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

Xia Chen subconsciously wiped the corner of his mouth, only to find that there was no saliva at all.

Just as I was about to refute the comments, I discovered that the person who left the comment had the nickname [Mingyi].

This girl is watching the live stream too? And she's using her own name?

No, what kind of magical operation is this real-name registration for internet access?

Just then, the match began. Xia Chen coughed twice, pretending not to see the message.

…………

"As we can see, both sides have taken out their Poké Balls, and the battle is about to begin. This match is the official 6v6 All-Star Battle of the International Trainers Association, which everyone should be familiar with, so I won't go into details."

"Looking at the starting lineups of both sides, Alder has sent out Double Ice, an excellent choice. This Pokémon can basically lock down the opponent's Garchomp. It should be noted that Freeze-Dry is also very effective against Water-type Pokémon, so Double Ice is not afraid of Gastrodon and Milotic at all. And Cynthia's choice is... Rockruff."

Xia Chen was speechless. He recalled his battle with Cynthia on the NDS more than ten years ago.

In that match, Cynthia's starting lineup with Rockruff proved to be a huge help.

The debut of the Spirit Rockruff might be a final act of kindness from the players...

After a brief pause, Xia Chen continued, "That's fine too. In a way, Rockruff, which has almost no weaknesses, is not an unexpected choice. The two Pokémon don't have any type advantage or disadvantage relationship, so the starting battle will mainly depend on the performance of the two champions."

"With the Frozen Body ability, the double ice attack at the start will most likely be used to change the weather to snow with [Hail]. If Cynthia is strategic, using Hypnosis or Toxic would be a good choice. However, given her understanding of Rockruff, she'll probably use Nasty Plot."

As soon as Xia Chen finished speaking, his words became law.

A rustling sound arose in the field, and soon a flurry of snowflakes mixed with fine hail began to fall from the sky.

The weather moves unleashed by this Elite Four-level Pokémon are extraordinary. The fist-sized hailstones and the snow that almost rivals the Blizzard move of ordinary Pokémon demonstrate the power of this Double Ice.

On the other side, the Flower Rock Monster's move... was clearly a trick.

Xia Chen was speechless. It really was a trick.

"Thanks to [Nobody Understands Cynthia Better Than Pigeon Master] for the Luxury Ball. You can't just say that, I only understand Pokémon battles, not trainers. But judging from this trend... it's going to be tough for Venusaur to go head-to-head with Double Ice.

…………

As Xia Chen had predicted, the situation unfolded exactly as it had. Under the snow, the [Frozen Body] ability, with its double-strength ice, made the character extremely powerful in sustained combat.

Even a Rockruff that greatly boosted its Special Attack through trickery was no match for it.

Lacking favorable timing, location, and popular support, the Flower Rock Monster quickly found itself at a disadvantage.

"Thanks to [Prophet-type commentator Pigeon Master] for the Friend Ball. It's not a prophecy. The way Pokémon fights and the battle styles of the trainers are consistent. Pokémon like Rockruff are suitable for trainers with more ideas. The style is sharp. It's normal for Cynthia, who is good at offense, not to use it well."

"Cynthia is probably waiting for the snow to end. When the snowfall subsides, that's when she'll switch on Lucario and start her counterattack."

On the screen, just as Xia Chen predicted, the hail subsided slightly, and as the snow was about to end, Cynthia seized the opportunity during the double-ice attack to switch Pokémon.

The one that appeared was none other than Lucario, which Xia Chen had predicted.

It all looked like a script written by Xia Chen.

"Uh, thanks to [Spinach Bookmaker Pigeon Master] for the heavy ball, but you can't just say that carelessly. The streamer wouldn't do something like that. I advise everyone not to gamble! Just like in Cynthia's last match, so many people went to the rooftop. Come on, everyone, repeat after me: I swear I will never live under the same sky as gambling and drugs!"

The barrage of comments instantly turned into a giant repeating machine.

A series of phrases, "[I swear I will never live under the same sky as gambling and drugs]", flashed across the screen.

…………

Just as Xia Chen said, Lucario's entry into the game officially sounded the horn for Cynthia's counterattack.

The high-speed, high-attack dog was a world apart from the previous frustrating performance of the rock monster, and Xia Chen even suspected that the rock monster had just thrown a match.

Double Ice, still stuck in the comfort zone of facing a Rockruff opponent, couldn't keep up with Lucario's pace and was constantly being pushed back.

Helpless, Adek had no choice but to recall Double Ice, as this Pokémon was key to limiting the opponent's ace and could not be allowed to fall so easily.

Instead of Double Ice, Adej's ace Pokémon, Volcarona, took the field!

It must be said that although the Bug type is weak, it can produce wonderful reactions when combined with certain powerful types.

For example, another Bug-type Pokémon in Alder's team is the Steel/Bug-type Escavalier.

And this Volcarona, which has both fire and insect attributes.

Almost the instant Alder returned the Poké Ball, Lucario stopped using Aura Sphere and instead unleashed Swords Dance!

A powerful aura suddenly erupted around Lucario, demonstrating his formidable attack power.

"Thanks to [Vulcano directly uses Whirlwind to sweep the team] for the Sweet Ball. Uh, you're underestimating Cynthia. I'll bet you a Power Cube that with the threat of the Hound's Stone Edge, Vulcano definitely won't dare to use Whirlwind!"

With the power of Lucario's attack after Swords Dance, the four-fold super effective Stone Edge attack is enough to kill Volcarona in one hit.

As expected, even though he switched to his ace Pokémon, Adek still had a very difficult time.

The reason is simple: Lucario posed too great a threat to him.

But this was already the best Pokémon he had to fight Lucario, so he couldn't replace it.

With no other option, Volcarona can only cautiously try using String Shot to restrict the opponent's agile movements, or use Fire Dance to attack Lucario, while also boosting its own Special Attack.

After all, Adek was the defending champion of the Masters 8, and through constant back-and-forth, he gradually gained the upper hand.

After narrowly dodging an attack from a sharp rock, he fearlessly unleashed his full power, unleashing a [Overheat] attack of maximum strength to end the battle.

…………

While explaining, Xia Chen was also chatting with the live chat.

"I saw someone in the comments saying that Cynthia is gone, uh... I can only say, it doesn't matter, Garchomp will take action, if you don't believe me you can look at Volcarona's current status."

"While Master Ooji isn't exactly a low-tier horse for Cynthia, he's at best a mid-tier horse. Is it really a loss to trade a mid-tier horse for most of the opponent's top-tier horse's condition?"

"You might say that if Cynthia brings Garchomp, I, Alder, will bring Double Power Ice to lock her down, but you can guess what item Garchomp will be carrying, it might be an Ice-resistant Berry."

Xia Chen analyzed the situation calmly and unhurriedly.

He suddenly longed to find a fan and perform a scene of "wielding a feather fan and wearing a silk turban, talking and laughing while the enemy's ships and towers are reduced to ashes," but he couldn't find a suitable prop.

I could only turn the Eevee in my arms over and use her fluffy tail as a makeshift substitute.

The subsequent situation unfolded exactly as Xia Chen had predicted.

Garchomp enters the fray, and Volcarona, whose Special Attack is greatly reduced due to the [Incinerate] side effect, is no match for it. Double Ice re-enters the fray.

Garchomp charged forward, intending to finish off Double Ice, who had been half-crippled by Lucario, with a Brick Break.

The latter barely managed to fire an Ice Beam to deal with the situation, but Garchomp was fearless, as if it were not four times weak to Ice at all.

When both Brick Break and Ice Beam hit the opponent at the same time, the result was that double the number of Garchomps fell down, while Garchomp only suffered minor injuries.

The pit fell to the ground, and the item Garchomp was carrying in this match was none other than the custard apple that Xia Chen had predicted.

All correct!

At this moment, the density of bullet comments reached its peak. For a time, the screen was filled with compliments for Xia Chen, and paid comments and gifts poured in one after another. The bullet comment robot almost went on strike.

Xia Chen stroked his chin with a smug look on his face. Perhaps... he should have expanded into commentary services a long time ago?

……

Without Double Ice, Alder could no longer contain Garchomp's power. Only after Alder's Dewdrop and Agilebug were sacrificed did Alder's Rutilated finally stop the rampaging Garchomp.

But at this point, his remaining three Pokémon were no longer able to stop Cynthia's advance.

Cynthia ultimately defeated defending champion Adek 6-4 to advance to the final of this year's Masters 8 tournament.

…………

Although the match had ended half an hour ago, Xia Chen's live stream was still going on.

He had been arguing with the stubborn audience for over ten minutes about who should be awarded the MVP of the match.

Xia Chen sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Hey, why don't you guys understand why I said the MVP should go to Teacher Da Lu? He didn't get a single kill, but he perfectly limited the opponent's two most crucial Pokémon, Double Ice and Volcarona."

"Thanks to [Garuda is so cool] for the ten Great Balls. Don't just focus on how Garuda is dominating the battlefield, also pay attention to the Pokémon that's breaking down the foundation. Today, Cynthia is here, and I always say Lucario will be the MVP!"

"Thank you [Sinnoh Champion Cynthia] for the 100 Ultra Balls! You're so generous, boss! Uh... wait a minute."

Xia Chen was stunned. The nickname he just read out... seemed a little strange?

Seeing the exclamation marks in the live chat, and the occasional "The real deal is here!" hidden among them, Xia Chen finally remembered...

It seems that Pixiv has a certification system for these top-tier champions; only real people can appear with such nicknames.

So... the person who just gave the gift was Cynthia herself?

Xia Chen was a little incredulous at this fact.

No, she just finished the match, why would she be watching the live stream instead of resting or celebrating?

Or watch your own live stream?

"[Sinnoh Champion Cynthia] left a paid comment saying: I just watched your live stream replay, and your analysis was excellent. Let's exchange ideas next time."

The machine's voice broadcast interrupted Xia Chen's thoughts, pulling him back to reality.

He tried to suppress his excitement, calm himself down, and avoid showing any fear.

It's just Cynthia, I've beaten her up countless times in the game...

Thinking this, Xia Chen coughed lightly and replied, "Thank you for the invitation, Miss Cynthia. I'll definitely come again next time!"

Hmm... wait, this sentence seems to have a special meaning on Pixiv?

Never mind, saying it out loud would be even more awkward. Let's just pretend nothing happened...

…………

After making his appointment with Cynthia, she seemed to have some business to attend to, so she gave Xia Chen some gifts and then left in a hurry.

The appearance of the real person also brought an end to the argument about who was the MVP.

At this time, it was already late at night in the Donghuang region.

Ignoring a flood of paid comments asking for "two more minutes," and amidst the viewers' reluctant pleas to stay, Xia Chen chose to end the broadcast.

Xia Chen and Yi Bu's first live stream has successfully concluded.

I glanced at the time; it was already past ten o'clock. From the time Ibu secretly started his live stream at four in the afternoon until now, it had been more than six hours in total.

Games, cooking, eating, chatting, commentary... and even crosstalk throughout—this live stream had all the elements, making both the host and the audience happy.

Looking at the gift data in the backend again, Xia Chen couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.