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

"Gyarados, Iron Tail!"

Gyarados has a very strong execution ability. Even with the Pain Mask on, it turns pain into motivation, roaring as it swings its heavy tail, formed from steel-type energy, to strike.

"Dragon Tail, block!"

The "cooldown" for the shield hadn't ended yet, and Gyarados was too close to dodge, so Xia Chen had no choice but to use his tail to defend himself and try to avoid getting hurt in his torso.

boom--

Amidst the whistling sound of the whip's tail lashing out, the two tails clashed, and the deep, heavy steel energy and the domineering, intense dragon energy converged. The latter crumbled instantly, its speed of defeat even surpassing the speed at which the flames it had just emitted were extinguished.

Clearly, the difference in physical attack power between the two sides is enormous.

…………

Xia Chen was not surprised by this. He was slightly disappointed that, due to the difference in strength between the two sides, Dragon Tail could not bounce Gyarados back into the Poké Ball.

Otherwise, once he switches back in, Gyarados can use Intimidate to trigger Milotic's Competitive ability, greatly increasing its Special Attack. Milotic would then be able to go toe-to-toe with Gyarados.

Unfortunately not.

"Keep going, Iron Tail!"

Just as Xia Chen was lost in thought, Mikuri launched another attack, using Iron Tail after Iron Tail, overwhelming Milotic.

He could only desperately use his dragon tail to defend himself, or rely on the speed boost from the Butterfly Dance to dodge and minimize the damage.

Time ticked by as Gyarados continued its offensive while Milotic passively defended.

After unleashing a [Five-Strike Lightning Strike], even with the Reflector Barrier and the defense of its scales, Milotic's magnificent tail was covered in whip marks, almost a bloody mess.

However, Milotic did not come away empty-handed while he was defending desperately. Sometime later, a vibrant blue stream of water appeared around his slender body.

It was a water ring that he had created in his spare time.

As a steady stream of faint life energy flowed into its body, Milotic's tail and the wounds on its body were slowly healing at a visible rate.

Faced with Gyarados's relentless, tidal onslaught, Milotic did everything in its power to survive for the entire minute.

Even ocean waves eventually calm down, let alone Gyarados.

The continuous Iron Tail attacks caused Gyarados's energy and stamina to drop extremely quickly.

Finally, he paused, and another of his iron tails underwent a noticeable deformation. After being twisted by Milotic, it slammed hard onto the water's surface, the splashing water almost touching the large screen above the arena.

Freeze-drying!

Xia Chen, a superhuman, has an exceptional ability to seize opportunities, and he shouted loudly.

Following his heart's desire, before Xia Chen had even finished speaking, Milotic's mouth once again condensed icy blue extreme cold energy.

His continuous dodging left him with an unusually abundant amount of energy. In the next instant, a beam of light as thick as a water cannon burst through the splashing water and shot straight toward the Gyarados, which was twisting on the surface of the water in a strange posture.

The wisps of cold air that emanated from the beam caused the water waves along its path to freeze into ice, creating a beautiful cluster of ice flowers in the center of the arena.

At the end of the ice beam was a Gyarados with a strange posture and a somewhat dazed expression.

…………

"Hold on!"

At the crucial moment, Mikuri's angry roar awakened Gyarados. This sound, which Gyarados had heard countless times in training and competitions, made Gyarados react instinctively.

An energy barrier solidified, and the piercing friction sound signaled a successful defense; Gyarados narrowly escaped this calamity.

"Butterfly Dance!"

When the attack failed, Xia Chen switched to enhancement without hesitation, as if he had rehearsed this scenario countless times in his mind.

Milotic quickly withdrew the freeze-dried energy beam, and enveloped in the water ring, he began to dance a beautiful, butterfly-like dance.

"Charge over there and stop him!"

At this moment, Mikoli was completely unaware that he had fallen into Xia Chen's battle rhythm and was moving in accordance with his commands.

Gyarados had no choice but to quickly retract its Energy Barrier and then flew over, half-flying and half-swimming.

Milotic's dance abruptly stopped the moment Gyarados stood up, and then...

Freeze-drying!

Winter has returned, and a biting chill emanates from Milotic's mouth as it spews forth ice bolts once more. This time, there are no flames, no waves, no obstacles before it; only Gyarados's astonished expression...

"look up!"

Michael reacted quickly, shouting out the only solution without hesitation.

As is well known, the faster a vehicle travels, the longer the braking distance required to brake.

The same goes for elves.

Gyarados pushed its speed to almost maximum to stop Milotic's Quiver Dance. By the time Mikkuri's voice came out, the distance between him and Ice Beam had already been reduced to less than half a meter in their two-way rush.

Even if Gyarados slams on the brakes and steers the wheel, it can't pull off the legendary "Dragon Head" maneuver.

The car accident still occurred, which was unavoidable.

The extreme chill seeped into the bones through the vulnerable face, which was unprotected by scales, and the extreme enjoyment, which was four times more restrained, caused Gyarados to let out a miserable howl.

As if they were actually there, the audience in the stands couldn't help but shiver.

It hurts, it hurts too much!

…………

This agonizing wail was only the beginning of the suffering.

In a battle, strength is the most important factor, but sometimes momentum is even more crucial than strength.

As if to vent all the anger it had felt while being chased, Milotic launched a relentless attack after the first freeze-drying.

When the ice-based energy required for freeze-drying is insufficient, it is replaced with 100,000 volts; the flow of energy within his body never stops.

Even when Gyarados retaliated in anger, he showed no sign of stopping his attack.

The battle has entered its final stage, and both sides are fighting for their last breath. If they stop now, they will lose everything!

The final battle has little to do with elegance; tactics play a negligible role in such situations.

The battle-hardened Mikuri understood this principle even better. He commanded the Gyarados, whose body was already covered with frostbite and scorch marks, to launch a final, frenzied attack.

Xia Chen quietly sensed that Milotic's energy was almost completely depleted, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Mildos, the final... meteor shower!"

My physical strength and energy have reached their limit. This is Milotic, and also the last ripple of my normal game.

As if on the same wavelength, Mikuri narrowed his eyes slightly and shouted, "Gyarados, bloom gracefully one last time!"

Anger and elegance blurred at this moment, and two slender bodies became entangled in an extremely ungraceful way, relentlessly gnawing at each other's last vestiges of will.

The audience in the stands were also shocked by this most bloody and primitive scene. They held their breath and dared not blink even once.

Because those two panting, swaying spirits seemed poised to collapse at any moment, setting the stage for a final showdown.

A dazzling, orange-red ball of light rose into the air and bloomed brilliantly, as if drawing a final period to this breathtaking battle.

boom--

Meteors fell continuously onto the water, ice flowers, and Gyarados, making the entire water area hazy with moisture and swirling with icy mist.

The audience could only vaguely see through the mist that one slender figure crashed down, splashing water everywhere, while the other remained standing, motionless.

Has the winner been decided?

Who is the one that fell down...?

…………

A short while later, the clouds dispersed and the mystery was revealed.

A bright blue dragon-shaped spirit lay on its back on the water's surface, belly up, and was no longer moving.

Standing proudly on the water's surface was none other than Milotic!

Xia Chen won!

Milotic, a Gym Leader-level Pokémon, defeated Gyarados, a Champion-level Pokémon!

At this moment, the audience erupted in cheers, as if this were not Mikoli's home stadium, the Ryuga Dojo, but rather the final stage of the Eight Masters Tournament.

Undoubtedly, this was a spectacular match.

With ingenious tactics, a comeback against all odds, and a victory against overwhelming odds, the performance of the six Pokémon on both sides was almost flawless from start to finish.

Wait... there seems to be one elf that's barely noticeable?

Mikoli, and there's still a Milotic that hasn't lost its ability to battle?

They looked towards the other end of the field, only to see Mikoli smiling and clapping. "Your and Milotic's elegance is enviable. I won't let my Milotic make a fool of himself anymore. I concede."

When one side surrendered, the referee immediately blew the whistle to end the match.

The match thus came to an end, and the entire stadium erupted in applause.

Just as the applause began, the figure standing on the water suddenly collapsed, sending up waves several meters high.

Everyone was stunned.

Only then did they realize that Milotic had already fallen to Gyarados's final Crunch attack.

He refused to fall because he was Xia Chen's last spirit.

Chapter 324 Awakening the Temple, the Emerald Pearl! (7k)

"No matter how many times I look at it, the elegance and beauty of this Milotic will never fade!"

Mikoli gazed at Milotic resting in the Pokémon healing room as if on a pilgrimage, and sighed in slight reverie.

Xia Chen, standing to the side, said rather helplessly, "That's enough, Teacher Mikoli. You've been watching for half an hour already. Let the child rest for a while..."

More than half an hour has passed since the last battle ended.

If it were just a battle of moderate intensity, even if Milotic lost its fighting ability, it should have recovered by now.

As for that intensity, according to Nurse Joy's diagnosis report from the Glass Dojo, it's best to rest for a whole day, since it was a true depletion of both energy and stamina.

However, according to Milotic himself, who had just regained consciousness, he gained more from this battle than from a hundred ordinary battles, which was a fair reward for his efforts.