Watching the Matches

The move that deserved particular attention was Tepig's Egg Move, Body Slam. During a Pokémon's Infant Stage, Body Slam was one of the most powerful moves available.

The next thing to watch out for was Tepig's Ability. It wasn't Blaze, but the Hidden Ability Thick Fat.

Using Fire-type or Ice-type moves against a Tepig with Thick Fat was practically useless.

Tepig's Fire typing already gave it resistance to both Fire and Ice, and Thick Fat reduced that damage by another 50%.

Attacking this Tepig with Fire-type or Ice-type moves was about as effective as tickling it.

Personally, though, Zhang Cheng felt that Thick Fat wasn't as good as Blaze for Tepig.

Tepig already resisted Fire-type and Ice-type attacks, so Thick Fat merely added to an existing advantage.

Blaze, on the other hand, could prove useful against Pokémon of any type, making it more broadly applicable than Thick Fat.

As far as this match went, the opposing Numel was as good as finished. A pure Fire-type Numel stood no chance of beating a Tepig with Thick Fat.

Zhang Cheng opened the system again to check this Numel's information. Unless it had a move that could offer some special countermeasure, it was certain to lose this battle:

Name: Numel (Level 7)

Gender: Male

Potential: D

Type: Fire

Held item: None

Basic moves: Tackle, Growl, Ember, Focus Energy

Egg move: Mud Bomb

Ability: Oblivious (A Pokémon with this Ability cannot be affected by Taunt or Attract.)

Notes: Numel, the Numb Pokémon. Scorching magma accumulates in his back. He possesses the strength to carry loads weighing 100 kilograms and has long helped humans with their work.

This Numel had actually inherited a Ground-type move. The battle had suddenly become interesting.

If Numel only had Fire-type moves, he would have no chance of winning. But with the Ground-type move Mud Bomb, he had a fighting chance.

Ground-type moves dealt double damage to Fire-type Pokémon. Now it all depended on how this Numel performed.

The two Pokémon quickly began fighting. Numel first tried attacking with Ember, but he couldn't land any effective blows.

Hao Chenggong's Tepig also kept attacking with Ember. With its clear Level advantage, Tepig had the upper hand.

Numel didn't have Thick Fat, and Tepig's Ember attacks injured him considerably.

Based on Zhang Cheng's assessment, Tepig had most likely already learned its Egg Move, Body Slam. Hao Chenggong was holding it back to catch his opponent off guard in the Semifinals with a Surprise Attack.

However, Hao Chenggong's plan might fall through. Finding himself at a disadvantage in the exchange of Ember attacks, Numel immediately unleashed Mud Bomb.

The Mud Bomb also stunned the students watching nearby. Clearly, none of them had expected a Fire-type Numel to know such a high-damage Ground-type move.

Caught off guard by Numel's sudden attack, Tepig couldn't dodge in time and took the Mud Bomb head-on. Its HP dropped to nearly half.

Hao Chenggong clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Seeing Tepig injured, he began to hesitate.

He was considering whether to use Tepig's trump card, Body Slam, but the opposing Numel gave him no time to hesitate. Another Mud Bomb followed immediately.

"Tepig, use Body Slam!" Hao Chenggong had no time left to think. To secure his place in the Semifinals, he chose to use Body Slam right away.

Both moves struck their targets simultaneously. Numel had already taken several Ember attacks and lost more than half his HP. The powerful Body Slam knocked him out on the spot.

Tepig took another Mud Bomb and suffered considerable injuries, but it was still able to battle. Hao Chenggong won the match and advanced to the Semifinals.

Judging by his strength, this Numel could have made it into the Semifinals. Unfortunately, he had faced Hao Chenggong and been eliminated outright.

Still, after tomorrow's Semifinals, his Trainer should have a chance to issue a challenge. Whether he could seize that opportunity remained to be seen.

After watching Hao Chenggong's match, Zhang Cheng decided to leave. He wasn't particularly interested in the remaining battles.

Ye Tian, however, was extremely enthusiastic about watching the matches. Even battles between weak beginners kept him thoroughly entertained.

Zhang Cheng simply left Ye Tian to enjoy the matches. Without disturbing him, he left the Training Ground first.

Following the information about the temporary dormitories that their homeroom teacher had posted in the class group chat, Zhang Cheng went to the temporary storage point. He collected his clothes and headed to the Temporary Dormitory Area, where he found a bed, tidied up a little, and lay down to rest.

After tomorrow's class-placement matches ended, the dormitory assignments would be redone. Apparently, every year, the senior students went to a simulated ecological Training Ground for closed-campus training.

Students in the Elite Class even received private rooms, a far better arrangement than those in the Regular Class.

The school used these rewards to motivate its students, hoping to produce more outstanding Trainers each year.

But none of that was Zhang Cheng's concern. Right now, he wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible and obtain more resources so he could get into a better university.

How could I come to this Pokémon world and not live a more exciting life? If I still amounted to nothing after crossing over, what would be the point?

He also wanted to learn the exact reason his father had left. Zhang Cheng had a gut feeling that his father was definitely still alive and that there was far more involved behind the scenes. Once he became strong enough, he would get to the bottom of it all.

Those were all distant concerns, though. His immediate goal was to pass tomorrow's Semifinals and secure a place in the Elite Class.

Afterward, Zhang Cheng planned to head out to Magnolia Forest to train. However, that would have to wait until the closed-campus period ended, most likely during winter break.

Zhang Cheng felt that battling these novice Trainers at school offered little improvement. Only by venturing into the wild, fighting wild Pokémon, and facing more dangerous conditions could he draw out his Pokémon's potential.

After he had rested for two hours, the class's preliminary rounds ended. Zhang Cheng found Ye Tian, and the two went to dinner together.

After dinner, Ye Tian dragged Zhang Cheng to the school's Training Ground for some practice battles. During their free time, students could enter the Training Ground and practice battling without paying a fee.

Zhang Cheng had no objection to Ye Tian's suggestion and had Poliwag spar with Ye Tian's Butterfree.

Since they still had matches tomorrow, they kept the sparring light and stopped before either Pokémon got hurt, ensuring both remained in good condition for the Semifinals.

After the battle, Zhang Cheng took out food for Poliwag and Pidgey. Once they finished eating, he rewarded each of them with a Pokéblock.

After all, he would be counting on them to bring him good results tomorrow. Of course he couldn't neglect the two little ones.