Elite Lance's Evaluation
There was much discussion on the Internet about Bruce's victory in the championship, but at the same time, players from other schools were not criticized.
If you take a closer look at the individual battles in the freshman exchange competition, you can clearly see that Bruce's strength is not on the same level as the rest of the players. It's a naked dimensionality-reducing attack.
Whether it was Gardevoir, who swept the field with psychic energy fluctuations, the invincible Metang, or the already unmatched Blaziken, all left a deep impression on countless audiences.
The three professional-level Pokemon are truly too evil, leaving his peers powerless against them.
More than one person joked online: "As long as Bruce's Pokemon doesn't one-shot you, you've succeeded."
Yes, it's such a simple luxury—if you aren't defeated in seconds, you've succeeded.
Bruce, the well-deserved great devil of this year, cast a heavy shadow over countless players, making the rest tremble.
Most importantly, he's still a research student.
This made all the players feel ashamed. If Bruce were a student from the combat department, he might have a fig leaf to hide behind. But now, he doesn't even have that.
So far, the individual battle of the freshman exchange competition has come to an end, and Bruce has become a legend in the hearts of countless freshmen!
Capital Metropolis
Elite Lance, who had been working hard, returned home and learned that his nephew had become the runner-up in the freshman exchange competition.
He had been quite busy in the past few days and now finally had a brief rest to deal with some family affairs.
"Who's the champion?" Lance asked casually while eating.
"Bruce, grandson of King John Bayne," someone beside him replied softly.
Lance nodded thoughtfully and then silently finished his dinner.
Not long after, Lance lay back on the sofa, watching the individual finals of the freshman exchange competition.
"The freshman exchange competition... It seems to have happened more than ten years ago?" Watching the lively scene on the screen, Lance, who had already entered middle age, squinted slightly and murmured softly.
For him, the freshman exchange competition is truly a trivial matter. If his nephew hadn't participated, he wouldn't have paid any attention to it.
The same goes for the university student league. Progress at this level doesn't deserve his attention today.
But at the Avalon Conference, he might attend as a special guest or even participate in an exhibition match.
Well, for him, the World Alliance Conference is something to pay attention to.
"Bruce Bayne..."
"King John Bayne..."
Lance fast-forwarded, looked at Bruce on the screen, and let his thoughts wander.
King John Bayne became an Elite Trainer many years before him, and the two fought against each other several times. At first, King John Bayne almost won every game. Now the two have each won against the other—they are evenly matched.
"It's a pity... If King John Bayne were ten years younger, he could really win the championship.
"It's a pity..." Lance slightly shook his head, expressing his regret.
Lance is so talented, yet he never managed to reach the number of championships, let alone King John Bayne, who has already entered his seventies.
"It's really been a long time since King John Bayne reached his peak potential. After so many years, his competitive condition is still fiery." Lance's eyes flickered slightly, filled with emotion.
After becoming an Elite, he realized the difficulties he faced. There's endless work day and night, traveling back and forth, and less rest time than the wild Milotic in the water.
In this way, self-improvement is naturally affected to some extent, and the speed of progress isn't as good as before under competitive conditions.
He has only worked for ten years and already feels it's difficult now, let alone John Bayne, who has worked for the Alliance for decades.
"I hope King John Bayne's descendants achieve something so the Bayne family can continue for a few more decades. This time is enough to establish a true family with rich heritage so talents can emerge from generation to generation," Lance murmured softly.
Shaking his head and setting aside the complicated thoughts in his mind, Lance watched the competition seriously.
After a while
"Well, the professional-level Gardevoir and Metang are extremely qualified, and with King John Bayne's support, they should achieve something. It's very possible to become an Elite.
Lance saw it clearly—this Bruce has solid command skills. Coupled with the extremely high talent of the two Pokemon, he is more competitive than himself at the same time. It's very remarkable—this is already very high praise.
After some small comments, Lance opened other battle videos and took a quick look.
"Thinking back, having a professional-level Pokemon was enough to sweep everything. Who could have imagined that in just over a dozen years, everyone would have reached the point of having a professional-level Pokemon?"
"In this way, little Bin only has one professional-level Pokemon now, and Bruce is the only player with two professional-level Pokemon. It seems his talent is greater than I imagined." Lance nodded.
After saying this, Lance was about to turn off the TV but suddenly saw the most-viewed battle video, Bruce VS Kristin.
"Palace?"
"Could it be the Runnels family in northern Endsville?"
There are very few people with the last name Runnels in Avalon, and even fewer who are famous.
Lance murmured softly and clicked on the battle video.
A long time later
Lance pressed the pause button, looked at the Blaziken using Focus Punch on the screen, and then slowed it down again.
Half an hour later,
"There's a bit of Master Sugar Ray's shadow in him..."
"That's right, John Bayne had a good relationship with Master Sugar Ray in his early years."
"But this Blaziken, with its combat power, should be able to rival Ace-level Pokemon."
Thinking about this, Lance stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth.
"Blaziken, comparable to an Ace-level Pokemon, and two professional-level psychic Pokemon..."
"This Bruce..."
"He's much better than I was back then. Maybe... maybe he can become an Elite in less time, or even win the championship." Lance's eyes suddenly widened.
In the dimly lit room, his voice gradually faded.
"Of course, this is the most ideal competitive condition—if he can continue to improve at this speed.
"The road ahead is rough," Lance said, shaking his head.
Since ancient times, there have been many talented people in the world and many incomparable monsters, but there are many accidents along the path of growth, and it's common for geniuses to die young.
Only a few can overcome the ups and downs and achieve great things.
Lance, who became famous at an early age, is quite moved by this.
"The time is still short—don't rush," he said softly.
"Bruce Bayne, who needs special attention, may become a pillar of the East."
Back at the hotel, Bruce finished his dinner, washed up, and went to bed early.
It's said he went to bed, but he was actually lying in bed playing with his phone.
There were too many messages Bruce needed to reply to—from parents, relatives, old and new classmates, and all kinds of friends.
Bruce responded, letting out a long sigh of relief as his fingers began to ache slightly.
"Damn, my uncle sent me a message!"
Suddenly, Bin sat up in bed and slapped his thigh again.
Bruce glanced sideways.
Bin's uncle?
It must be Elite Lance.
Not long after, Bin turned to look at Bruce, who was in the bed next to him, and said softly, "My uncle said to study hard with you."
Bruce couldn't help but laugh: "This is Lance Elite's order."
Bin took a deep breath and said, "I didn't expect my uncle to pay attention to this small game.
"That's right." Bin paused, as if remembering something, and suddenly said, "Bruce, my uncle said to have you visit us later."
"A guest?" Bruce looked a little puzzled.
Bin nodded slightly and said, "That's what my uncle said. Alright, I'll ask him more carefully later."
"Alright."
After that, Bin set his phone aside, glanced at Bruce, and said, "Bruce."
He paused for a moment, then his eyes flickered as he slowly said, "Do you think I'll be able to reach my uncle's level in ten years?"
Ten years later.
Bruce was stunned, then nodded heavily and said, "There's hope."
"There's hope?" Bin raised his head, looked at the ceiling, and murmured softly.
The next day,
The finals for the freshman exchange competition's team battles opened.
The four schools that entered the finals were Capital Metropolis University, Modular University, Fairbay University, and Uncanny University.
Compared to individual battles, team battles test cooperation, tactics, and team rotation more. The game's outcome is influenced by many factors, so the suspense is greater, and there are more twists and turns.
First, the first match was Capital Metropolis University versus Fairbay University. The two teams fought fiercely until the last player.
The second match was between Kandor University and Uncanny University. The two teams also staged a fierce battle, showing several rounds of exciting confrontation. In the end, the University of Uncanny was even better and won the victory.
In the afternoon,
Bruce and others were sitting in the auditorium, applauding Diyang's oil.
"If we can win the team championship, we will really be rewarded this time," said Master Rodriguez with a smile.
"The hope is great," Liam quietly observed with calm eyes.
"I hope they can hold steady," Bruce whispered looking at the six players waiting to enter the arena.
Soon, the team battle finals began, with Metropolis University playing against Uncanny University.
This time the intensity surpassed all previous matches, both teams tried almost every means and the wonderful game delighted countless spectators.
In reverse after reverse and with the crowd's blood pressure rising, the six Metropolis University players withstood the pressure and won.
So far, Metropolis University has won both the individual and team championships in the freshman exchange competition. Maestro Rodriguez waved his arms and clapped loudly amidst the fireworks blooming in the sky.
"Nice!"
"Good job!"
With a smile on his lips, Bruce watched the six players dancing on the field from a distance, feeling happy for them.