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

After the third self-motivation ended, the orange glow on Xianbu's platinum-gold body became even more conspicuous.

Once she gets past Mega Gallade, she now even has the ability to sweep the entire team.

But the more critical the situation, the more cautious Xia Chen became. After meditating, Gallade, which had recovered a small portion of its energy, regained the ability to teleport and launch a sneak attack. If Sabrina were to seize the opportunity and succeed, the entire situation would collapse instantly.

The battle has reached its most critical moment. After the previous clashes, both Pokémon now have the ability to end the battle in a short time.

Not only the current battles on the field, but even the outcome of the entire battle will be rewritten as a result.

…………

After a stalemate, Xia Chen finally made the first move.

"Xanbow, Shadow Ball!"

The three self-motivation enhancements did more than just improve her attack; Sylveon's special attack power had now reached a terrifying level.

The reasons for using Shadow Ball are simple: firstly, it's a counter, and secondly, it can prevent being instantly killed by teleportation and close-quarters combat.

While Gallade can also use moves that are effective against enemies, such as Dark Slash and Shadow Claw, their power is significantly less than that of close-range combat.

Even if a sneak attack succeeds, Senbu still has room to fight back.

As if an invisible hand was manipulating and kneading, the deep purple Netherworld energy condensed into a ball in front of Xianbu and quickly turned into a sphere.

The restless energy pulsed uneasily on the surface of the sphere in the form of black lightning, revealing the immense and terrifying explosive energy hidden within its basketball-sized volume.

Driven by telekinesis, the Shadow Sphere suddenly flew out, passing through the air between the two in almost an instant, arriving just a few meters away from its target.

Gallade's reaction was astonishing. With a rustling sound in the wind, its cloak fluttered behind it as the elegant and powerful swordsman dodged the Shadow Ball in a Z-shaped movement and charged toward Sylveon.

A strange blue light suddenly flashed in Sylveon's pink and white pupils. Then, the deep purple bomb that had just brushed past Gallade seemed to have used [Use Aerial Ace] and returned, locking onto Gallade once again!

Undoubtedly, this is still driven by telekinesis.

If Gallade persists in attacking Sylveon, the Shadow Ball will hit him at an even faster speed!

Naz remained calm, but a glint of light flashed in her eyes—she had sensed an opportunity.

"Sneak behind and launch a surprise attack on a vital spot!"

In order not to miss any opportunities, even when commanding via telepathy, Sabrina's instructions were exceptionally brief.

The next instant, Gallade, sandwiched between Shadow Ball and Sylveon, vanished.

Before the audience, who had been staring intently at the arena the whole time, could even gasp in surprise, Gallade, who had disappeared, reappeared behind Sylveon, holding a blade wreathed in dark fel energy high and slashing down!

At the same time, the Shadow Ball, which had turned back to chase Gallade, also flew whistlingly to Sylveon's front!

At this moment, the blue psychic power in Xianbu's eyes had just disappeared, leaving him no chance to use the Spirit Strike to escape.

With a single teleportation, Gallade instantly reversed the balance of power!

…………

"A divine move! Gallade escapes from a desperate situation! This teleportation allowed him to extricate himself from being surrounded and even transferred the damage to Sylveon. Moves don't discriminate between friend and foe; the damage from this Shadow Ball will be absorbed by Sylveon and Gallade together!"

"Sylveon has used Psychic to control its Shadow Ball, making it now a Psychic type. Ghost and Dark types are twice as effective against it! If it can't dodge, it has almost no chance of survival!"

"Gallade, are you about to end the match?"

The only sound in the arena was the rapid-fire commentary, as everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the battlefield, waiting for the true climax of this superpowered battle to arrive.

The sneak attack was too late, and holding on was futile—once the holding on ended, what awaited Xianbu was a close-quarters battle.

The outcome of this match seems to have been predetermined.

However, what no one noticed was that at that very moment, the pale pink gem between Xianbu's eyebrows, representing the Psychic type, suddenly shone, and then turned into a deep blackish-brown—that was the light representing the Dark type!

Gallade's blade slashed down with the force of splitting a mountain, and in the shadows, Sylveon's eyes were exceptionally firm.

At the same time, the boomerang-shaped shadow ball finally returned to its launch point.

boom--

The deafening explosion of the Shadow Ball seemed to be mixed with the piercing sound of a blade slicing through the air. Then, a deep purple ghostly aura spread like miasma, obscuring the figures of Sylveon and Gallade.

Judging from the two indistinguishable sounds, both attacks definitely hit Sylveon.

Without a doubt, there is almost no chance that Xianbu is still standing on the battlefield.

After the energy ripples from the clash of moves by the referee, protected by Aegislash, completely dissipated, the referee flew into the arena to ascertain the outcome of the match, and then, as expected, blew the whistle to signal that the Pokémon was unable to battle.

The entire arena fell silent. Had they really lost after all...?

Aside from Natsume's supporters, the rest of the audience felt a little sorry for Sinbu's fall.

Even with our best efforts, we still couldn't overcome the odds...

beep--

An electronic sound effect rang out, and the elf avatar on the big screen went dark.

The audience subconsciously looked up, only to suddenly realize that the dimmed icon did not belong to Sylveon, but to Gallade!

how can that be!

At that moment, no one could believe what they were seeing.

The reversal was so sudden and unbelievable that even the on-site director was stunned for a while, keeping the camera on the score screen for at least five seconds.

Then, the scene switched to a special replay of the aftermath of the Shadow Orb explosion, revealing the truth hidden by the purple smoke to the audience.

…………

The drone closest to the explosion site was positioned in a very special way, looking down at the two sprites from above.

In the scene, just after Gallade's blade slashed down, Sylveon struggled to retaliate with a move shrouded in dark energy.

Then, Gallade, which was also at the center of the explosion, fell to the ground and lost its ability to battle.

"That move was an eye for an eye!"

"That's what Ge Jihua said confidently from the commentary booth."

"We all know that abilities like Greninja's [Alter] and Cinderace's [Free Spirit] change type by gathering energy rather than using the move. The same applies to Sylveon's ability."

Ge Jihua, who usually kept her emotions hidden, was now explaining with great emotion.

"Therefore, Sylveon must have started preparing to use [An Eye for an Eye] after Gallade used Teleport. Only Dark-type Pokémon can resist both Ghost-type Shadow Ball and Dark-type Pokémon Vulnerability. And only An Eye for an Eye can deal enough damage to deliver a fatal blow to Gallade!"

"I don't know how to describe Xia Chen... He and Sylveon didn't even have half a second to react. If it was purely based on reaction, I suggest he be given a urine test after the match. If it was based on first reading, then this is definitely the most incredible first reading and comeback I've ever seen in any match this year!"

Ge Jihua's praises were so extravagant that she seemed inclined to apply to join the [Summer Blowing Club].

But it's no wonder she was amazed; right now, almost everyone was marveling at Xia Chen and Xianbu's incredible comeback.

No one even noticed that Sabrina had already recalled Gallade, who was unable to battle, and sent out Alakazam to continue the match.

Viewers and commenters alike were enthusiastically discussing the exciting battle between Sylveon and Gallade.

"What else can I say... You can always believe in Sylveon!!"

"To correct Ms. Ge Jihua, whether it's purely a reaction or pre-reading, I suggest taking Xia Chen for a urine test. This guy is really going too far!"

"Regardless of the elves' performance, the battle between superpowered individuals was truly spectacular! There wasn't a single dull moment; the tension and excitement were the most thrilling I've ever seen!"

"I declare that this is the second best 1v1 match of the year... no, the last three years, second only to Cynthia's Garchomp vs. Leon's Charizard!"

"A truly exciting match. Both Pokémon and both trainers deserved the victory. I'm not a fan of Xia Chen, but for some reason, I felt happier watching him win..."

"Me too, but it's too early to say who will win or lose. Sylvanas is out of form, so Sabrina might have a chance."

"Holy crap! Passing the baton! Looks like Sabrina doesn't have much of a chance now..."

…………

While the audience was discussing the matter, a dramatic change had already taken place on the battlefield.

Sabrina sent out her last Pokémon, Alakazam, to battle.

Meanwhile, Sylvanas Windrunner used her baton to transfer her triple [Self-Motivation] buff to Zoroark, the Crystal Ghost in the back row.

The situation is very favorable for Xia Chen.

Back in the original Pokémon series, Ash proved that he needed to use Ghost-type Pokémon to defeat Sabrina.

When it comes to pure Ghost type, Zoroark in Xia Chen's team is second to none.

This is also the most important reason why Xia Chen chose her, rather than Dorgon, as the successor to Xianbu.

Furthermore, Zoroark is a true dual attacker, excelling in both physical and special attacks, and can perfectly utilize its self-motivation by simultaneously boosting both attack stats.

As it turns out, all the passive situations in battle stem from the fear of insufficient firepower.

Zoroark, having obtained Sylveon's "legacy," was exceptionally powerful, reversing his previous defeat at the hands of Slowking and taking down the psychic Slowking in just two minutes.

At this point, Xia Chen was leading 2-0, much to the surprise of most people who had favored Nazja before the match.

Sabrina's last Pokémon was Alakazam, her ace Pokémon.

But for some reason, Sabrina didn't give it either Mega Evolution or Too Crystallization, but instead let it go last, enjoying the hellish difficulty of needing to defeat three opponents to win the match.

When facing Sabrina's ace Pokémon, Zoroark was able to suppress it for a time before the boost from its self-motivation wore off.

But as the enhancement effects faded one by one, Alakazam revealed its formidable strength.

While not as powerful as Mega Gallade, Zoroark is also not Mega Sylveon.

Fortunately, Xia Chen's lineup also has a fully-formed Dragon Barut, which provides a high margin for error.

In a desperate gamble, Zoroark managed to bite off a chunk of Alakazam's flesh before losing his ability to fight.

When facing Draco, Alakazam's health and energy levels were less than half.

Dragapult did not disappoint Sylvanas and Zoroark's heroic performance, resolutely implementing the [Justice 3 vs 1] tactic throughout, and finally, despite sacrificing two Dragapult minions and being seriously injured himself, he managed to defeat Sabrina's ace Alakazam.

The "king meets king" scene that audiences love to see does not occur.

Thankfully, it didn't happen; otherwise, given Sylveon's condition when it defeated Gallade, the suspense of this match might have remained until the very last moment.

When Alakazam fell and the final whistle blew, the entire arena erupted in unprecedented applause and cheers!

At this moment, they can finally unleash the pent-up passion they've been suppressing ever since Gallade fell!

Cindy, forever a god!