I keep seeing people talking about either being focused on one or the other, but...didn't we get confirmation at the very beginning while Rei was talking to The Mind that Pro circuit SCT combatants are also on the front lines?

It's been a thing that I've noticed both in the books and in here. This makes me wonder: Did not everyone reach that conclusion like Rei did? And did he forget? Or am I the daft one here?

Keep in mind, I've only listened to the audiobook a few times and my memory isn't perfect here.

Edit: I went back and listened to Chapter 5. Right around the last 7 minutes of the audio, Rei and the Mind are discussing this very thing. For some reason I took that interaction as "they participate in both" and not just as "they are valuable for learning purposes"