The Opponent is a Little Girl?

After the written test was over, Cain had no worries about his scores.

"You won't fail the written test, will you?" Raikou came up and said.

Cain glanced at Raikou, "I might disappoint you there."

Ignoring him, Cain strode away.

"Damn it."

Raikou spat, wishing that Cain would be eliminated right now. After all, there were only two spots, and he had to enter the Ecruteak Gym.

Having lunch outside, the weather seemed a bit off.

Just in case, Cain decided to return home quickly.

As soon as he got home, there were flashes of lightning and roaring thunder outside, followed by a sudden downpour.

"Thank goodness!"

Cain's current training could be done at home, whether it was a Ditto transforming into a sandbag for Cain to hit, or practicing Flying Dagger Technique, which was helpful for improving various aspects of both Cain and Ditto's abilities.

The focus was on Flying Dagger Technique, as it was a challenging and delicate skill that required patience and could not be rushed.

After training for half a day, he was still only able to hit the target from a distance of five meters. Although he occasionally hit the bullseye, it was mainly seven or eight rings.

Training at home was too oppressive, especially with three urns of ashes. If it weren't for Cain's sixty years of experience and strong willpower, he might not have been able to sleep.

After dinner, the rain had stopped.

Cain opened the window to let in the fresh air, with the fragrance of damp earth carried by the breeze.

Looking at the "Ecruteak City from sixty years ago." the entire world emerged in his mind.

The air cleared, and his mood lifted.

By ten o'clock in the evening, Cain and Ditto finished their training session.

They could now hit almost nine out of ten targets within a distance of five meters. Cain's arm felt dislocated from continuous throwing, and at times it felt like his arm was flying out along with the knives.

This was the feeling of hard work paying off.

No one is born knowing everything; only through hard work and practice can one achieve results. Being tough on oneself is the only way to be tough on others.

The next morning at nine o'clock, there was a crowd of people in front of the Ecruteak Gym, waiting for the Gym Leader to distribute the test papers and announce the results.

Due to the disorderly crowd, and almost all parents bringing their children along, Cain and Thunder stood alone on either side, looking out of place.

It wasn't until the disciple Leo of the Ecruteak Gym opened the door and said, "Please pay attention to the order, form a queue in the courtyard, and don't make any noise, my master likes peace and quiet," that order was restored.

The Gym Leader's orders were obeyed without question, and the crowd had formed an orderly queue. There was no need for anyone to fight for the front row, and everyone patiently waited for the announcement of the results.

After a short while, Yan walked out from the inner hall, followed by his son Morty, who was holding a stack of test papers.

"Dear parents, I would first like to thank you all for your support and for bringing your children to participate in the selection for our Gym's trainers. Unfortunately, due to limited spaces, we will only be selecting the top eight candidates from this round. Those who ranked in the top eight will be participating in the Pokémon battle assessment this afternoon, using the Pokémon you registered with during sign-up."

After finishing his speech, Yan took the test papers from Morty's hands.

"The questions for this round were relatively difficult, so many people did not perform well. Therefore, I won't be announcing their scores here. Now, I'll announce the top eight candidates who will advance to the next round."

At this moment, everyone held their breath, their hearts racing, silently praying.

"First place, Cain."

Cain had already mentally prepared himself and stepped forward to face Yan. Everyone looked at him with envy, as the first place was always a glamorous position.

Yan nodded, recognizing him as the child who had previously come to the Gym seeking work. He said, "Well done. Wait here for a while, your opponent this afternoon will be the eighth-place contestant."

Morty was about to speak out, but held himself back. Even he, known as the "Little Prodigy," felt humbled by Cain's performance and began to admire him from the bottom of his heart.

Cain bowed but did not reply, standing to one side.

"Second place, Raikou."

Raikou stepped forward and first looked at Cain. As their eyes met, a wealth of information was exchanged, signaling "From now on, we are on the same team."

Third place

Fourth place

...

Eighth place

All the advancing contestants were now standing on the stage.

The parents of the advancing children were naturally delighted and couldn't help but boast to those nearby.

"See that? The one on stage is my son, hahaha."

"And my daughter too, she's really made me proud."

However, these boasts were met with awkward, forced smiles from those around them.

At this point, those who did not advance were already thinking about leaving, but due to Yan's reputation, they stood in place, feeling as though time was passing incredibly slowly.

After all the test papers had been distributed, and facing the impartial Yan, the contestants and parents who did not make it into the top eight knew they had no hope. They hung their heads in disappointment and left.

Now, there were eight children standing before Yan.

"Alright, making it to the top eight means your foundation is quite solid. According to the battle rules, you already know your opponents, so gather here at 2 PM for the second round of assessment."

The little girl ranked eighth couldn't help but steal glances at Cain, her opponent in the afternoon.

However, Cain remained expressionless like a zombie, not even glancing at her.

The little girl pouted, "So what if you're the first place?"

She then made a funny face.

After leaving the Gym, Cain got on his bicycle and prepared to go home.

"Hey, young man, wait a moment."

Cain turned around and saw a middle-aged man leading a little girl towards him.

After carefully observing them, Cain already knew their purpose.

Before the middle-aged man could speak, the little girl directly said, "Listen, as long as you lose to me in the match this afternoon, my dad will give you anything you want."

The little girl then pulled her father forward, and the middle-aged man could only give an apologetic smile. It seemed that the little girl had been spoiled by him.

Cain rolled his eyes, "At such a young age, you're already thinking about cheating. Your upbringing is truly impressive."

Cain then turned his head and left.

"You, don't be too arrogant. Dad, lend me your Drapion," the little girl said angrily, her face red and stomping her feet.

"What? You registered Drapion? You're too willful," the middle-aged man was speechless at his daughter's antics.

"I don't care, I don't care, I must defeat that arrogant kid."

"How could Drapion possibly listen to you? And do you even know how to use Drapion? This is ridiculous."

"Dad, just talk to Drapion, and it'll be fine. Besides, dealing with a kid like that, Drapion can win by itself without me commanding it. And haven't you always wanted me to learn from Uncle Yan?" The little girl clung to her father's sleeve, acting cute.

The middle-aged man sighed, thinking that it was time to discipline his daughter, as even a child could see she lacked proper upbringing.

Hopefully, she won't cause trouble this time. In the Pokémon world, survival is key.