Generally speaking, what Xia Huanao wanted to wait for, he could basically wait for. For instance, he managed to find the silly fellow or rich guy who let the Rotom Phone lose a bet.
Just as the staff posted the specific rules for the martial arts exam and had the Rotom Phone be the first to try it out, a Talonflame suddenly rushed out from the nearby woods. It was moving very fast, seeming to directly attack the Rotom Phone. After taking its photos, the Rotom Phone turned around and unleashed a rapid burst of three flashes towards the Talonflame.
Surprised by a triple flash head-on in the dark night, the Talonflame had no room to resist and was instantly stunned. Not only the Talonflame was stunned, but the people hiding not far away were also bewildered. Human eyesight wasn't strong enough to withstand the intensity of a frontal flash. Just then, the Rotom Phone began to ascend. Once it reached a certain height, it could escape the ground battle and break free. Unexpectedly, a Poké Ball suddenly flew out from the ground and hit the Rotom Phone.
That throw was truly powerful. Xia Huanao observed with his night-vision goggles; if the Rotom Phone had a face, it would have been crooked. Xia Huanao was heartbroken, "How much would it cost to replace the phone screen if it gets smashed?"
As he was speaking, he saw another Poké Ball fly out from the ground and head towards the Rotom Phone in the air. Xia Huanao couldn't help but curse, "What the hell, is it endless? Do you have to smash the phone?"
Xia Huanao's worry was fleeting. Because after the second Poké Ball flew up, a red light flashed in the night sky, and then the Rotom Phone was retrieved into the Poké Ball. The Rotom Phone, now inside the Poké Ball, abandoned the phone it was inhabiting, and the phone dropped straight down from the sky. Xia Huanao, however, was no longer in a hurry. "It's falling, so let it fall."
Xia Huanao had pretty much figured out this trainer's plan. Since it had already taken the photos it wanted, it would retrieve the Rotom Phone first. As the phone fell, it should be heading towards him, and before it landed, it would release the Rotom Phone again to inhabit it. If something went wrong mid-air, it would be a huge hassle. As long as they considered it theft, the entire exam would be invalidated.
The idea was brilliant, but it remained to be seen how the coordination would turn out. If the Rotom Phone failed to reattach, it would be disastrous. Dropping a phone from that height wasn't a problem that could be solved by simply replacing a screen. However, from Xia Huanao's perspective, it was unlikely that the Rotom Phone would successfully reattach. The Poké Ball's landing wouldn't necessarily be faster than the phone's.
Xia Huanao became genuinely interested and pulled up relevant information on his tablet. "Oh, it's a girl. I didn't expect such a bold girl at this time. Truly surprising."
Although Xia Huanao was paying close attention to this girl, there were more important matters at hand. Xia Huanao quickly noted the girl's exam number and then shifted his focus to outside the assembly point. The assembly point had become increasingly lively since the Rotom Phone was the first to receive the rules announced by Xia Huanao.
When Xia Huanao was observing, three groups of people were already eyeing the notice board from a distance, but none dared to make a move. The three factions were at each other's throats but dared not strike first. Whoever was foolish enough to look at the rules first would become the target of all. Amidst this tense atmosphere, a shadow darted through the three groups, snatched something from the notice board, and disappeared. Seeing someone snatch the prize right before their eyes, the three groups assumed it was one of the other two, and then they directly started fighting. Regardless, it was past twelve o'clock, the ban was lifted, and there was no need to hide.
Xia Huanao watched the chaotic fight and patted Yu Longdu on the shoulder. "Wake up, it's time to get to work."
Yu Longdu, groggily woken up by Xia Huanao, was a bit displeased. He then unclipped a Poké Ball and threw it out. A Charizard landed on the ground, startling the people outside.
Xia Huanao splashed a cup of cold water on Yu Longdu's face. "Wake yourself up first."
Yu Longdu shook his head, understood the situation, and said to the people outside, "Continue your fight. I only released Charizard to guard against special circumstances. Keep fighting, whoever strikes first gains the advantage!"
Xia Huanao rolled his eyes. Although Xia Huanao did want them to continue fighting, Yu Longdu's words made it sound like an official encouraging students to brawl. It wasn't a good look.
But it didn't matter much because as soon as Yu Longdu finished speaking, the three groups outside started fighting again. They found Yu Longdu's words very reasonable. Strike first and win, strike last and suffer; take what you can get.
Thus, the free-for-all among the three factions began once more...
These high school students had less than two years to train their Pokémon. Now, it was dark at night, and there were many people. Without friendly fire turned off, the fight didn't last long before casualties mounted. Xia Huanao watched and shook his head. "Impressive, they're willing to strike at their own people. Such a team has no competitiveness."
Yu Longdu rubbed his eyes. "Right, how did these people start fighting?"
Xia Huanao pointed to the computer nearby. "You can watch the replay."
Yu Longdu rewound and watched for a bit. "Where did that big black mouse come from? It's so fast."
Xia Huanao glanced at the screen. "Slow it down and take a good look. That's not a big black mouse. That's my wife, whom you saw running very fast this afternoon."
Yu Longdu was confused by Xia Huanao's statement. "Your wife? You mean Shen Yu? Impossible. Although Shen Yu is a bit slender, I wouldn't mistake her for a big black mouse."
Xia Huanao slapped his forehead. "I mean Shen Yu, whom you saw this afternoon. Didn't you see two of my wives go their separate ways this afternoon?"
Yu Longdu recalled. "Yes, I've been studying too hard lately and my brain isn't working well. The one riding a Pokémon should be the real one. How did the fake one appear? I haven't heard of Shen Yu catching a Ditto."
Xia Huanao took out a copy of "5-3 Pokémon Edition." "You clearly haven't studied enough. There are plenty of Pokémon that can disguise themselves. Don't you remember I told you my wife has a mischievous little fellow?"
"Zorua? Then it's not surprising. Zorua has disguise abilities and is fast. That big black mouse does have the demeanor of a Zorua. But Shen Yu wouldn't let Zorua instigate a fight."
Xia Huanao was also helpless. "Xiao Yu's instructions to Zorua should have been to find her at night and reunite. Instigating the fight is likely something this little rascal learned on its own. Don't worry about her, I only care about the rules outside."
Saying that, Xia Huanao walked out of the assembly point and took a look. Zorua clawed frantically at the notice board, but it didn't cause any damage. The paper was still the same. However, the people surrounding the paper were no longer the same ones.
The three groups, without friendly fire immunity, now only had seven people entangled with each other. As for the rest, some had all their Pokémon lose the ability to battle, while others were accidentally injured by Pokémon battles. They sat aside, dejected, not intending to get involved further. They were all resting inside the assembly point, waiting to leave the secret realm after recovering their strength.
Xia Huanao looked at their condition and breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, everyone is alright. It's just that the Pokémon levels aren't high. If Mewtwo fired a missile, this exam would be over early. Forget my sister Meng, even my Guagua's single shuriken flash would probably be too much for these people to handle."
While Xia Huanao checked on the injured, the seven people outside were still thinking about what to do next. Suddenly, a burst of fire leaped out from the darkness, tore the rule announcement outside the assembly point, and fled. The speed of the action was truly astonishing.
"That agile movement should be Chimchar. Now someone has truly reaped the benefits."
Logically, at this moment, the seven people outside should have united against their common enemy and chased Chimchar. However, for some inexplicable reason, these seven people started fighting again, fighting until the break of dawn. Xia Huanao couldn't understand what these people were thinking, but he suddenly saw someone who, while fighting, was clearly holding back, pretending to fight. He smoothly exited the melee, put away his Pokémon, turned, and fled. In the direction he ran, a small Chimchar was crouching beside a girl's feet, holding a rolled-up paper. After they met up, they disappeared into the night together.
"Undercover operation? This is interesting. But speaking of which, damn it, you guys are still fighting? What kind of world is this?"
As he said that, Xia Huanao turned to Yu Longdu and asked, "How is it? Who stole the item?"
Yu Longdu announced an exam number. Xia Huanao immediately sent out a mass message, stating that the martial arts exam rules had been released and were currently in the possession of the candidate with exam number XXX.
This group message caused everyone's wristbands to vibrate. The fighters at the entrance were no exception. After glancing at their wristbands, they seemed to snap out of their bloodthirsty state and rushed to chase the two who had already escaped.
Xia Huanao watched the time on his phone. Fifteen minutes after the first rule was stolen, Xia Huanao took out the second rule and posted it on the notice board outside.
"Young people these days really have no patience. How could we not make thorough preparations for such an important exam?"
As Xia Huanao finished speaking, a voice echoed from the darkness. "Does that include me among these young people?"