Advancing to the Top 16

Hu Bin happily enjoyed his freedom, wandering around the battlefield with Vulpix, looking here and there. They had become a spectacle all their own!

While everyone else battled fiercely, he was taking a stroll!

The others were green with envy. Come on, man, this was a battle! Could he show it a little respect?

Actually, never mind. He was too strong. If he took this seriously, they would be done for!

Watching this, the principal had mixed feelings. He was pleased by Hu Bin's strength and resourcefulness, but frustrated with these students who bullied the weak and feared the strong. They had no courage to challenge a stronger opponent!

"Oh! You're fighting, Wu Jin? Not bad! Need a hand?" In one corner of the field, Hu Bin spotted Wu Jin's Machop locked in a fierce battle with an opponent's Poliwhirl!

At Hu Bin's words, the Pokémon Trainer fighting Wu Jin turned green and shouted, "Don't come over here!"

Wu Jin, however, said confidently, "No need, Bro Bin. This is nothing!"

Then a thought struck Wu Jin, and he said in surprise, "Wait a second, Bro Bin! This is a competition. How come you're so free?"

Hu Bin laughed. "They won't fight me. They take a detour whenever they see me and Vulpix!"

"Vul!" Vulpix gave a sweet smile as well.

Wu Jin immediately smiled wryly. Comparing himself with others really was enough to drive him mad.

"Then I won't bother you. Keep at it. I'll go check on Liu Yi!"

With that, Hu Bin clasped his hands behind his back and led Vulpix away, looking as leisurely as an old man out for a stroll.

Only after watching Hu Bin leave did the Pokémon Trainer fighting Wu Jin breathe a sigh of relief!

"Use Rollout, Munchlax!" Liu Yi commanded. Munchlax curled into a ball and rolled forward, knocking over a whole swath of Pokémon and Pokémon Trainers like bowling pins. One roll sent them all tumbling. What a powerhouse!

Hu Bin clicked his tongue in admiration. That was a pretty good move from Liu Yi, taking on a whole group at once. Still, was he fierce or just recklessly stubborn? The fallen Pokémon soon got back up and glared angrily at Munchlax and Liu Yi.

Liu Yi smiled faintly. "Nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about. Munchlax, keep using Rollout! Don't stop!"

Hu Bin immediately saw what Liu Yi intended. The longer Rollout continued, the more powerful it became!

Hu Bin felt the satisfaction of a proud elder. Not bad! Liu Yi had grown. He had learned to use Munchlax's Thick Fat to withstand damage while building up power for a big finish!

The other Pokémon kept attacking Munchlax, recklessly hurling every kind of move at the rolling Pokémon. Munchlax endured the pain, took every hit, and kept rolling. Eventually, Rollout grew so powerful that none of the other Pokémon could withstand it. They were all sent flying and knocked out!

Taking out a whole group of Pokémon with one move had the spectators outside exclaiming over how strong he was!

"Hey, look at that chubby boy! He's amazing! His Munchlax steamrolled a whole bunch of Pokémon. That's seriously impressive!"

"Yeah, yeah! And even though he's chubby, he looks just as cute as Munchlax!"

"Exactly!"

A few girls among the spectators could not help praising Liu Yi after seeing how impressive he was. When Liu Yi overheard them, he was absolutely delighted. He felt as though he had reached the pinnacle of life!

Liu Yi did his best to memorize the girls' faces, planning to ask for their WeChat contacts once the match ended!

Hu Bin rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then looked at Vulpix, who was yawning out of boredom. "Vulpix, how about we fight some more? This is getting a little too boring!"

The moment Vulpix heard there would be a fight, the little fox perked up.

"Vul!" I'll take on ten at once!

Without wasting another moment, Hu Bin went straight to the center of the field and told Vulpix, "Vulpix, use Full Power Mist!"

Vulpix breathed out a vast cloud of mist, instantly shrouding a large portion of the field.

Many Pokémon suddenly lost sight of everything as the mist swallowed them up. Their Pokémon Trainers' faces turned purple. Good grief! Was he going to give them any chance at all?

By now, the competition had reached a fever pitch, and the number of participants had plummeted to thirty. All of them and their Pokémon had been caught in the mist! Only a few Flying-type Pokémon had escaped!

The spectators outside grew anxious. They could no longer see the fighting! What were they supposed to watch while eating their popcorn? All they got was a whole lot of nothing!

Soon, the sounds of a brutal battle rang out from within. Pokémon were blasted out one after another by streaks of white light. The unlucky ones were turned straight into ice sculptures and flung out of the field!

Many spectators knew Hu Bin and Vulpix were behind this ruthless assault, but they could not understand how Vulpix detected enemies and attacked them inside the mist!

What they did not know was that, back during their ball-catching training, Vulpix had grown steadily stronger and faster at reacting. To improve the training, Hu Bin had blindfolded Vulpix, making the little fox catch balls using hearing, smell, and sensory awareness. Vulpix had suffered quite a bit before mastering it!

That was why Vulpix kept both eyes closed throughout the battle in the mist, using the other Pokémon's sounds and scents to pinpoint their positions and attack!

Hu Bin's strategy was on a whole different level!

The principal could not stop praising them either. Hu Bin had raised this Vulpix exceptionally well!

The aloof young man, Zi Rui, and the cheerful boy, Da Dong, had been watching the competition from the rooftop all along. After seeing Hu Bin's maneuver, admiration showed in both their eyes!

Da Dong smiled. "Looks like we'll have some fun at this year's Spring City tournament. This Hu Bin kid is pretty good!"

Zi Rui gave a faint smile as well. "Let's hope he doesn't disappoint us!"

Da Dong's smile faded, and he said seriously to Zi Rui, "Do you think Hu Bin could join our organization? I get the feeling the boss would be interested in him!"

Zi Rui gazed at the mist below. "Let's observe him a little longer. Hu Bin's battling skills are good, but we still need to take a closer look at everything else!"

Da Dong said no more and continued watching the melee on the field with Zi Rui!

Hu Bin and Vulpix charged in and out again and again, beating the Pokémon inside so badly that they began to question their lives. Vulpix even thoughtfully avoided Machop and Munchlax, taking a moment to greet them along the way.

As one Pokémon Trainer who had been beaten out of the mist and eliminated said in grief and indignation, "Hu Bin and Vulpix have gone on an absolute rampage in there!"

Soon, the number kept dropping from thirty until only sixteen remained. With a blast of the referee's whistle, the hundred-person battle officially came to an end. Those remaining were the Pokémon Trainers who would advance to the top sixteen, and Wu Jin and Liu Yi were both among them!

The other Pokémon Trainers were no slouches either. Managing to survive Hu Bin and Vulpix's onslaught was already impressive, and some had even been able to fight back. Of course, Wu Jin and Liu Yi's strength was not to be underestimated either!