Pokémon: Master System.

At the same time, Gengar's hypnosis gradually took effect. Charizard felt an intense drowsiness, causing its body to sway and stagger like a roly-poly toy, as if it might fall asleep at any moment.

Xia Yu looked at Charizard. He was holding the Poké Ball and was about to recall Charizard when he suddenly noticed that before Charizard fell to the ground, it turned around and made eye contact with Xia Yu. The tacit understanding between the two of them made Xia Yu understand that Charizard, the sixth one, must have its own plan and tactics.

"Bang!" Charizard collapsed to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

"Come back, Charizard!" Xia Yu shouted loudly, but his movements were quite slow as he finally took out a Poké Ball.

On the other side, Shang Hongxin naturally wouldn't let Charizard escape so easily, and immediately ordered, "Gengar, use Black Gaze!"

Normal-type energy surged from Gengar's gaze, instantly locking onto the Charizard in front of it, preventing it from being recalled into its Poké Ball.

"Xia Yu, sigh, he could have easily recalled Charizard, but he was a step too slow. Now that he's been hit by Gengar's black gaze, he can't recall it anymore."

"Is it possible that he deliberately sacrificed Charizard so that Sceptile could make a safe appearance?"

"That's the only explanation. But Shang Hongxin's reaction was too quick. He used Gengar's Black Gaze move to completely stop Charizard from escaping. Now we just have to see when Charizard will wake up."

The spectators in the stands were also sweating for Xia Yu. If Gengar really regained its strength through Dream Eater, the following matches would be very difficult.

"Gengar, eat dreams!" Shang Hongxin ordered.

As Psychic-type energy surged, Gengar's eyes glowed with an eerie purple light, and Psychic-type energy erupted as it lunged at Charizard, which was lying on the ground.

Gengar activated its Dream Eater skill, which surged into Charizard's body, but it was surprised to find that it could not enter Charizard's dream no matter what it did.

Just as it was wondering, suddenly, the Charizard opened its mouth wide and spewed out the flames that had been building up for a long time.

"Roar!"

The Flamethrower skill spewed out like a fire dragon, and the fierce flames engulfed Gengar, creating a sea of ​​fire that severely injured the unsuspecting Gengar.

At that moment, in Xia Yu's eyes, Charizard's combat power also broke through to the Overlord level!

"How is this possible? Charizard actually woke up? Or was it not hypnotized at all?"

Cheng Taiheng let out a startling shout. He was also a little confused about the situation because he clearly saw Charizard being hit directly by Hypnosis. After thinking about it carefully, Cheng Taiheng regained his professional commentary judgment.

"Given Gengar's strength, if Charizard were truly hypnotized, it shouldn't have woken up so early. Therefore, the only possibility is that Charizard wasn't hypnotized at all."

"Wait a minute." At this moment, the female commentator Jiang Yao noticed three bloody holes on the Charizard's arm, with fresh blood gushing out: "Look, the Charizard has three bloody holes on its right hand, and there is fresh blood on its left claw."

As Jiang Yao's voice rang out, the large broadcast screen gave Charizard a close-up shot.

The Charizard in the picture had a bloody glow on its left claw and three bloody holes on its right hand. By this time, everyone understood what had happened.

"I understand. To prevent itself from falling asleep, Xia Yu's Charizard used the sharp claws of its left hand to pierce its right hand, using the pain to fight off sleepiness."

"And to avoid being discovered by Gengar and Shang Hongxin, it deliberately waited until it was lying on the ground before making its move. During this time, it also pretended to be sleeping. In fact, Charizard was not hypnotized at all during this time!"

"It's too smart." Cheng Taiheng couldn't help but exclaim. This was the first time he had ever seen a Charizard that was so smart and ruthless. "Xia Yu's performance today really exceeded our expectations. What surprised me the most was that Xia Yu's Charizard did this without Xia Yu's command. You can only say that it has a very high IQ."

"Compared to its intelligence, I think it's its decisiveness and on-the-spot judgment that are truly remarkable. Few Pokémon would choose to fight against an enemy's hypnosis in this way."

"That's right, and besides that, Xia Yu and Charizard's teamwork is also quite high. Xia Yu was half a beat slow when recalling Charizard, which could very well have been intentional, proving that he had also guessed Charizard's tactics. This teamwork is admirable. You have to know that Charizard doesn't have a telepathic ability."

Cheng Taiheng couldn't stop praising Xia Yu. Xia Yu and his Pokémon's performance today had completely impressed him: "I declare that from today onwards, I am Xia Yu's biggest fan!"

…………

On the battlefield, Xia Yu's gaze was also filled with surprise. He hadn't expected his Charizard to be so ruthless, cutting three holes in itself with its claws. Xia Yu admired its decisiveness and ruthlessness.

I underestimated Charizard. It's not only ruthless to its enemies now, but also to itself.

Compared to Xia Yu, Shang Hongxin's expression was extremely ugly. He hadn't expected Xia Yu's Charizard to pull such a move.

This Charizard is just like a cunning and treacherous human, completely lacking the simplicity of a Pokémon. Because of this, its chances of winning this match are extremely slim.

"Charizard, full power Heat Wave!"

At this moment, Charizard's stamina was also greatly depleted. The Solar Power ability, combined with the poison, caused Charizard's stamina to drain away rapidly. Therefore, Xia Yu did not want to drag things out with Shang Hongxin any longer and decisively gave the order to end the battle quickly.

"Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!"

Shang Hongxin didn't want to continue entangled with Xia Yu, so he also had Gengar use its strongest Sludge Bomb.

The outcome hinges on this final move.

…………

Chapter 229 Xia Yu and the Fire-Breathing Dragon

Flames burned, illuminating the entire battlefield. Charizard's eyes were sharp as it stared at Gengar. Its black skin glowed red, and the flames on its tail grew increasingly fierce, with sparks flying everywhere. Charizard seemed extremely abnormal at this moment; the flames on its body were far too intense, completely unlike its usual appearance when it unleashed its heat attack.

At this moment, Xia Yu felt as if he had truly become one with Charizard. Recalling every moment he spent with Charizard, Xia Yu realized that Charizard's personality was most similar to his own, and their tacit understanding was also the highest.

At that moment, he clearly felt Charizard's strong competitive spirit and determination to win.

Charizard was the most competitive of all Xia Yu's Pokémon from beginning to end.

However, as it grows and becomes stronger, it has learned to hide its competitive spirit in its heart. Although it seems not to care much about winning, Xia Yu knows that it craves victory and defeat more than anyone else, as well as that uncomfortable feeling.

At this moment, Xia Yu suddenly thought of his Lizard King, who, like a fire-breathing dragon, had an inexplicable obsession with victory.

The personalities of the two Pokémon determine that Charizard and Sceptile will eventually clash. Charizard is currently holding back because it is still some distance from Sceptile's strength, but once they reach the same level, Charizard will definitely challenge Sceptile.

This was inevitable, and even Xia Yu couldn't stop it.

Although their personalities are completely different—one is calm and collected, the other ruthless—they share a common trait: a deep desire for victory.

…………

"Roar!"

Charizard raised its head and let out a loud roar towards the sky. With Charizard's roar, Xia Yu felt the fire energy surging from Charizard's body, bursting out like a wild beast that had been released from its cage.

"This is... Blaze?!" Cheng Taiheng, a seasoned commentator, immediately recognized the move Charizard was using: "Charizard can actually learn Blaze! Just how many more tricks does Xia Yu have up his sleeve?"

Explosive Burn is one of the top fire-type skills. After using it, the user will be stunned for a period of time. However, with long-term training, the stun time can be reduced. Due to its huge side effect, Explosive Burn is usually used as a final finishing move.

Burst Burn is extremely powerful; among all Fire-type moves, only Victini's V-Blaze is more powerful than Burst Burn.

The only other skills comparable to Bursting Burn are Full-health Fire Breath, Turtle's Trap Shell, and Bang-Headed Clown's Explosive Head.

Xia Yu never expected that Charizard would learn the move Blaze at this time! You should know that the learning conditions for Blaze are extremely demanding. Currently, only the final forms of the starter Pokémon and Mew can learn it, and the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon must reach a certain level.

In the game, this skill can only be learned through instruction from others or through a move learning machine.

Looking at Charizard's back, Xia Yu felt Charizard's desire for victory rising like a raging fire, just like the Burst Burn skill, which was exploding and burning!

With their minds in perfect harmony, Xia Yu and Charizard's heartbeats were completely synchronized.

It seemed as if raging flames were burning in Xia Yu's and Charizard's eyes. At the same time, he felt the Keystone on his chest getting hot and burning. At this moment, a thought appeared in his mind.

If he possessed a Charizard Mega Evolution Stone at this moment, then the combined will of the human and his Pokémon would definitely be able to undergo Mega Evolution.

"Charizard, the final burst of fire!" Xia Yu's voice was passionate and stirring, and at this moment he was also infected by Charizard's power.

With Xia Yu's roar, centered on Charizard,

A fierce and surging fire energy erupted, and the flames spread outward like a surging tide, layer upon layer, spreading outward like waves!

At the same time, Shang Hongxin's Gengar unleashed its most powerful Sludge Bomb. The purplish-black sludge, filled with a pungent chemical odor and imbued with poison-type energy, was suddenly hurled at Charizard!

"boom!"

The collision of poison and fire energies triggered a violent explosion, creating a huge shockwave that swept through the surrounding area like a gale.

Sparks drifted across the area, filling the entire venue with both sparks and thick smoke!

Cheng Taiheng was stunned into silence by Xia Yu's performance: "I dare say that this match is the most exciting and top-level match since the start of the Xishu Provincial University Cup. This level has completely reached the top level of the national finals."

Looking at the billowing smoke in the stadium, Cheng Taiheng was filled with emotion.

"Whether Charizard or Gengar wins, this match is incredibly exciting. From tactics and skill to on-field command, both sides performed flawlessly. From this match, I see the future of our Xishu Province. This year truly is the most promising year for Xishu Province."

"Sichuan Province has not won the national championship of the University Cup for more than a decade, but every year our contestants from Sichuan Province strive for this goal. I believe that Sichuan Province will be able to lift the championship trophy of the University Cup again this year!"

When Cheng Taiheng got emotional, he couldn't help but feel excited. He was a native of Xishu Province and had witnessed the glory of Xishu Province winning the championship. He had also participated in the college cup decades ago, but ultimately stopped at the provincial competition.

Decades ago, trainers didn't face much pressure; the top level was roughly equivalent to the highest level of the High School Cup. However, with the development of the times, Pokémon breeding has become more sophisticated. Technological advancements, the emergence of nutrient solutions, the development of secret realms, and the appearance of more and more high-potential Pokémon have led to increasingly fierce competition among trainers.

Involution, that's right, involution. Currently, Pokémon with the strength of a top-tier Pokémon can only make it to the provincial main tournament, while the frequency of Gym Leader-level Pokémon appearing is also increasing.

According to statistics from the Pokémon Association, this year's High School Cup has seen the highest number of trainers with Gym Leader-level Pokémon ever, and this doesn't even include the cases where some trainers haven't updated their Pokémon information and are hiding their trump cards.

This is also an inevitable result of the development of trainers. The new generation surpasses the old, and new talents replace the old!

The future definitely belongs to the young generation. People like Shang Hongxin and Xia Yu would have been top trainers in their time, but they would only be considered first-rate today.

Above them are geniuses like Li Shiyu, Xiang Hanli, Su Muzi, Li Yang, Zhang Zheng, Han Bing, and Chen Yuze. Each of them is a prodigy in their respective region and an absolute ruler.

That's why this year's college cup is definitely the grandest and most exciting competition in history.

Cheng Taiheng was very curious about who could overcome all obstacles and sit on this year's championship throne!

His gaze fell on Xia Yu on the field, watching Xia Yu surprise him time and time again. He wondered how far Xia Yu would go this year!

As the smoke cleared, Charizard and Gengar were revealed, both lying on the ground, incapacitated. Charizard was covered in wounds, and Gengar was also smoking, clearly unable to fight.

Charizard and Gengar are both unable to battle!

…………

Chapter 230 Poison Tail