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

He then shook his head regretfully, "I originally wanted to sign up for this competition, but unfortunately I was rejected."

Xia Chen twitched his lips. It was really wise of him to refuse your malicious request to fry fish.

He comforted her, saying, "With your skill level, winning the competition should be a sure thing."

Mikkel smiled, took a sip of the crystal-clear, light red cocktail in her glass, and changed the subject, saying, "However, Miss Ma Xiu later made a suggestion, inviting me to play a spectacular exhibition match at the opening ceremony. That would be so interesting."

Xia Chen responded with a wry smile, "Of course you're funny, because your humor is built on my suffering..."

"To be honest, in an excellent exhibition match, even a spectacular one, being evenly matched is a very important factor. My strength is still far inferior to yours."

He has nothing to be ashamed of. Weak is weak, and strong is strong. It is shameful to be afraid to admit weakness.

Mikoli chuckled softly, "Who's stronger or weaker? We'll find out after a fight."

Xia Chen was slightly taken aback and asked, "You mean...we should practice a flashy battle first?"

"Do not..."

Mikoli shook his head and said, "What I mean is, let's start with an elegant and charming Pokémon battle!"

…………

The master of the Liuli Dojo has a different approach to the battlefield than others.

There was no rocky terrain, only a vast body of water, roughly the size of half a football field, and several loose plastic platforms attached to the water.

A water-themed gym naturally uses a water-based environment.

There were quite a few people in the stands next to the arena. These were spectators who had come after receiving a push notification on their phones from the [Lilac Gym app] that "the Mikkuri Gym Leader Open Tournament is about to begin."

Because in every gym open tournament, the trainers who battle Wallace are all well-known.

This time, Mikoli's opponent gave the audience who came to open the blind boxes a big surprise.

"It's Xia Chen!"

"Speaking of which, he hasn't made any public appearances since that final match against Darkrai, has he?"

"The Grand Festival is about to begin, so it would be a bit unreasonable if the father of the Grand Contest and the previous champion didn't come."

"What kind of spirit will he use today? Will it be Gulerton?"

"Don't be like that. Didn't you see how bad the last final match went? That was with triple protection. Here... if you really pulled out Guleton, I'd turn around and leave immediately."

Discussions like these continued to rise from the audience.

If not 100%, more than 70% of the people in the stands recognize Xia Chen, the trainer who has become incredibly popular in the last two years.

No, his achievements and complex identity cannot be simply summarized by the word "Trainer".

Especially after that legendary battle two months ago, his reputation is now comparable to that of top trainers like Cynthia.

Therefore, the news of Xia Chen's reappearance at the Liuli Dojo Open Tournament quickly spread across the internet through the audience at the venue.

Suddenly, the downloads of the [Liuli Dojo] app skyrocketed—because it was the only place to watch the live stream of this match...

The incident caused a stir on the sidelines and online, while in the water on the opposing side, a sexy referee in a bikini stood on Laplace and read out the rules online.

"This match is an open challenge match for the Crystal Gym. The challenger is Xia Chen, a Gym Leader, and the Gym Leader is Mikey, also a Gym Leader. The format is the League's standard 3v3 rule. Do either side have any questions?"

The two said in unison, "No."

The referee nodded, rode Laplace to the sidelines, and then blew the whistle.

"Then, let the competition begin!"

…………

"Unleash your most magnificent dance, Milotic!"

Wearing a white open-front suit, Mikoli elegantly tossed the heart-shaped ball in her hand.

A flash of white light appeared, and a graceful and charming Pokémon leaped into the water—it was Milotic.

Xia Chen simultaneously threw out the Poké Ball he had prepared in advance, while releasing his Aura to investigate.

Dojo-level, 2-star!

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps to test Xia Chen's strength, Mikuri didn't immediately unleash his main Elite Four-level Pokémon, but instead gradually sent out a Gym Leader-level Pokémon to test the waters.

Although he is still slightly stronger than he is now, he is definitely capable of fighting!

As Xia Chen pondered, the Poké Ball he threw out burst into white light in the air.

The even more beautiful Shiny Gardevoir makes its appearance, using its psychic powers to float about half a meter above the water's surface.

"Gardevoir, prepare for battle!"

In battles on water-based terrains, there aren't many Pokémon to choose from.

Although there were indeed several sizable floating boards on the water, given their strength... they would sink immediately if they withstood an area-of-effect move from a Gym Leader-level Pokémon.

Therefore, aquatic spirits or spirits with the ability to fly are the first choice.

So only a few remain: Milotic, Gardevoir, Dragapult, and Gullardon.

Excluding the last one that's beyond the scope, Xia Chen's lineup is actually quite transparent.

Therefore, starting with Gardevoir was entirely within Mikkuri's expectations.

As the owner of the Glass Dojo, and the challenger in this match, the hospitable player launched the first attack.

"Melnas, rain!"

Mikkelsen's conducting voice, imbued with elegance, sounded like a soft, gentle chant, eliciting screams from the female fans in the audience.

As a pure water-based team, the rain undoubtedly enhances the overall strength of the lineup.

Therefore, if you don't have a Pokémon with the [Rain] ability as your starting move, Rain Dance is a move that you can't go wrong with.

If Xia Chen were in command, he would have made the same choice, but... he would never have prayed for rain at the start.

This means that the opponent will not get any pressure at the start of the game.

Is Mikoli... giving herself a stage to perform on?

…………

With his mind racing, Xia Chen snapped out of his reverie and immediately commanded without hesitation, "Gardedoll, meditate!"

He didn't care whether this was a trap to trick him into strengthening himself; it was just a two-star Gym Leader level Pokémon. Unless it could also use its [Water Spray] ability, there was nothing to guard against.

Two commands, one from the front and one from the back, reached the field, and immediately, energy shimmered around the two elves.

As if in response to the water energy released during Milotic's dance, the air's breathing fluctuations changed instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the air was filled with moisture, and dark clouds quickly gathered above the Water Field. Less than a second after Michael's command was given, a light drizzle began to fall from the dome of the gym, at an astonishing speed.

Xia Chen wasn't too surprised. The Water Field is a place with extremely high water vapor content, and this Milotic was, after all, a Water-type Pokémon bred by Wallace, so it was in a state of confusion after instantly asking for rain.

"Next up is... the magnificent water cannon!"

Without giving Xia Chen and Gardevoir a moment to catch their breath, under the increasingly intense rain, a column of azure water suddenly spewed from Milotic's mouth, carrying extremely penetrating and violent energy through the rain curtain, shooting straight in a certain direction.

There, Gardevoir is still meditating!

Chapter 320

(Sorry for the delay, I'm not feeling well today. I'll write another free side story this month as an apology. You can leave a message here about what you want to see (it can be serious or not). I'll take the number of likes into account, highlight the key points, and consider them. I won't accept anything too outrageous.)

A fierce battle is raging in the Water Arena of the Crystal Gym.

A powerful water cannon pierced through the rain curtain, and the surging torrent roared like a water dragon, trying to devour the Gardevoir at its end.

Gardevoir, aren't you going to dodge?

Are you really going to take this water cannon shot?

The spectators on the sidelines couldn't help but gasp in surprise, some with worry, others with doubt.

In the rain, Water-type moves have a 1.5x damage bonus, and with the STAB bonus, even without being super effective against Water, this Hydro Pump still poses a significant threat to Gardevoir.

If Gardevoir gets hit by this water cannon, it will be at a complete disadvantage right from the start.

At the critical moment, Gardevoir suddenly opened its eyes, and a flash of light disappeared in its strange and beautiful ruby-like eyes.

Under the influence of the strange superpower energy, an invisible fluctuation distorted the space, and then the tall, fair-skinned figure vanished instantly.

Instant teleportation!

If you want to avoid a close-range attack in this situation, teleportation is the only option.

Even if you manage to hold your ground, it will take about half a second to build up your strength, but by then, it will be too late.

Looking at the Gardevoir that had reappeared to Milotic's left, Mikuri smiled slightly, revealing an appreciative look.

"Excellent, elegant judgment and calculation."

Using teleportation to dodge skills is not difficult.

Everyone knows that Gardevoir can teleport; Xia Chen knows it, and so does Mikeli.

However, Wallace still chose to have Milotic use Hydro Pump, which reflects his confidence in the speed at which his Pokémon could unleash its moves.

I will make my move before you finish your meditation. You will either have to eat my water cannon or teleport to interrupt your meditation.

Regardless of the final outcome, the moment the water cannon was fired, this game, in which there was no loss for Mikkel, had already begun.

The only situation in which Xia Chen could gain a positive benefit in this game was if he could teleport in the split second between the end of his meditation and the arrival of the water cannon.

Even so, this risky solution is still worthwhile for Milotic.

Because the bonus from meditation will dissipate when the Pokémon leaves the stage, while in rainy weather, as long as no Pokémon changes the weather, it will not disappear in a short time.

The only thing to watch out for is Gardevoir's potential counterattack.

…………

"Milotic, make a magnificent entrance into the water!"

A water-themed area should naturally take advantage of the home-field advantage of water-type Pokémon.

Since Gardevoir chose such an aggressive move as Teleport forward, it must be for the purpose of counterattacking. On the other hand, Milotic's water-type energy was not so abundant after consecutive Rain Dance and Hydro Pump. It is not shameful to temporarily avoid the limelight.