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

Ryūno reacted quickly, "Charizard, Rock Tomb!"

I don't care if you can foresee the future or have 100,000 volts, I will subdue you with my own strength!

Although Charizard is better at special attack moves, it is undoubtedly more threatening to Gardevoir, whose special defense is several times higher than its physical defense.

Therefore, Ryūno chose Rock Tomb, a Rock-type physical attack that can also lower the opponent's speed.

Energy condensed, and dozens of not-so-large rocks floated silently in front of Charizard. They didn't seem as intimidating as violent moves like Rock Slide, but they were surprisingly effective in controlling the enemy.

As Charizard's broad, powerful wings continued to flap, a swarm of rocks shot out one after another, surrounding Gardevoir in a strange formation.

"Instant teleportation!"

The teleportation I saved earlier finally came in handy. The rock blockade that seemed to make it impossible for the victim to escape was still a bit lacking in the face of mindless teleportation.

Gardevoir successfully escaped, and as expected, it landed hovering in the far sky, almost at the furthest point from Charizard on the field.

Then, I immediately began to meditate.

Xia Chen's strategy at this moment is very simple. Now that Gardevoir has already laid the groundwork for Foresight, all he needs to do next is avoid its sharp edge and try not to be attacked. Any chance to use Meditation to strengthen himself is a bonus.

This was an open strategy, and Longye understood it as well, so his approach was quite targeted: "Charizard, Flare Charge!"

Want to pull me apart?

Do you think my Charizard can't fly?

…………

The blazing flames, like armor, tightly enveloped all parts of Charizard's body, transforming him into a ghost rider from hell, as he flapped his wings and flew towards Gardevoir in the distance.

"Sneak Attack by a Hidden Spirit!"

Xia Chen dared not be presumptuous and immediately instructed Gardevoir to stop meditating.

Longye is really ruthless; he'll use a violent move like Flame Charge at the drop of a hat.

If Gardevoir gets hit, it will not only be 100% knocked down on the spot, but it will also owe Charizard a large portion of its health.

Although Charizard was fast in Flame Charge mode, Gardevoir easily dodged it because of the initial distance between them.

Gardevoir stayed inside for nearly ten seconds before finally venturing out—if it weren't for the rules, she could have stayed in the void until the [Future Insight] energy cluster outside exploded.

"Storm Flame Strike!"

Seeing that Gardevoir had finally decided to appear, Ryūno immediately commanded Charizard to charge tirelessly once again.

For him, this was a matter of almost no cost, just a matter of consuming more energy. However, Gardevoir's protective measures were limited, and neither Ryuu nor Charizard had any patience to spare.

While the power of Charged Flame Strike isn't high, it has a significant effect: increasing speed, which is exactly what Charizard needs right now.

The faster the speed, the less time Gardevoir has to react.

Charizard can make many mistakes, but Gardevoir will lose everything if it makes a mistake.

Xia Chen looked at the Charizard, whose aura had clearly weakened considerably, and a thought flickered in his mind.

Charged Flame Strike... even if it hits, it won't cause fatal damage, so it's worth a gamble.

While thinking for a moment, he immediately commanded, "Gardedoll, use Thunder!"

The orange-red horn lit up in sync with the voice, and in an instant, dark clouds gathered beneath the dojo's ceiling, with faint traces of rolling thunder rushing through them.

Just as Charizard was a few body lengths away from Gardevoir, several bolts of lightning, like thunder dragons, crashed down violently.

As if it had truly gained sentience, the lightning did not strike the Charizard directly, but instead coiled and intertwined together. In the final moments before it fell, it transformed into a lightning cage, forcefully trapping the Charizard within!

However, the power of the charged flame attack was too weak, and Charizard was unable to break free immediately!

Longye raised an eyebrow in surprise. Thunder could be used like that?

This guy's understanding of energy manipulation is truly terrifying...

Despite his feelings, he could only stop Charizard for the time being and use another move instead.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower and then Protect!"

Charizard took a deep breath, and scorching fire energy brewed between its breaths. Then, a huge fireball was spewed out of its mouth, instantly stretching out into the shape of the Chinese character "大" in the air.

…………

boom--

The fireball, brimming with explosive energy, collided with the lightning cage. As expected, the clash between thunder and fire triggered a massive explosion. Even the aftershocks created terrifying waves of flame in the air, not to mention the epicenter of the explosion.

A bright orange mushroom cloud rose slowly into the sky, and the smell of gunpowder filled every corner of the venue.

In the stands, many people were already coughing from the smoke, but they still kept their eyes glued to the battlefield.

call--

A strong gust of wind blew past, revealing a pair of wings covered in charred burn marks. The fire-breathing dragon roared to the sky, emerging from the mushroom cloud at the center of the explosion as if reborn from the ashes.

Despite his disheveled appearance, his aura remained undiminished.

At the very center of the collision and explosion of the thunder and the massive flames, only by holding the line can he be kept safe.

His sharp gaze locked onto Gardevoir, which had slipped away to the distance during the brief lull in the explosion. Gardevoir flapped its wings and sped through the air.

Sensing the increasingly faint energy emanating from her, Charizard knew that Gardevoir had run out of options.

This time, you absolutely can't escape!

"Flash Charge!"

Trailing its fiery tail, Charizard streaked across the sky at breakneck speed, crashing into the sky like a falling meteor.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir stopped dodging and gathered the last bit of energy remaining in its body, its chest horn shimmering with azure light.

Immediately, a rapid and powerful jet of water shot out—a water cannon!

At the last moment, Gardevoir unleashed a move it had been hiding all day, a move that could deal the highest damage to Charizard.

In the sky, half of the flames soared into the sky, burning crimson, while the other half was a deep, tranquil blue, like the deep sea. The confrontation between water and fire was extremely spectacular.

In nature, although water has a natural ability to suppress fire, ordinary water cannot quell a raging wildfire.

The near-Champion-level Charizard unleashed its Flame Charge, a fiery attack that seemed invincible, splitting the water in two. Ghost Rider finally pierced the hero with his sword.

A black dress drifted sadly down from the sky, like a black enchantress whose bloom had come to an end and withered away.

When it fell to the ground, the black dress quietly faded into an ordinary white dress—Gardedoll lost its ability to battle and also reverted to its Mega Evolution state.

At the same time, an invisible psychic energy ball on the field suddenly exploded. The Charizard in mid-air let out a miserable cry of pain. Severely injured, it was unable to maintain its flight posture and had to land on the ground.

The previously buried [Precognition] energy cluster finally detonated, causing severe damage to Charizard!

…………

"Thank you for your hard work, Gardevoir..."

Xia Chen frowned as he retrieved the unconscious Gardevoir.

His furrowed brows weren't due to dissatisfaction with Gardevoir's performance, but rather because his mental strength had been somewhat damaged by Gardevoir's loss of consciousness.

During private training sessions, they had never fought to the point of losing their ability to fight, so this was the first time Xia Chen had heard of it.

The stinging pain, like being pricked with needles, made him gasp for breath, but the battle had to continue, otherwise it would be too unfair to Saifu and Gardevoir's efforts.

Xia Chen glanced at the heavily wounded Charizard on the battlefield, panting heavily as if it were "recovering its blood," and couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Unfortunately, Zoroark has never acquired a Rock-type Special Attack berry like [Meteor Beam] or [Original Power]. If that water cannon had been replaced by either of those two, Charizard would probably be down by now.

However, to be able to fight against a Charizard that was second or third in the standings and achieve this result has far exceeded Xia Chen's original expectations.

So what's next...?

"It's up to you now, Sylveon!"

Xia Chen threw out a Poké Ball, which flashed with white light. Sylveon stood on the rocky ground, its gaze fixed on Charizard.

It's Sylveon instead of Milotic?

Longye was somewhat surprised, but he didn't think much of it and immediately commanded, "Charizard, Flare Charge!"

Just how terrifying is Mega Eevee? The exhibition match a month ago already demonstrated it. If she were to casually unleash a Rock-type or even Water-type move, Charizard would be utterly defeated.

Although Charizard was already in a state of near collapse, it was still worthwhile if it could contribute even a little more light and heat.

"Roar!"

Despite the unbearable pain in its body, the fire-breathing dragon flapped its wings and took flight.

It is visibly slower than before.

Xia Chen commanded without hesitation: "Surprise Attack by Spirits!"

Longye was speechless. Did you learn the Hidden Spirit Strike technique wholesale?

How can a move that only a few Ghost-type Pokémon can learn be made to seem like something everyone can do?

However, he didn't care too much. The Fairy Cloth, which hadn't yet undergone super evolution, had pitifully low physical attack, so he would just let her launch a surprise attack.

Sylveon vanished into the void, leaving Charizard, having lost its target, with no choice but to stop and wait patiently for its prey to come to it.

This time, the time spent escaping into the void was much shorter, less than a second. A crack opened behind Charizard, and Sylveon emerged from it.

Of course, along with it appeared a dense, almost tangible, resentful energy. Ghostly figures leaped within the impenetrable deep purple mist, exuding a chilling aura.

Longye's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Is this level of Ghost-type energy really something that Sylveon could unleash with a Phantom Attack?

A possibility he had overlooked suddenly came to mind—

This isn't Sylveon, it's Zoroark disguised as Sylveon!

When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood. Xia Chen chose the time least likely to arouse suspicion to exploit Zoroark's [illusion] property.

Although Longye was surprised, he did not feel any regret.

As everyone knows, trying to defend against everything is the same as defending against nothing. In a 6v6 match, it's practically impossible to perfectly defend against Zoroark.

The current cost... is only acceptable.

…………

The highly corrosive Ghost-type energy dragged Charizard into an abyss of resentment, but Zoroark's strength was ultimately insufficient. This sneak attack failed to finish off the severely wounded Charizard, instead reducing it from "red health" to "zero health".