Remembering a research project she had worked on at the institute a few years earlier, Zhao Xinran had a sudden idea and asked, "First question: which Pokémon make up the Tao Trio, and what does each of them represent?"
The question left everyone present dumbfounded.
For a moment, everyone was asking what the Tao Trio was and whether its members were Legendary Pokémon.
On the platform, the school administrators looked just as bewildered. Even they had no idea what Zhao Xinran's question meant.
Only one elderly teacher with a head of white hair had a vague idea of the answer, and he had only learned about it by chance during an academic discussion.
"The Tao Trio?"
Young Master Zhang Qiang could barely process the question. This was the first time he had ever heard that name.
Wang Yao glanced nervously at Ye Qing beside him. Can he really answer a question like this?
Ye Qing gave him a reassuring look, cleared his throat, and said, "The Tao Trio consists of Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem!
"They represent yin, yang, and wuji respectively!
"Reshiram is a Fire- and Dragon-type and represents the yang extreme. Kyurem is an Ice- and Dragon-type and represents wuji. Zekrom is an Electric- and Dragon-type and represents the yin extreme."
Ye Qing offered only a brief explanation without going into depth.
In truth, he was a little worried about revealing even that much. After all, this information was either monopolized by the upper classes or had yet to be made public. A child from an ordinary family could not possibly know so much about it.
Still, Ye Qing had grounds for confidence. His father's family was indeed ordinary, but his mother's family was anything but. They could easily access this information. Otherwise, his mother would never have been childhood best friends with someone from the social elite like Wang Yao's mother.
Gasp!
Everyone drew in a sharp breath. Although this was their first time hearing these concepts, they sounded impressive even if no one understood them!
Young Master Zhang Qiang was so shocked that he could not speak for a long while. He could not understand why Ye Qing knew things he himself had never even heard of.
Never mind everyone else-even Zhao Xinran, who had posed the question, was utterly stunned. She had never expected anyone to answer it. She had only brought it up to impress the other teachers and school administrators so they would not underestimate her abilities because of her youth.
Although the research institute had proposed this theory several years ago, ordinary people should have had no access to it. How could Ye Qing possibly know about it? Did someone in his family work at a research institute?
Looking at the composed Ye Qing, Zhao Xinran believed he had held something back in his answer. Perhaps the boy knew even more about the Tao Trio!
After a brief moment of astonishment, Zhao Xinran regained her composure, suppressed her doubts, and continued with the questions.
"Ye Qing answered correctly. Second question: which winged Pokémon has the fastest flying speed?"
Young Master Zhang Qiang: "Dragonite!"
Ye Qing: "Dragonite!"
Zhao Xinran nodded. "Both answers are correct, but Young Master Zhang Qiang was faster, so he wins this round."
Hearing their answers, the other students were confused. Wasn't Pidgeot the fastest-flying Pokémon?
Zhao Xinran offered no explanation, however. With the score tied at one to one, she signaled for the two to take a short break.
"You're the best, boss!"
Despite his followers' flattery, Young Master Zhang Qiang felt no joy. Instead, facing the supremely confident Ye Qing left him feeling helpless and threatened.
Seeing the puzzled looks on Wang Yao's and Huo Mengyao's faces, Ye Qing used the brief break to explain, "Dragonite has been documented circling Earth in sixteen hours. That works out to 2,500 kilometers per hour. Pidgeot's recorded flying speed is Mach 2, which works out to around 2,455 kilometers per hour. So Dragonite is undoubtedly the fastest-flying Pokémon!"
"So that's why."
Although Wang Yao had no idea where Ye Qing had gotten those figures, that did nothing to stop him from thinking his buddy was freaking awesome.
After the brief break, Zhao Xinran continued, "Third question: what sexes can Gardevoir and Gallade be?"
Young Master Zhang Qiang's eyes lit up, and he rushed to answer. "Gardevoir is female, and Gallade is male!"
Ye Qing smiled confidently. "Gardevoir can be either female or male, while Gallade can only be male."
Zhao Xinran gave Ye Qing an approving look and announced, "Ye Qing's answer is correct. Congratulations to Ye Qing for winning two out of three rounds!"
"Impossible! How could Gardevoir be male? Gardevoir can't be male!"
As though he had thought of something horrifying, Young Master Zhang Qiang's face filled with disbelief.
"Some of you may have the same question, but I want to tell you that Gardevoir has a fifty-percent chance of being either male or female. Knowledge really is important, so I hope you'll all study hard from now on. Otherwise..."
Zhao Xinran raised an eyebrow and looked at the male students below. Her meaning was clear.
Wang Yao's face went pale as he remembered what he had done while looking at pictures of Gardevoir...
Zhao Xinran turned to the vice principal behind her, whose expression looked rather grim, and smiled. "Would you like to say a few words, Principal?"
"Yes."
The vice principal nodded, stepped forward, and laughed. "Thank you to Young Master Zhang Qiang and Ye Qing for giving us such a wonderful question-and-answer session. I believe Ye Qing's score is valid. Now, please look at each class's average score."
Young Master Zhang Qiang's lips had gone pale, and his earlier arrogance had vanished. His mind was a complete mess. He could not accept that someone he had never taken seriously had defeated him in his strongest subject!
"The average scores are out!"
Everyone on the field watched the big screen nervously. After all, far too much hinged on this exam.
Wang Yao tugged at Ye Qing's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Ye Qing, where do you think our Class 1 will rank?"
Ye Qing narrowed his eyes and considered it. "I'm not sure, but now that the two of us aren't dragging everyone down, we should move up quite a bit."
Sixth place: Class 5
Fifth place: Class 2
Every time a class's ranking appeared, a shriek rose from the field. Of course, the cheers celebrating the lower rankings definitely did not come from those classes themselves.
First place: Class 1, Class 3
"Tied for first?"
The other classes were not the only ones surprised. Even the administrators on the platform had not expected this. A tie for the highest average score was very rare.
Everyone from the other classes turned to look at Ye Qing and Wang Yao. Without those two incredible dark horses, how could things have ended up like this?
The vice principal coughed a few times, turned around, and conferred with the other administrators for a moment before announcing, "Since we have a tie for first place, the school has decided to hold a tiebreaker.
"The rules are as follows: the top three students from each class will battle using one Pokémon each. When all the Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, the other side wins. No substitutions are allowed during the match. The winning class will claim first place."
"A tiebreaker?"
The students from the two classes looked at one another, and tension instantly filled the field.
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