Pokémon: Master System.

"They're both my classmates, Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu," Zhao Ruohan whispered to her brother, introducing Xia Yu and Wu Yaozu.

After listening to the introduction, Zhao Ruoxuan tidied up the tables and chairs while saying, "I just don't like that Xia Yu. He's obviously no good. Didn't you see how many women added his contact information while he was grilling barbecue here for several hours?"

"He's a really nice person..."

"What a load of rubbish! Hurry up and pack your things and go to sleep. You have to report for work at ten tomorrow morning." The more his sister defended Xia Yu, the more upset Zhao Ruoxuan felt. He felt like his precious daughter had been taken advantage of by a pig, even though it was a handsome and good pig. He still felt terrible and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. "Sister, you should stay away from Xia Yu in the future. He's just a rich second-generation heir, he's just playing around. You know Aunt Wu's daughter, right? She was young and dated a rich second-generation heir, but she got pregnant. The man only gave her a few tens of thousands of yuan for an abortion and wouldn't even show his face. You should stay away from him in the future."

"Brother, what are you thinking? Xia Yu has never been in a relationship before, he's not the kind of person you're thinking of," Zhao Ruohan whispered, defending Xia Yu.

"I don't care, just don't have any contact with him. Are you trying to rebel? As your older brother, I can't control you."

…………

It was already 2 a.m. when Xia Yu got home, and she naturally went straight to sleep. She got up again at 6 a.m. with dark circles under her eyes.

Morning exercise.

Pokémon growth is not achieved overnight; only long-term training can unlock their potential. Even though he was very tired, Xia Yu still got up to assign training tasks to Nombat and Grovyle, and only stopped after training with them for two hours.

This is a process that requires perseverance, and Xia Yu will not stop no matter what happens.

Two hours later, Xia Yu was sweating profusely. After taking a shower, he quickly went back to bed for a nap. When Xia Yu woke up again, it was already 9:30. Fatty Wu was already waiting for him downstairs. He hurriedly got ready and rushed out the door without even having breakfast.

Compared to Xia Yu, Fatty Wu was in much better spirits, since he had slept until 9 a.m., which met his basic sleep requirement of 7 hours.

The two arrived at school at approximately 9:50, ten minutes before registration. The classroom was already almost full.

"Xia Yu. Fatty Wu."

"You're a bit late. Did you catch any new Pokémon during the summer vacation?"

"How did you guys spend your summer vacation? I'm so bored I could die."

The boys in the class greeted Xia Yu and Fatty Wu warmly, and Xia Yu responded with a smile, joking with his classmates.

Not long after, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhang, walked into the classroom. Mr. Zhang was in his forties, bald with a round face, and had a very kind smile. He wore thick glasses on his nose and looked like an old scholar.

Although Mr. Zhang may not look particularly impressive, he actually has a wealth of teaching experience. After a brief roll call, he immediately immersed himself in the intense study life of the senior year.

They reviewed the summer vacation tests, studied the material from grades 10 and 11, and did practice problems. Grade 12 is always the most tiring and demanding time, and Xia Yu was also studying diligently, preparing for the college entrance examination.

The morning passed quickly. Influenced by the surrounding atmosphere, even someone like Fatty Wu was immersed in studying until Old Zhang finally came in for the last class, which was close to noon.

"Quiet down, students. Let me tell you about something you're all most concerned about." Old Zhang glanced at the students below the podium, then leisurely took a sip of tea before slowly speaking: "The matter of special admissions and bonus points should be what you're all most concerned about. This year's policy has been released, and it remains the same as last year. The Xishu Provincial Capital will hold the University Cup U19 Pokémon Competition in six months, which is only open to senior high school students who are no older than 19."

The U19 Pokémon Tournament at the University is an officially organized competition specifically designed to select true Pokémon trainers. To ensure fairness, two restrictions are in place: participants must be currently enrolled in their final year of high school or be no older than 19. This is to prevent students who have repeated their senior year of high school from participating.

The U19 Pokémon Tournament is held on a provincial basis, and is divided into preliminary rounds (open qualifiers), main tournaments, and the national finals. The preliminary rounds are jointly organized by the Pokémon Associations and local gyms in each city. The top four players in the preliminary rounds can participate in the provincial main tournament, and the top two players in the provincial main tournament will represent Xishu Province in the national finals.

The annual U19 Pokémon Tournament is a highly anticipated event across China, not only affecting the future of many students but also boasting extremely high viewership ratings from the very beginning of the main tournament. It is loved by audiences nationwide and consistently ranks among the top three in viewership ratings every year.

The competition is especially exciting during the final eight rounds of the national finals, where talented trainers from all over the country gather together, and all sorts of Pokémon may appear, including pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Starting with the top eight in the national finals, major events such as the Gym Leader Ranking Tournament and the Elite Four Ranking Tournament will be suspended to make way for the U19 Pokémon Cup at the University.

Upon hearing this news, the students below began to whisper among themselves. This kind of competition is actually not very relevant to most people. After all, competing with so many people from the whole province and getting good rankings, extra points, or even being among the top few to be admitted to university is almost impossible for students from Xingguang City.

Under normal circumstances, Xingguang City can only produce a few students with bonus points at most.

"First, there are the preliminary rounds in each city. If you want to register for the preliminary round in Starlight City, you can do so here. Here is the registration form; you can pick one up if you want to register," Old Zhang said. "The registration requirements are very simple. The only requirement is that you must have two Pokémon that you have trained yourself and that are registered with the Pokémon Association. You are not allowed to use Pokémon provided by your parents. It is best to prepare three Pokémon, because once you enter the main tournament, all the matches will become 3v3."

Xia Yu wasn't entirely indifferent to this kind of competition, but the option of bonus points was just too tempting. His grades weren't enough to guarantee him admission to his ideal university, but with bonus points, his chances of getting in would immediately increase.

"Ding, quest triggered."

"【University Cup U19 Pokémon Tournament】"

"Mission Description: Fight on! Future Dragon-type Pokémon Master! Early fame, dashing spirit, true masters emerge at a young age and embark on the path to the strongest. So please participate in the U19 High School Cup Pokémon Tournament, and at least reach the top four in the preliminaries to enter the provincial main tournament. Strive for an even higher ranking!"

"Task requirements: Phase 1, reach the top four in the preliminary rounds and participate in the provincial main competition; Phase 2, reach the top two in the provincial main competition and participate in the national finals; Phase 3, win the national championship."

"Mission Rewards: Rewards will be given based on the final ranking (extremely generous)"

"Failure penalty: None"

Chapter 41 Preparing for the U19 College Cup

The sudden assignment left Xia Yu with no time to hesitate. Knowing the system's usual practices, the rewards for such assignments were generally quite good. He had to participate in the competition and try his best to achieve a good ranking. However, the time was still too tight; there were only six months until the competition, leaving him far too little time.

It's important to know that many people start raising Pokémon from a young age, and their initial Pokémon's battle strength may have reached the level of a lord or even a hegemon.

Xia Yu's two Pokémon, Nombat and Grovyle, are only at the Common level. Although Grovyle has the boost from the Dragon Scale item and is growing very rapidly, about to break through to the Rare level, it's still too slow. Grovyle has only just evolved and is still consolidating its strength, still some distance from breaking through to the Elite level.

After Elite level comes Lord level. In half a year, it's very difficult, if not impossible, for a Forest Lizard to reach Lord level through regular training alone. The minimum requirement for the mission is to reach the top four in the preliminary rounds, which means the top four in Starlight City. Actually, this isn't too difficult. Starlight City is ranked last among the eighteen cities in the entire Western Shu Province, and the combat strength of the younger generation is generally not strong. Last year, the average combat strength of the top four was mostly at Elite level and near-Lord level.

If Xia Yu's Forest Lizard can break through to the Elite level, it has a high chance of making it into the top four with its near-champion level potential. However, the top four in the qualifiers are not Xia Yu's ultimate goal.

He wanted to make it into the top two of the main competition, which immediately increased the difficulty. In the past five years, the top two players in Xishu Province have all had Pokémon of the Lord level, with only occasional Pokémon of the Overlord level appearing.

Even if his buzzing bat and forest lizard have extraordinary aptitudes, they still need to reach at least the lord level strength.

Lord level, you must reach that!

Xia Yu spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about the competition, and even his study efficiency dropped significantly. By the time school ended, he still hadn't come up with a good solution.

After school in the afternoon, it's time for evening self-study. However, because many students are preparing for the Trainer Exam, the management of evening self-study is quite relaxed. Students can go home to train their Pokémon or go to the gym or special training class to train their Pokémon. Only those students who don't have Pokémon attend evening self-study in the classroom.

Xia Yu used to be a member of the evening self-study group, but now he definitely wouldn't stay in the classroom to study. There were two Pokémon waiting for him at home. He packed his things and prepared to go home with Fatty Wu.

The two had just stepped out of the classroom when they ran into Zhao Ruohan, who had also just finished packing up and was about to go home. He remembered that Zhao Ruohan always attended evening self-study sessions, so why wasn't she attending today?

"Don't you attend evening self-study?" Xia Yu asked, frowning.

“Yes. I need to help my brother set up his stall.” Zhao Ruohan replied. It was the time to set up the barbecue stall in the evening, and Zhao Ruoxuan would naturally be too busy to handle it all by himself. She had to go and help, but hiring someone would be too expensive, and she couldn’t bear to do so.

Hearing Zhao Ruohan's words, Xia Yu frowned slightly and asked, "Which university do you plan to apply to, and what major do you want to study?"

"My first choice would definitely be Imperial University, either Pokémon breeding or nursing." Talking about the future allowed Zhao Ruohan to temporarily forget her family's situation, her eyes shining with longing. Her grades were excellent, similar to Xia Yu's, and she still had a chance of getting into Imperial University.

"How can you get into Beijing University if you help your brother set up his stall every day like this?" Xia Yu said bluntly. Although Zhao Ruohan's grades were very good, setting up a stall until one or two in the morning every night not only interfered with her studies, but also affected her rest and the quality of her classes the next day.

"I will try my best." Zhao Ruohan's face showed some disappointment, but more so determination. She said softly, "And thank you for yesterday."

"It's nothing." Xia Yu waved his hand. He felt that with Zhao Ruohan's grades, she had a real chance of getting into a good university. It would be a real pity if she were held back by her family. Thinking of this, Xia Yu couldn't help but ask, "How much more money do you need for your father's medical expenses?"

"No...not much money." Zhao Ruohan gritted her teeth, seemingly unwilling to speak.

"Just answer my question," Xia Yu asked, frowning and raising his voice, startling Zhao Ruohan.

"The doctor said the surgery will cost 300,000 yuan," Zhao Ruohan replied softly, burying her head in her chest, her face flushed and not daring to look up at Xia Yu.

Three hundred thousand yuan is not much for many families; they can scrape together the money by gritting their teeth. But for a family like Zhao Ruohan's, it is a huge sum of money.

"Okay, I understand." Xia Yu replied and left with Fatty Wu without saying anything else.

…………

When Xia Yu arrived home, the housekeeper had already prepared the meal.

The older brother was lying on the sofa, doing nothing. Ever since he stepped down as the Gym Leader of Cinnabar City, he had been staying at home all day, doing nothing but training Pokémon.

"Xiaoyu, you're back." Xia Yu's parents said warmly.

"Okay." Xia Yu put his bag on the sofa, greeted his parents, and then went to check on the two little guys, the buzzing bat and the forest lizard. Well, the forest lizard was already a big one. After feeding them some energy cubes, he went back to the table to eat.

"Dad, Mom," Xia Yu said, "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What's the matter?" Xia Yong was in high spirits lately, his mood was quite good. The construction and development of the secret realm was progressing smoothly, and it was expected to be completed and put into use in two months, at which time it would be a steady stream of income. Just look at the Flame Secret Realm, the Xia family has a 20% share, and the annual income is absolutely unimaginable.

"I want to sign up for this year's U19 College Pokémon Tournament."

"Participate! It's a good thing. Consider it as gaining experience for future ranking matches against the club owners." Xia Yong supported it without hesitation.

Xia Yu continued, "Dad, I want to make it into the top four in the qualifiers, or even the top two in the main tournament."

Xia Yong's smile froze when he heard his youngest son's words. He paused for a moment, then said, "Good ambition! Your father supports you."

Despite saying this, Xia Yong didn't believe his youngest son could make it into the top two of the main tournament. After all, the U19 Pokémon Tournament at the University Cup had been held for nearly 30 years, and only one player from Starlight City had ever made it into the top two of the main tournament, and that was twenty years ago.

In twenty years, Xingguang City has not produced a single player who has made it into the top two of the main competition. If this were not his own son, Xia Yong would definitely slap him across the face for what kind of bullshit toad-like daydreams he's been having all day.

Lin Xuemei, standing to the side, rolled her eyes at Xia Yong, then turned to Xia Yu and said, "Mom supports you. Young people should have ambition. Don't be like your dad, who always comes in last place in dojo competitions. He still has the nerve to do that."

"I'm at a disadvantage because of my type. If I were a Dragon-type Gym Leader, you can see where I would rank."

"Mom and Dad, I've really thought about it seriously." Xia Yu quickly interrupted his parents, bringing the topic back to the main point, and said solemnly, "I'm not joking. I've checked the data, and to get into the top two in Xishu Province, you need at least all your Pokémon to be at the Lord level, and some even need to be at the Overlord level."

"I currently have two Pokémon, Nombat, which is at the Normal level, and Grovyle, which is at the Rare level. If I continue training them like this, there's absolutely no chance I'll raise them to the Lord level. There's also no hope of getting into the top two. So I want to participate in special training or go away for half a year of training to raise my Pokémon to the Lord level."

"No!" Lin Xuemei directly rejected her youngest son's suggestion: "You absolutely cannot go out to cultivate alone, it's too dangerous."

Xia Yong also refused outright: "Going out to cultivate is absolutely out of the question. There are many people eyeing our shares in the secret realm, and you absolutely cannot go out to cultivate alone."

Chapter 42 Brothers' Heart-to-Heart Talk

Xia Yong frowned as he looked at Xia Yu. Making it through the High School Cup preliminaries wasn't difficult, especially in a small city like Starlight City, where it was actually much easier than in Sky City. Many students even transferred from big cities to smaller ones specifically to qualify for the main tournament. It wasn't until recent years, when the Pokémon Association issued new regulations restricting participating students to their place of residence, that this trend was curbed.

Making it to the top four in the qualifiers is relatively easy; the key is to get into the top two in the provincial main competition, which is extremely difficult.

"If you're really determined, we'll definitely support you wholeheartedly." This time, Xia Yong said in a very serious tone, "First of all, after making it into the main tournament, you'll need three Pokémon. You only have two. Your Nombat is a Flying/Dragon-type Pokémon, which is weak to Ice, Dragon, Fairy, and Rock. Your Grass-type Grovyle is weak to Flying, Bug, Poison, Fire, and Ice. Both of your Pokémon are weak to Ice, and at the same time, Nombat's Dragon and Flying-type coverage and Grovyle's coverage are resisted by Steel-type."

"It's difficult to deal with Steel and Ice type Pokémon, so the choice of the third Pokémon is especially important. You must choose a Pokémon that is super effective against these two types. Fire and Fighting types are super effective against both Ice and Steel types."

Xia Yong analyzed seriously that Xia Yu's two Pokémon were indeed helpless against Steel-type Pokémon and were also weak to Ice-type Pokémon. If they encountered an Alolan Sandslash with the Ice/Steel type and Snowslash ability in a Snow Team, they would really have no way to deal with it, and Xia Yu's team would probably be completely overwhelmed.