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

"Sana!"

Gardevoir responded warily.

She was confident in her own strength and the power of this move, but she trusted Xia Chen even more.

In the studio, the commentator, who was about to announce the end of the match, said in surprise, "Xia Chen is still not letting his guard down. Does he think Pikachu hasn't lost its ability to battle yet?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the small yellow figure began to fall in free fall.

Is it really still conscious?

The spectators who originally came just to see the ghost Zoroark were now completely absorbed in this exciting match, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Crimson took off her hat and silently gazed at her closest companion.

"Pickup!"

Suddenly, Pikachu in mid-air moved unnaturally. Then, a dazzling white light shone from its lightning-shaped tail, and its body stubbornly moved at the same time, as if adjusting its angle to slash at Iron Tail.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers once again at this miraculous scene.

…………

"Pikachu! He really hasn't lost his ability to battle! What incredible willpower! Even though his body is trembling, even though he's still in the air, Pikachu is unwilling to give up the last glimmer of hope for victory! Will this Iron Tail be his swan song? Or the beginning of a comeback?"

Amidst the narrator's hoarse shouts, Pikachu's metallic, lightning-shaped tail slashed downwards with unstoppable momentum, accelerating at an astonishing speed due to gravity.

But no matter how fast it is, it can never outrun Gardevoir's Instant Transmission.

boom--

This is the loud sound of Pikachu's Iron Tail striking the ground.

The space on the battlefield was slightly distorted. Gardevoir, who had teleported nearly ten meters, looked at the ground that had been cleaved by Pikachu's Iron Tail as if an earthquake had occurred, and was still shaken.

If I were the one hit by Iron Tail, I would definitely fall down, right?

With a complicated expression, Gardevoir glanced at Pikachu, whose limbs were trembling uncontrollably, and decided to give this respectable opponent a final moment of respect.

Energy condensed slightly, and a string of emerald green magical leaves was released from Gardevoir's pointed chest, drifting gently yet resolutely toward Pikachu.

Pikachu wanted to unleash a 100,000-volt attack to defend itself, but after a few crackling sounds from its electric sac, it ultimately failed.

The magic leaf struck precisely, and Pikachu collapsed slumped onto the cracked ground.

In the studio, the commentator's face was filled with emotion.

"The final magic leaf hit, and Pikachu, having exhausted all its strength and energy, collapsed. Let's first give a round of applause to the Red team and this admirable Pikachu. They showed us what it means to never give up."

The audience erupted in applause, interspersed with shouts of "Red!" and "Pikachu!"

This is not meant to comfort or encourage the losers, but rather to show respect for the strong.

Undoubtedly, Red and his Pikachu, as well as Snorlax and Venusaur, are all powerful figures worthy of respect!

On the battlefield.

Amidst the applause surrounding him, Crimson stepped across the shattered ground to the center of the arena, picked up Pikachu, and gently placed his hat over Pikachu's head.

"Pikachu."

Pikachu's weak voice reached his ears, and Red said softly, "You did a great job, get some rest."

As if relieved of a worry, Pikachu lay in Crimson's embrace and fell into a deep sleep.

…………

After congratulating the second place winner, it's time to give a more grand introduction to the champion.

However, the commentator had a mischievous grin on his face as he took off his headset and looked at Cynthia.

The meaning is self-evident; this part is left to Cynthia to say.

Cynthia looked helpless, but naturally she didn't show any embarrassment.

After gathering her emotions, the blonde beauty said confidently, "Now, let's give a warm round of applause and cheers to Xia Chen, the new champion of this year's Donghuang Youth Trainer Competition! Shout out his name!"

No need for many words; the word "champion" says it all.

Whether out of respect for Cynthia or out of genuine concern, the audience's voice rose even higher as soon as he finished speaking.

The sound was so loud that people outside the arena could clearly hear the orderly and resounding shouts of "Xia Chen! Xia Chen!" coming from inside.

Xia Chen was deeply moved by what he saw on the battlefield. It was the first time he had ever felt so many people shouting his name in unison.

A deafening roar crashed over him like a tidal wave, and Xia Chen suddenly felt breathless.

He felt he couldn't bear all of this alone, so he took out a Poké Ball and released his friends one by one.

Xenbu, Soroark, and even Milos and Dorronmesia, who didn't play in the final.

When each elf appears, the audience shouts its name.

In the end, the different voices tacitly converged into the same sentence.

"Xia Chen! Champion!"

------

The end of the finals does not mean the end of the entire competition.

The competition also has a final and most important segment: the awards ceremony.

The top three finishers in this competition, Xia Chen, Chi Hong, and Hu Yang, will stand on the podium to receive awards from the guests invited by the Trainers Association.

The order is naturally determined by ranking from lowest to highest.

Xia Chen was quite surprised to find that the guest who presented the award to Hu Yang was none other than his own principal, the former champion of Donghuang, Yu Zhaohua.

Xia Chen wasn't surprised that the old man had come here, but rather...

If the third-place presenter is such a big name, then the first two must be even more prestigious.

The only champions who can surpass the previous champions are other champions. It's impossible for the second-place champion to be the former champion and the first-place champion to be the current champion, right?

However, the appearance of the second award presenter, dressed in crimson, proved that Xia Chen's guess was wrong.

Because the second place winner is Gu Kunshan, the current champion of the Donghuang region.

The champion gave him a meaningful look as he passed by.

Although it seemed absurd, Xia Chen, with his keen mental abilities, inexplicably sensed a hint of envy in his eyes.

The champion envies me?

Xia Chen was dumbfounded. What was he envious of me for?

Are you envious that I'm still seventeen, in the prime of my life?

Xia Chen couldn't figure it out, but when he saw that familiar person walking with Garchomp holding the championship trophy, all his doubts were forgotten.

Cynthia, dressed in a light blue fitted long dress, walked gracefully over and took the champion's medal from the hostess Gardevoir beside her.

Seeing Xia Chen staring at her in disbelief, the blonde beauty's eyes were full of smiles, and a smile curved her lips.

"What are you standing there for? Neck."

"oh oh!"

Xia Chen seemed to wake up suddenly and quickly stretched his neck out in the same posture as Louis XVI.

Shirona gently placed the ribbon from the medal over Xia Chen's head and straightened his clothes.

Their intimate actions drew stares from onlookers, and strange shouts and whistles could be heard from the audience.

Cynthia didn't pay attention. As they whispered in each other's ears, "Congratulations, this is your first significant championship."

Feeling the orchid-like breath of Sister Zhulan so close to him, Xia Chen, who usually had a thick skin, blushed a little.

He coughed lightly to compose himself and replied, "Thanks to Sister Zhulan's blessing."

Shirona smiled slightly. She knew that Xia Chen was referring to their farewell at the Zhuqing City Airport.

…………

After a brief, polite hug, Xia Chen finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Why did you suddenly come to Donghuang?"

Cynthia released her embrace, looking at him with a half-smile, "Didn't you recognize the commentator's voice today?"

Is Sister Zhulan a special guest at today's finals?

Xia Chen then realized what he meant and said somewhat awkwardly, "How could I have noticed that while I was playing a match?"

That's the truth, otherwise he wouldn't have been so surprised when he saw Cynthia.

Cynthia seemed to accept this reasonable explanation. She nodded slightly, took the championship trophy from Garchomp's claws, and handed it to Xia Chen.

"Let's talk later."

"Ah."

Xia Chen made a short, nasal sound as he accepted the physically heavy championship trophy. He joked, "I'll put this trophy, which was personally awarded by Sister Zhu Lan, in the most prominent place in my home."

Cynthia rolled her eyes at Xia Chen slightly, then went downstairs with Garchomp without saying anything more.

The two champions from the Donghuang region, one old and one new, also turned back to congratulate Xia Chen.

Yu Chaohua glanced at Cynthia's departing figure, chuckled, patted Xia Chen on the shoulder, and praised, "Well done!"

Xia Chen squinted at his old principal, feeling that the old man was speaking with a double meaning.

Following behind Yu Chaohua, Gu Kunshan said solemnly, "The future belongs to you. Let the world see the strength of us Donghuang trainers!"

Xia Chen nodded seriously in response. Although there isn't much nationalistic sentiment in this world, regional honor is still highly valued.

The award presenters left the stage one by one, and the second and third place winners also followed them off.

Next up is Xia Chen and Xian Bu's championship moment.

The audience once again gave a generous round of applause and cheers.

on the podium.

Xia Chen stood in the middle, holding the trophy, while Milotic, the largest of the group and unafraid of being blocked, gracefully curled up behind him.

Gardevoir and Zoroark, whose figures were similar to Xia Chen's, stood on either side of him, one with a sweet smile and the other with a chilling one.

This time, Xiao Duolong didn't stay on Xia Chen's head, but instead perched on the much larger trophy like a gecko.