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

This was quite blunt, and the live stream chat was flooded with comments like "Xia Chen, you really deserve to die!" and "So you're the most affectionate person in Zhejiang, huh?"

However, the main topic today is the competition, so a little gossip and banter is fine, but going any further would be putting the cart before the horse.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, the host smiled slightly and subtly changed the subject, keeping his accomplishment hidden.

"So, what are your thoughts on the match later? What do you think are the chances of Xia Chen defeating his strong opponent and advancing to the finals?"

Ma Xiu also suppressed her smile and carefully chose her words, saying seriously, "I have watched every match Xia Chen has played. His progress during this period is beyond doubt, and can even be described as astonishing. However, Bai Mu has advanced smoothly without making a fuss. Objectively speaking, in terms of strength and information gap between the two sides, Xia Chen does not have the advantage."

The host then asked, "Are you saying that Xia Chen has no more trump cards?"

Ma Xiu thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Probably not...who knows?"

In fact, she had already vaguely guessed that Zorua should have evolved by now, but she didn't say anything.

What if Bai Mu is watching the live stream in the rest area? A moment of carelessness might put Xia Chen in a bad position.

This little secret is something that only Xia Chen and I should know.

Ma Xiu thought to herself.

The host was not surprised by this conventional answer. After chatting casually for a while about the pre-match preview, the time had unknowingly reached ten o'clock.

Amidst thunderous applause and cheers from the arena, Xia Chen and Bai Mu walked to either side of the battlefield.

War is imminent.

------

Xia Chen made a point of observing the Poké Balls on his opponent's waist today, and as expected, there were four.

In other words, besides Chandelure, Aegislash, and Mismagius that Bai Mu used in previous matches, there was another Pokémon that he had never used before.

That is, Bai Mu's trump card.

What kind of spirit could it be?

On the other side, Bai Mu subconsciously glanced at Xia Chen's waist, where, just like before, there were still three Poké Balls...

Does he really have no other options left?

Bai Mu unconsciously had this thought, but Xia Chen's "underworld fighting style," which he was particularly good at, made him suspicious.

Among the information he knew about Xia Chen, there were two other known elves, Zorua and Doromecia.

Dragapult is definitely not going to suddenly evolve into Dragapult in the short term. So, among these three Poké Balls, is the one from Zoroark?

Bai Mu wasn't sure, but it didn't matter to him. Although Dark-types could resist his Ghost-type, which he was good at, Zoroark's small size made it difficult to easily defeat him.

Just play as usual.

With both sides harboring their own thoughts, the referee blew the whistle.

The second semi-final match has officially begun.

"Come forth, Aegislash!"

"Milotic, prepare for battle!"

The Poké Balls were thrown simultaneously, a flash of white light appeared, and the two teams' starting Pokémon, Aegislash and Milotic, instantly entered the battlefield, standing on opposite sides.

Both sides' starting Pokémon were as expected. Aegislash's Steel type is super effective against Gardevoir and Sylveon. Therefore, if Xia Chen wants to avoid being at a disadvantage at the start, sending out Milotic is the safest option.

However, a mediocre starting lineup doesn't guarantee that the performance of the other two Pokémon will be mediocre as well.

"Milotic, spray water!"

"Aegislash, King's Shield!"

Two voices, one in front and one behind, resounded across the battlefield.

Clearly, Bai Mu waited until Xia Chen gave his instructions before deciding on the best battle form for the Aegislash.

The Aegislash is a very special Pokémon, as its body is composed of a sword and a shield.

Normally, the Shield Sword Monster's sharp blade is hidden behind its shield, making it a shield-type monster.

When it uses an offensive move, it switches to sword form. When it uses the move [King's Shield], it not only switches to shield form, but also provides the [Protect] effect to Aegislash.

The Shield Sword Monster in its sword form boasts exceptional attack power, with both attack stats comparable to top-tier damage dealers like the Double-Axe Dragon.

The shield-form Aegislash has been turned around and become like Shuttle, with extremely high defense and special defense, but extremely poor attack and special attack.

Therefore, knowing when to draw the sword and when to conceal it is the most difficult and troublesome thing for the trainer to control during battle, and it is also the most troublesome thing for the opponent.

Clearly, Bai Mu didn't want Aegislash to be hit by Milotic's Water Spray at full power right now, even though it had just appeared and was in its highly defensive shield state.

However, Milotic, which was being instructed to use water jets, did not launch an attack, but instead began to spin and dance on its own.

The move he unleashed wasn't water spray, but a butterfly dance!

Seeing this, Bai Mu raised an eyebrow, not too surprised, but just smiled slightly.

But then, the Aegislash, which was about to unleash its King's Shield, stopped and instead began to dance a spirited and energetic dance!

Aegislash countered the move and also chose to enhance its Swords Dance!

…………

The commentators couldn't help but laugh when the two sprites "disobeyed commands" at the start of the battle.

"These two players are quite interesting, starting their battle right from the start. Xia Chen must have agreed with his Pokémon beforehand that he would pretend to be attacking at the beginning, but actually choose to strengthen his Pokémon. If he can fool his opponent, he can not only get a free Quiver Dance, but also make his Aegislash start with no defense. However, Bai Mu has been raising and battling his Aegislash for several years, so he definitely won't be fooled by such a trick."

The commentator then added with concern, "But this puts Milotic in danger. Aegislash in its sword form is already incredibly powerful, and with a sword dance... such an attack would be enough to give Milotic a headache, let alone the Excalibur."

Ma Xiu, however, thought differently. She said without any concern, "Your analysis makes sense, but Xia Chen's start isn't that simple. What if... we add the variable of Milotic's fast skill casting speed?"

Ma Xiu's hint made the commentator pause for a second. After a moment of thought, she replied, "This means that Milotic can start attacking while Aegislash is still using Swords Dance, for example... by spraying water!"

During the narration and conversation with Maxiu, on the battlefield, Milotic indeed completed Butterfly Dance quite a while before Sword and Shield Monster could react.

Aegislash only unleashed its Sword Dance after watching Milotic's Whirlwind Dance, so its Sword Dance was naturally not yet complete.

Because he subconsciously overlooked Milotic's unique characteristic, Bai Mu was surprised to find himself in a dilemma.

Should we stop Sword Dance to unleash the King's Shield and block the water spray that's fully charged and enhanced by Butterfly Dance, or should we persevere and finish Sword Dance?

this is a problem.

The former results in the opponent getting a free Butterfly Dance, while the latter results in them getting a free high-power water spray.

Neither of them is pleasant.

Bai Mu didn't have much time to choose. Just as Milotic was about to activate its water-type energy to release a water jet, Bai Mu opened his mouth but didn't call to stop Aegislash's Sword Dance.

Well, Aegislash is stronger than Milotic to begin with, and it's in its shield form right now, so taking a water spray isn't a big deal.

Bai Mu thought to herself, trying to comfort herself.

No matter how you look at it, the fact that this happened is already a done deal.

As Milotic's internal energy circulated, water surged forth, and the rolling waves quickly engulfed Aegislash, which was in Sword Dance mode.

Bai Mu watched this scene with a mix of heartache and helplessness.

Just a minute into the game, he had already suffered a significant loss at Xia Chen's hands.

I will definitely avenge this!

"Shielded Swordsman, Shadow Sneak Attack!"

…………

As the tide receded, the Shielded Sword Monster suddenly emerged from it.

The slightly harsh scraping sound of swords rang out, followed by the clanging of blades against shields.

In an instant, the shield that had been blocking the blade was taken by the Shielded Sword Monster and placed on the tassel of its sword, which resembled an arm.

Transformation, sharp blade unsheathed!

Beneath the sharp blade, the shadow of the Aegislash suddenly seemed to come alive, darting out swiftly and heading straight for Milotic.

Its main body, however, was fully alert, ready to switch to shield form at any moment to defend against another possible spray of water.

At least the water spray hit the shield just now, but now that the Aegislash has switched to its sword form, it absolutely cannot be hit by such a high-damage attack again.

As if he had read Bai Mu and the Shielded Sword Monster's minds, Xia Chen commanded a move whose power was far less than that of the water spray, but was still quite strong.

"Minatra, hot water!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Milotic did not rush to unleash his attack, but instead tried to dodge the sneak attack from the rapidly approaching shadow.

Thanks to the water spray, the originally dry and waterless rocky area has temporarily turned into a small expanse of water.

At least that's the case around Milotic.

Milotic, an aquatic sprite, is much more agile and fast in the water than on land, and with the speed boost from Butterfly Dance just now...

Milotic plunged into the water and twisted around, causing the shadow attack, imbued with a faint, eerie ghostly aura, to miss its target.

Immediately, Milotic surfaced quickly and sprayed a stream of hot water from its mouth.

"Aegislash, King's Shield!"

After thinking for a moment, Bai Mu decided to block the stream of hot water.

The damage wasn't significant, but the additional burning effect from the move, though only a possibility, was something he didn't want the Aegislash to get affected by.

Clang—

Like the crisp sound of a water gun blasting through an iron gate, Milotic's hot water was shut out by Aegislash.

One relied on the aftershocks of the spraying water to evade shadow attacks, while the other used the King's Shield to block the hot water.

The two elves engaged in another round of combat with much fanfare but little substance.

Although they appeared to be evenly matched, Bai Mu's brows furrowed subtly.

Aegislash has now transformed back into its shield form. Although it is safe for now, Xia Chen and Milotic will definitely not miss this window of opportunity when it transforms into its sword form again.

…………

As a unique move exclusive to Aegislash, King's Shield is powerful, capable of completely blocking the opponent's attacks just like Protect, but it is not without its flaws.

Its biggest limitation lies in the interval between the two [Defend] effects.

The rules for Guard in the game are simple: as long as you don't use Guard consecutively, the success rate of blocking moves is 100%.