Xia Huanao's expression grew increasingly bizarre. Yudong Yu looked at the light dots on the screen and asked a staff member, "Who is this light dot?"
The staff member pointed at Xia Huanao, implying that Xia Huanao's current expression would tell Yudong Yu everything he needed to know.
Once Yudong Yu understood the situation, he too began to curse. At this point, it should be clear that the only anomaly in the grand strategy of "alliance and observation from afar," who appeared to be charging ahead alone, was Xia Huanao's good friend, Zhang Hong.
Xia Huanao couldn't fathom where Zhang Hong got the audacity to charge into the battlefield alone at this time. Yudong Yu, on the other hand, was displeased that Zhang Hong was acting independently.
Just a day earlier, Yudong Yu and Xia Huanao were joking with everyone at the assembly point and posting the rules. Yu Tingyun and Zhang Hong had come together then, so why had they parted ways like this?
Yudong Yu quickly focused on Yu Tingyun's dot, checking her current location. Yu Tingyun's dot was also moving. She was still a certain distance from Zhang Hong, but within the range of mutual support. Seeing this, Yudong Yu became even angrier. He stomped his feet in frustration and cursed Zhang Hong, "This bastard! It's bad enough he's messing around in the exam hall, but he's even dragging my sister along. Doesn't he know how important the college entrance examination is to my sister!"
Xia Huanao gently patted Yudong Yu's shoulder, "Calm down, calm down. I think there's more to this than meets the eye."
Yudong Yu pointed at two dots that were getting closer and closer to a large cluster of dots, "They're about to collide. How can you expect me to calm down?"
Xia Huanao pointed at the moving light dots on the screen, "If we used the scale, you'd find that although this dot is Zhang Hong's, it doesn't necessarily mean Zhang Hong is moving voluntarily."
Yudong Yu steadied himself, "What do you mean?"
Xia Huanao held up a bracelet he had previously shown, "The mechanism of this device can record your examination number and report the examinee's location to us. However, it doesn't mean that the person carrying it is necessarily the examinee."
Yudong Yu listened to Xia Huanao's explanation, lost in thought. Xia Huanao continued, "I've thought about it. We can use the bracelet's simple mechanism to artificially create a disparity in numbers, making it appear as if only one person is moving rapidly, when in fact, over a dozen are."
"You mean?"
"This unlucky light dot is definitely not Zhang Hong. You and I both know what kind of person Zhang Hong is – a typical academic trainer who favors strategic thinking. Their Pokémon training is mostly for their own convenience. As for their physical fitness, even though they train in our high school, it's still far from us trainers who run around recklessly and court danger."
Yudong Yu heartily agreed with Xia Huanao's statement. After all, he was also a trainer who often went out on missions, and his physical fitness far surpassed that of his academic-minded peers. Zhang Hong, as the technological backbone of the Awakened, was understood to have poor physical fitness.
"Look at the speed of this light dot's movement. Considering Zhang Hong, who can barely see at night, how could he possibly achieve such high speeds in the forest? The bracelet must have fallen into the hands of some Pokémon, which explains this scene."
After saying this, Xia Huanao had seemingly explained away most of the situation, but he was still very angry. "This t/"
Young and impulsive high school students have one good quality: they don't waste time with idle chatter and get straight to fighting. Only the victor has the right to speak. Zhou Qitian and Yin Cai had already raised their hands to give orders when a Diglett suddenly popped out, completely shattering the tense atmosphere brewing between the two groups.
The appearance of this Diglett was absurd. It was so late at night; what Diglett would be awake? They weren't like the third-year students grinding away, but rather some demonic creatures that teachers believed could function for eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds on end. It must have been something chasing it from behind, causing it to run for its life. So, both of them simultaneously turned their heads and were startled by Zhang Hong, who had stood up.
It wasn't just Zhou Qitian and Yin Cai's groups who were startled by Zhang Hong's sudden appearance in the dark. In another direction, a "player" Xia Huanao had mentioned, who was planning to stir up trouble and reap the benefits, was watching Zhang Hong's direction.
"Holy crap, I thought there was someone else like us. Turns out it's just a lone fool. You scared me to death."
As he spoke, the guy gathered the branches around him, concealing himself better.
Unfortunately, while hiding oneself in the darkness was a good idea, this student's luck was truly abysmal today. Zhang Hong had initially wanted to avoid trouble, as Yu Tingyun was behind him, and if anything happened to her, Yudong Yu would surely make his life miserable. However, seeing that these people were about to drag him into their conflict, Zhang Hong didn't hold back. He pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it out, "Snivy, use Vine Whip on that big tree!"
Snivy whipped out its vines, wrapped them around the tree, and then pulled itself over. During the ensuing melee, someone saw this and immediately had their Pokémon attack Snivy. However, they missed Snivy and instead hit the person hiding in the tree, knocking them down.
With a scream, the battlefield instantly fell silent. Everyone glanced in Snivy's direction, and then they too were drawn into the fight. The person in the tree originally wanted to flee, but Zhang Hong wouldn't allow it. He tripped them with a Vine Whip, causing them to fall flat on their face. To avoid being accidentally injured by the sudden physical conflict, the fallen individual had no choice but to join the fray. This perfectly embodied the old saying: he who seeks to fish in troubled waters will be caught in the net.
Seeing the unexpected outcome he had caused, Zhang Hong gained some courage. He pulled out three more Poké Balls from his pocket and released Mienfoo, Phantump, and a Ditto.
This Ditto was something Zhang Hong had heard Xia Huanao mention one day when they were chatting – the most suitable Pokémon for inventors. At the time, Xia Huanao had tricked him, saying, "A Ditto can transform into any Pokémon you want. If you want fire, you'll have fire; if you want electricity, you'll have electricity..."
Zhang Hong found this very logical, so he urgently acquired a Ditto before the college entrance examination. As for how he got it, the capabilities of real estate developers are beyond imagination.
The four Pokémon wreaked havoc in the midst of the melee. Ditto, Phantump, and his little princess Snivy, riding Mienfoo, were unstoppable. It wasn't that Mienfoo was particularly strong, but he had often helped Zhang Hong carry things, greatly increasing his strength. Coupled with the absence of any opponents of significant size in the chaotic battle, he moved as if through an empty space. After a while, Zhang Hong truly managed to break through the melee. Although his Pokémon had sustained some injuries, their basic combat power remained.
Zhang Hong, having earned a fearsome reputation, gracefully departed amidst the attention of the crowd. After Zhang Hong left, the remaining individuals continued to fight amongst themselves like dogs. Upon seeing Yu Tingyun waiting for him not far away, Zhang Hong, filled with bravado, said, "You know, Tingyun, I was just there, fighting my way in and out, charging ahead like a one-man army. It's such a shame you didn't get to see my performance."
Yu Tingyun blinked her cute eyes at Zhang Hong and clapped her hands lightly, "Oh really? That's amazing. I didn't expect a researcher to have such strength."
Hearing Yu Tingyun praise him, Zhang Hong felt a bit embarrassed to boast too much, so he said, "Actually, it wasn't just me being too strong. It was mainly them being too weak, and their attacks interfering with each other."
Yu Tingyun smiled slightly and waved her hand. A skill Zhang Hong was all too familiar with flashed before his eyes. Zhang Hong blinked, then clapped his hands, "I knew it! You and I are the strongest. We can fight our way through any crowd, like a one-man army. No matter how many people there are, they can't stop us."
Yu Tingyun listened and pouted, patting Zhang Hong, "I never knew you were so glib before. But you said we two are a one-man army. So, who's the knight and who's the horse?"