manynovel Chapter 325 Poison Rampage – Nemesis
Chapter 325 Poison Rampage – Nemesis
After climbing the seemingly endless staircase, what appeared before them was the deepest room in the United States headquarters, the final end of the regional championship path.
The brick house, nestled at the end of a narrow mountain road, is simple and unadorned, not as dazzling as its name suggests.
However, due to its unique location and the glory and heritage behind it, the entire room looks like the crown of the Alliance headquarters, exuding a solemn and sublime presence.
In front of the house are several white marble archways.
These architectural structures, weathered by time, have long been covered with a mottled coat. Time has carved lines of varying depths on their surfaces, like the marks of time, and every trace of frost tells a story of the past.
Beneath the archway lies a spacious passageway.
Sunlight streamed down, casting a golden glow on the white paving stones. Trainers who weren't fully prepared would likely feel apprehensive stepping onto them.
At the end of the corridor was a large door.
Throughout history, all the best trainers in the Unova League have passed through there without exception; while those who are weaker have been turned away by this door without exception.
This is where the league champions rest.
This is the place that all trainers in the Unova region yearn for.
Feeling the increasingly clear and loud heartbeat deep in his chest, Hei Lian gently closed his eyes.
Finally, I'm about to face that legendary new champion...
I placed my hand on the red tie I'd worn since my student days, took a few deep breaths, and let my excitement gradually cool down—
Then, Blackie turned around and walked straight towards an indoor building carved into the cliff face of the mountain road, in the opposite direction from the champion's room.
.
The club owner's assessment will certainly not be conducted in that champion's room.
After all, according to the Unova League's challenge system, only trainers who have defeated all the Elite Four members are qualified to step onto this stage, which symbolizes the pinnacle of strength, and compete against the current champion.
As for the champion's usual sparring and practice, as well as the guidance and sparring with ordinary visitors and junior members of the league, these will take place in a private practice room outside the champion's room—which is also the destination of this gym leader candidate from Deer Town.
At this very moment, the newly crowned champion, who has just reached the pinnacle of the Unova League, is waiting there to assess whether he is qualified to become a Gym Leader.
However, in reality, neither the championship room at the league headquarters nor the private practice room behind it has been used for a long time.
Former champion Mr. Ardek enjoys a free and unrestrained life. Rather than staying in the dull League headquarters, he prefers to wander around like a cloud, measuring every inch of the Unova region with his own feet.
Therefore, Mr. Ardek's championship matches, including the Elite Four title match, were always held in public arenas throughout Unova, whichever was most convenient. This was especially true in the later stages of his championship career when his partner was injured.
His coaching style was equally unrestrained. Whenever the champion was in the mood, any place, whether it was a school playground or any open space, could immediately become the venue for this former champion to instruct his juniors. And Black Lian was one of the juniors who received kind guidance from Adek.
Perhaps in a sense, this test wasn't just assessing Black Lian's combat strength; for the newly crowned champion of unknown origin, this battle was also a test of his magnanimity. "Is that guy who just ascended to the champion's throne feeling as hesitant and uneasy as I am right now...?" Black Lian thought to himself, without any apparent reason.
"You must be Mr. Hei Lian. Please come this way."
Near the entrance to the practice room, a staff member from the league headquarters reached out to guide Black Lian.
Hei Lian presented the candidate's application documents, which Hei Lian glanced at casually before warmly welcoming him inside. It seemed the other party had already confirmed his appearance and identity beforehand.
The young man, dressed in a United States uniform, said as he walked—
"I'm sorry, the previous candidate's assessment battle exceeded the scheduled time, so the indoor venue needs to be repaired for a while. Please wait in the lounge for a moment."
"Hmm, that's good news..." Hei Lian nodded, subconsciously analyzing the situation.
Because the written exam was conducted individually, Helian subconsciously overlooked the possibility of other test takers being present.
If the previous test taker's battle exceeded the time limit, it means that the champion's Pokémon may have consumed more energy as a result. This gives the trainer in the next test more room to demonstrate their strength.
The renovation of the arena also benefits Blackren. Although this is the champion's home ground, with the arena repaired, he no longer needs to fight in a battle space that his opponent is already completely familiar with...
So, should we readjust our battle strategy based on these conditions?
No, against champion-level strength, any amount of scheming might be futile. Excessive strategy can easily give the impression of being opportunistic. Should we adopt a more aggressive approach to pass the test...?
Once the thought started, it couldn't be stopped. Before he knew it, Hei Lian had arrived at the waiting room of the training room.
When he came to his senses, the scene inside was beyond his expectations—
A dark-skinned, blue-haired young man, wearing only swim trunks, stood in the room, humming a song as he treated his Pokémon with medicine provided in the training room.
This person could never be the new champion, right? Judging from the way he's healing his injuries, could he be the candidate who took the test before me?
Upon seeing the staff member enter, the robust young man immediately looked up expectantly and asked in an innocent tone—
"Ah, it's the referee! Referee, are the test results out yet? Can I become a gym leader?"
"First of all, I am not a referee."
The staff member, looking perplexed, apologized to Hei Lian before turning to explain to the young man in front of him—
"I am merely a supervisor assigned here by the alliance to observe and record this assessment battle. I have no duty or obligation to decide the outcome of the battle. Whether you pass the assessment depends solely on the evaluation of the person inside and the final decision of the alliance's higher-ups after reviewing the records. Neither of these matters has anything to do with me."
"I see, Supervisor. Have the test results come out yet? Am I eligible to become a Gym Leader?"
The young man's expectant expression remained unchanged, and he tilted his head along with Mambo, the nanny he was holding in his arms.
"So I already said. I'm just an observer and supervisor; I don't have the authority to decide whether you pass the assessment. But..."
The supervisor sighed and scratched his cheek.
"If we disregard the damage you caused to the venue, as a spectator, I personally think... that match was quite exciting."
The blue-haired youth beamed with a wide smile: "Great! Now I can become the Gym Leader of Qinghaibo City!"
"Can you even understand what people are saying...?"
The staff member frowned, rubbed his cheek as if in pain, raised his voice, and shouted at the brash young man in front of him with great force—
"There's one more thing, and this last point is crucial for you to understand, Mr. Xizi Yi from Boshi, Qinghai. Now stop those azure-blue fantasies in your head and remember this clearly!"
The young man, dressed only in swim trunks, immediately adopted a well-behaved demeanor, his two blue eyes blinking rapidly as he looked at the supervisor in front of him.
"Listen carefully! Even if you successfully pass the practical test to become a gym leader, your score on the written exam is still below par. Although the written exam is only a perfunctory part of the overall gym leader assessment, your score is still appalling. If you don't want to waste the valuable recommendation from Qinghai Bo City and Mr. Hachiku, you'd better hurry up and study, so you don't fail in the next final make-up exam! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Mr. Xizi, holding the giant pink fish Pokémon, stood up straight to accept the order, but after less than two seconds, he tilted his head in confusion again.
"But sir, could you please give me a heads-up? What was the content of that written exam again?"
The young man with short blue hair scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"After that exam, I focused all my attention on the upcoming skills test. Before I knew it, I'd almost completely forgotten everything I'd prepared. Even if I were to start reviewing all at once now, it would be a real struggle..."
"..."
Veins bulged on the staff member's forehead; overwhelmed with mixed emotions, he could only manage a clenched response—
"That's why I said I'm not the referee! Just how bad is your memory?!"
"Mr. Xi Ziyi, is that right? Nice to meet you. My name is Hei Lian, and I am also a test taker for this museum master qualification examination."
Seeing that the situation was becoming deadlocked, Hei Lian took a step forward and spoke to the candidate who was in trouble—
"If our exam content is the same, the exam scope should be divided into two parts: the code of conduct for gym trainers and an ability test related to Pokémon knowledge. I just prepared for this exam a while ago, and I still have all the materials. I can lend them to you if you need them."
"but……"
Just as hope was rekindling in Xi Ziyi's eyes, Hei Lian walked straight up to the tall young man and said in an unusually serious tone—
"You need to know that the written test for the Gym Leaders was not set up by the League to deliberately make things difficult for us. Whether it's the rules that you need to follow as a Gym Leader or the mastery of the basic abilities of various Pokémon, these are all things you can't be unaware of before becoming a Gym Leader."
"The Gym Leader represents more than just an honor; often, they are the first impression many beginners have of the Pokémon Trainer profession. A bad Gym Leader might make beginners think that Pokémon Trainers are nothing special, leading them astray in their overconfidence as they embark on their journey; while a knowledgeable and virtuous Gym Leader will guide such children in the right direction, filling them with aspirations for their future selves."
"While this might sound like meddling, I don't want the help I offer to others to become a shortcut for trainers like those who cheat their way through the exam. Knowledge that has already been learned should not be forgotten. I believe the people who recommended you to become a gym leader don't want their recommendations to result in an incompetent gym leader either... Ah, sorry, I might have been a bit harsh."
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Hei Lian abruptly stopped lecturing, but just as he was about to subconsciously begin to reflect on his words, someone took his hands.
"Mr. Hei Lian, no, Mr. Hei Lian! What you said is absolutely right!"
The nanny Mambo in Xi Ziyi's arms had been put back into the Poké Ball at some point. The young man in swim trunks stared intently at Black Lian, whose hand he was holding, his sea-blue eyes full of passion, making the latter somewhat at a loss.