On a Triumphant March (Please Read On)

"I concede."

The moment Shu Tong finished speaking, Pan Zhehang impatiently shouted out.

"Pan Zhehang, do you have any backbone at all?" Wu Hongzhen stood up and roared.

Like Xu Wei, Pan Zhehang sheepishly hid among the crowd and muttered, "If you've got backbone, then you go."

In that short time, Shu Tong had completed a triple jump, rising from last place in the class to fifteenth.

Many people were utterly baffled. Why had Pan Zhehang and Xu Wei conceded so decisively?

Quite a few even suspected that Shu Tong had bought them off. Originally, many people had been preparing to challenge Shu Tong.

Who would have thought Pan Zhehang would concede as well? Those who had just been about to challenge Shu Tong had immediately lost their qualification to do so.

At that moment, a red-haired guy swaggered down from the seats above.

"Shu Tong, I'm tenth place. Are you planning to challenge me next?"

"Come on." Shu Tong did not waste words.

Weedle had been out for so long. Other than firing a Poison Sting, it had done nothing. If it did not warm up soon, it might catch a cold from the chill.

"Lu Yixiang is tenth place. His Magby completely counters Weedle. I don't think Shu Tong can win."

"Shut up. I missed the Weedle and Diglett match because I listened to you babbling."

The moment Lu Yixiang's Magby emerged from its Poké Ball, it Spit Up a burst of flame to bolster its presence.

"String Shot." Shu Tong gave a simple command.

"Chii!"

Weedle had long since run out of patience. A white thread shot toward Magby like an arrow.

Though tenth-ranked Lu Yixiang was far behind the top six elite students, he was still one of the best in the class.

Magby did not disappoint too badly. It unleashed Ember, meeting Weedle's String Shot head-on.

"That's not scientific." Wu Hongzhen actually spoke before Lu Yixiang did.

"How is that possible?"

The scene on the battlefield shattered everyone's worldview. By their understanding, the moment a Fire type move touched String Shot, the thread should have been instantly burned away. The flames could even spread along it, and if the user of String Shot did not cut the thread in time, the fire could spread onto the Pokémon itself.

Yet now, Magby's flames were unable to burn through the thread. Instead, the two attacks had fallen into a deadlock.

"It's Bug-type energy," the homeroom teacher said in surprise.

"Teacher Sun, what did you say?" Wu Hongzhen asked.

"Watch the match first," the homeroom teacher said. Then he glanced at Wu Hongzhen. It looks like you're the only one who can defeat Shu Tong.

An opponent like Lu Yixiang was still nowhere near strong enough to force Weedle to go all out.

Weedle's String Shot proficiency had now reached the Mastery Tier. That was probably a pleasant surprise brought by the Mid-Grade Silver Powder.

Because of Weedle's venomous constitution, Bug-type resources could not improve its individual talent. However, they correspondingly improved its perception of Bug-type energy even more, which was why String Shot had reached the Mastery Tier.

The Bug thread was now coated in dense Bug-type energy. It was no longer merely protein fibers. As long as the Bug-type energy was powerful enough, resisting Fire-type energy was not impossible.

"Finish it," Shu Tong said.

Weedle directly increased its energy output. Bug-type energy erupted, instantly crushing Magby's Ember. The threads surged forward and rapidly wrapped around it. In the blink of an eye, Magby had been bound into a mummy.

There was no time for surprise. Even Lu Yixiang had not been given time to think.

Dragged along by Weedle, Magby was repeatedly Slammed into the ground until it completely lost its ability to battle.

The entire sequence took only a dozen seconds or so, flowing as smoothly as clouds and water in one uninterrupted motion. Once Weedle seized the rhythm, the battle was already over.

"Too violent!" Qian Kaile was the first to applaud.

The shock Qian Kaile felt this time was even stronger than during his own match against Shu Tong. That pure aesthetic of violence just now was exactly what he pursued.

"Pan Zhehang, Xu Wei, did you know beforehand how strong Shu Tong's Weedle was? Otherwise, why did you concede so decisively?"

"How do you think you compare to Chen Li?" Pan Zhehang asked a soul-searching question.

"Chen Li used to make the top ten in our class. I just don't know why he dropped out."

"It was because Shu Tong made his Mankey permanently lose its ability to battle," Xu Wei said. His heart trembled, and he wished he could slap himself twice more. Why had he been so stupid back then as to pick a fight with Shu Tong?

But when he looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, he thought, So Weedle can be this powerful.

Xu Wei's words made those who had still wanted to challenge Shu Tong instinctively take two steps back, grateful that they had not acted so rashly.

Lu Yixiang recalled Magby and walked down from his seat dejectedly. The battle was still replaying in his mind. How did I lose in the blink of an eye?

"You can go up now," Lu Yixiang said when he reached Shu Tong.

"No rush," Shu Tong said.

At that moment, Wang Jing beside Qian Kaile clenched her fists. Am I next?

When Wang Jing raised her head, Shu Tong was looking at her too.

The moment the two Trainers' gazes met, the battle began.

"Come on, Shu Tong. Today, I'll show you what the school's elite students are capable of after professional special training." Wang Jing boldly stepped down from her seat and walked up to Shu Tong.

"Professional special training?" Shu Tong mocked.

"Of course. You've never received professional special training, so naturally you don't know how vast the gap is. Come on." Wang Jing did not catch Shu Tong's tone at all and continued proudly.

Instead, it filled the homeroom teacher, Sun Youzhong, with anger. Was she not openly looking down on him, her homeroom teacher?

"Come out, Sneasel." Wang Jing threw out a Poké Ball.

"Battle start." The homeroom teacher personally stepped forward to act as referee.

"Sneasel, use Quick Attack," Wang Jing commanded.

Sneasel's speed was outstanding even among Pokémon. It instantly transformed into a black streak of light and charged out.

"String Shot."

Shu Tong once again gave only two simple words, but Wang Jing did not take this String Shot seriously. As long as it could not hit Sneasel, no matter how strong the move was, it would be useless.

Homeroom teacher Sun Youzhong's expression eased considerably, and a faint smile appeared. Though they were all students in his class, Wang Jing was already among the elite students and underwent his strict special training every day. If she lost, where would he put his face as the homeroom teacher?

Weedle sprayed out Bug thread, and Sneasel easily dodged it. It was getting closer and closer to Weedle, its claws already gathering powerful energy. The moment it got close, it would be Weedle's moment of destruction.