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

"Amazing teamwork! Both trainers have simultaneously dispatched their ace Pokémon, Pikachu and Sylveon. Their outstanding performance at this tournament is undeniable. Let's see what kind of clash they'll have!"

"Pika, lightning!"

"Xianbu, Shadow Clone!"

Two commands rang out almost simultaneously, one in front and one behind, and the two elves reacted swiftly.

Pikachu's four short legs pushed off lightly, and in an instant, he leaped away from the spot with extremely fast acceleration.

Then, the energy from the flash of lightning had time to envelop its body, giving it the power to continue accelerating.

Extreme speed and agility are key to Pikachu's dominance in races, and this flash of lightning is his most powerful weapon for launching attacks.

Red Pikachu has its own unique understanding of Quick Attack, and it tends to use the energy in the latter part of the attack.

It's not necessarily used for acceleration; it could also be used for speed regulation.

Once the speed reaches a certain range, being a little faster or slower isn't that important. The key to breaking through the defense is to make it impossible for the opponent to predict your position.

Clearly, Pikachu understands this principle well.

The changes in rhythm and the control of speed make his whole body like an unpredictable ball of lightning; you can never predict where he will appear in the next microsecond.

Xia Chen and Xianbu understood this as well; in a speed contest, Xianbu was no match for Pikachu.

Why use their weaknesses to attack their strengths?

Therefore, Xia Chen needs to disrupt the rhythm of Crimson and Pikachu.

…………

As Pikachu accelerates, Sylveon also unleashes a move that hasn't been used in actual battles for a long time: Shadow Clone.

The reason for not using this move is not because it is weak, but because it is unnecessary in ordinary battles.

Why use shadow clones when you can dodge moves by moving around?

However, Xia Chen and Xianbu both knew that this Pikachu was special and could not be judged by ordinary standards, so they cautiously decided to start with this move.

To make the clones more realistic and indistinguishable, Sylvanas poured a lot of energy into them, which made her create shadow clones very slowly.

When Pikachu used Quick Attack to rush over, there were only three of them, including the main body.

However, the focus should be on quality, not quantity, when creating multiple clones.

The clones created by Senbu using a special method are incredibly realistic.

After being jostled during their high-speed movement, Red and Pikachu couldn't tell which was real and which was fake for a moment.

Originally intending to use Quick Attack to directly cleave Iron Tail, Akane had to abandon his plan. He said in a deep voice, "Charge over there and use Quick Attack to destroy all the fake ones!"

"Pickup!"

Pikachu responded and, without stopping, charged straight at the nearest Sylveon.

But how could Xianbu let him so easily defeat the clone he had painstakingly created?

She controlled several clones to act simultaneously, dodging Pikachu's pursuit while charging up a wide-range attack, Magic Flash.

Given the speed difference between the two Pokémon, no matter how much they try to dodge, the clones will still be quickly caught up by Pikachu.

A flash of white light, and Pikachu in its lightning-fast state charged forward.

The first crack.

Now, there are only two options left.

But Cinnabar's evasion was merely a means to an end; the real goal was magical flashes.

Just as Pikachu was rushing toward the second Sylveon, its attack was already fully charged!

A dazzling ball of pinkish-purple energy appeared in front of the second Fairy Cloth.

This is a real fairy cloth!

Pikachu's eyes narrowed, and it charged forward without fear—

He was prepared to be beaten when he charged forward, using Iron Tail and Magic Dazzling to counter Sylveon's Iron Tail and trade blows, which was the strategy he and Crimson had devised beforehand!

Pikachu's lightning-shaped bright yellow tail condensed energy and quickly took on a metallic sheen.

With everything ready, Pikachu charged forward at full speed, leaping high into the air and resolutely slashing down at Sylveon's head with its metallic tail raised high.

At the same time, the dazzling ball of light suddenly expanded and exploded.

But why doesn't it hurt as much as I imagined?

Pikachu, who was at the epicenter of the explosion, was on high alert, bracing itself for the instinctive pain, when it suddenly discovered what was happening.

It's as if all the energy was used to emit light, without causing any harm.

Something was amiss, and Pikachu's alarm bells went off as a possibility suddenly occurred to it.

He looked down at the spot where the true form of the immortal had originally been.

Sure enough, Xianbu disappeared!

…………

"What's going on?! Xianbu suddenly disappeared?!"

In the studio, the commentator asked in astonishment, even from God's perspective, she still didn't understand what had happened.

Cynthia calmly explained, "This Sylveon that released 'Magical Dazzle' is also a clone. That dazzling light just now was the final warm-up of the clone forged with energy. This clone is the bait to lure Pikachu."

Before Cynthia could finish speaking, the situation on the field unfolded exactly as she had predicted. The last Sylveon then unleashed the move she had truly prepared.

A yellowish-brown light shone beneath Pikachu, and the ground trembled unusually.

The power of the earth!

"Just as Ms. Cynthia said, the last one, Sylveon, is the real deal, and it immediately used Earth Power, the only move that counters Pikachu! It's worth mentioning that this move is not something Sylveon can master. I wonder if Red was mentally prepared for this?"

"Pikachu, using Iron Tail to slam into the ground, couldn't dodge the Earth Power right beneath it. How much damage did it do? Wow! Pikachu was knocked back more than ten meters and slammed heavily into the ground! With Sylveon's power and Pikachu's durability, this Earth Power, which is twice super effective against Pikachu, would probably have been fatal to an ordinary Pikachu."

"Although this Pikachu looks the same, it has performed the miracle of 'invincibility' many times in the battle, and many viewers jokingly call it having an invincibility cheat. Player Xia Chen can't be careless!"

"Sure enough, Pikachu stubbornly stood up and used Quick Attack again! Red and Pikachu seemed completely unaffected by what had just happened and charged forward once more! As for Sylveon, she used the same trick again and used Double Team."

"Can Crimson Warrior come up with a way to counter this move in such a short time?"

Chapter 232 I used to quite like Zoroark... now I like him even more.

Chapter 232 I used to quite like Zoroark, but now I like him even more (8k).

Xia Chen was somewhat surprised by Chi Hong's choice.

Why did Pikachu use Quick Attack again so quickly?

He had assumed that Crimson would stall for time or switch to another Pokémon before figuring out a way to counter the Shadow Clone tactic.

Or perhaps he has already figured out a way to counter it?

That should be it.

The reckless version of Crimson has no chance of reaching the finals in this tournament without overwhelming strength.

So, what is the solution to the Crimson Slash?

Xia Chen doesn't have mind-reading abilities, so he naturally can't guess his opponent's thoughts. But he has the upper hand now, so there's no reason for him to abandon his existing tactics just because of unknown reasons.

Secretly on high alert, Xia Chen silently observed every detail of the battlefield, ready to take command at any moment.

On the battlefield.

Despite suffering a serious injury, Pikachu, relying on its strong willpower, still approached Sylveon at the same speed as before.

Xianbu then resorted to the same trick, setting up an "array" consisting of his own main body and two clones.

The truth and the falsehood are intertwined, and even Xia Chen, who is extremely familiar with the Fairy Cloth, cannot tell the difference just by looking at it.

Seeing that Pikachu was only a dash away from the nearest Sylveon, Red finally gave the command.

"Pickup truck, activate the electric grid!"

Xia Chen raised an eyebrow, intending to use an area-of-effect attack to disperse Xianbu's clones.

Thinking it's that simple? Isn't that underestimating yourself and Senbu too much?

He immediately replied, "Xianbu, run in three different directions!"

Immortal understood and immediately manipulated his main body and clone to run in completely opposite directions.

Xia Chen wanted to play mind games with Chi Hong.

Red, being at a disadvantage, has only a one-third chance of making the right choice. If it makes the wrong choice, the remaining two Sylveon characters, one real and one fake, will attack Pikachu simultaneously.

Even if Pikachu guesses correctly and hits Eevee with its electric net, Eevee will retaliate with the power of the earth.

In short, Chi Hong might make a profit, but I, Xia Chen, will never lose!

"Pikachu, the one closest to you!"

The crimson voice brought Xia Chen back to his senses.

He focused intently on the field, waiting expectantly for Pikachu's guessing result.

Because he didn't know which one was the real fairy cloth.

……

The electric sacs on Pikachu's cheeks crackled and emitted wisps of electricity, a prelude to him unleashing an Electric-type move.

In an instant, the electric energy converged at the tip of the tail, and a bright yellow ball of electricity instantly condensed.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu gave a slight wiggle of its rear end, and its lightning-shaped tail sent the Electric Ball flying towards Sylveon, who was only a few steps away.

The electric ball stretched out in the air, transforming into a large net formed of electricity, covering the fairy cloth that couldn't dodge in time.

The illusory image of the fairy cloth, made of energy, shattered instantly.

This is fake!

Xia Chen, who was watching this scene from the sidelines, also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was going to win no matter what, he still hoped to win by a larger margin rather than a smaller one.