Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

[Donghuang Bank: 53957.4 yuan has been deposited into your bank card, and your current balance is 1257402.4 yuan.]

Looking at these two strings of numbers that filled him with comfort and a sense of security, Xia Chen gave a dry smile.

Just as he was basking in simple, unpretentious joy, another text message from the bank jolted him awake.

[Donghuang Bank: Your statement for last month has been released. Income: 1314514 yuan, Expenses: 254256.3 yuan.]

Xia Chen's smile froze.

Did I spend that much money last month?

Thinking back carefully, those two training devices cost over ten thousand yuan, and the fish tank I bought for Uglyfish cost tens of thousands more.

Add to that the daily necessities like food, clothing, and supplies, and the items for raising Pokémon. It seems pretty much the same, doesn't it?

Xia Chen's face instantly fell. Sure enough, a salary could only quench thirst; to truly get rich, one had to do what they did with the 1.3 million—extort a powerful, ruthless tycoon.

Stop, stop! That idea is too dangerous. We might end up meeting Officer Jenny.

He didn't want to end up in jail with Eevee and Feebas.

Well, at least I still have enough savings for now, so raising an Eevee and a Feebas shouldn't be a problem.

…………

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Xia Chen opened Mingyi's chat window and transferred 10,800 yuan to her, with the note: "Salary".

Judging from the "[typing in progress]" message at the top, it seems that Mingyi is also using her phone.

After deleting and typing for a long time, all that was sent in the end was a "Snivy puzzled.jpg".

Xia Chen: Didn't we agree before that I would give you 20% every month?

Twenty percent isn't much; Xia Chen originally wanted a 30/70 split.

Of course, 70% is his own.

This includes not only the part where Mingyi acts as her photographer and straight man, but also the part where Tengteng Snake makes an appearance, which can be considered Tengteng Snake's performance fee.

However, after much refusal, Mingyi only agreed to pay 20%.

Without the strong support of Mingyi and Snivy in the early stages, it would have been impossible for me, a lone commander without even a Pokémon, to succeed.

Even though Eevee and Feebas are now on my cast list, I can't just abandon them after I've served my purpose, can I?

Mingyi: So you mean you made 40,000 yuan last month?! That much?! Ah Chen, you're going to be rich!

Xia Chen shook his head and chuckled. It's just ten thousand, and the kid is already overjoyed.

Xia Chen: Idiot, it's over 50,000. (Ibu replies disdainfully)

Mingyi: In short, it's really amazing! I'll accept it then. Boss, you're so generous!

Xia Chen: No problem. Don't forget me when you become the Donghuang champion!

Mingyi: Don't worry, once I become the champion, I definitely won't treat you unfairly. (Snivy's pride)

Xia Chen smiled knowingly and put away his phone.

Although it was a little embarrassing to say it out loud, when Xia Chen typed that sentence, he really had the idea of ​​clinging to his childhood sweetheart.

He was more confident about Mingyi's future than Mingyi herself was.

He even felt that, as one of the protagonists of the Black and White Generation, he might be wearing an invisible protagonist's halo.

To explain why Xia Chen is so superstitious...

Please, I've already traveled to the world of elves, what is there that I can't believe?

If this world were an Elven story, then those without superpowers could simply be supporting characters in an Elven narrative.

…………

On September 20th, the weather was fine and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

Although the leaves in the park haven't turned yellow yet, the slightly bleak north wind brings the message of autumn to Zhijiang.

The atmosphere in the Battle Park today was so intense that no one felt the slightest bit cool.

Today is the first day of the highly anticipated Bogaman Cup qualifying rounds.

Although the Piplup Cup is a so-called "baby cup," it is precisely because of this that it is more popular than many elite trainer competitions in some respects.

In elite-level matches, and above that, if you're talking about tactics and the level of excitement, it's nowhere near as good as the top-tier matches.

Most importantly, trainers at this stage give keyboard warriors the illusion that they are not much stronger than me.

Compared to other competitions, the Baby Cup is much more accessible. Kids in shorts can sign up with their own caterpillars, and the audience enjoys watching it. It can be considered a competition for everyone.

Therefore, elite-level competitions are a typical type of event that is neither high nor low, and the overall prestige of the competition is stuck at that level.

However, the popularity of the competition also has a downside: the number of participants is outrageously high.

Xia Chen and Ming Yi practically squeezed their way into the entrance of the battle park.

In this situation, even if Eevee is unwilling, it has no choice but to stay obediently in the Poké Ball.

Mingyi's zone is in Zone A, which is on the outermost edge of the park.

After agreeing to meet at the Pokémon Center after their battle, Xia Chen squeezed into his own E zone alone.

Xia Chen arrived at the appointed time precisely; he didn't have much time to watch matches between rookies who might not even make it out of the qualifying rounds.

As he took his place in the players' rest area, the screen beside the arena showed that it was now time for player number 55 and player number 56 to battle.

The timing was perfect; I estimate that in about ten minutes, it will be my turn to battle Ibrahimovic.

…………

There were far fewer people in the contestant area. Xia Chen released his Eevee, which had been trapped in its Poké Ball for about ten minutes, and sat on the bench to watch the battles while waiting for his own match.

The two players on the field looked to be around the same age as Xia Chen, and they were using common Pokémon like Oddish and Pichu.

Xia Chen lost interest after watching for a couple of seconds; the phrase "a bunch of noobs pecking at each other" perfectly summed up this boring match.

He looked away, preparing to examine his competitors, but instead spotted a very familiar face.

Red training uniform, red hat

This outfit did indeed evoke some memories for Xia Chen, but with so many people in Zhijiang, there are definitely quite a few trainers who like red outfits.

But looking at the mosquito coil at the boy's feet, Xia Chen fell into deep thought.

Is this supporting character bumping into the main character again?

Chapter 48 VS. Crimson!

A red training suit, a red hat, and a starter Pokémon—these key pieces of information combined to form a name that almost slipped out of Xia Chen's mouth.

crimson!

That man, hailed as a warrior, and called Red by Pokémon fans from his previous life.

Xia Chen didn't know if the world was really just a series of coincidences, so he didn't rush up to say hello.

Firstly, it's uncertain; with just these three conditions, it's really impossible to completely confirm the identity.

Secondly, even if it really is crimson, so what? Am I supposed to go up and take a picture with it?

But if it is truly crimson, will turquoise, azure, and evergreen lilac also appear?

Furthermore, do other Ash characters, similar in appearance to Red but appearing in different works, exist?

As Xia Chen was deep in thought, he didn't notice that Eevee's eyes lit up when it saw a certain Pokémon, and then it quietly crept over to it.

…………

"Contestants number 61 and 62, please come up! Contestants number 63 and 64, please get ready!"

The emotionless, mechanical electronic voice startled Xia Chen from his reverie; his number was indeed 63.

He stood up from his chair, preparing to go backstage at the arena, while calling to his teammates beside him, "Ibrahimovic, we're ready to go on stage."

However, there was no response.

Xia Chen was taken aback, then looked around, but couldn't see any trace of Ibu.

Huh? Where's my Eevee?

Where did my huge Eevee go?

"Eevee~" Eevee's voice came from afar. Xia Chen looked in the direction and saw Eevee chatting with a Politoed.

Looking further up, you can see that the trainer of Poliwag is none other than the boy who looks like Crimson.

Where did Ibrahimovic go?

Xia Chen stared blankly as the boy waved to him from afar, then Ibu huffed and puffed as it scurried back to its feet.

Xia Chen had a lot to complain about, but he didn't know where to begin.

Seeing Xia Chen standing there in a daze, Ibrahimovic looked up in confusion, "Ibrahimovic? (The match is about to start, what are you still standing here for?)"

Xia Chen slowly typed a question mark: You inexplicably went to chat up other people and then accused them first, right?

"Fine, I'll teach you a lesson after I'm done. Let's go to the preparation area."

…………

Strictly speaking, this was Xia Chen's first official match against Ibrahimovic.

But what he didn't expect was that his opponent in his first official match would be Red, the undisputed number one Pokémon battler from his previous life.

Xia Chen looked at the boy smiling at him in the waiting area on the other side of the field, feeling a little confused.

That's incredible luck!

However, saying it's crimson isn't quite right. Strictly speaking, it is crimson (youth version).

As a typical protagonist who grows through experience, Crimson suffered quite a bit of beatings when he first started out, but gradually became more and more outrageous during his later journey.

It's fair to say that the early Red and the Red standing atop Mt. Silver cannot be considered the same trainer.

Therefore, Xia Chen wasn't too worried; on the contrary, he felt a little excited.

Pulling himself back to reality, Xia Chen took a deep breath and said to himself, "Ibu, give it your all!"