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

Because he had complete confidence in Xenbear and Milotic.

…………

December 21st, the day of the quarterfinals of the Donghuang Youth Trainer Competition.

With the competition progressing to this point, every one of today's four matches has been full of highlights and suspense, and no one can guarantee that any contestant will advance.

Of course, even so, there are definitely some contestants that the audience favors and others that they don't.

In comparison, the gap in strength between the two matches in the second half of the competition may be slightly larger.

Especially the match between Lu Weiyu from Yunze Martial Arts Academy and Xia Chen from Beijing University.

Those two are basically the strongest in the quarterfinals.

Even among the most loyal DouDouGe, few genuinely believed before the competition that Xia Chen could make it into the top eight.

Most importantly, Xia Chen's debut time is simply too short.

In a year and a half, at the age of under eighteen, what level can a normal trainer reach?

Even the best trainers who can get into the trainer department of Kyoto University, which only admits two or three hundred people out of hundreds of thousands of fresh graduates, are at best at the senior level at this time.

Xia Chen, however, made it into the top eight of the Donghuang Youth Competition, which has an elite entry threshold!

This growth rate is comparable to that of Cynthia at the same stage.

However, Xia Chen's miraculous journey is coming to an end when he encounters Lu Weiyu, the favorite to win this tournament, in the quarterfinals.

This was the opinion of most people before the competition began.

The most direct way to see this is by looking at the odds for Xia Chen in the entertainment betting on Pornhub.

1: 3.8!

This means that if you bet ten coins on Xia Chen to win, you can get a return of 38 coins. Of course, the more likely scenario is that you will lose everything.

As for why the audience is so pessimistic about Xia Chen, it's because his opponent, Lu Weiyu, is too strong.

Anyone who has fought at Yunze Dojo knows that since this summer, half of the dojo challenge matches have been fought by the old dojo master's youngest daughter.

This behavior is not actually against the rules, but there is a prerequisite: the "agent manager" needs to reach the level of elite one-star.

This level doesn't require just one elite-level one-star Pokémon, but three.

What's even more terrifying is that she "joined the army in place of her mother" starting in August, which means that Lu Weiyu has already reached the level of an elite one-star for more than four months.

After several months of growth, no one was surprised that her Swampert had reached the Elite Rank 2 strength.

As for Xia Chen, if you search for his information on the Trainers Association's official website, it still shows that he obtained his Senior Trainer Certificate at the beginning of the year.

Reaching the elite level is already considered a miracle these days, so why would anyone want to add stars after the elite level?

Even if Cynthia came, it wouldn't be possible!

Therefore, most onlookers believe that Xia Chen's chances in this match are slim.

…………

The battle between Xia Chen and Lu Weiyu is in the second match.

The first match was between Bai Mu from Fengdu Dojo and Cheng Shuru from Nandu University.

As expected, Bai Mu, another favorite to win the championship, defeated Cheng Shuru with a score of 3:1 and advanced to the semifinals.

After a half-hour break, the second match, a showdown between Xia Chen and Lu Weiyu, entered the preparation stage.

In the studio.

Today's female commentator was neither wearing black stockings nor white stockings, but was barefoot. Her slender calves were gracefully crossed like two smooth and delicate lotus roots, making the viewers in the live broadcast room unwilling to switch channels even during breaks.

The female commentator picked up the Firefly cat in her arms, waved its paw and greeted the audience, and the cat reluctantly gave a perfunctory smile.

"Welcome back to the match! I'm Lulu, your commentator for this game. Next up is the match between Lu Weiyu and Xia Chen. First, let's connect with our guest for today's game. I bet you'll never guess who it is!"

These words, once spoken, immediately piqued the audience's curiosity.

"Little kid, still guessing?"

"Can't guess? Could it be Nana?"

"Nana? Which Nana? Cynthia? Lurina? Sabrina? Dorasena?"

"Going against the grain, I think it might not be these pretty ladies, but a grumpy old man, like Professor Oak!"

The speculation and noise in the comments didn't last long. Soon, the holographic projection of the guest appeared in the studio.

With her exquisite makeup, tall figure, and elegant demeanor, this guest is none other than the Carlos superstar Karuni!

The live chat erupted in cheers; none of them had guessed Karuni's arrival.

"Holy crap, it's Karune? Wasn't she always the gym leader? Why did they suddenly hire a celebrity?"

"Fun fact: When Karune debuted, she and Cynthia were known as the twin stars. She already had gym-level strength a couple of years ago, and she even won the Luna Conference last month."

"Hasn't Karuni been retired from acting for almost a year? Why is she suddenly appearing as a guest at this kind of competition?"

"The event organizers are awesome!! (A cheer from a loyal Karuni fan)"

…………

The barrage of comments confirmed one thing: even though she had been retired from acting for almost a year, her popularity and buzz remained top-tier.

The female commentator began interacting with the guests.

"Ms. Karuni, it's a pleasure to see you in the studio. Congratulations on winning the Lumière Tournament! And of course, I wish you the best of luck in next year's championship challenge!"

Karuni smiled modestly and replied, "Thank you for your blessing. I am also very happy to be a guest at this competition that brings together so many talented people, especially since this is a competition between friends I haven't seen in a long time."

The commentator feigned ignorance, asking, "Oh? Are you referring to contestant Xia Chen?"

Those who followed the Yveltal awakening incident at the beginning of the year know that the person with Xia Chen in the Enchanted Forest at that time was Karuni, and the two had a period of "comradeship in arms".

Karune didn't shy away from the topic, nodding with a light laugh. "That's right. When I met him, Gardevoir was still Ralts, and now he's a Gardevoir that can stand on its own. I don't know if time has passed too quickly, or if he's grown up too fast."

The commentator chimed in, "Perhaps it's a combination of both. Most viewers didn't expect that Xia Chen, at such a young age, could have reached this stage in the competition."

Changing the subject, the commentator asked, "However, judging from the support rates, it seems that people are not optimistic about Xia Chen's chances in this match. What's your opinion?"

Without hesitation, Karuni replied, "Really? I think Xia Chen will win."

The commentator exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? Miss Karuni has so much confidence in Xia Chen?"

Karuni smiled but remained silent.

During the chat, Xia Chen and Lu Weiyu were already on the battlefield, and a great battle was about to break out.

The commentators also steered the conversation back to the game.

"Alright, the match is about to begin. Let's see how both players perform!"

…………

On the battlefield, Xia Chen and Lu Weiyu looked at each other quietly, waiting for the match to begin.

Both of them were from Zhijiang. Although they didn't know each other before the match, Lu Weiyu was quite interested in Xia Chen, a fellow townsman who was quite a hot topic.

Xia Chen also sized up this graceful girl who looked just like someone from the Jiangnan water towns.

Judging from her appearance, it's impossible to imagine that she would be such a formidable force in this competition.

However, neither of them had the habit of trash-talking before the match, and time passed silently as they stared at each other.

With the referee's whistle, two Poké Balls streaked through the air, and the match officially began.

"Come out, Mosquito Coil Frog King!"

"I choose you, Gardevoir!"

A flash of white light appeared, and the starting Pokémon of both sides appeared on the battlefield.

"Oh? Xia Chen's starting Pokémon is Gardevoir instead of Milotic?"

The commentator was slightly surprised. Before the match, most people predicted that Xia Chen would choose Milotic to take advantage of the opponent's rainy weather. Unexpectedly, Xia Chen's starting Pokémon was Gardevoir.

The commentator joked, "Is there any significance to Gardevoir starting against the Rain Team? Could it be that Xia Chen knew today's guest was Karune and was paying tribute to her?"

Karune's Gardevoir is not only incredibly powerful, but it has also acted in many shows alongside her, making it arguably the most famous Gardevoir in the world.

Gardevoir expert Karune frowned slightly, expressing her confusion. "I don't know. Maybe it's because Gardevoir knows Thunderbolt, and Xia Chen thought it would be easier to defeat it?"

That's a plausible reason, but Xia Chen has played so many matches that commentators and viewers know he's particularly good at "digging holes" in matches, and maybe that's a trap he's prepared for his opponents.

However, no one can guess Xia Chen's intentions right now.

On the field, after both teams' Pokémon entered the arena, a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Before long, the rain intensified, and large raindrops poured onto the ground, thus forming a rainy day.

This change is brought about by the [rainfall] characteristic of the Mosquito Coil Frog King.

Before the raindrops even fell, two crisp commands rang out on the battlefield.

"Mosquito Coil Frog King, Water Cannon!"

"Gardevoir, Thunderbolt!"

The match opened with a fierce exchange of moves, and the fast-paced combat instantly captivated the audience.

The more powerful Poliwag launched its Water Cannon first, and the intense water jet, propelled by high pressure, hurtled straight and fast towards Gardevoir.

Gardevoir, not to be outdone, unleashed a bright yellow Lizard from its red horn in response.

After a brief standoff, the powerful jet of water overwhelmed Liskarm and moved towards Gardevoir.

Gardevoir stubbornly insisted on pushing back, using its psychic powers to slightly shift its body and dodge the unstoppable torrent of water.

…………

"Both sides were testing each other at the start, but the difference in strength was obvious. Gardevoir didn't seem to be a match for Poliwag in a head-on fight."

Karune nodded in agreement with the commentator's assessment. "This Poliwag is exceptionally well-trained, not just as a weather setter. However, the fact that Hydro Pump is superior to Thunderbolt must be considered in rainy conditions. In reality, Gardevoir's offensive power is not weak. Now that we understand the approximate strength of both Pokémon, Xia Chen should make his move."

Before Karuni could finish speaking, the situation on the field had already changed.

However, it was not Xia Chen who made the first move, but Lu Weiyu.

"Mosquito Coil Frog King, Turbid Current!"