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

The strong leg muscles were bulging with veins, and the ice beneath his feet was cracked by the powerful force of the dragon-headed groundhog's burst of power.

The next instant, he suddenly sprang up, the steel drill on his head shining brightly with silver light, and his whole body half-leaped and half-flew as he rushed straight toward Gardevoir's location.

The sharp claws underfoot drew clean and crisp "Z" shapes on the ice.

With unstoppable momentum, the newly arrived Dragon Head Mole has already revealed its sharp fangs and, with its iron head, officially sounded the horn of counterattack!

…………

Excadrill, which is naturally narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, was now like a powerful homing missile, bombarding Gardevoir's location.

At this moment, the effect of maintaining distance becomes apparent.

With a flash of strange energy, Gardevoir's body instantly disappeared from Excadrill's sight.

A locator missile is not a tracking missile. Even if Gardevoir knew that it might have teleported behind it, Excadrill couldn't defy physics and turn around on the spot.

boom--

A tremendous sound echoed through the sandstorm; it was the noise of a runaway gopher crashing its head into the ice.

Another opportunity.

Although the sandstorm obscured his vision, it could not block his mental probing.

Xia Chen immediately noticed that due to the enormous impact of the iron head, half of the dragon-headed groundhog's body had sunk into the ice.

To be precise, the head is inside and the lower body is outside.

Undoubtedly, the stuck gopher needs help.

Xia Chen, who enjoys helping others, immediately felt it was the right time to lend a hand: "Gardedoll, Magical Flame!"

Gardevoir hid in a spot not far away; in fact, she used a clever trick to teleport to the place where Excadrill had launched its attack.

At such a short distance, with almost no movement required, a flame shot out from Gardevoir's chest, roaring as it attacked Excadrill's exposed lower body.

Unlike Xia Chen, Jiang Pei doesn't have the ability to see through the sandstorm.

Only after Xia Chen gave the order did he vaguely guess what had happened, and resolutely commanded, "Dragon Head Groundhog, dig a hole!"

Since you're stuck too deep to get out, why not use the best way for Ground-type Pokémon to dodge?

Xia Chen smiled slightly. Would he let you escape so easily?

At this moment, the foreshadowing that Milotic had laid with the Frozen Beam was finally brought to fruition.

The dragon-headed ground squirrel is good at digging, but that doesn't mean it's good at shaving ice.

The essence of the Dig move is to loosen the earth using the Ground-type energy within the Pokémon's body, making it easier for the Pokémon to dig.

Thus, the thick ice that had frozen on the ground became an obstacle on the dragon-headed gopher's escape route.

Gardevoir's magical flames relentlessly scorched the latter half of his body, while Excadrill could only grit his teeth and endure the pain brought by the flames, desperately swinging his steel claws to break the ice.

However, no matter how hard the ice is, it is still not as hard as the claws of the dragon-headed ground squirrel.

Finally, after devouring the entire magical flame, the Dragon Head Groundhog burrowed into the ground, gaining a brief respite.

…………

Jiang Pei frowned. He had considered that Gardevoir's first Iron Head attack might be dodged by Excadrill's Teleport. After all, he had an Alakazam and knew that this was the most annoying thing about Psychic-type Pokémon in battle.

But he never expected that getting stuck in the ice would cause him such a huge loss.

He originally intended for the dragon-headed groundhog to launch a surprise attack...

Now things are in trouble. Not only is he being burned extremely painfully by a magical flame that is twice as effective against him, but he has also been forced to burrow underground. The ground above his head is completely covered by a layer of ice that is difficult to break through.

Looking at Gardevoir standing silently in the sandstorm, Jiang Pei pressed his temples to suppress his agitation.

He knew that Excadrill couldn't hide underground for too long. Although the enemy was no longer within range, Gardevoir wouldn't be idle.

All she had to do was meditate and wait for the dragon-headed mole, or even Jiang Pei's own, to be trapped in a dead end.

"Gardevoir, meditate!"

As expected, the unhurried command came from the other side of the field, making Jiang Pei feel even more depressed.

Sure enough, Xia Chen wouldn't let go of such an opportunity that was practically free...

Helpless, he could only reply, "Dragon Head Mole, come out and reorganize the attack!"

Excadrill had barely burrowed into the ground and hadn't even warmed up when it heard the trainer's command.

Although his mind was still a little dizzy from the magical flames, he understood how dangerous it was to leave Gardevoir outside, so he had no choice but to return the way he came.

Fortunately, the pit wasn't too deep or too far, and the dragon-headed ground squirrel quickly resurfaced along the newly dug tunnel.

Just as her eyes regained their sight, she was shocked to discover that... what was reflected in her pupils was not Gardevoir, who was meditating, but a familiar purplish-red flame.

Before its body temperature could drop, the magical flames roared and engulfed the dragon-headed groundhog once more.

The problem was the buttocks before, now it's the head...

The dragon-headed groundhog, which had been roasted from head to toe, was now using its almost cooked brain to think about a problem.

We agreed to meditate!

How did it turn into magical flames as soon as it appeared...?

…………

Jiang Pei felt even more helpless as he listened to the miserable cries of his ace Pokémon on the battlefield.

Surprised?

It wasn't really unexpected. The area was covered in solid ice, making it even more difficult to get out from other places. Gardevoir was just too easy to ambush.

On the contrary, Jiang Pei felt a sense of relief.

On the bright side, although Excadrill ate another magical flame, doesn't that also prove that Gardevoir wasn't meditating?

Seeing that the visibility had improved significantly during the sandstorm, Jiang Pei knew that time was running out for the Dragon Head Mole.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Pei calmed his increasingly agitated mind and commanded, "Dragon Head Groundhog, Metal Claw!"

He dared not use desperate moves like Tie Tou again, otherwise he might end up getting burned again.

In fact, with the added power of the sword dance, the metal claws were already quite strong.

Moreover, the metal claw, a less powerful but more agile technique, was actually a choice for Xia Chen.

You don't need to teleport to dodge; it's very difficult to avoid the Dragon Head Ground Mole in its Sand Splash state.

However, once Jiang Pei uses teleportation to dodge, he will definitely seize the opportunity and let Dragon Head Groundhog use Iron Head to launch a counterattack.

If Gardevoir is hit by Iron Head once, it will be absolutely unable to withstand Excadrill's second move!

Xia Chen's response was, "Gardedoll, continue with Magical Flame!"

Jiang Pei raised an eyebrow. Was Xia Chen going to fight him head-on?

Thinking about it, it's not impossible. After all, Excadrill has already taken two magical flames. From his perspective, Gardevoir has a better chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

Having dealt with the core attacker Excadrill, a weather setter Hippowdon with low stamina, and Alakazam, which Xia Chen's team isn't afraid of, there's nothing to worry about.

But is Gardevoir really that confident that it will definitely beat Excadrill?

Jiang Pei smiled confidently.

Sending the delicate Gardevoir and Excadrill to fight head-on is underestimating my ace Pokémon.

Amidst strategic maneuvering and battle on the battlefield, amidst a sandstorm, the Dragon Head Groundhog once again charges fearlessly.

The impending magical flames did not deter him.

I, the little mouse, not only have a body of steel, but also an ambition as strong as steel!

…………

Silver light shone brightly from its dagger-like claws. Under the influence of the sandstorm, Excadrill had already rushed in front of Gardevoir in the blink of an eye.

With a flash of cold light, the sharp blade was drawn, and Excadrill's drill-like claws left a deep bloody gash on Gardevoir's body.

At the same time, the magical flames arrived as expected and engulfed his body.

Perhaps it was because he had been roasted twice and inexplicably developed some kind of resistance, or perhaps it was because his claws finally hit his opponent, causing his adrenaline to surge.

At this moment, although the Dragon Head Mole's body was in excruciating pain, his brain was sending out mostly excited signals.

"Continue, metal claws!"

Jiang Pei, who was keeping a close eye on the situation on the field, clenched his fists, his excitement barely contained, and commanded the Dragon Head Mole to press on.

As soon as its left claw landed, Excadrill's right claw, imbued with Steel-type energy, flew over its head and swung towards Gardevoir in front of it, about to unleash a frenzied, metal-claw-style attack.

At the critical moment, a strange psychic power flashed again, and Gardevoir disappeared from Excadrill's sight for the second time.

The sound of steel claws slicing through the air reached their ears, but the dragon-headed ground squirrel wasn't particularly surprised.

This guy used the same trick again, flashing behind me.

You think you can hit me twice with the same trick?

With a sneer in his heart, the dragon-headed groundhog reacted with lightning speed, turning around on the spot and then swinging its steel claws to slash backward.

Gardevoir, I've found you!

However... the expected sensation of the steel claws making contact with the body did not occur.

Excadrill was astonished to find that Gardevoir was not hiding behind it as it had imagined, preparing to launch a sneak attack.

Where is she?

The dragon-headed ground squirrel was bewildered.

"Dragon-headed groundhog, turn around and look into the distance!"

Jiang Pei's voice reached his ears, and the dragon-headed ground rat looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a graceful and tall figure standing about thirty meters away from him, near the edge of the battlefield.

It's Gardevoir!

…………

What is Gardevoir doing teleporting there?

The dragon-headed groundhog was puzzled, but Jiang Pei understood the purpose of doing so.