Securing a Spot

Poliwag unleashed Bubble Beam, which collided with the charging Tepig, sending up a cloud of white smoke at the point of impact.

As the smoke cleared, Tepig could be seen knocked back by Bubble Beam, having taken considerable damage.

Bubble Beam was highly effective against Fire-type Pokémon. Tepig had taken it head-on, and the attack had stopped Flame Charge in its tracks.

Although Tepig had paid a price, the Pokémon had still achieved the intended goal: a boost in speed.

However, Tepig needed another speed boost to guarantee a hit on Poliwag, as there was still a sizable gap between their speeds.

Tepig gathered strength once more, preparing to use Flame Charge. Zhang Cheng seized the opportunity and ordered Poliwag to use Hypnosis.

Unfortunately, Hypnosis missed this time. Tepig launched another Flame Charge, and with no time to prepare Bubble Beam, Poliwag could only fire off a quick Water Gun.

Water Gun struck Tepig, but since it was weaker than Bubble Beam, Tepig powered through the attack and reached Poliwag.

Flame Charge landed on Poliwag, but as it was a Fire-type move, it did not deal much damage.

Instead, Tepig had suffered more damage. After taking two Water-type moves head-on, Tepig had less than half of its HP remaining.

The battle had now reached a fever pitch. With increased speed, Tepig prepared to use Body Slam to deal a heavy blow to Poliwag.

Zhang Cheng knew it would be difficult to dodge Tepig's Body Slam now, so he ordered Poliwag to meet the attack head-on with Bubble Beam.

Tepig unleashed Body Slam, hurtling toward Poliwag with its entire body. Poliwag stood firm, spewing a torrent of bubbles from its mouth.

Tepig's plump body slammed into Poliwag while Bubble Beam continued to batter Tepig.

Both Pokémon took heavy damage. Poliwag had now lost over half its HP, but Tepig was in even worse shape, left on the verge of fainting after taking another Bubble Beam.

At this point, Zhang Cheng chose to trust Poliwag and ordered Hypnosis.

Tepig was now no slower than Poliwag, so simply using a Water-type move would not necessarily guarantee victory. Zhang Cheng trusted Poliwag's proficiency with Hypnosis.

A long stream of hypnotic sound waves flew straight toward Tepig, who had just finished using Body Slam. With stamina and HP severely depleted, Tepig lacked the willpower to resist Hypnosis and was successfully put to sleep by Poliwag.

Hao Chenggong was surprised by Zhang Cheng's decision. Under these circumstances, he had chosen to gamble on Hypnosis landing rather than trade attacks.

But Zhang Cheng was not simply gambling. He believed in Poliwag and in the results of all their training.

"Wake up, Tepig! Pull yourself together!" Seeing the situation, Hao Chenggong tried to break the hypnosis through physical means, hoping to shout Tepig awake.

Unfortunately, Tepig had exhausted too much stamina and could not wake up so easily after falling asleep.

Zhang Cheng seized the opportunity and had Poliwag use Mind Reader once to ensure the next attack would hit.

Then Poliwag unleashed one final Bubble Beam. With Mind Reader's help, it struck Tepig directly, defeating the completely defenseless Pokémon.

"Tepig is unable to battle. The final spot goes to Zhang Cheng," the referee announced.

"Zhang Cheng, you're a very strong opponent. I believe I'll beat you someday," Hao Chenggong said, clenching his fists.

"You're an excellent Trainer too, but beating me won't be that easy. I'll be waiting for your next challenge." After finishing confidently, Zhang Cheng slipped his hands into his pockets and walked off the battlefield.

When he returned to the rest area, his delighted classmates crowded around him, showering him with praise.

Their class had performed poorly in the previous rounds, leaving everyone in low spirits. Now that they had won the showdown between class monitors, they had finally regained some pride.

Once the battle ended, the referees said their goodbyes and left. The two instructors asked the three students who had qualified to stay behind and dismissed everyone else.

"Congratulations to the three of you for standing out from the rest. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the principal's Safari Zone to catch Pokémon," said Liu Feng, Class Two's instructor, as he stepped forward.

"Sir, can we catch rare Pokémon in the Safari Zone?" Ye Tian asked excitedly.

"Haha, absolutely. You can find most of the Pokémon species in Huaxia there," Liu Feng said with a cheerful smile.

Liu Feng was particularly fond of Ye Tian. He was strong, trained hard, and had an intense desire for power. In Ye Tian, Liu Feng felt as though he could see his younger self.

Hearing Liu Feng's words, Ye Tian's eyes filled with anticipation. He hoped he could catch a rare Pokémon tomorrow.

Next, Liu Feng explained the schedule and precautions for their visit to the Safari Zone. "Meet downstairs at the teaching building at nine tomorrow morning. I'll take you to the Safari Zone. Make sure you stay close to me the entire time so we can keep everyone safe."

While Liu Feng spoke, Zhang Cheng was looking at Bai Yuling beside him. She winked playfully at him, and the two exchanged glances, completely missing what Liu Feng was saying.

"That's all for the precautions. You're Zhang Cheng, aren't you? Did you understand everything I just said?" Liu Feng asked, noticing Zhang Cheng's wandering attention.

"I understood everything, sir. No problem." Caught off guard by Liu Feng's sudden question, Zhang Cheng froze for a moment before quickly recovering.

Beside him, Bai Yuling covered her mouth and snickered at his embarrassed expression.

After giving them their instructions, Liu Feng left the Training Ground. Bai Yuling had wanted to tease Zhang Cheng, but seeing the other students nearby, she gave up on the idea and turned to leave the Training Ground.

"Zhang Cheng, what kind of Pokémon do you think we'll get tomorrow?" With the instructors gone, Ye Tian began gesturing excitedly. He truly was a devoted Pokémon fanatic.

"My guess is you'll get a Weedle tomorrow. After all, you're a future Bug-type Elite. We have to get you a Caterpie and a Weedle," Zhang Cheng joked.

"Oh, get lost. You always rain on my parade. Let's go eat, then come back tonight for more sparring."

"Sure. Let's eat first and talk about everything else later."

"Exactly! Nothing's more important than food."