Pokémon: Master System.

Xia Yu hesitated, realizing that the third Pokémon was indeed a major weakness. However, he also had mission restrictions. Ideally, the third Pokémon he caught should be a Dragon-type. If he couldn't find a Dragon-type Pokémon with Champion-level potential, Xia Yu would have to make a choice, inevitably having to abandon one of his two missions. He could either catch a Pokémon of another type to participate in the main tournament, or give up the competition and continue waiting for a Dragon-type Pokémon with Champion-level potential.

Of course, the ideal method is to catch a Fire/Dragon type Pokémon. Charizard is undoubtedly the most suitable in this regard, as it has the Fire type which is super effective against Ice and Steel types, and its Mega Evolution will give it the Dragon type, so it will not affect Xia Yu's mission.

Of course, BlastTurtlemon and Reshiram, which are born with both fire and dragon attributes, are also suitable.

Besides Fire and Dragon types, Fighting and Dragon types are also a good choice, but it seems that only the pseudo-legendary Kommo-o is a Fighting/Dragon type, which is too difficult to obtain, so we will not consider it for the time being.

After much deliberation, it seemed that Xia Yu only had two options: Blazemon or Charizard.

"If you really want to participate, you absolutely must hurry up and hatch your third Pokémon as soon as possible, otherwise you won't have enough time for the six-month intensive training," Xia Yong instructed. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to Xia Luo beside him and said, "Xiao Luo, don't you have another selection spot? You can use this spot to look after your younger brother. Pick a Torchic, Chimchar, or Tepig with good potential. All three of these Pokémon have Fire/Fighting dual-type final evolutions, which are perfect for Xiao Yu."

"Why go through all that trouble?" Charlotte said nonchalantly. "We went to the Flame Realm last time, but we didn't find any suitable Pokémon of these three types. In my opinion, since we picked two Fire-type Pokémon this time, we can just give the Charmander egg to Xiaoyu to choose. Anyway, it hasn't hatched yet and it's not registered with the Pokémon Association."

Ok?

When Xia Yu heard his older brother's words, his heart stirred, and he immediately thought of that shiny little fire dragon!

A top-quality little fire dragon.

However, Xia Yu quickly dismissed this idea. He couldn't bring himself to take advantage of his older brother, especially since his brother had recently suffered such a blow and needed to replenish his Pokémon with powerful ones.

Moreover, when his older brother sees the Charmander's performance and posture later, even if he doesn't say anything, it might sow the seeds of conflict between the two brothers, making them think that Xia Yu took advantage of him. Xia Yu really cherishes the feelings between family members, so he directly rejected his older brother's suggestion: "No need, brother, you can leave the last spot to me. I'll choose my Pokémon myself. Those two Pokémon eggs are specially chosen for you."

"Hey, Xiaoyu." Xia Luo called out to Xia Yu, "I remember you took a liking to that Charmander Pokémon egg at first sight and insisted that I choose it. Why don't you want it?"

Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her older brother. "You have no idea how hard I struggled with my mind to reject you," she said irritably. "I was afraid you'd regret it later."

"Is it as mysterious as you make it out to be?" Charlotte said skeptically, "In my opinion, it would be good enough to have near-Heavenly King level aptitude."

"Near-King level, who do you think you are, bro?"

"What if I told you that the little Charmander's Pokémon egg has Champion-level potential?" Xia Yu asked his older brother seriously, his face showing no sign of joking.

"You can really tell?" Charlotte was already mostly convinced; his younger brother was quite talented at assessing Pokémon aptitude.

Xia Yu hesitated slightly, but still chose to conceal his talent. The system was his biggest secret. He would use the system's abilities to help his family, but he would not tell them about his own abilities: "I can't tell, but I can guess roughly. First of all, the Pokémon eggs in the treasure room are all of good quality, and their parents are both powerful Pokémon. Secondly, the eggshell of that Pokémon egg is yellowish and shinier than a normal Charmander egg. Many people would just assume that the fire-type energy is sufficient, but I think that the Pokémon egg should contain a shiny Charmander, which is why it looks like this."

After Xia Yu said this, Xia Luo, Xia Yong, and Lin Xuemei all looked at Xia Yu in surprise. Xia Yong asked in particular, "Are you sure? You can see the flash from the eggshell?"

“Nothing in this world is 100% certain, but it’s pretty close. A shiny Charmander must have good potential; I think it’s highly likely to be at the Elite Four level, which is why I had you choose that Pokémon egg,” Xia Yu said.

“If that’s the case, Xiaoyu, then this elf egg should definitely be given to you.” After a moment of contemplation, Charlotte’s eyes flashed with determination and expectation for Xia Yu.

"elder brother……"

"Don't be so quick to refuse." Xia Luo interrupted Xia Yu, looked into Xia Yu's eyes, and said seriously, "The U19 Pokémon League is the most important competition. A person can only participate once in their lifetime. If you can win the top two positions in Xishu Province, it will be of great benefit to your future development and also to the Xia family."

"But, brother..."

"Xiaoyu, listen to me. Your brother has already stepped down from the position of Gym Leader. If I want to become Gym Leader again, I'll have to wait until the next Gym Leader Ranking Tournament, which is three years from now. Three years is a long time. I have plenty of time to prepare slowly, so there's no need to rush. But it's different for you. There are only six months until the High School Cup starts. A Champion-level Charmander can be a great help to you. If you train it properly, you can definitely train your Charmander to the level of a Lord before the High School Cup starts."

"Furthermore, I've been observing your Grovyle these past few days. It's huge and has exceptional potential, at least a near-Elite Four or even an Elite Four level Pokémon. Grovyle, along with that Charmander, will give you a better chance of making it into the top two of the main tournament."

"So Xiaoyu, that elf egg is for you."

A resolute look appeared in Charlotte's eyes; he was willing to make sacrifices for his brother's future.

"Brother." Xia Yu was moved. The more Xia Luo treated him so selflessly, the more unworthy he felt. "What if that little fire dragon's aptitude was even better than the Heavenly King level, reaching the Quasi-Champion level or Champion level?"

"How could that be? You have no idea how rare a Pokémon with near-champion potential is. If it really has that much potential, that would be even better." Charlotte's face lit up with a bright smile. "That way, my little brother can become our family's first Elite Four level trainer. Little brother, don't worry, don't worry that I'll regret it. No matter how good that Charmander's potential is, I'll only be happy for you. Remember, I'm your brother, and I'll always be proud of you. Right, Mom, Dad?"

Xia Yong kept a straight face, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "You brat, you've finally learned something."

Lin Xuemei's eyes reddened slightly: "Xiao Luo is right, Xiao Yu, you will always be my pride."

Chapter 43 The Lin Family Past

The conversation among Xia Yu's family continued late into the night.

Charlotte resolutely gave the shiny Charmander egg to Xia Yu because the High School Cup six months later was crucial for Xia Yu, and as a family member, he naturally gave his full support unconditionally.

After all this time, the little Charmander egg that Xia Yu had been longing for finally returned to Xia Yu's hands. But at this moment, he was determined to make it up to his brother. Then he thought of the S-rank item Thunder Stone, took it out and solemnly handed it to Xia Luo: "Brother, you must accept this Thunder Stone, otherwise I will never accept that egg."

"Okay." Seeing Xia Yu's firm attitude, Xia Luo did not hesitate this time and nodded in agreement.

"The three Pokémon have been decided. Xia Yu, you must improve your strength as much as possible in the next six months. You need to ask for leave from school tomorrow to prepare for the competition. Let me make it clear that you definitely can't train alone for the next six months. I'll try to find a training class or a secret realm for you to participate in intensive training." Xia Yong said, lighting a cigarette and smoking it, thinking about the training class: "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

Training programs in small cities like Xingguang City have limited resources; you'd need to go to Tiandu City at least. Every year around this time, many special training programs for college students emerge, some of which are genuinely good, while others are just scams disguised as training programs.

"I want to go to the Dragon-type Secret Realm for special training," Xia Yu said. With his three Dragon-type Pokémon, going for Dragon-type Pokémon special training was undoubtedly the best choice.

There are only two Dragon-type training grounds in China, one located in the capital and the other in Chang'an. Training at both grounds is exorbitantly expensive, practically priceless, and places are extremely limited. For example, training camps for the High School Cup typically only have thirty spots per ground per year, with registration fees reaching millions. Crucially, the grounds also verify the applicants' Pokémon aptitude; otherwise, accepting subpar Pokémon would only tarnish the grounds' reputation.

Upon hearing Xia Yu's reply, Xia Yong silently took a deep drag on his cigarette, secretly glanced at his wife Lin Xuemei, and slowly said, "Xia Yu, go to sleep first. Your mother and I will discuss it and tell you tomorrow. Remember to ask for leave from school tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad."

"Charlotte, you should go and rest too. You're getting married soon, so be more sensible and give me less to worry about."

"Got it, Dad."

After their two sons entered the room, the couple fell silent. A full ten minutes passed before Xia Yong finally spoke: "Xuemei..."

"Old Xia, no need to say anything, I know." Lin Xuemei sat in the chair, her expression complicated. "Let Xia Yu go to the capital. I'll make a phone call to my dad."

"Xuemei, how about we spend some money to send Xia Yu to the secret realm in Chang'an City?" Xia Yong hugged Lin Xuemei tightly, feeling extremely sorry for her. "We won't go to the secret realm in the capital. I'm too lazy to call your dad and suffer this injustice."

"It's alright, so many years have passed." Lin Xuemei leaned against Xia Yong's chest and said softly, "I stopped hating them a long time ago. The last time I saw him, he had aged a lot. A few years later, he's over seventy now."

When Lin Xuemei was twenty-five years old, she had just graduated from Xishu University with a combined bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree. After graduation, she met Xia Yong, a poor young man at the time. As soon as they met, Xia Yong fell in love with Lin Xuemei, a rich young lady from a big city, and then began to pursue her relentlessly.

As the saying goes, even a strong woman can be swayed by a persistent suitor. Lin Xuemei, a lady from a respectable family, was no match for such a man. In addition, Xia Yong was handsome and talented in his youth, with the looks of a star. Lin Xuemei quickly fell in love with Xia Yong and they reached the point of discussing marriage.

However, Lin Xuemei's father always looked down on Xia Yong, who had little education and no family background, so he firmly disagreed with their marriage. But Lin Xuemei was stubborn and couldn't change her mind once she made up her mind, otherwise she wouldn't have dated a poor boy like Xia Yong.

After Lin Xuemei and her father had a big fight, her father was so angry that he said, "If you marry Xia Yong, don't ever come back."

Lin Xuemei was also a tough nut to crack, with a stubborn temper. She ran away from home and married Xia Yong in Starlight City, where they had a child. Later, Xia Yong became a gym leader, and Lin Xuemei became a doctor at the Pokémon Hospital.

Lin Xuemei never saw her parents again after that. Even after her two sons were born, she never went back to her parents' home, and her parents never came to see her. Her mother secretly sent her some money.

This situation continued until a few years ago when Lin Xuemei received a call from her eldest brother saying that their mother was unwell. Only then did she rush to the capital with her two sons to visit her, and the family's relationship improved somewhat.

From then on, every year during the Spring Festival, Lin Xuemei would have her two sons stay with their parents for a while, and occasionally she would bring her mother to Xishu Province for a trip. However, she and her father remained stubborn as ever, never speaking to each other again, and neither of them was willing to back down first.

So when Xia Yong heard that his wife, Lin Xuemei, was willing to take the initiative to contact her father for the sake of their youngest son, he felt somewhat moved.

"Xuemei, when you call your dad later, tell him that I'm willing to give up 10% of the shares in the Grass Insect Secret Realm." Xia Yong thought for a moment and said decisively, "I can't let my future father-in-law look down on you."

“Old Xia, you really don’t need to…” Lin Xuemei was deeply moved by Xia Yong’s words.

Xia Yong said with a smile, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This 10% share isn't for your dad, it's for Xiaoyu. I've already thought it through. Anyway, when we die, all these things will go to Xiaoyu and Xiaoluo. The 20% share of the Grass Insect Secret Realm will go to the two brothers, 10% each. Xia Luo is impulsive, and he's about to marry Xiaoyu, so it's time for him to settle down. In the future, besides the Grass Insect Secret Realm, he'll inherit our family property in Starlight City."

“Although Xiaoyu is young, he has a steady personality and listens to us the most. Didn’t I keep talking to you about the marriage alliance a while ago? Find a good girl for Xiaoyu. Since we’re going to the capital this time, I’d like your father to help Xiaoyu find a wife from the capital. This 10% share of the secret realm will be Xiaoyu’s betrothal gift. As soon as the marriage happens, we will immediately transfer this 10% share to Xiaoyu and his future wife.” Xia Yong said, “With this 10% share, plus it’s his own grandson’s marriage, given your father’s controlling nature, I don’t believe he won’t put in the effort.”

"Old Xia, after all this time, you're plotting against your father-in-law, aren't you?" Lin Xuemei said, feigning anger.

"Wife, I'm just helping you vent your anger." Xia Yong sighed as he thought of this. "Xuemei, I actually understood your father a long time ago. If I had a daughter as beautiful as you, and one day she suddenly said she wanted to marry a poor boy, I would break that boy's legs right away. And look at me now, what's the difference between me and your father? Your father is arranging a marriage for you, I'm arranging one for Xiaoyu."

"How dare you say that?" Lin Xuemei poked Xia Yong's forehead. "Now you know how much I sacrificed to marry you. Just try not to make me angry in the future."

"I know, that's why I say the luckiest thing in my life is marrying such a good wife like you."

…………

Chapter 44 The Long-Awaited Phone Call

Eight o'clock at night, the Lin family in the capital.

Qin Quanyun, who is over seventy years old, is wearing reading glasses and reading the latest scientific journals. This is a habit she has developed over the decades. As a well-known Pokémon PhD from Tsinghua University, she reads the latest Pokémon scientific journals or Pokémon research journals for a period of time every night before going to bed.

"Ding ding."

The phone suddenly rang, interrupting Old Mrs. Qin. She picked up the phone, saw her youngest daughter's name on the caller ID, glanced at Old Mr. Lin beside her, walked into the empty room, and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, is this Xue Mei?"

"Mom!" Hearing Old Mrs. Qin's voice on the other end of the phone, Lin Xuemei, who was over fifty years old, couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat: "Are you feeling any better lately?"

"Yes. Much better, I'm eating well and sleeping well." Hearing her daughter's voice, Grandma Qin smiled and chatted with her, "Xuemei, how have you been lately?"

"I'm doing well, Mom." Lin Xuemei calmed herself down a little and chatted softly with her mother, whom she hadn't seen for a long time: "Mom, you need to take care of your health and get more rest. You've already retired, so don't think about so many things and enjoy your retirement."

"Yes, you know, Mom can't sit still." Old Mrs. Qin patted the head of the old man next to her with one hand while chatting with her daughter with a smile.

"..."

The two chatted about embarrassing things that happened to Lin Xuemei when she was a child, and then about the two brothers, Xia Luo. They talked for more than ten minutes without stopping. The mother and daughter, who had not spoken for a long time, seemed to have endless topics to talk about.

Grandma Qin glanced at Grandpa Lin, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, she lowered her voice and whispered, "Xuemei, when you have time, you should call your dad and persuade him to quit drinking. The doctor said that drinking is bad for his health. You and your father are both stubborn. When you have time, take Xiaoluo and Xiaoyu home. Your dad is already over seventy years old, and he'll be almost eighty in a few years. He's really getting old."

"Mom." Qin's words brought tears to Lin Xuemei's eyes. At this moment, Lin Xuemei truly no longer hated Lin Lao. After so many years as a mother, she had come to understand her father's thoughts back then; otherwise, she wouldn't have allowed her two children to visit them every year.

However, both she and Old Lin were stubborn and neither was willing to admit their mistakes first, so their relationship remained strained until now. But Old Lin was really getting old, almost eighty years old, and the once tall father was gradually becoming hunched over. It was pointless for her to continue arguing with him like this.

"Mom, I understand. I called to let you know that I'm bringing Xiaoyu to the capital in a few days," Lin Xuemei said softly.

"You're serious, you can't just be trying to make me happy." When Grandma Qin heard that her youngest daughter was going back to the capital, the wrinkles on her face creased into a smile, and she even touched the old man's dragon hand a little harder.

Seemingly sensing its owner's joy, the old man rubbed affectionately against Old Lady Qin's hand.

“Really, I’m not lying to you. Mom, put the phone on speakerphone, I need to talk to Dad for a bit,” Lin Xuemei said.

"Xuemei... your dad is just stubborn, you..."