and highlighted in red.
That night,
All the student contestants participating in the University Student League arrived at the hotel near the Metropolis City Sports Center. After checking in, they began to rest and prepare for the competition the next day, aiming for the best possible competitive condition.
In a large room,
Bruce and the six sat upright, and Master Rodriguez sat in front of them, his face full of solemnity.
— "Let me briefly talk about the schedule for the next few days," he said, clearing his throat slowly.
"To better understand the players and the audience, the University Student League follows the same format as the First-Year Student Exchange competition, almost exactly the same."
"The schedule is divided into elimination rounds, main matches, and finals."
"Tomorrow morning will be the opening ceremony, and in the afternoon, the elimination round will officially begin."
"The elimination round will last for two and a half days, and the next two days will be for the races."
At this point, Master Rodriguez paused, looked at the six players one by one, and said in a deep voice: "But because the format of the University Student League is 3V3, each match will take more time, and the schedule will be more intense."
"Therefore, only 32 players can enter the main match of the University Student League, which is different from the First-Year Student Exchange competition."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense and oppressive.
Everyone knew what this meant: the elimination round of the University Student League would be more brutal and cruel.
Most players would do everything they could in the elimination phase to avoid not being able to participate in the main match.
Thus, the difficulty of entering the main match would increase greatly, and every team name would become more valuable.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Master Rodriguez nodded slightly and continued: "The last day will be the final. The number of spots for the final is the same as in the First-Year Student Exchange competition, eight."
"Everyone, let's work hard and strive to make it to the final."
"Alright, everyone, if there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask." Master Rodriguez showed a slight smile on his face, his tone became more energetic, and the oppressive atmosphere in the room disappeared.
Maxwell's eyes sparkled, and he asked loudly: "Master Rodriguez, I want to know what the rewards are for the top three in this year's University Student League."
As soon as these words were spoken, Bruce immediately raised his eyebrows and looked surprised.
Unexpectedly, this Maxwell, who seemed very discreet, asked a very arrogant question first.
Master Rodriguez pushed his glasses up, smiled slightly, and replied, "The competition committee hasn't announced the news yet, but judging by previous rewards, it should be quite good."
— "Okay, I understand." Maxwell nodded slightly and then shut his mouth.
"Any questions?" Master Rodriguez looked around and asked again.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Alright," Master Rodriguez nodded and continued, "Rest well tonight, I'll take this time to gather information about popular players."
The University Student League was no less important than the First-Year Student Exchange game.
Therefore, this time it was an individual room, and they didn't have to share with other players.
Bruce entered the room, looked at his phone for a while, and then fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning,
The colorful flags of Madison Square Garden, which has a capacity of 100,000 people (1), fluttered, and the atmosphere was filled with people.
Although it wasn't quite at full seating capacity, it was already very lively, and there was a dense crowd of spectators as far as the eye could see.
Relevant leaders from the Metropolis City Pokemon Association, relevant leaders from the University Student League Competition Committee, and some university leaders were all present.
There were also many famous people from all walks of life, and 157 outstanding alumni from various universities sat in the guest seats to share in the event.
Bruce and the others sat in the observation area of Metropolis University and listened to the leaders' speeches.
For a well-organized opening ceremony, the leader's speech was essential.
Several relevant leaders took turns to speak about how the University Student League would extend to the national youth. They spoke for almost an hour before the curtain gradually closed.
Afterward, the entire audience and countless netizens enjoyed a two-hour song and dance performance.
In the final session, the host took the stage and explained the history and organization of this year's joint university student exhibition.
It was almost exactly the same as what Master Rodriguez had said, except that the host's explanation was more detailed and easier to understand.
The specific layout of the elimination stage was almost identical to that of the original First-Year Student Exchange competition. It was divided into several competition areas, and the players in each area would take turns battling each other.
1 point for a win, no points for a loss, and the top 32 in the final rankings would move on to the race.
In case of a tie, a tiebreaker match would be held.
"Finally, I wish all players the best results in this University Student League!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Metropolis City Competition Center erupted in applause and cheers.
The opening ceremony gradually ended in Veilstone amid warm applause, the entire audience left the venue, and the staff stayed behind to prepare the battlefield for the afternoon.
A group of players went to the players' room to make the final adjustments to their competition conditions.
"You're all experienced trainers, so make sure to adjust your competition conditions properly," said Master Rodriguez in the Metropolis University room.
"In summary, the mentality is the most important. No matter what the situation is, you must stabilize your mindset."
"Remember, we are Metropolis University, and the other players from the school will only fear us!"
"Alright, let's rest for a while and wait for the details of the elimination phase." Master Rodriguez clapped, and the players closed their eyes and rested.
About half an hour later,
"The afternoon match is already arranged!"
Note(1): Increase the capacity of the madison square garden stadium as 19 thousand is not enough :), I'm still quite regular :)