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

…………

"2:0! Xia Chen's Gardevoir performed consistently as always. After using Black Gaze to hold down Venusaur, it had no worries and defeated the opponent's second Pokémon in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, Red's morale was getting lower and lower, with only one Pikachu left."

"For Red, the situation is even more dangerous than the semi-final this morning. Two of his opponent's three Pokémon are still in good fighting condition, while Pikachu was seriously injured in the previous battle."

"But after all, he is the Crimson player who created the miracle of coming back from 0-2 to 3-2 this morning. We might as well keep some expectations. No matter who wins this match, he will break the history of the Donghuang Youth Tournament!"

"The first champion from outside the region in the history of the competition, or... the youngest champion in the history of the competition!"

On the battlefield.

The yellow-skinned rat reappeared, its gaze fixed intently on Gardevoir. Its vibrant energy and abundant stamina made it appear as if it were brand new, leading Xia Chen to once again suspect that its ability was [Regenerator]...

Joking aside, the last Pokémon in Crimson Citadel is still Pikachu, so he can't afford to be careless.

If he loses such a huge advantage, he will probably be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of major competitions. Next up is Hu Yang.

Xia Chen didn't switch out Gardevoir. Gardevoir was in good condition and still had plenty of fighting power. Even if she couldn't beat Pikachu, she could still seek a chance to fight alongside it.

There's no need to have some kind of ace showdown with Crimson; it's just a small Eastern Youth Tournament final.

This is the journey, not the destination.

Pulling himself back to reality, Xia Chen looked at Pikachu, who had already charged forward with Quick Attack, and said in a deep voice, "Predict...the future."

"Sana!"

Gardevoir responded, a fleeting crimson light flashing in its left pupil.

Then, a ball of psychic energy containing wondrous power disappeared into the air from the red horn on its chest.

…………

"With a huge advantage, Xia Chen played very steadily, directly releasing Future Sight at his location. If Pikachu is still entangled with Gardevoir at that time, the extremely powerful Psychic Blast will explode here."

"And only Gardevoir knows when this time bomb will explode. Will this put enormous psychological pressure on Pikachu?"

"At present, at least not yet. Pikachu is still trying to attack with Iron Tail first, while Gardevoir uses Teleport to dodge without hesitation, showing full respect to its opponent. However, she didn't move far and is still in the area where the Psychic that foresaw the future is located. Xia Chen is probably going to fight a positional battle here."

"Pikachu wouldn't give up, and then unleashed an electric net at Gardevoir's landing spot. It seems Red still wants to use Pikachu's speed advantage to create a breakthrough. Gardevoir didn't seem to want to dodge, and instead retaliated with... Magic Leaf. Xia Chen is being a little too cautious!"

"Even just a magic leaf can cause significant damage. Time is ticking away, and the impending explosion is drawing ever closer. It's safe to say that the pressure on Pikachu is mounting as time goes on. Should he prepare for this area?"

"So we're retreating... Then Pikachu can only use ranged moves like Thunderbolt or Thunder to whittle down Gardevoir's condition. Gardevoir ignored it and used Calm Mind! This will make it even harder for Thunderbolt to deal damage."

"The psychic blast that foresaw the future still hasn't exploded. If this hidden danger isn't eliminated, it'll be difficult for Pikachu to rush up... Wait, Pikachu just charged! Quick Attack! Crimson realized that with this disadvantage, the so-called steady approach has no chance of winning. Not charging up will only lead to a slow death, while charging up offers a glimmer of hope."

That's true, but there's only a sliver of hope.

That is to endure the inevitable foresight of the future, and then use Iron Tail to defeat Gardevoir.

Neither of them is simple.

The enhanced Predictive ability, enhanced by Meditation, already deals ridiculously high damage, and Pikachu was also in poor condition before its battle with Sylveon.

Getting through this premonition of the future is not an easy task.

As for the latter, Gardevoir still has at least one Instant Transmission slot saved up...

…………

With her toes barely touching the ground, Gardevoir, dressed in a pristine white dress, stood suspended in mid-air, her imposing and unapproachable demeanor resembling that of a powerful queen.

She stared indifferently at Pikachu as it approached her, a flash of crimson in her eyes, before her hand loosely clenched.

boom--

After nearly three minutes of buildup, the [Predicting the Future] exploded with a deafening roar, and the invisible and colorless ball of psychic energy stirred up terrifying energy fluctuations in the air.

Although there was no flame, the air itself seemed to deform slightly due to the pressure of the energy.

Pikachu, which was hit head-on by the move, was blasted into the air by an invisible force, flying more than ten meters into the air.

The audience's eyes were involuntarily drawn to Pikachu's figure, because this might be the final scene of the final match.

Such an exaggerated explosion, such terrifying power, how could a Pikachu possibly withstand it?

Almost no one still had any hope for Pikachu, except for two people: Red and Xia Chen.

"Gardevoir, prepare Teleport!"

Xia Chen's voice was quite solemn.

He hoped Pikachu would fall under this premonition, but he also had a gut feeling that Pikachu could pull through.

After all, this isn't your average Pikachu...

"Sana!"

Gardevoir responded warily.

She was confident in her own strength and the power of this move, but she trusted Xia Chen even more.

In the studio, the commentator, who was about to announce the end of the match, said in surprise, "Xia Chen is still not letting his guard down. Does he think Pikachu hasn't lost its ability to battle yet?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the small yellow figure began to fall in free fall.

Is it really... still conscious?

The spectators who originally came just to see the ghost Zoroark were now completely absorbed in this exciting match, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Red took off his hat and silently gazed at his companion with whom he shared the deepest bond.

"Pickup!"

Suddenly, Pikachu in mid-air moved unnaturally. Then, a dazzling white light shone from its lightning-shaped tail, and its body stubbornly moved at the same time, as if adjusting its angle to slash at Iron Tail.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers once again at this miraculous scene.

…………

"Pikachu! He really hasn't lost his ability to battle! What incredible willpower! Even though his body is trembling, even though he's still in the air, Pikachu is unwilling to give up the last glimmer of hope for victory! Will this Iron Tail be his swan song? Or the beginning of a comeback?"

Amidst the narrator's hoarse shouts, Pikachu's metallic, lightning-shaped tail slashed downwards with unstoppable momentum, accelerating at an astonishing speed due to gravity.

But no matter how fast it is, it can never outrun Gardevoir's Instant Transmission.

boom--

This is the loud sound of Pikachu's Iron Tail striking the ground.

The space on the battlefield was slightly distorted. Gardevoir, who had teleported nearly ten meters, looked at the ground that had been cleaved by Pikachu's Iron Tail as if an earthquake had occurred, and was still shaken.

If I were the one hit by Iron Tail... I would definitely fall down, right?

With a complicated expression, Gardevoir glanced at Pikachu, whose limbs were trembling uncontrollably, and decided to give this respectable opponent a final moment of respect.

Energy condensed slightly, and a string of emerald green magical leaves was released from Gardevoir's pointed chest, drifting gently yet resolutely toward Pikachu.

Pikachu wanted to unleash a 100,000-volt attack to defend itself, but after a few crackling sounds from its electric sac, it ultimately failed.

The magic leaf struck precisely, and Pikachu collapsed slumped onto the cracked ground.

In the studio, the commentator's face was filled with emotion.

"The final magic leaf hit, and Pikachu, having exhausted all its strength and energy, collapsed... Let's first give a round of applause to Red and this admirable Pikachu. They showed us what it means to never give up."

The audience erupted in applause, interspersed with shouts of "Red!" and "Pikachu!"

This is not meant to comfort or encourage the losers, but rather to show respect for the strong.

Undoubtedly, Red and his Pikachu, as well as Snorlax and Venusaur, are all powerful figures worthy of respect!

On the battlefield.

Amidst the applause surrounding him, Crimson stepped across the shattered ground to the center of the arena, picked up Pikachu, and gently placed his hat over Pikachu's head.

"Pikachu..."

Pikachu's weak voice reached his ears, and Red said softly, "You did a great job, get some rest."

As if relieved of a worry, Pikachu lay in Crimson's embrace and fell into a deep sleep.

…………

After congratulating the second place winner, it's time to give a more grand introduction to the champion.

However, the commentator had a mischievous grin on his face as he took off his headset and looked at Cynthia.

The meaning is self-evident; this part is left to Cynthia to say.

Cynthia looked helpless, but naturally she didn't show any embarrassment.

After gathering her emotions, the blonde beauty said confidently, "Now, let's give a warm round of applause and cheers to Xia Chen, the new champion of this year's Donghuang Youth Trainer Competition! Shout out his name!"

No need for many words; the word "champion" says it all.

Whether out of respect for Cynthia or out of genuine concern, the audience's voice rose even higher as soon as he finished speaking.

The sound was so loud that people outside the arena could clearly hear the orderly and resounding shouts of "Xia Chen! Xia Chen!" coming from inside.

Xia Chen was deeply moved by what he saw on the battlefield. It was the first time he had ever felt so many people shouting his name in unison.

A deafening roar crashed over him like a tidal wave, and Xia Chen suddenly felt breathless.

He felt he couldn't bear all of this alone, so he took out a Poké Ball and released his friends one by one.

Xenbu, Soroark, and even Milos and Dorronmesia, who didn't play in the final.

When each elf appears, the audience shouts its name.

In the end, the different voices tacitly converged into the same sentence.

"Xia Chen! Champion!"

------

The end of the finals does not mean the end of the entire competition.

The competition also has a final and most important segment: the awards ceremony.

The top three finishers in this competition, Xia Chen, Chi Hong, and Hu Yang, will stand on the podium to receive awards from the guests invited by the Trainers Association.

The order is naturally determined by ranking from lowest to highest.

Xia Chen was quite surprised to find that the guest who presented the award to Hu Yang was none other than his own principal, the former champion of Donghuang, Yu Zhaohua.

Xia Chen wasn't surprised that the old man had gotten here, but rather...