Traffic Code (Please Follow Along)

"Weedle." Shu Tong merely called out softly, and the tactic had already been conveyed to Weedle.

Weedle fired five String Shots in succession, then swung its body.

Empowered by Bug-type energy, the five strands shot forward like green dragons.

Bubble Beam burst with a series of crackles, but the String Shots tore straight through it.

"Aqua Jet," Yang Ke ordered.

He immediately switched tactics. Yang Ke's combat instincts were decent.

Luckily, Shu Tong had seen Corphish's moves beforehand. Otherwise, Aqua Jet, a priority move, would have been difficult to guard against.

Water-type energy coiled around Corphish's body, instantly enveloping it. Propelled by that energy, it charged at Weedle like a rocket.

"So fast. As expected of a priority move." Shu Tong clicked his tongue.

By then, all the String Shots had already been flung out. There was no way to pull them back in time.

Then he would use them for leverage.

With five strings available, that was incredibly simple. Three of them stuck directly to the ground, and Weedle began retracting its silk.

It was the same familiar trick, now successfully applied in battle.

Pulled by the strings, Weedle was rapidly dragged away.

Corphish and Weedle brushed past each other.

"Bug Bite, Poison Sting." Shu Tong spotted the opening and inexplicably grew excited.

The instant it passed Corphish, Weedle bit through the three anchoring strands and used the remaining two to turn around.

A dense barrage of Poison Stings shot toward Corphish.

Just three or four Poison Stings eroded the water-type energy surrounding Corphish, followed by dozens more piercing into its body.

Heh.

Corphish fell from the air, purple energy coiling around its body as it convulsed continuously after hitting the ground.

"If you don't recall it now, I'm finishing it off." Shu Tong's words struck like a hammer blow. Yang Ke shuddered so badly he nearly dropped his Poké Ball.

Yang Ke was thoroughly humiliated now. Even Shu Tong's cold gaze made him feel a chill in his heart.

Shu Tong had achieved his goal anyway. Yang Ke was merely a disposable lackey. Next time, even if Wu Hongzhen told him to deal with Shu Tong, he would have to think twice.

"Anyone else?" Shu Tong asked Diao Peng and Xue Fei.

Diao Peng and Xue Fei smiled awkwardly.

"I need to pee. You guys carry on, carry on. If anyone wants to challenge me, let me know." With that, Diao Peng headed toward the restroom.

"Diao Peng didn't bring any paper. I'll take some to him," Xue Fei said with a cheerful grin.

Only after the two had run far away did the class realize something.

Do you need paper when you need to pee?

"Shu Tong, take a break. I'll challenge second place," Qian Kaile said.

Shu Tong nodded, recalled Weedle, and sat down in the fifth-place seat. He put the Poké Ball in his pocket and channeled Viridian Force into it, allowing the Weedle inside to be nourished as well.

Weedle had only expended a little stamina. A small amount of Viridian Force was enough to restore it.

Qian Kaile's battle did not progress quickly. Although he was stronger, second-place Rhyhorn was no pushover either. Both sides were locked in a contest of strength and endurance.

In the end, Makuhita finished the battle with a close-range Cross Chop.

Shu Tong fiddled with his phone. Tong He, who ranked fourth, sat beside him and kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of his eye.

Once Qian Kaile's battle ended, Shu Tong said directly, "Stop looking. Let's go."

Tong He knew he could not avoid this. His Phanpy was a pure power-type Pokémon. After watching Weedle's battle, he had no way to deal with it at all, and Phanpy could easily be controlled by String Shot.

"I concede." Tong He stood up, then sat back down again. Though he had struggled internally, there was no need to fight a battle he was clearly going to lose. If Phanpy exhausted a great deal of stamina and someone else took advantage of it afterward, it would not be worth it.

Boo!

The entire class booed Tong He, especially those who had once been bullied by him. The dignified fourth in the class had surrendered without even fighting. And he still called himself national reserve talent? At this rate, he would probably become a traitor the moment he reached the battlefield.

Wu Hongzhen glared at Tong He so hard his eyes nearly popped out. He had originally hoped those two would wear down Weedle's stamina a little more. Instead, one of them had simply surrendered.

Wu Hongzhen decided to message Cheng Du, who ranked third. "Use Ponyta's flames to wear down Weedle's stamina as much as possible. That Weedle's endurance is definitely its weak point."

Cheng Du looked at his phone and replied, "I'm confident I can win."

Wu Hongzhen quickly replied, "Don't underestimate it. That Weedle is hard to handle. Focus on wearing it down."

However, Cheng Du stood up at that moment and said, "Shu Tong, I've been waiting a long time. Come on."

Shu Tong stepped onto the field. He was not worried about whether he could beat Cheng Du. The key was how to hide his strength.

Wu Hongzhen was truly powerful in the final battle. It would be difficult for Weedle to win without going all out.

Shu Tong and Cheng Du were both in position, waiting for the homeroom teacher to announce the start.

Because of Shu Tong, the entire class's battle assessment had turned into his personal showcase. Normally, three or four class battles could be held simultaneously, but now everyone was watching Shu Tong alone.

And the discussion had not stopped from beginning to end.

"Why do you think Shu Tong is challenging them one by one? Couldn't he just challenge Wu Hongzhen directly?"

"What are you thinking? Do you not know Wu Hongzhen's strength, or do I not know it? Even Rhyhorn can be one-shot. Do you think Weedle could possibly win?"

"That's true. Shu Tong is already strong, but Wu Hongzhen is the real monster. If Weedle evolved into Beedrill, it might have a chance against Persian. Right now, it's impossible."

"Honestly, Shu Tong is already doing pretty well at fourth place. At least he's made it into the top students. There's really no need to obsess over third place. Cheng Du's Ponyta strategy is too impossible to counter. I can't think of any way Weedle could break through."

"If Weedle can beat Ponyta, it'll make the trending searches. Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Pan Zhehang and Xu Wei seemed to have found the formula for traffic. They silently took out their phones and turned on the cameras.

The homeroom teacher looked at the two Pokémon on the field, his heart full of mixed emotions. What had happened this past month? How could Weedle have grown this much stronger? It made no sense. Once this assessment was over, he had to keep Shu Tong at school. Perhaps he had some secret method.

"The match begins," the homeroom teacher announced.

"Ponyta, Ember, Flame Charge, go!" Cheng Du ordered.