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

"And the most effective way to limit this tactic is... Trick Room!"

The male commentator nodded in sudden realization, "I see, Ms. Cai Dou is very insightful!"

This wasn't actually an unconventional tactic; he had already realized what was going on when he saw that Xia Chen had sent out Gardevoir.

But the job of commentator is similar to that of a comedian; sometimes you have to play dumb and be the straight man, otherwise how can you highlight that Cai Dou is very knowledgeable?

As the two commentators spoke, on the battlefield, the two trainers had already given commands to the two Pokémon that had just entered the fray.

Just as Cai Dou predicted, Xia Chen shouted, "Gardedoll, Trick Room!"

At the same time, Lulina swiftly retrieved the newly deployed Totodile into its Poké Ball and threw out another Poké Ball, from which emerged her last Pokémon of the match—Gyarados!

This situation left all the audience members quite puzzled, and even the male commentator in the commentary booth found it unbelievable.

"My God, Lulina changed positions in such a short time, without even letting Hudoujiansuo unleash a single attack! Aya-sensei, what's going on?"

Cai Dou hesitated for a moment, then explained, "Obviously, Lulina had also considered Gardevoir's Trick Room move before the match, which is why she reacted immediately."

"Because Pelipper was knocked down during the battle, rather than being switched out voluntarily, she was able to switch back in with Gyarados. However, Xia Chen switched out Goodra voluntarily and couldn't switch back in during this period... In other words, Lulina's goal was to lure Xia Chen into using Gardevoir, forcing him to fight against her Gyarados... no, Mega Gyarados!"

The male commentator finally understood.

"This is the battle between top trainers! Xia Chen broke the deadlock with Gardevoir's Trick Room, while Lulina turned the tables, transforming the disadvantageous matchup of the Fighting Spin into a battle where neither Mega Gyarados nor Gardevoir had any way out! So, will Xia Chen let Gardevoir undergo Mega Evolution?"

…………

Xia Chen naturally realized Lulina's scheme the moment Gyarados appeared. Although he was somewhat surprised, he wasn't too astonished.

On such a stage, he dared not underestimate any opponent.

The current situation is somewhat tricky. Lurina's Gyarados has reached the upper-middle level of the Elite Four level, and after Mega Evolution, it is not far from the Champion level.

It seems the only solution is to use the same kind of mega-evolution...

Xia Chen's last Pokémon in the back row is Sylveon. The Mega Evolution slot for this competition was originally intended for her because she is more stable. Now, if she saves her resources, she probably won't be able to get past the Mega Gyarados stage.

Thinking this, Xia Chen raised the Keystone wristband on his left wrist, waiting for Gardevoir to finish releasing Trick Room before Mega Evolving it.

Meanwhile, Lurina had already initiated Gyarados's Mega Evolution.

Two brilliant beams of light emanated from the Key Stone and the Mega Stone respectively, converging in mid-air and then pouring into Gyarados's body. Immediately, the light intensified, and Gyarados's form changed amidst the burst of Mega Evolution energy.

Soon, a larger, darker-colored, and exaggeratedly large dragon fin on its back was born from the light—it was Mega Gyarados!

Looking at Gardevoir, which had just used Trick Room and was about to Mega Evolve, Lurina's eyes flashed, and she immediately shouted, "Gyarados, Waterfall!"

In the real world, there's no such thing as being unable to attack during Mega Evolution. Lurina precisely seized this time difference, commanding Mega Gyarados to catch her opponent off guard.

"Roar!"

Mega Evolution also has a significant impact on a Pokémon's temperament. Mega Gyarados appears even more ferocious and arrogant, letting out an unintelligible roar from its wide-open mouth as it fiercely flies towards Gardevoir.

The effects of Trick Room have already taken effect. Under the influence of this strange psychic power, Mega Gyarados's speed has been swapped with Gardevoir's, so it is not as fast as expected with the Tailwind buff.

However, Gardevoir is not slow to begin with, so Gyarados was still propelled by a surge of water as it charged toward the center of the Mega Evolution's radiant light.

…………

The rain was pouring down, and large raindrops gathered around Mega Gyarados, making the surging water energy around it appear even more intense and turbulent.

Rainy weather boosts the power of Water-type moves, and with the Same Type Attack Bonus, Mega Gyarados, whose attack power is already exceptional, thrives even more.

One can imagine what would happen if such a waterfall were to hit Gardevoir, whose physical defense, durability, and stamina are extremely weak.

At best, they could be seriously injured; at worst, they could be killed instantly if they were unlucky.

Knowing this perfectly well, Xia Chen dared not be negligent. Before Gardevoir could complete its Mega Evolution, he had already reminded her telepathically, "Teleport!"

Without any delay in command, before the light of the super-evolution had completely faded, the figure within the light had already disappeared.

Lulina was clearly prepared and was not surprised at all by Gardevoir's disappearance. She immediately began searching the field for Gardevoir's new location.

The battlefield was extremely wide, and looking around, she immediately spotted that obvious black figure behind Gyarados.

Lurina shouted, "Gyarados, behind you!"

Being slower has its advantages; if it were at a normal tailwind speed, a Mega Gyarados wouldn't be able to turn around so easily.

The ferocious, azure-blue water dragon abruptly turned around and charged once more towards Gardevoir, who was floating in mid-air in a long black dress.

Xia Chen unleashed his divine skill, "Gardedoll, get out of the way!"

In fact, this was not a random command. Gyarados needs time to turn around, and with the help of Trick Room, Gardevoir's actual speed is comparable to that of a Gyarados with Tailwind, so avoiding the waterfall is a piece of cake.

With her black dress billowing in the wind, Mega Gardevoir moved swiftly and gracefully, dodging the suddenly charging Gyarados with astonishing speed.

Then came the counterattack!

"Gardevoir, Moon Power!"

After Mega Evolution, Gyarados's type changes from Water/Flying to Water/Dark, significantly altering its type matchup with Gardevoir.

It is directly immune to Psychic-type moves, but is doubly weak to Fairy-type moves.

With a chance to lower Special Defense, and being a Fairy-type move, Moon Power naturally became the top choice for countering Gyarados.

Lulina remained calm and decisive, commanding, "Gyarados, continue, Waterfall!"

Although Gardevoir's Special Attack power reaches a terrifying level after Mega Evolution, its weakness in defense remains unresolved.

On the contrary, Gyarados's Special Defense is surprisingly high. Trading injury for injury is perfectly acceptable to Lulina, and it's even more to say that it's exactly what she wanted.

Xia Chen was not afraid of this form of exchange.

In the parlance of Pokémon battles from a previous game, it's called "exchanging pieces".

It would be best if Gardevoir could defeat Gyarados, but being defeated isn't the end of the world. As long as she inflicts enough damage before collapsing, Goodra, with its incredibly slow speed, will have a very easy time dealing with Gyarados under Trick Room.

So his command to Gardevoir was—"Gardevoir, inflict as much damage as possible on it!"

…………

"Sana!"

A strange crimson glint flashed in Gardevoir's rose-red eyes, a sign of her using the emotional energy of the Eye of Memrider.

Since receiving this reward from the simulator, Gardevoir has become increasingly adept at using the gift of this legendary Pokémon.

Now, she can increase the power of her moves by nearly 50% by only increasing the speed of her moves by about 30%!

A deep purple glow shone on the orange-red horns on her chest, and then a pillar of light, containing immense fairy-type energy and resembling moonlight, condensed and shot straight towards the charging Mega Gyarados.

The latter, fearless and undaunted, roared silently with its ferocious dragon head, charging forward once more with a raging torrent of water and a terrifying, earth-shattering momentum.

boom--

Deep purple and azure blue intersected, and without either side making any attempt to dodge, the two terrifying attacks struck the opponent almost simultaneously.

Under the fierce impact of Mega Gyarados, Gardevoir's slender body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

Gyarados also suffered from the Moon Power, which was enhanced by special energy and had double the restraint. Its expression, which showed pain, became even more violent and ferocious.

Perhaps due to insufficient charging time, the scene of an instant kill did not occur. With the output power of a near-champion-level Mega Gyarados, this was definitely an unexpected surprise for Xia Chen.

Of course, as her opponent, Lulina didn't want to see this happen, so she immediately shouted, "Gyarados, Iron Head!"

Still tormented by the Fairy-type energy, Gyarados hurriedly endured the pain and gathered its energy. Soon, its deep blue dragon head shone with a silvery-white metallic luster.

At the same time, Mega Gyarados flew towards Gardevoir in the same way it had climbed the waterfall, trying to finish her off before she could react.

Xia Chen would naturally not allow such a thing to happen.

"Instant teleportation!"

Before the words were even finished, Gardevoir, which had been falling toward the ground in a parabolic trajectory, suddenly disappeared.

The somewhat unexpected response prompted Lulina to instinctively search for Gardevoir's missing figure, trying to pinpoint a target for Gyarados.

Just like before, she quickly spotted the familiar black skirt behind Gyarados.

Lulina raised an eyebrow slightly. Using the same trick again? Isn't that a bit disrespectful?

Just as she was about to command Gyarados to turn its head, she suddenly saw the same figure above Gyarados.

Gardevoir again!

How come there are two?

Lulina's raised eyebrows suddenly furrowed; this scene was beyond what she had prepared for before the match.

However, being a highly experienced and discerning top-tier trainer, she quickly realized what Gardevoir had done after a moment's thought—

While using teleportation, she also released a shadow clone!

While it may seem incredible to unleash two attacks in a short period of time, it is possible if enough energy is consumed.

This is why Gardevoir doesn't have two or more clones—because the remaining energy wouldn't allow it.

This is the only explanation.

So the question is, which Gardevoir should I command Gyarados to attack?

Lulina was confused.

Chapter 379 VS Sabrina, A Battle of Superpowered Individuals

Above the battlefield, two identical Gardevoir figures made Lulina fall into deep thought.

On the surface, it's a choice between two options made by luck, but in reality, it's Xia Chen issuing another challenge to Lu Lina.

Xia Chen used Gardevoir, who was in extremely poor condition, as a test, leaving the decision of the battle to Lulina.

If you choose the right one, Mega Gyarados can defeat Gardevoir, bringing the score to 1-1, and Luna still has a chance to win.

If you choose the wrong move, Gyarados will definitely be met with a second Moon Power or a move like Hyper Voice. Even if Gyarados doesn't die, it will quickly fall to the next move or the next Pokémon to appear. Xia Chen will almost certainly win.

This is a gamble where neither the stakes nor the rewards are fair to Lulina.

But there's nothing we can do; after all, it was Xia Chen who set the questions.

The most crucial point is that this "exam" is extremely short.

Seeing both figures begin to gather energy in preparation for unleashing their attacks, Lulina knew she had to make a decision immediately.

The upward distance is short, and the movement only requires looking up; the backward distance is not only longer, but also requires a strenuous turn.