A Dominant One Against Two

Just as Ye Qing had expected, Sun Zhiliang had been waiting for this moment.

"Dodge with Vine Whip."

"Bulba."

Bulbasaur extended two finger-thick vines from his sides, then thrust them against the ground, vaulting straight over Growlithe.

Huo Mengyao pointed at Bulbasaur in midair and shouted, "Now's our chance! Use Ember!"

"Hah... hah..."

The flames around Growlithe dispersed. Two consecutive uses of Flare Blitz had taken their toll on him, and although he heard Huo Mengyao's command, he couldn't get any embers out.

After all, they were still newly hatched Pokémon and couldn't handle that kind of exertion yet.

"Tackle, then use Poison Powder."

Just then, Bulbasaur used the momentum of his fall to ram his head into Growlithe's flank, then blasted a cloud of purple poison powder into his face.

"Ember!" Huo Mengyao ordered again.

Growlithe's face had turned slightly purple. Fighting through his discomfort, he opened his mouth and spat out a shower of embers.

"Tie his mouth shut!"

Bulbasaur extended two vines. After taking about a third of the embers, he bound Growlithe's mouth tightly shut.

"Mmph..."

With his mouth bound, Growlithe began to panic. After all, most of his abilities depended on using it.

"Break free, Growlithe!"

Although Huo Mengyao had excellent grades in theory, that didn't mean she could be an outstanding Trainer too. Faced with this situation, she completely lost her composure.

Sun Zhiliang smiled. Victory had come far more easily than he had expected.

"Finish him."

Bulbasaur gave a powerful swing, dragging Growlithe through an arc in midair with his vines before slamming him into the ground with a thud, sending dust flying.

The Vice Principal nodded. My son's homeroom teacher really does know how to teach.

"Growlithe is unable to battle!"

"Come on, Ye Qing!"

The opposing team still had two competitors left, and Wang Yao shouted anxiously from the stands.

Huo Mengyao walked over to Ye Qing and said regretfully, "I'm sorry."

Ye Qing shook his head and reassured her, "It's all right. Leave the rest to me."

"Okay."

Although Huo Mengyao didn't really believe Ye Qing could defeat two opponents and turn the match around, she still hoped for a miracle.

"It's up to you, Chimchar."

Ye Qing tapped his Poké Ball and murmured softly.

Sun Zhiliang smiled at Ye Qing. He was quite interested in him.

"You're Ye Qing, right? I didn't expect Class One to have someone like you hidden away."

Ye Qing nodded confidently. "Glad you know."

Sun Zhiliang hadn't expected that answer. Irritated, he said, "You really are confident. Let me warn you now: a type advantage alone won't beat me."

"Ooh."

Chimchar crooked a finger at Bulbasaur. After meeting Mewtwo and Arcanine, he thought nothing of an opponent at this level.

Sun Zhiliang said no more and ordered, "Bulbasaur, use Ingrain."

Ye Qing smiled faintly and took no action.

Growlithe hadn't actually done much damage to Bulbasaur, so having Chimchar interrupt him wouldn't accomplish much.

But although Ingrain healed his injuries, it couldn't restore the stamina he had spent. Every additional move his opponent used now meant more of Bulbasaur's stamina consumed.

Seeing Ye Qing and Chimchar remain utterly unruffled, Sun Zhiliang grew restless. Just as Ye Qing had thought, Bulbasaur was still young and had already used quite a few moves. Every additional move would drain more of his stamina.

Watching Bulbasaur root himself into the ground, Ye Qing finally said softly, "Ember."

Chimchar puffed out his chest and shot a searing stream of fire toward Bulbasaur.

Sun Zhiliang's expression grew grave. "Dodge, then use Vine Whip to throw him into the air."

"Bulba, bulba."

Bulbasaur severed the roots embedded in the ground and dodged to the side, extending two vines to bind Chimchar tight.

Perfect!

Sun Zhiliang cheered inwardly. Let's see what you can do now!

"Fire Punch."

This was exactly what Ye Qing had been waiting for. His eyes flashed as he swiftly gave the command.

Flames flared around Chimchar's right fist as he quickly grabbed the vines. The fire raced along them toward Bulbasaur.

"Bulba!"

Bulbasaur panicked, crying out as he tried to retract his burning vines. But Chimchar wasn't about to let him. Holding on to the vines, he spat another blast of embers at Bulbasaur.

"How is that possible?!"

Shocked, Sun Zhiliang hurriedly ordered Bulbasaur to dodge, but with Chimchar clutching his vines tightly, Bulbasaur took the full brunt of Ember.

How does this Chimchar know a move like Fire Punch? Did he inherit it?

No one answered his questions. Sun Zhiliang could only watch helplessly as Bulbasaur was knocked to the ground.

"Bulba."

Blackened all over, Bulbasaur lay sprawled on the ground, letting out cries of pain.

"Rush in and use Fury Swipes."

Ye Qing gave the order without even checking Bulbasaur's condition.

There had been countless cases of people losing their chance by dawdling, only to have their opponents turn the tables on them. Ye Qing had no intention of making such a basic mistake.

Chimchar kicked off hard with both legs, charged up to Bulbasaur, and lashed out rapidly with both claws.

"I concede!"

Seeing that Ye Qing had no intention of stopping, Sun Zhiliang cursed inwardly. To spare Bulbasaur further suffering, he had no choice but to concede immediately.

The Vice Principal raised his flag high and announced, "Chimchar wins! Class Three's final competitor, please take the stage."

Young Master Zhang Qiang exchanged a glance with his father, rubbed the tip of his nose, and calmly walked onto the arena.

His father rarely gave him that sort of pointed look. It also confirmed that the prize Principal Jiang had mentioned was no ordinary reward!

Seeing Ye Qing standing across from him, looking perfectly at ease, Young Master Zhang Qiang abandoned his plan to unsettle him with words.

He had originally intended to provoke Ye Qing into losing his cool. But such underhanded tactics might offend Principal Jiang, and if the principal replaced the original prize with something else, it wouldn't be worth it.

Their gazes met, clashing fiercely with sparks no one else could see.

"Charmander, take him down!"

Young Master Zhang Qiang hurled Charmander's Poké Ball into the air, and a bald, orange-yellow lizard materialized in the red light.

The falling Poké Ball never reached the ground. A yellow belt around Young Master Zhang Qiang's waist swiftly drew it back.

"Boss, that was awesome!"

"So cool!"

The display thrilled the students below the stage. A belt like that wasn't cheap-it cost even more than a Great Ball. More importantly, supplies were scarce. Anyone who could get one was either rich or well-connected.

"Ooh-ah!"

Brimming with fighting spirit, Chimchar stared at the opposing Charmander, the flame on his rear suddenly shooting higher.

"Ooh! Ooh!"

Charmander refused to be outdone, and the flame on his tail instantly doubled in size!