The Kingdom of Loque has arrived, and this sparring partner is so awesome!

Chapter 22 Starting Today, I'll Be the Villain

June 15th, the first day of the practical test.

The usually empty side hall of the gymnasium served as a rest area for the test takers. Many test takers and elves gathered here, waiting nervously and anxiously for the test to begin.

Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, Fan Xiaoxiao sat in a corner of the side room, casually holding up her phone and speaking softly.

"Guys, the streamer is already in the rest area, ready to go. The opponent I drew yesterday wasn't very famous, so they shouldn't be too strong. Once the streamer gets their first win, I'll send you all a big lucky bag!"

Through the gap between her hat and mask, Fan Xiaoxiao saw various encouraging messages and greetings floating in the live chat. She smiled knowingly and said confidently.

"Don't worry, my darlings, even though the streamer 'Big Ear Hat' doesn't train much, he eats and drinks well every day. As long as he doesn't run into those popular players, his chances of winning are still very high!"

As she spoke, she pulled out her large-eared hoodie and subtly shifted the camera to allow it to enter the frame.

Since most of the candidates released their spirits in the side hall, Fan Xiaoxiao's action was very discreet, so no one noticed her abnormality—except for one oddball who had been observing others since entering the room and had continued to do so until now.

The next second, Fan Xiaoxiao saw a handsome, gentle-looking boy with a small black cat perched on his shoulder walking towards her.

"Excuse me, are you Fan Xiaoxiao?"

The boy was very polite, but Xiaoxiao was still startled.

"Ah! You, how did you find out?"

The other person smiled, pointed to the large-eared hoodie in her arms, and said, "Such an adorable elf is quite recognizable."

Fan Xiaoxiao's face flushed red instantly. She thought she had disguised herself very well, but she was still discovered.

Could this boy be... a fan of mine?

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lin Chong, and I'm your opponent in the first match."

Meeting Xiaoxiao's ambiguous gaze, Lin Chong still introduced himself.

He politely extended his hand and shook hands with Xiaoxiao, then calmly asked, "You're clearly an internet celebrity, so why are you participating in the Elf College Entrance Examination?"

"what?"

Xiaoxiao was stunned, and hesitated before saying, "I...I just wanted to try it out, plus my fans are really looking forward to it, so..."

"So you brought your elf here to get beaten up?"

Lin Chong smiled gently, but his sudden sarcasm pierced Xiao Xiao's heart like a knife, leaving her in disbelief.

Lin Chong pointed at the now-angry Big Ears Hoodie and said mercilessly, "This level of elf is too low in cost-effectiveness to bring into the college entrance examination."

"The coat is nice, so it must be eating well. But it shows no signs of training, and its skill level is probably not high. At this level, I can't think of any other outcome besides defeat."

"You, you, you've gone too far!"

Fan Xiaoxiao was enraged. Her eyes reddened, and she glared at Lin Chong with a mixture of grievance and anger.

But just as she was about to retort, she saw Lin Chong turn and leave, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Some online celebrities like you should probably focus on culture; it might be more helpful for your career."

Fan Xiaoxiao stood rooted to the spot, trembling with anger. She never expected that her first opponent would be such a despicable person!

She picked up her phone and discovered that her fans had also heard the conversation and were even angrier than she was.

Not only did the public chat flood with insults directed at Lin Chong, but some comments even encouraged Xiaoxiao to expose Lin Chong's appearance in order to incite public opinion to collectively cyberbully him.

Although still angry, Xiaoxiao quickly reassured her fans, stating that "cyberbullying" is wrong and that she would defeat Lin Chong head-on in the upcoming battle to vent her anger!

-

On the other side, Lin Chong, after mocking Xiaoxiao, found a corner to rest.

The little black cat perched on his shoulder meowed, its expression complex.

[Lin Chong, will doing this really improve your win rate?]

Lin Chong smiled mysteriously: "You don't understand. The best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting; the best strategy is to win their hearts and minds."

"The real battle began long before the actual fight started."

"In an evenly matched battle, whichever side gains the psychological advantage first will take the initiative. An opponent driven by anger and lacking rationality cannot unleash their full potential!"

The little black cat was surprised: "Is that girl really that strong? Can she really hold her own against me? Why don't you switch to meowing?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood." Lin Chong was amused by the black cat, recalling the big-eared hood.

"That Pokémon probably didn't get much training, but it's been well taken care of by its trainer. It's probably no match for you."

He added, "I did this to maximize our chances of winning, since it involves scholarships, and there's no guarantee the other side won't have some trump cards up their sleeve."

The black cat understood, but hesitated for a moment before saying, "But you just scolded her so badly; I think that girl was about to cry."

Lin Chong shook his head and said seriously, "Training is not child's play; there is no distinction between men and women."

"Besides, high school seniors aren't children; they don't cry so easily."

The black cat opened its mouth as if to say something, but the loudspeaker in the side hall suddenly came on, interrupting it.

"Candidates with batch number L266134, please proceed to examination room number three."

"Repeatedly, please do it in the first batch..."

Lin Chong perked up and stood up, saying, "Let's go. We need to maintain our tough villainous persona in this test and make the other examinees afraid of us."

"We must win this first match decisively!"

"Meow!!"

【receive!!】

As Lin Chong walked through the contestant entrance and entered the examination hall, the bright lights and enthusiastic cheers from the audience rushed towards him.

This scene even got Lin Chong, an "old guy," excited, but upon closer listening, he realized that the cheers were for his opponent, Fan Xiaoxiao.

At that time, the other party had already taken off their mask and baseball cap, and their delicate face, which was covered in light makeup, was full of anger.

She glared at Lin Chong and shouted, "You ill-mannered brat, let this anchor teach you a lesson!"

Lin Chong's face lit up with joy. He said to the black cat, "See? Our opponent has been blinded by rage. Everything is going according to plan!"

The little black cat happily responded, but its hearing, which far surpassed Lin Chong's, faintly heard a group of people cursing from the audience.

It's a bit strange. The competition hasn't even started yet, so why are there insults? And who are they insulting?

But there's no time to worry about that now. With Lin Chong's permission, the excited black cat has rushed to the center of the arena, constantly urging Fan Xiaoxiao to release the Pokémon.

Xiaoxiao got even angrier: "Rude fellow! Even elves are rude!"

She tossed the ball: "Go, Big Earmuff, teach them a lesson!"

A flash of white light, and Big Ears Hoodie makes an angry entrance!

Once both sides were in position, the referee, who had been waiting for a long time, picked up his whistle and announced: "Now, the battle begins—"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a huge orange fist shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind, swept from one end of the arena to the other.

The speed was so fast that even the referee, a professional trainer, instinctively covered his face.