Pokémon: Growlithe, the Champion King, gets the best of both worlds right from the start!

Dozens of luxury buses bearing the "Magic City Elf University" logo formed a long line and drove away from the campus in an orderly fashion, heading towards the suburbs.

Inside the train carriage, the youthful hormones of freshmen permeated the air along with the soft morning light.

"Hey, have you guys seen the posts on the school forum? Apparently, some senior students saw a Dratini in the Qingchuan Wetlands this time!"

"Really? That's a pseudo-legendary! Starting with a Dratini, you can become a champion right after graduation!"

"What are you thinking? Do you think we freshmen would have a chance to get a rare elf of that level?"

Hey, you should always have dreams!

The faces of the boys and girls were filled with barely suppressed excitement and anticipation, their chatter rising and falling, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere inside the car. It didn't feel like going to a training camp full of unknowns; it was more like a grand spring outing.

Lin Che leaned against the window, not participating in his roommates' discussion.

He simply watched the city street scenes rushing past the window, feeling the slight jolt of the bus, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

His fingertips unconsciously caressed a cold metal badge in his pocket, the physical manifestation of his Eye of Truth system.

For others, this is a trial, a test.

But for him, it was a treasure hunt.

A hunt where only he can see all the treasure locations, a hunt that absolutely cannot fail.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

A piercing electrical microphone noise suddenly filled the entire carriage, instantly drowning out all the noise and commotion.

The lively atmosphere came to an abrupt end.

Everyone instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

At the very front of the bus, homeroom teacher Li Yan had already stood up. His face was stern, his posture upright, one hand holding the megaphone on the bus, the other hand resting on the back of the seat in front of him. His sharp gaze, like a scanner, slowly swept over every young face.

The students within his gaze all felt a strange palpitation and instinctively sat up straight.

"Listen to me!"

Li Yan's voice, amplified several times through the loudspeaker, carried an undeniable authority, striking heavily on everyone's eardrums.

"This training camp is not a picnic; it's your first lesson in becoming qualified trainers!"

With just one sentence, the relaxed and lively atmosphere in the carriage instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Li Yan paused for a moment, seemingly giving these proud and arrogant young people time to digest and adapt.

He then took a thick stack of maps from the teaching assistant next to him and gestured for the students in the front row to pass them on to the back.

"The maps of the secret realms have all been sent to you."

"Please read carefully: Under no circumstances is anyone allowed to enter the dangerous areas marked with red skulls/crossheads on the map!"

His tone suddenly became more forceful, carrying a chilling undertone.

Lin Che took the map and unfolded it, the smell of ink wafting out. The map was drawn with extreme detail, clearly marking mountains, rivers, swamps, forests, and various terrain features. However, in the center of the map and in a few remote corners, several bright red, menacing skull/skull markers stood out starkly.

That place belongs to the territory of elite-level, or even higher-level, wild elves.

It is an absolute no-go zone for freshmen.

"Each person was issued three distress flares."

Li Yan's voice rang out again, and the teaching assistants began distributing small, cylindrical metal devices.

"I don't need to teach you how to use this. Remember, only use it when you and your elves are in a life-threatening situation that neither you nor your spirits can handle!"

"Once the fuse is pulled, the school's elite rescue team will locate you immediately and arrive at the scene as quickly as possible."

His cold gaze swept over everyone. "But I also want to remind you that once you use a signal flare, it means that your performance in this training camp will be recorded as 'fail'."

A collective gasp filled the carriage.

Failing to meet academic standards is more difficult for students at Shanghai Elf University to accept than being injured.

"In addition, starting today, for one month, every day at 6:00 PM, everyone must report their real-time location coordinates to their respective counselors through the personal communication devices provided by the school."

"If we haven't received any reports by 6:05, we will treat them as missing persons! The rescue team will immediately launch a mandatory search and rescue operation!"

"You can weigh the consequences yourselves."

Each cold rule, like a heavy hammer, shattered the unrealistic fantasies in the hearts of the freshmen.

Danger.

This is a true hidden paradise, not a theme park.

People really die here.

Everyone deduced this cruel truth from the homeroom teacher's oppressive words.

Finally, Li Yan put down the megaphone and gave a final summary in his slightly hoarse voice.

"Personally, as someone who has been through this, I strongly suggest that you act in groups and look out for each other!"

"Any form of individual heroism is absolutely not allowed, and no one is permitted to take chances and try to challenge the bottom line of the rules."

He paused and spoke word by word.

"Anyone who dares to act rashly alone will bear the consequences if anything goes wrong!"

He spoke the words "you will bear the consequences" with such emphasis that the air in the entire carriage seemed to freeze.

The homeroom teacher's oppressive words completely extinguished the last vestiges of hope and frivolity in everyone's hearts. The previously relaxed and lively atmosphere inside the car instantly became heavy, leaving only the monotonous sound of the wheels rolling forward.

An hour later, the long convoy slowly drove off the smooth asphalt road and turned onto a forest path paved with gravel.

When the bus finally came to a stop and the door opened with a hiss, a primitive and wild scent, mixed with the fragrance of earth and moisture, rushed out.

Hundreds of freshmen, dressed in uniform camouflage training uniforms, gathered in a wide square in front of the entrance to the secret realm under the command of their teachers.

At the end of the square is a magnificent portico built of huge rocks and ancient trees, with a weathered plaque hanging above it that reads "Qingchuan Wetland Nature Reserve".

Beyond the porch lies a deep, boundless, primeval wetland shrouded in mist, like a gaping maw ready to devour its prey, silently awaiting their entry.

The students' faces were filled with complex emotions.

Some people clench their fists so tightly that their knuckles turn white from the force; that's tension.

Some people's eyes light up as they constantly look around; that's curiosity.

Many others, however, were eager to try, their eyes filled with both a hint of fear of the unknown danger and a burning flame of anticipation.

They yearn for battle, for conquest, for proving themselves here!

Their first practical lesson is about to begin.

Chapter 28 Team Assembles, The Helpless Core Position!

When the counselor's hoarse voice uttered the last two words, the sound was like an invisible command, instantly igniting the long-accumulated heatwave throughout the square.

"Disband, form your own teams!"

Om-!

The dense formation of thousands of freshmen suddenly dispersed. The pent-up excitement and restlessness transformed into a deafening roar that soared to the heavens. Everyone immediately sought out familiar or pre-selected reliable teammates, turning the central square of Qingchuan University into a vast and bustling social marketplace.

Before Lin Che could make a move, three figures, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, surrounded him from three directions, leaving him no way out.

They are the three lovable characters in room 401.

"Brother Che! Don't move!"

Chen Hao, whose personality was the most unrestrained and flamboyant, slapped Lin Che on the shoulder, grinning widely, his spittle almost flying onto Lin Che's face.

"Our 401 must be locked together! No one can break us up!"

He stretched out his finger and pointed at each one with great enthusiasm.

"Just think about it, our dorm's setup is practically a chosen one!"

"Brother Che, you're the top student in the whole city, a humanoid elf database, the biggest darling among darlings!"

"Brother Wei, a combat maniac, a skill monster, our top fighter!"

Chen Hao pointed his finger at himself last, puffed out his chest, and his face was full of smug satisfaction.

"Plus me, the genius conductor and tactical mastermind, will be in charge of strategizing!"

"What else could this combination be but invincible?"

Beside him, Zhang Wei, a lean and composed man, simply crossed his arms and nodded coolly.

"I have no opinion."

His words were concise and to the point, just like his usual style.

Lin Che's brows furrowed subconsciously.

The words of refusal were already on the tip of my tongue.

He has other plans for this training camp.

He and Xu Qingyan had already made a private agreement via text message to work in pairs and act separately.

This wasn't out of any romantic intentions, but purely out of efficiency and purpose.

His "Eye of Truth" is his greatest trump card and the foundation for his courage to challenge higher levels. To utilize this god-like talent to find those rare Pokémon with buried champion-level potential, absolute secrecy must be guaranteed.

With two people, the target is small and the movement is free, making it easy for him to leave the main road at any time and venture into those sparsely populated areas.

When there are many people, the goal becomes larger, and actions will inevitably be constrained.

Moreover, with a loud and boisterous guy like Chen Hao by his side, he suspected that he would be scared away by Chen Hao's loud voice before he even found his target.

However, Lin Che had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single word, Chen Hao abruptly interrupted him.

"Eh?"

Chen Hao's gaze swept over Lin Che's shoulder, and like Columbus discovering a new continent, his eyes lit up instantly. His eyes locked onto a spot not far away, where several equally beautiful girls were gathered together, seemingly discussing forming a team.

The leading figure, tall and slender with a cool and aloof demeanor, was none other than Xu Qingyan.

"Isn't that my sister-in-law... oops! School beauty Xu!"

Chen Hao's voice suddenly rose eight octaves. As if afraid that others wouldn't notice, he waved his arms vigorously and shouted at the top of his lungs.