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

Gardevoir suddenly collapsed to the ground, followed by an electric shock wave and then a thunderclap.

Even though the subsequent lightning strike didn't benefit from the Electric Terrain buff, and even though Gardevoir was protected by Light Screen, Rotom-Wash's incredibly powerful STAB lightning strike still inflicted massive damage on Gardevoir.

However, even so, Gardevoir did not lose its ability to fight.

Seeing Gardevoir knocked to the ground by lightning but still struggling to get up, Yin Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

They're still alive? It seems there's definitely something wrong with that meditation.

She astutely identified the root of the problem.

However, this was not the time to investigate Gardevoir's meditation; she directed the Washer Robot to deliver the final blow.

"Rotom, Shockwave!"

The damage from this electric wave was enough to finish off Gardevoir, which had just lost its last bit of strength.

The damage was indeed sufficient, but neither Yin Yuan nor anyone else on the sidelines noticed that a strange purple light suddenly flashed in the eyes of Gardevoir, who was lying on the ground.

Before the electric shock wave could reach it, the purple light rapidly spread to all parts of Gardevoir's body.

Immediately, Gardevoir's body was completely enveloped by this ghostly, eerie purple light.

At the same time, the electric shockwave exploded, taking away Gardevoir's last bit of remaining strength.

Before Yin Yuan's smile could spread, she was horrified to discover that a purple light suddenly rose from Gardevoir's body and was transmitted to the Washing Machine floating in the low air.

Then, Rotom, who had remained unharmed throughout, suddenly fell.

The whole place was silent.

…………

Same fate!

The name of the only move that could possibly achieve such an effect immediately came to mind for the audience and for Yin Yuan.

Most people who know Gardevoir are aware that it can inherit this move from its parents.

Although the probability is low, it is not an unbelievable thing.

The question is, when did Xia Chen command Gardevoir to use Destiny Bond?

No one could recall anything about that brief battle.

Furthermore, everything Xia Chen demonstrated in the battle—whether it was the Light Wall or replacing the Electric Field with the Fog Field—was perfectly reasonable and logically sound command.

How could they have secretly and unknowingly plotted against someone with the same fate?

What puzzled Yin Yuan the most was that the reason she didn't anticipate Gardevoir using the Destiny Bond move was that when Rotom-Wash attacked Gardevoir with Thunder, she was expanding Misty Terrain and had no chance to use Destiny Bond.

At the time, she thought that Gardevoir would most likely fall to the lightning.

Gardevoir was so certain that it could withstand the thunderbolt that it suppressed its stamina to the minimum before unleashing Destiny Bond.

It's important to understand that while the "Shared Fate" move is very powerful, it's not without its counter.

The principle behind it is to curse oneself with Ghost-type energy. When one is rendered unable to fight due to an opponent's move, the curse will corrupt the opponent, causing them to fall down together.

Its biggest limitation is that the curse lasts only a short time on the body and cannot be cast on oneself continuously.

This requires trainers to be precise enough that when commanding their Pokémon to use Destiny Bond, they must be able to land the exact next move that will defeat them.

It will be ineffective whether it's a little earlier or a little later.

Once this lapses, and there's no longer a one-for-one threat, the opponent can finish off the enemy without restraint.

But Gardevoir is so confident that the lightning won't kill her?

Oh right, it's that weird meditation with such a high power amplification effect!

Yin Yuan suddenly remembered her previous deduction.

Perhaps this is her source of confidence, and also Xia Chen's trump card?

If it weren't for that meditation, Gyarados would most likely not have been instantly killed by a single Thunderbolt, and it wouldn't have been in such a passive position. The Thunderbolt would have also been able to successfully take down Gardevoir, and Rotom wouldn't have been traded for Destiny Bond.

…………

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" on the battlefield.

One step wrong, step by step wrong.

Through that strange meditation and the tacit understanding between the trainer and the Pokémon, Xia Chen and Gardevoir gradually built up their advantage like a snowball.

Ultimately, things have come to this point, and Yin Yuan is almost powerless to turn the tide.

So far, Xia Chen's side only has one Gardevoir that has lost its ability to battle, while Yin Yuan's side only has one Jolteon with only half of its health remaining.

In this situation, turning the tide is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

However, this match is crucial for qualifying for the Donghuang Youth Trainer Tournament, and even with a slim chance of winning, Yin Yuan is unwilling to give up easily.

Gritting her teeth, Yin Yuan withdrew the Rotom and replaced it with her original partner, Rayquaza.

Xia Chen also withdrew Gardevoir, which had performed amazingly and completed the mission perfectly, and replaced it with Sylveon.

On the battlefield, it's Jolteon vs. Sylveon again.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

If it's Jolteon, it should be able to defeat Sylveon when it's paralyzed and Milotic when it's weak to it, right?

This was Yin Yuan's last hope.

However, she, who had long since lost her composure, overlooked one crucial issue.

That is the Fairy-type energy contained in the faint pink smoke that permeates the battlefield, which can heal Pokémon in abnormal statuses. (Secondary setting)

So, as soon as Sylveon was released from its Poké Ball, it became lively and energetic again.

This scene shattered Yin Yuan's last shred of illusion and hope.

She then realized that the Misty Terrain that Gardevoir had released was not only to lure her into using Rotom's Thunder, but also to foreshadow how Sylveon could escape its paralyzed state!

Completely crushed by this last straw, Yin Yuan stared blankly at Xia Chen, who remained calm and composed on the other side of the battlefield.

How exactly does he manage to remain so calm, calculating every single aspect—himself, his opponent, the present, and the future—so meticulously?

From Pokémon to Trainers, is there not a single one of you who is normal?

…………

Strictly speaking, Xia Chen was originally normal.

However, under the influence of the elves, his art style gradually became distorted.

Currently, he only possesses superpowers; Xia Chen himself doesn't know what the future holds.

But for now, his superpowers have already been a great help to him.

At least in combat, his strong mental fortitude allows him to react and command more quickly, has more time to think, observes the situation on the field more calmly, and is better able to detect his opponent's subtle moves.

Just like in this battle, whether it was strategy or prediction, he was able to gain the upper hand in his confrontation with Yin Yuan, and his superpowers accounted for at least 70% of the credit.

Xia Chen couldn't help but click his tongue; being a cheater must be awesome.

Although I wasn't born with any bad luck, what can I do when my spirit is determined to succeed?

Not only can it carry itself to victory, but it can also perfectly manage all the cheats.

Regardless, the key match of this selection tournament ended with Reyb's stubborn resistance proving fruitless.

Xia Chen defeated Yin Yuan, who was ranked second, with a score of 3:1.

This result was a minor upset.

Although the two had just faced off a few days ago, and that match ended with Yin Yuan defeating Xia Chen 3-1, that was without Gardevoir playing.

This time, Gardevoir replaced the relatively insignificant Dragapult, and the effect was surprisingly good.

From being crushed to being crushed. Well, it can't really be called crushing, although the result looks like a crushing victory. But anyone who watched the whole thing knows that Xia Chen's victory was hard-won.

In short, Gardevoir's debut directly turned the tide for Xia Chen, allowing him to advance into the Eastern Youth Tournament.

If we were to choose an MVP for this match, Gardevoir would undoubtedly be the one.

Entrusted with a critical mission, she replaced the paralyzed Sylveon, narrowly dodging Thunder, and severely damaging Jolteon, forcing Yin Yuan to switch Pokémon.

It then engaged in a battle of wits and courage with Gyarados, ultimately defeating it at the cost of being severely injured by Iron Tail.

Then erect a light wall for Sylvanas, set up a fog field, and replace the fully-equipped Washing Machine with Destiny Bond.

The entire performance was nothing short of miraculous, turning the tide and saving the day!

Milotic wasn't even given a chance to play.

Everyone knew that Gardevoir was Xia Chen's secret weapon, but no one expected that this secret weapon would be so incredibly powerful.

At this moment, the audience on the sidelines couldn't help but give a warm round of applause for Xia Chen, Gardevoir, Yin Yuan, and for this wonderful match.

They couldn't help but imagine what kind of performance Xia Chen, at this age, could bring his little ones to that higher stage.

------

On December 1st, Xia Chen, who had just returned to the capital a few days earlier, set off with nine other senior students who had also emerged from the selection competition to the venue of this year's Donghuang Youth Trainer Competition, Funan City.

Funan City is located in the southwest of the Donghuang region. It is rich in resources and home to many elves. It has long been known as the Land of Abundance and is the largest city in the southwest region. Even in the vast Donghuang, it can be ranked among the top five.

Because of the humid climate, fire-type spirits have been especially popular there since ancient times.

Over time, it became a gathering place for many fire-type spirits.

Now, the most famous Fire-type Pokémon breeding base in the entire Donghuang region is located in Funan City, where the Fire-type Gym, Flying-Fire Gym, is also situated.

The distance between Shangjing and Funan, located in the Huangbei area, is not short; even by plane, it took more than three hours.

Xia Chen remembered that the last time he went to Sinnoh, it only took him a little over four hours.

The sheer size of Donghuang is evident from this.

As soon as Xia Chen got off the plane, he felt that the climate here was completely different from any other place he had ever been before.

In early December, the temperature here can still be maintained at around 10 or 20 degrees Celsius, which is quite rare in Zhijiang and Shangjing.

They had many friends at Kyoto University, and as soon as they arrived at the airport, representatives from Funan University came to pick them up.

From now until the end of the competition, Xia Chen and his team will stay at the team accommodation area of ​​Funan University.