Pokémon: Master System.

However, Xia Yu was prepared for this. The reason he chose to send out the weaker Sceptile instead of Charizard was because Xia Yu discovered that Salamence's move pool included Rock Slide, a move that posed a great threat to Charizard.

While Grass-type Sceptile is weak to Flying-type moves, its Mega Evolution Dragon-type can also counter Salamence!

Xia Yu recently released the Mega Pokédex, which initially only showed a photo and basic information about Mega Sceptile. However, Xia Yu did not mention its type or ability at all.

He wasn't stupid. The changes in attributes and abilities after Mega Evolution were secret weapons. Apart from Charizard Y's extremely obvious Solar Ability which couldn't be hidden, Xia Yu still wanted to keep Mega Sceptile's abilities a secret for a while, at least until the High School Cup was over before fully revealing them.

"Lizard King, Dragon Claw!"

Faced with the charging Salamence, Sceptile suddenly unleashed a burst of fierce Dragon-type energy, and its dragon claws took shape!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the Lizard King was knocked back several meters, leaving two deep scratches on its feet and wounds on its body.

Although he suffered a minor injury, it ensured the Lizard King's safe return to the arena, which was well worth it.

Xia Yu's gaze fell upon Salamence, his eyes deep. This was the power of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon! Without Mega Evolution, Xia Yu's Sceptile would never have been able to defeat Salamence, even if it was a Pokémon of a higher level.

Gently stroking the Evolution Key Stone on the ring, Xia Yu felt as if his heart was connected with the Lizard King's. Xia Yu raised his right hand, and the Evolution Key Stone burst forth with a dazzling light.

"Scepter King, answer my heart, Mega Evolution!"

…………

"It's here! Xia Yu's greatest invention, Mega Evolution, a miracle in Pokémon battles!"

Even the officially appointed professional commentators were lavish in their praise at this moment.

The audience at the scene had been eagerly anticipating the event, holding their breath. Most of them were witnessing Mega Evolution for the first time and were very excited.

Xia Yu was dazzling on the battlefield at this moment; he and his Lizard King were undoubtedly the protagonists of this battle.

Xia Yu smiled broadly, enjoying the cheers of the crowd, his eyes radiating confidence as he looked at Xiang Hanli.

For Xia Yu, the battlefield before him was not just a battlefield, but more like a stage.

A stage that makes countless people cheer for him, shout for him, and wave their hands for him.

He found himself gradually enjoying the feeling of battling, fighting against one powerful opponent after another, enjoying the cheers of the audience, responding to their enthusiasm, and striving hard—this is what passionate youth should be like.

Long Yanning, sitting below the stage, star-like eyes were fixed on Xia Yu, silently watching the star-studded Xia Yu.

Love flowed in her eyes, and she felt that Xia Yu was so dazzling at this moment, as bright as the stars. Some people seem to be born to be the protagonist.

Chapter 289 Xia Yu vs. Xiang Hanli

Su Muzi, sitting in the audience, was also staring at Xia Yu in a daze, a thoughtful expression on her delicate face. Her thoughts were drawn back to half a year ago, and she still remembered the scene when Xia Yu first came to the Dragon-type Secret Realm.

The tall and handsome Xia Yu stood in front of everyone, accompanied by three weak Pokémon: Charmander, Nombat, and Grovyle. He seemed a little reserved, and his weak strength sparked discussion among the crowd.

Many people are asking about Xia Yu's identity, what kind of background he has to be a transfer student, and his handsome looks.

Her first impression of Xia Yu was that he was a good-looking transfer student, and she started to pay more attention to him from then on.

However, Xia Yu was like a silent gourd at the time, not communicating with anyone, and spending his days alone in a corner training his Pokémon.

He's always the first one to arrive at the training ground every morning and the last one to leave at night. He doesn't participate in gatherings or activities; it seems like his world revolves solely around training Pokémon.

It seems that many boys laughed at Xia Yu back then, but now that he thinks about it, those boys were no different from clowns in Xia Yu's eyes.

Xia Yu has always had his own goals and works hard towards them. His earnestness is so charming.

Unbeknownst to him, Xia Yu had surpassed all his classmates and widened the gap between them. Now he had grown to a height that they could only look up to.

Xia Yu has been quietly growing all along. When you finally notice him, you realize that he has become a towering figure.

Meanwhile, his classmates from back then are still stuck in the same place, left far behind him.

…………

"Salamander, Dragon Claw!"

Looking at the Mega Sceptile, Xiang Hanli's voice rang out. He had already prepared himself mentally. Although Mega Evolution is strong, since Li Shiyu's Gyarados could suppress Xia Yu's Mega Charizard, then his Salamence would definitely be able to defeat the Mega Sceptile!

Salamence's claws were covered in Dragon-type energy, and its body lunged forward.

Hearing Xiang Hanli's voice and seeing the flying Salamence, Xia Yu revealed a confident smile. Only by constantly fighting against strong opponents can one improve. Playing too many low-skill matches will only turn one into a slacker. The stronger the Salamence in front of him, the more excited he became.

"Lizard King, let's use Dragon Claws too! It's time to avenge what happened last time!"

"Chamo!" the Lizard King responded to Xia Yu. He also remembered that he had been defeated by Xiang Hanli's Arrow Eagle last time, and he was determined not to lose again this time!

With dragon-type energy covering its claws, the Lizard King charged towards Salamence at incredible speed.

"boom!"

The two wielded their dragon claws, clashing repeatedly, producing crisp sounds as their power and energy collided, sending sparks flying.

In the arena, only a blood-red figure could be seen shuttling through the air, constantly colliding with the emerald green figure. Dragon-type energy surged, and after several rounds, Salamence and Sceptile were far apart. After several rounds of fighting, the two sides were evenly matched, and neither could do anything to the other for a short time.

"Salamander, use Flamethrower!"

Salamence has extremely high physical attack, and its special attack is also quite good. It can learn many powerful special attack moves such as Flamethrower and Hydro Pump, which can play a huge role in key moments.

Therefore, at this moment, Xiang Hanli decisively chose to have Salamence use Flame Burst to counter Sceptile.

However, Xiang Hanli was obviously unaware that after Sceptile evolved into Mega Evolution, its single Grass type became Grass and Dragon dual types, and its original Fire type weakness disappeared.

"In that case, Lizard King, use Dragon Pulse!"

Xia Yu's lips curled up. At this moment, the information gap between the two sides was the turning point to win the game. This was an opportunity!

An opportunity that could decide the entire game.

The Lizard King opened its mouth, and dragon-type energy continuously gathered, instantly forming a dragon-type energy shockwave that flew towards the Salamence.

At the same time, fire-type energy formed in front of Salamence, creating a large, T-shaped flame that burned wildly and flew towards Sceptile King!

Fire energy and dragon energy collided and surged, kicking up dust and smoke.

"Lizard King, Dragon Claw, charge!"

Under the cover of the smoke and dust, the Lizard King broke through the smoke and dust, its emerald green figure moving across the field, showing a speed that did not match its huge body, and quickly approached the Salamence!

"Salamander, unleash a barrage of Flame Bursts!"

Despite the rapidly approaching Sceptile King, Xiang Hanli remained oblivious to the danger and instead ordered Salamence to continue using Flamethrower, which was designed to "counter" the Sceptile King.

Flames blazed, the large, fiery inferno engulfing the entire arena and flying towards the Lizard King, the flames swirling around it as if to completely engulf the Lizard King.

"Charge! Lizard King, unleash your full power Dragon Claw!"

…………

Xia Yu's order startled Xiang Hanli, as well as the host, commentator, and audience.

Although your Mega Sceptile is very powerful, you can't just blindly attack with moves like Flamethrower that are twice super effective against it.

"Xia Yu actually chose to let the Lizard King ignore the Great Flame Burst and launch an attack. Isn't this decision a bit hasty and impulsive?"

"Although Salamence is not as strong in Special Attack as it is in Physical Attack, it is still quite powerful. With Sceptile's strength, even after Mega Evolution, it may not be able to withstand a Flamethrower that is twice super effective. Even if it does withstand it, it will be seriously injured. Will it still be able to launch an attack against Salamence then? Xia Yu may ruin a good situation because of this not-so-rational decision."

Host Li Yongzhi, as the official top commentator, offered an objective and fair analysis. He then shifted his tone to a rational analysis, saying, "Of course, based on Xia Yu's past performances, he is definitely not the kind of person who acts impulsively. He may have his own tactical arrangements for doing this, but I can't tell what those tactics are. We can only wait and see."

“I also agree with Teacher Yongzhi’s point of view.” Jin Yanyu, who was standing next to him, said with a smile, “Before commentating on the match, I specifically watched the video of the two players’ match in the provincial competition. Xia Yu’s tactics are known for being rigorous and meticulous, with each step linked to the next. He would never make such a low-level mistake.”

"Compared to Xia Yu's impulsive decision, I believe it was more of a tactical arrangement, deliberately creating such a flaw. You know, Xia Yu's fans even jokingly call him Xia Lao Liu. Xiang Hanli needs to be careful."

While the two hosts were discussing, the Lizard King plunged headlong into the sea of ​​fire, and the flames formed by the Great Flame Burst engulfed the Lizard King completely.

Everyone watched the sea of ​​fire with bated breath, wondering if the Lizard King could withstand the massive fiery attack.

"boom!"

A gigantic figure burst forth from the sea of ​​fire. The Lizard King, its entire body enveloped in dragon-type energy, tore through the flames and emerged from the inferno. Its wrists were also coated with dragon-type energy, and its massive dragon-type energy claws swung towards the Salamence!

"Salamander, take off! Don't give the Sceptile King a chance to get close!"

"Dragon Wave!"

…………

Chapter 290 New Experiment

The Lizard King burst forth from the sea of ​​fire, its emerald green body enveloped in dragon-type energy, with sparks scattered across its body as if it were bathed in flames.

Dragon-type energy instantly formed in front of the Lizard King, and a dragon wave flew towards Salamence, piercing the sun and accurately hitting Salamence!

"The Lizard King actually survived!" Li Yongzhi couldn't help but exclaim loudly.

"And judging from its condition, the injury isn't particularly serious. What exactly happened?"

"Xia Yu did this on purpose, but how did the Lizard King manage to block that attack?"

Not only were Li Yongzhi and Jin Yanyu surprised, but the audience and their opponent Xiang Hanli were also incredulous.

How is this possible? The Lizard King actually took a hit from a Salamence's Flame Burst and wasn't seriously injured. In fact, it still had plenty of energy to launch a counterattack. How is this possible?

In stark contrast to the Lizard King is the Salamence.

Salamence had already taken a hit from a Soundwave Dragon's Life Orb and a STAB Dragon Pulse, and now it took another hit from a Mega Sceptile's STAB Dragon Pulse, instantly becoming severely injured and having almost no HP left.

At this point in the match, it was very difficult for Xiang Hanli to turn the tide, and once Salamence was unable to battle, the remaining two Pokémon would definitely not be a match for Xia Yu's other Pokémon.