Chapter 218: Performance Point Battle Royale

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A thousand points just to access the A-rank training fields, plus additional costs for facilities...

Top-tier Pokémon care services really don't come easy.

Li Xiang sighed.

But according to Zhong Qizhi's explanation, as long as he maxed out his daily battles and resisted spending his points recklessly, he could reach the A-rank fields in less than a month or two.

Of course, this all hinged on first squeezing every last drop of points from his classmates.

At its core, this arena challenge was also a way to harvest points from lower-ranked students, but nobody would be foolish enough to keep feeding him points indefinitely. 

After losing once or twice, they'd likely refuse further matches.

They'd rather let him keep his Victor/Arena Defender bonus—since those points didn't come out of their own pockets.

So, Li Xiang planned to aggressively farm as many points as possible in the short term before moving on to other methods once the well ran dry.

And judging by the looks of it, his ultimate goal—the Shiny Beldum—would also be tied to these performance points.

On stage, Zhong Qizhi had mostly finished his explanations, focusing primarily on the performance point system, the core competitive element of the camp. Now, it was time for student questions.

Many raised their hands eagerly, including Li Xiang, who had a few queries of his own, but nine out of ten questions were met with Zhong Qizhi first pointing out that the answers were in the performance point handbook before giving a brief explanation.

As Li Xiang expected, different ranks of training facilities required different amounts of points. The higher the rank, the steeper the cost.

Additionally, services like Pokémon massages, health management, and logistical support all came with extra fees.

In short, spending was unavoidable.

Furthermore, performance points couldn't be gifted or used on behalf of others—each student had to rely solely on their own stash.

This made rapid ascension to A-rank even more difficult.

And that wasn't even considering the fact that exchanging for a Shiny Beldum would undoubtedly require a staggering amount of points—possibly enough to bankrupt him in one go.

Worse, he'd have to gather those points quickly to prevent someone else from snatching the Beldum first.

After all, he'd be competing against every student across all of Yu Region's training camps. There was no telling if some prodigy in another camp might amass the necessary points faster than him.

A Shiny Beldum was the kind of Pokémon every trainer dreamed of owning.

Beside him, Song Jie noticed Li Xiang's conflicted expression.

"Worried about the Beldum?"

"Yeah. I'm afraid someone from another camp might find a way to hoard points faster," Li Xiang admitted.

Where there were rules, there were loopholes. Never underestimate other cheaters—they might have their own methods of rapidly accumulating points.

"Don't worry. I'll help you," Song Jie said quietly.

Having been roommates, their friendship had deepened significantly, rapidly evolving into a close bond.

Li Xiang patted his shoulder. "Then I'm counting on you, Doraemon-Jie."

Accumulating points quickly wasn't something one person could do alone.

"Doraemon-Jie… You're spouting nonsense I don't understand again," Song Jie sighed.

Just then, someone entered carrying a stack of books, placing them near the podium before leaving.

Once again, Song Jie played the role of the errand boy, distributing the performance point handbooks to everyone.

Li Xiang skimmed through his copy and quickly found what he was looking for—an online exchange shop listed in the middle.

While it didn't explicitly mention the available items, it was obvious that the Shiny Beldum would be traded here.

Beyond that, performance points could also be used for training facilities, Pokémon parks, the cafeteria, the camp store, and even private tutoring from high-ranked trainers.

The elite trainer lessons he and Song Jie had speculated about earlier were also tied to performance points—not class size.

If students weren't willing to spend points on private coaching, they'd remain in their original classes, attending Ultra-Ball Rank group sessions.

Not that Ultra-Ball Rank trainers were anything to scoff at—their lessons were still high-quality.

Of course, many privileges came with rank requirements—specifically, access to D, C, B, and A-class battlefields.

"Oh, and don't lose these handbooks," Zhong Qizhi suddenly added. "Remember the confidentiality agreements you signed. Leaking this information will, at minimum, get you expelled—and possibly jailed. There was a student next door who let something slip while chatting online. He's in custody now."

The charge for leaking camp materials? "Disclosure of Regional Secrets," punishable by detention or imprisonment depending on severity.

Several students who had been considering snapping photos of the handbook with their phones immediately reconsidered.

The law in this world was both widely understood and deeply feared. You wouldn't find people brazenly declaring, "So what if I broke the law?" or "I don't know the law!"

Suddenly, the speakers in the ceiling crackled to life.

It was the assembly bell.

With afternoon classes over and dinner battles about to begin, why were they being called out now?

"On your feet! Fall in!"

Zhong Qizhi barked, stepping outside to wait for them to line up.

The fact that this was happening now could only mean one thing—Camp Leader Xiang was about to put them through another ordeal.

Li Xiang stood, suspecting this had something to do with the performance point system.

...….

Field No. 1

Xiang Yangwei stood on the raised platform, smiling down at the 230 students below.

"It's been a while, everyone. Today marks one month since you joined this camp—successfully completing your trial period."

He spoke slowly into the microphone. "Each of you has received your report cards. Some of you did well. Some… did poorly. A few even have negative scores."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

"But don't worry! There's still a chance to turn things around! A thrilling new challenge begins tomorrow! For the next two days, we'll be holding a Performance Point Battle Royale, with three classes competing at a time!"

A new competition!

Excitement erupted instantly, particularly among those with zero or negative points.

This was inevitable—for every winner, there had to be losers.

Xiang Yangwei smiled, tapping the microphone twice before gesturing to the forest behind him.

"The battlefield will be there—in those woods. Those of you who've taken the Trainer Certification Exam should be familiar with this kind of environment."

"We've released Pokémon worth one, three, and five points into the area. Defeat and capture them, and their points are yours!"

"Each participant may bring three Pokémon but can only send out one at a time. Recovery items are permitted."

"However, if all three of your Pokémon are incapacitated, you're out. Additionally—this event will allow point snatching mid-battle!"

The crowd erupted into chaos, but Xiang Yangwei continued unfazed.

"It doesn't matter who deals the most damage or who spots the Pokémon first. The only thing that counts is who captures it. Once a Pokémon is inside a PokéBall, it's off-limits. And attacking other trainers is strictly prohibited!"

"If your target gets stolen, don't panic. After the event, we'll hold Revenge Matches. These will be one-on-one battles where the stolen Pokémon serves as the wager."

"Win, and you reclaim your prize. Lose, and you must pay the thief an equivalent amount of points!"

These rules…

They heavily favored the strong.

Winner takes all.

Li Xiang's heart raced. This was an opportunity—a chance to earn points fast!

For someone who needed a Shiny Beldum, points were everything. He had to go all out in this competition.

On stage, Xiang Yangwei waited for the chatter to die down before continuing.

"Don't get too excited yet. A word of caution—the higher the point value, the stronger the Pokémon. If you're not confident in your skills, don't provoke them recklessly."

The rules here differed slightly from the Certification Exam.

In this camp, the wild Pokémon would actively attack participants. Moreover, even if you were already battling one, others might join the fray unexpectedly.

They didn't care about concepts like "fair fights." Mid-battle, a second or third Pokémon might ambush you, piling on the pressure.

Hearing this, the students grew visibly tense.

Unlike Li Xiang—who had experienced similar scenarios twice before—most had never faced wild Pokémon in an uncontrolled environment. They had no idea what to expect.

"What level do you think the five-point Pokémon will be?" Song Jie murmured beside him.

Level?

"Between 40 and 45, probably. Five points is nothing to scoff at—your class leader only gives five as well."

Level 45 was a major threshold. Many Pokémon evolved into their final forms around then—including pseudo-legendaries like Metagross.

Song Jie nodded. "Makes sense. One-point Pokémon would be 30 to 35, three-point ones 35 to 40."

"Let's team up this time," the white-haired boy suddenly said. "He didn't say we couldn't. You can keep all the points."

All the points?

Li Xiang stared at him. This event was clearly a massive opportunity to skyrocket one's rank and access better resources. Yet Song Jie was willing to pass it up?

"Don't overthink it. This won't be the only point-gathering event. Once the camp's population shrinks, everyone will need alternative ways to earn points."

Song Jie was right. With so many students now, there were plenty of opponents to battle for points, but as numbers dwindled, points would become scarcer.

This Performance Point Battle Royale was likely just the first of many such events.

"I'm touched," Li Xiang said, pulling Song Jie into a sudden hug. No matter how you looked at it, this was a huge sacrifice on his part.

Song Jie shoved him away with a laugh. "Gross."

But inwardly, he was just as surprised by his own actions. He'd never gone out of his way to help an outsider like this before—let alone at his own expense.

Was this… friendship?

Song Jie reflected silently.

Somewhere along the way, Li Xiang had become more than just a friend—he was practically a brother. Hell, he'd even considered inviting him to his family's estate.

Absolutely Unbelievable.