A showdown between class leaders

Looking at the final results, Zhang Cheng felt a little helpless. He was the only one left from his class.

Once all the battles were over, the instructor dismissed the students and told them to gather again the next morning.

"Your class really had it rough this time. Those matchups you drew were awful," Ye Tian said to Zhang Cheng as they headed to the Cafeteria.

"Nothing we could do." Zhang Cheng spread his hands and continued, "I just hope we don't get matched against each other tomorrow."

"Damn, don't jinx it! The odds of that aren't very high," Ye Tian said hastily.

"Probably won't happen," Zhang Cheng agreed.

After dinner, they went straight back to their dorm. Normally, they would train their Pokémon together after their evening meal.

Back in the dorm, Zhang Cheng took out his last few Pokéblocks and fed them to Poliwag and Pidgey. He would need to buy more once tomorrow's tournament was over.

While the Pokémon ate, Zhang Cheng quickly washed up, then gave Poliwag and Pidgey full-body massages.

After making sure both Pokémon were in good condition, he settled down to rest with them, saving their energy for tomorrow's tournament.

Early the next morning, Zhang Cheng woke up, washed, and ate breakfast before heading to the Training Ground to quietly await the start of the tournament.

When it was time to begin, Referee called the five remaining Trainers up to draw lots.

There were five lots in total. Number one would face number five, and number two would face number four. Whoever drew number three would advance directly.

Honestly, the tournament format was pretty ridiculous. Anyone lucky enough could snag a spot without lifting a finger.

The five competing Trainers went up one after another to draw their lots, and Referee quickly announced the matchups.

Zhang Cheng drew number two. His opponent was Hao Chenggong, who had drawn number four. This was shaping up to be the most exciting match of the finals.

That was because Ye Tian had somehow gotten ridiculously lucky and drawn number three, securing a spot without even having to battle.

To be fair, it made sense for Ye Tian to get number three. With his battling ability, he would most likely have secured a spot even if he had fought.

Numbers one and five went to the other two Trainers from Class Two. Both were among the stronger students in their class and had made it all the way to the finals.

The two competitors from Class Two took the field first. Their Pokémon were Squirtle and Ponyta, respectively.

The Pokémon that reached the finals either had a level advantage or were rare species.

Both competitors in this match had good starter Pokémon, giving them a substantial advantage over other Pokémon at the same level.

When levels were equal, type advantages became especially important. If this match played out normally, Squirtle's Trainer should win.

Just as Ye Tian expected, Ponyta's moves struggled to deal meaningful damage to Squirtle.

Squirtle seized an opening and used a Water-type move, quickly defeating Ponyta and securing a spot.

A type disadvantage really could leave a Trainer feeling powerless. Things would get considerably better in later tournaments, when they could use more Pokémon.

When faced with a type disadvantage, they could switch in another Pokémon to battle.

Next came the final match everyone had been waiting for: Zhang Cheng against Hao Chenggong.

It was worth mentioning that Hao Chenggong had become the class leader of Elite Class Two, while Zhang Cheng was the class leader of Elite Class One.

This was a showdown between class leaders, and in a sense, between the two classes themselves. Everyone was looking forward to it.

"Zhang Cheng, I never expected us to face each other in a match like this. I'm pretty excited," Hao Chenggong said to Zhang Cheng across the battlefield as he took his position.

"Since we're opponents, let's have a proper battle. I'm getting that spot, no matter what," Zhang Cheng said bluntly.

"That's exactly what I wanted to say," Hao Chenggong replied with a smile.

"I won't repeat the rules. If neither side has any other questions, we'll begin right away," Referee said from the sidelines.

Both nodded to indicate they had no objections. Referee blew his whistle, and the match began!

"I choose you, Tepig!"

"Poliwag, get ready to battle!"

Both released their Pokémon at the same time, and Zhang Cheng immediately checked Tepig's current stats:

Name: Tepig (level 11)

Gender: Male

Potential: C+

Type: Fire

Held item: None

Basic moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Ember, Odor Sleuth

Learned moves: Flame Charge

Egg move: Body Slam

Ability: Thick Fat (Protected by thick fat, this Pokémon takes half damage from Fire-type and Ice-type moves.)

Notes: Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. It can blow flames from its nose, but when it feels unwell, it can only blow black smoke.

Compared to the earlier interclass tournament, Tepig had risen to level eleven and learned Flame Charge.

Poliwag still held a slight advantage in this matchup thanks to its type advantage. The main thing to watch out for was Tepig's Body Slam.

As the battle began, Hao Chenggong wasted no words and immediately ordered Tepig to use Body Slam.

He had already revealed his trump card before, so there was no point hiding it now. He opened with his most powerful move.

Tepig's Fire-type moves would not be very effective against the Water-type Poliwag. With that in mind, Hao Chenggong intended to end the battle quickly with Body Slam.

Unfortunately, his intentions were far too obvious. Zhang Cheng had been prepared and immediately ordered Poliwag to dodge.

With Poliwag on guard, Tepig would have a hard time landing a direct hit with Body Slam.

Seeing that Body Slam had failed, Hao Chenggong changed tactics and ordered Tepig to attack with Flame Charge.

Zhang Cheng saw through Hao Chenggong's plan at once. The Flame Charge attack was a feint. His real goal was to use its speed boost to land a Body Slam afterward.

Zhang Cheng was not about to let him succeed. He immediately ordered Poliwag to counter with Bubble Beam.

If Tepig wanted to boost its speed with Flame Charge, it would have to be ready to take a heavy hit from a Water-type move.

Bubble Beam shot out immediately, sending a mass of bubbles drifting toward Tepig. Light and airy as they seemed, those bubbles packed tremendous power.