Making Grovyle use Leaf Blade to block Charmeleon's Fire Punch?
Did he not see what kind of fire that was just now?
Compared to Growlithe's thin, snake-like Flamethrower,
Charmeleon's Flamethrower was a full-on blazing pillar.
Grovyle hesitated for a moment, but still obeyed its Trainer's command.
The moment they clashed, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
The brilliant blade light vanished in an instant.
Grovyle's entire body slammed hard onto the ground several meters away.
It had lost the ability to battle!
Meanwhile, Ralts, now serious, simply flung Growlithe straight out of the arena.
"Wow! Ralts used its psychic power to send Growlithe flying!
And Grovyle has basically lost all fighting ability!
I declare the winner of this match… student Lin Yu!
His former Charmander — no, his Charmeleon — has shown us what overwhelming fire power is!"
The commentator was fired up.
"This match may not have been a display of complex tactics,
but the visual impact was out of this world!"
"Charmeleon!"
"That was awesome, Charmeleon!"
"I didn't lose! I didn't lose!"
Refusing to accept defeat, Qing Fei acted like a clown on the stage,
staring blankly until staff dragged him away.
Back in the spectator seats,
the next match was Senior Xue Nai against the Trainer with that Butterfree.
Unexpectedly, everyone thought Butterfree was his ace.
But he then sent out a Level 23 Machop.
Senior Xue Nai's second Pokémon was a Level 15 Vulpix.
Although Braixen burned through Butterfree's status-powder combo,
it couldn't resist Machop's precise boxing skills.
Once Braixen was cornered at close range, it had no way to fight back.
And so, the final four were decided.
Originally, Third High had great potential to place multiple Trainers in the top four.
In the end, only Lin Yu remained.
Luo Xing felt a tinge of regret.
"Ugh, this is annoying. Why did you have to run into him?"
Xue Nai stormed off the stage, then turned to Lin Yu —
the only Second High team member still standing.
"Junior, beat that arrogant guy for me."
Lin Yu scratched his head. "I'll try my best."
After watching that battle, he felt fairly confident.
Coach Luo Xing spoke up.
"It's okay. You all fought well.
Winning the championship doesn't matter anymore — just give it your all."
"The luck this tournament really wasn't on our side.
Lin Yu ran into Qing Fei, and Xue Nai faced Han Feng."
"Both of his Pokémon are at the Elite stage.
Don't be discouraged, Xue Nai."
Xue Nai stuck out her tongue. "Got it~"
She turned back to Lin Yu. "Junior, I was just joking. You don't have to take it seriously."
Lin Yu nodded. "Mm…"
In the semi-finals,
fate seemed to be on his side.
He didn't face Han Feng.
Instead, his opponent was a Trainer with a Pikachu and a Pidgeotto.
When the guy saw Lin Yu,
he smiled bitterly, put up only a token resistance, then forfeited.
After that, Lin Yu's fame exploded.
Everyone knew:
a freshman from Shuimu Third High had stormed all the way to the finals
of the Second-Year High School Tournament…
After dusk, night fell over Shuimu City like a tidal wave.
"That was supposed to be my Charmander…"
"That was supposed to be my Charmander…"
Walking home, Qing Fei was completely obsessed.
All he could see was that Charmeleon.
Suddenly, his expression turned dark.
"If I can't have it, neither can you!"
He pushed open the gate of his family's villa.
An elderly man who looked like a butler was trimming the garden.
"Welcome home, young master."
"Housekeeper Chen… you're part of Team Magma, aren't you?"
The elderly man named Chen froze.
Qing Fei spoke viciously.
"No need to hide it. I know my father is a high-ranking member.
I want you to help me kill someone… and steal a Pokémon!"
He had found out his father's identity by chance,
and learned that the butler beside him was actually an outer member of Team Magma.
"You know about that?"
Qing Fei nodded. "Help me take back that Charmeleon…
He'll be at the arena tomorrow."
"Qing Fei, your father doesn't want you involved in this…"
"Shut up!"
On the way home, Lin Yu thought about tomorrow's match.
Butterfree and Machop were both Elite stage, and very strong.
He'd heard Han Feng had the power of Viridian,
and had fought off thugs with his Pokémon during his second year,
getting injured in the process and taking a year off school.
Otherwise, with his Pokémon's strength,
he would have already stood out even in the third-year tournament.
Coming to the second-year division was basically like joining a beginner's cup.
That was what everyone thought.
The championship already felt decided in their minds.
Even Old Qin had praised him on QQ,
saying making it this far was already amazing.
But Lin Yu still believed he had a chance.
No one had seen all his trump cards.
Like his Splash ability —
against powder moves, he could turn the whole arena into a massive sea of fire.
How would they react to that?
Or a flying Charmeleon?
Had they ever seen anything like that?
He hadn't even activated today's entry yet.
[Last Whisper: Can be used three times. After use, PP in the body flows faster — increases move speed.]
A green entry.
Not bad.
Ralts's only real stat weakness was Speed.
This would make up for it perfectly.
He opened the class group chat.
Messages were blowing up, everyone @ing him with congratulations and envy.
Lin Yu ignored them all.
What mattered most was this:
the first exploration of the secret realm was complete,
and he could now choose a treasure from it.
After a quick glance, Lin Yu's eyes lit up.
There were some great items here.
Chong Yue told him to come tomorrow,
pick whatever he liked, register it, and take it.
But…
why did he feel like he was being watched?
Lin Yu tried using his Inspection Eye several times.
Finding nothing, he had to give up.
The next day.
This day marked the end of the Second-Year Tournament
and the start of the Third-Year one.
The opening ceremony was grand.
Third-year contestants stepped onto the stage first.
Compared to the still-awkward second-years, they radiated confidence.
Among them, Lin Yu spotted a stunning young woman,
standing in the center like a blooming flower, drawing countless gazes.
The Dratini and Beldum floating beside her
only made her even more eye-catching.
The girl clearly noticed Lin Yu too,
and gave him a bright smile.
Nope — my heart's racing.
Whatever.
Let's check what refreshed in the Entry Shop today.
[Miracle of the Tree of Life — Xerneas's Life Essence, one of the World Tree's awakening treasures. 10,000 Entry Coins.]
10,000 Entry Coins.
Okay, heart officially broken.