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

This news truly shocked the guests in the studio, even though they were all influential figures in their respective regions.

"How could it be so early? That old guy Aldeck has been a champion for over twenty years."

Du, who was on good terms with Aldeck, remarked, "Xia Chen is even more... thinking about retiring before even becoming a champion?"

Although Cynthia has been famous for a long time, she is actually not yet thirty years old this year. It's just that she started to stand out too early, which gives people the feeling of a "veteran".

It's worth noting that most champions at this age are still striving for this coveted honor, so Cynthia's decision to retire at such a crucial time is truly beyond people's comprehension.

Meanwhile, the news ignited the enthusiasm of the viewers in the live stream.

"Huh? Cynthia is retiring already? Isn't that a bit too early?"

"What's even more outrageous is Xia Chen, who retired after only a few years in the industry???"

"Haha, look at Watari's expression, it could be made into a meme!"

"Watari: I'm five years older than you and I just became a champion. You're telling me you're already retiring?"

"It's a bit surreal, though. Back in the day, Mastedt's victory at Galata School at the age of thirty already shocked countless people, but now the champions are already preparing to retire before they're even thirty..."

"Waaaaah, my goddess has retired! My youth is over!"

"Honestly, why did Cynthia have to retire so early? She was still in the process of improving her strength."

"I guess it might be influenced by some lazy bum surnamed Xia who dreams of retiring and enjoying life before he turns thirty (Ibrahimovic winks.jpg)"

"It's rumored that Cynthia and Xia Chen made a pact before the great battle six months ago that they would get married if they survived (as expected of Weng, who is all serious.jpg)"

"It's true, I was Groudon there at the time, I can vouch for it."

"So this is a competition to decide who does the dishes after marriage? (Cute New Leaf Cat.jpg)"

"Stop spreading rumors. A ten-year fan of Cynthia analyzed rationally: when she participated in the Lily of the Valley Tournament, she said that she participated in the competition to compete against more excellent trainers. She didn't really care about the title of champion. Now she probably feels that it's meaningless to dominate for several years in a row, so she plans to retire."

"..."

…………

Meanwhile, in the players' preparation room, Xia Chen was still struggling with the long-awaited competition.

Faced with pairs of bright, expectant eyes in front of him, he still couldn't decide which Pokémon to send into battle.

After all, this is a significant retirement match, and it would seem a bit cruel not to let anyone play.

With the match about to begin and no final decision yet made, Gardevoir stepped forward first.

"Sanai~ (I'm not feeling well, can I not play?)"

Gardevoir was quite professional, using excellent facial expression control to try and portray a state of physical discomfort.

However, it's obvious to everyone that this is just an excuse for her to give up her spot on the field.

Gardevoir's refusal seemed to have opened a floodgate, and soon Milotic, Dragapult, and Zoroark also began to politely decline.

The initial scrambling atmosphere suddenly reversed, and everyone relaxed completely.

The only one who didn't change her mind was Xianbu. Contrary to her usual behavior, she didn't choose to defer to her juniors and instead expressed her desire to fight to Xia Chen with expectant eyes.

Seeing that the elves were almost arguing over who should take the offer, Xia Chen simply made the decision.

"So, those who played in the last game should give their chance to the other players, okay?"

This was undoubtedly a fair and reasonable solution, so before the staff urged them to go on stage, Xia Chen returned all six Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

Sylveon, Milotic, Gardevoir, Zoroark, Volcarona, and Zeraora, which hasn't played in the entire series yet.

Then, amidst the cheers and screams of tens of thousands of spectators that seemed to pierce the sky, Xia Chen stepped into the battlefield.

There was no way to feel nervous anymore. Although the scene was exaggerated, it was still less than half the size of Kyogre turning over in the sea.

However, looking at Cynthia who walked out of the opposite entrance at almost the same time, Xia Chen couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

It has taken him four years to go from being a viewer in front of the screen to becoming a contestant on stage.

Beneath his feet was a stage representing the highest honor for trainers at the pinnacle of the world; before him stood the world's number one trainer, ready to fight him with all his might.

The deafening roar of the waves made the whole thing seem like a dream.

After a brief moment of distraction, he raised his right hand and waved to the surrounding stands, instantly triggering an even more agitated and louder shout.

After finishing his greetings, Xia Chen turned to look at Cynthia, who was directly opposite him on the battlefield. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but she had just finished interacting with the audience around her and was now looking over at him.

Although they were nearly a hundred meters apart, the two seemed to sense the emotions in each other's eyes and exchanged a knowing smile.

Just then, the large screens in the arena were focused on their facial expressions, intended to create a tense and solemn pre-battle atmosphere, but instead presented an ambiguous atmosphere that was hard to define.

A chorus of good-natured boos erupted from the audience.

After a brief interruption, the match officially began with the referee's whistle from the Aegislash.

…………

The newly built Ultimate Arena features a variety of terrains, including rocks, snow, forests, and shallows.

The method of switching venues is similar to that of the Luna Arena, but it is more efficient and convenient. The final rules are that whenever three Pokémon lose their ability to battle, a new venue will be switched.

The game starts with a randomized river course.

A swift, small river meanders through an area of ​​nearly 10,000 square meters, with the water surface and the land surface roughly equal in size.

Undoubtedly, this is a versatile arena that can accommodate Pokémon that can survive in water, land, and air at the same time.

Xia Chen and Cynthia's starting Pokémon choices were both fairly conventional: Milotic and Lucario, respectively.

The appearance of the two popular Pokémon, who possess both strength and good looks, immediately drew thunderous applause from the audience. It was clear without a decibel meter that these few seconds set a new record for the highest sound waves since the start of the show.

For the two who know each other very well, there is no need for testing, no need for deference, and no need for trainer commands. Right from the start, the two Pokémon used their first moves almost at the same time in perfect unison.

whoosh-

The sharp sound of something cutting through the air was clearly audible. The frame rate on the screen jumped only once, and the audience was shocked to find that Lucario, which had just emerged from the Poké Ball, had disappeared from its original spot.

Even Rotom, the professional cameraman, couldn't react in time, and it took him a full half second to catch up with Lucario, who was enveloped in silver light.

Speedy!

Lucario, already incredibly fast, was transformed into a silver bullet by this preemptive move, instantly appearing beside Milotic.

Undoubtedly, this was a fast-paced attack tactic that Cynthia had devised before the match.

As soon as the match started, Lucario's amazing speed drew gasps from the audience, and even the champion, Lance, couldn't help but marvel.

"This speed... Senior Dan, how does it compare to your Draco Balto?"

Leon's Draco is recognized as the king of speed, having demonstrated a terrifying speed exceeding Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, in tests.

Faced with this question, Leon shook his head, "Under the same conditions, they might be able to compete, but with the [Extreme Speed] buff, Dragapult is no match for Lucario."

He couldn't help but say, "It seems that Gadriya was right. The previous matches didn't allow Cynthia to show her true strength. Perhaps the only one who can push her to her limit is Xia Chen."

While the commentators were giving their analysis, the situation on the battlefield had already changed dramatically.

Undoubtedly, Milotic was unable to dodge such a rapid attack.

In fact, it never intended to dodge.

state--

A crisp, metallic sound suddenly rang out, immediately raising a question—

It's understandable that Lucario, a Steel-type Pokémon, would make such a sound, but why would Milotic, a Water-type Pokémon, do the same?

The camera pans to where the two Pokémon meet, and Lucario throws a single punch, the steel spikes at the end of its powerful fist gleaming with a chilling light.

It is conceivable that a punch delivered at speeds exceeding Mach 2, even without any steel-based energy, would cause terrifying damage simply due to the sheer force of its extreme speed.

However, the truth is that Milotic, which was hit head-on, was only knocked back a few steps, and the few scales that came into direct contact with Lucario only showed fine, shallow white marks.

The deliberately magnified details on the screen allowed all viewers to experience Milotic's terrifying physical defense capabilities.

It's important to understand that Swiftness is not the same as a preemptive move like Bullet Punch or Lightning Flash; its power is not low.

Even if Lucario's Normal-type move didn't get a type-specific boost, it shouldn't be unable to break through Milotic's defense, right?

…………

Unlike the audience's shock, Lucario and Cynthia on the field remained calm.

"A piercing sound!"

Almost simultaneously, the instant Cynthia gave the command, Lucario unleashed this move, which could greatly reduce the opponent's physical defense, by having the steel spikes between the fur on its body collide with each other.

If your defense is high, I'll lower it a bit before attacking.

At this moment, the advantage of Cynthia's strategy of launching an early attack became apparent again. The ear-piercing sound released at close range hit Milotic almost instantly, leaving it no time to react to a move like Protect.

But at the same time, Lucario also bears the same risks—

bang——

A deafening roar, like the sound of a heavy cannon, suddenly exploded, and a powerful torrent of water, like a waterfall cascading down from a towering mountain, rushed toward Lucario.

Spray water!

Terrifying moves that were originally only mastered by a few Pokémon, including Kyogre and Wailord, are now being displayed in a magnificent display on this stage.

When the user has plenty of life force, the damage of this move is comparable to the powerful Hyper Beam with its strong side effects!

Since Lucario's previous Extreme Speed ​​attack barely caused any effective damage to Milotic, the power of this water jet has undoubtedly reached its limit.

The risks of close-quarters combat are now fully exposed. Faced with Milotic's sudden burst of water jets, Lucario has no room to dodge.

boom--

The massive, turbulent current emitted a terrifying sound, like a fiery explosion, and the continuous high pressure caused Lucario to bob and sway like a lone boat in a tsunami, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Lucario's Special Defense and Health stats are not outstanding, which prevents it from ignoring Extreme Speed ​​like Milotic.

The damage caused by this water spray was undoubtedly terrifying, but it was also something Cynthia had anticipated.

Knowing Xia Chen's fighting style well, she knew that his greatest strength was adaptability, and he was someone who never suffered a loss.

Lucario used Extreme Speed ​​and a piercing sound combo.

Milotic must be made to pay in kind!

In fact, such an exchange is acceptable to both parties.