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

…………

"Good opportunity! Snorlax used Crunch! In Zoroark's condition, it should have a hard time swallowing this Crunch... Wait, Zoroark seems to have used Kick Kick first! Since the first time it used Kick Kick and Snorlax dodged it, Zoroark has never used this move again. Was it saving it for now to lower Snorlax's guard?"

"Now, Snorlax is focused on offense, and this is Zoroark's last and best chance! In Snorlax's current state, he absolutely cannot withstand this incredibly powerful kick!"

"Oh—what did I just see? Snorlax's massive body leaped up and dodged again! My goodness, what an amazing reaction! No, perhaps it's not a reaction, but rather a premonition! You treat me with respect, I'll repay you with even greater respect! After losing the initial battle against Xia Chen, Red didn't give up and cornered Zoroark!"

"Zoroark never expected that Snorlax could dodge the almost certain Kick, and couldn't even use Phantom Dancer. He could only watch helplessly as Snorlax's fangs bit down. It seems that the first blood of the final is about to be born!"

Seeing Snorlax's Crunch hit, the last heavy weight in Red's heart finally lifted.

Xia Chen, I'll accept the lead with the first Pokémon!

A smile played on his lips as he prepared to hear the whistle signaling the Pokémon's inability to battle, but he didn't notice that Zoroark's body beneath Snorlax suddenly emitted a white light...

"Kirby—"

The expected whistle didn't come; instead, Snorlax's cry of pain reached our ears.

His crimson pupils contracted sharply, and he looked incredulously toward the battlefield.

In the remaining white light, Snorlax, which had been pressing down on Zoroark, seemed to have been hit by a tremendous force, and was thrown upside down, flying three or four meters!

Red had never seen his Snorlax do this before.

This is a Snorlax weighing nearly half a ton!

How much strength would it take to knock away a monster of that weight, and what kind of move would it require?

Crimson frantically searched his mind for answers, suddenly recalling a move he seemed to have overlooked...

…………

"Double the return!"

The commentator's originally clear voice was almost hoarse, but she still used her voice to express her excitement at the moment.

"Red is anticipating Xia Chen's moves, and Xia Chen is anticipating Red's moves as well. Who is the hunter and who is the prey? There will never be a conclusion until a certain Pokémon falls! Whether it's a rapid return or a kick, it's all Xia Chen's trap. He seems to have read Red's mind, controlling him with every step. This battle seems to be following Xia Chen's script!"

By the end, the commentator's voice was so hoarse that he could barely speak, so he had to stop.

Cynthia thoughtfully handed him a glass of water and continued, "Actually, it's not that I've seen through him. It's just that Crimson's choice was a bit radical, while Xia Chen had too many options. Like when he made the rapid return, if Crimson had let Zoroark go back, it would have been an acceptable outcome for both sides. But he didn't. In his plan, Zoroark had to fall at the hands of Snorlax."

"Of course, it's not that Crimson's tactics were bad. If Xia Chen hadn't anticipated the final move, Crunch would have definitely finished off Zoroark. Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' on the battlefield..."

The commentator drank water while looking at Cynthia with the eyes of a fangirl, nodding his head frantically, looking more like a student than a commentator.

Helpless, Cynthia continued, "If I'm not mistaken, Xia Chen must have calculated that Zoroark's stamina could withstand the final Crunch when he had Zoroark use U-turn. This is the most basic prerequisite for completing the game."

"The referee has given the result: Snorlax is unable to battle, and Xia Chen is temporarily leading the final with a score of 1-0. However, Zoroark is also in poor condition, and the outcome of the match is still uncertain."

"Red switched to Venusaur to finish off the weakened opponent, but Xia Chen didn't give him a chance at all. He didn't even try to use U-turn, and immediately recalled Zoroark and switched to Gardevoir."

"So now, the three Pokémon of both players have been revealed. Xia Chen has Sylveon, Zoroark, and Gardevoir, while Red has Pikachu, Snorlax, and Venusaur."

The commentator, watching Cynthia giving a serious explanation of the match, suddenly chuckled and teased, "Cynthia, I've discovered you have a real talent for commentary! How about it, ever thought about joining our team?"

Cynthia looked at the boy on the battlefield and smiled slightly, "That day will come."

Chapter 233 Xia Chen! Champion! (8k)

Crimson felt somewhat defeated.

Although the score on the field is only 1-0, in his mind it's already 2-0.

The first defeat was the battle between Pikachu and Sylveon. Although I managed to recall Pikachu in time to stop the loss in the face of Sylveon's loud noise.

But in terms of fundamental strategy, they were completely defeated.

The second time was the battle between Snorlax and Zoroark, who thought they had Xia Chen completely under their control.

But all the previous calculations became a joke in the face of Zoroark's final double return.

I'd been looking forward to this match for over a year, but I ended up like this...

A complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

Despite how much we've grown during this year-long trip, why can't we overcome this mountain?

He suddenly realized that he had been living in Xia Chen's shadow all along...

No, I can't think about it anymore!

Chi Hong patted her cheeks, dispelling the unnecessary thoughts in her mind.

In any case, we must finish this game properly.

Not only for myself and my friends, but also to give Xia Chen an explanation.

Taking a deep breath, Crimson threw out Venusaur's Poké Ball.

On the other side, Xia Chen unsurprisingly replaced Zoroark with Gardevoir, a tacit understanding unique to them.

The two Pokémon are considered to be mutually restraining: Poison type is strong against Fairy type, and Psychic type is strong against Poison type.

Undoubtedly, this is a fair duel where no one gains an advantage, starting from scratch.

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!"

Whether Xia Chen was waiting for him or had a backup plan, Xia Chen only responded after the crimson voice gave the first command: "Teleport there instantly, magical flames!"

…………

"Xia Chen was unusually aggressive in the battle of their third Pokémon, using Teleport followed by Magic Flame, which consumed a lot of energy."

The commentator, whose voice had recovered, continued, "However, Magical Flame is indeed a good choice, not only because Fire-type is super effective against Venusaur, but also because Magical Flame can lower Special Attack, which is quite useful."

"Instant teleportation dodges Leech Seed, Gardevoir's Magical Flame hits! But with Venusaur's durability, it's not a big problem... Venusaur immediately retaliates with a Sludge Bomb, Gardevoir tries to dodge the bomb with movement, but fails..."

"Although it's a STAB move that's doubly super effective against Gardevoir, its Special Attack was just lowered by Magical Flame, and Gardevoir's Special Defense is extremely high, so it still didn't deal much damage."

As the narration went on, it suddenly became a bit boring.

Compared to the exciting battles of the first two pairs of Pokémon, this pair seems a bit... straightforward.

She didn't say it explicitly, but everyone could sense the decline in the quality of the competition.

So far, both Pokémon have used two moves each. While there's nothing wrong with the use of each move, they're both too mediocre.

Compared to the previous command and technique, it was a world of difference.

However, before the commentator could continue speaking, the calm battlefield was suddenly thrown into turmoil again.

Two vines suddenly emerged from Venusaur's broad back, thrusting straight at Gardevoir, who was preparing to launch a counterattack.

Caught off guard, the vine whip reached out and immediately bound Gardevoir, which was not far from Venusaur.

Immediately, the bright red flower on Venusaur's back trembled, releasing a clump of pollen with a mysterious aura that drifted toward Gardevoir, which was bound by vines and unable to move.

Hypnotic powder!

The real purpose hidden behind the sludge bomb is forced hypnosis!

The hypnotic powder drifted slowly toward Gardevoir. Given Gardevoir's speed, it would be difficult for the hypnotic powder to hit it in its normal state.

However, her body was bound by powerful vines, and Gardevoir had no way to dodge without using Teleport.

However, if Gardevoir uses Teleport twice in a row, it means that Gardevoir will consume a huge amount of energy as soon as it appears, which is not a loss for Red at all.

However, Xia Chen was not so easily manipulated. He immediately responded, "The fairy wind blows back!"

The vine whip can bind Gardevoir's body, but it cannot bind the energy within her.

Energy flowed instantly, and in a flash, a fairy wind that caused almost no harm appeared in front of Gardevoir and blew straight ahead.

Dispelling powder-type moves with moves like [Blow Away] isn't a particularly difficult skill; the challenge lies in reacting on the spot.

From the release of the hypnotic powder to Xia Chen's command, less than a second had passed. This is what trainers truly need to do for their Pokémon during battles.

…………

"A brilliant reaction! Red's first attack failed, but Gardevoir stubbornly refused to use Teleport. Instead, she unleashed Magical Flame on Vine Whip, attempting to force Venusaur out of its vines. The fire spread along the vines towards Venusaur's body, but to avoid getting burned, Venusaur stopped!"

"Psychic! Gardevoir showed no mercy. The first thing it did after breaking free from the vines was to retaliate with a Psychic-type move. Venusaur was forced to respond with Sludge Bomb. It was clear that Psychic's damage was much stronger and more powerful."

Xia Chen wasn't surprised to see Gardevoir gain the upper hand in the attack-bombing battle.

While the Magic Flame skill lowers Special Attack, more importantly, Gardevoir's Psychic-type moves are significantly more powerful than those of other types.

Venusaur is the least outstanding of the three Red Guardians.

With one side gaining and the other losing, Venusaur, as expected, was no match for it.

On the other side of the battlefield, Crimson's increasingly low command voice reached their ears.

Xia Chen remained silent.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

After a series of setbacks, even someone as mentally resilient as Crimson began to doubt himself.

He is not yet the God of War of Silver Mountain, and there are bound to be obstacles on his path to growth.

Hmm... with the elves carrying me, it seems like I haven't encountered any major obstacles.

Fine, if I haven't experienced hardship myself, then let me be someone else's hardship...

Xia Chen revealed a smile that resembled that of a great demon king.

"Gardedor, Black Gaze."

Xia Chen said this as he looked at the crimson hand holding the Poké Ball at his waist.

The car door was welded shut, and Venusaur was completely left on the battlefield.

With its ability to teleport instantly and effortlessly engage in combat, Venusaur has no means of dealing with Gardevoir.

Red was also trying to come up with solutions, such as hiding sleep powder in seed bombs or using vines to weave a shield to block Gardevoir's attacks.

But Xia Chen isn't stupid. How could there not be something fishy going on if Venusaur suddenly launched a Seed Bomb?

As for that shield... I smashed even the King's Shield of the Aegislash, let alone your grass shield.

In the third match, Crimson suffered another complete defeat.

Throughout the entire match, he was already standing on the edge of a cliff.