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

"In addition to the time and location of the competition, we were also informed of the representative players from these regions. I must say, they were all familiar faces."

"First, there's the Unova region, the host country. Their representative is Alice. It's great that it's not that annoying guy, Shuu. But Alice's strength shouldn't be underestimated either. After all, she's the woman who's going to become the Unova Champion in the future."

"Then there's Blue Green, the representative from Kanto and Johto. Red is still traveling in the East. Blue Green is naturally unmatched in his age group. Last time I heard Professor Oak say something like, 'My good-for-nothing grandson wanted to be both an excellent breeder and a top trainer, but now he's just so-so in both.' How mediocre."

"I didn't expect the representative from the Hoenn region to be Daigo. I was wondering why I didn't see him at the last Masters Tournament. It turns out that the timeline changed and he was born a few years later. He is now 22 years old, in his prime, right at the U23 limit of the Youth Tournament. He is young but already obsessed with mining rocks. With his financial power and talent, he is definitely a formidable opponent."

"But then again, which of the trainers who can participate in this competition isn't a money-grubber?"

"Next up is an even bigger heavyweight. The Sinnoh region's representative isn't Shinji, but that damn Darkrai! The legendary Pokémon who won the Lily of the Valley Conference in the anime using only Darkrai and Latios!"

"The good news is, whether he's holding back or simply hasn't encountered those two legendary Pokémon, he didn't use any legendary Pokémon in the competition a few months ago, and the other Pokémon weren't the four Magikarp everyone was joking about; they were all normal ones, like Electivire. We'll see if this competition will bring everyone a surprise."

"As expected, the contestant from the Kalos region is Alain. It's a gathering of Ash's rivals, but without Mega Evolution, Alain is nothing to fear!"

"The Alola region is still in the process of forming a league, and there are no slots available for either the Masters 8 or this tournament."

"The representative from the Galar region is Mari, and the representative from the Padia region is Nemo. There's not much to say about that."

"In short, this tournament, which is known as the [Little Eight Masters Tournament], has been officially announced and has generated quite a bit of buzz and discussion online."

“The rivalry between regions has always been a popular topic of conversation. Although the contestants in this competition are far less famous and skilled than the real eight masters, most of them are trainers with some global recognition, which is worthy of the expectations.”

"And since I've also participated, my goal is definitely the championship!"

…………

July 1st, cloudy.

“A month has passed, and Pipa still hasn’t found the next secret seasoning. I can’t wait any longer, because I’m leaving Padia tomorrow to go to Raven City in the Unova region to start preparing for the World Youth Championship. I’ll come back after the competition for the remaining two seasonings.”

"The Pokémon's strength has been steadily improving over the past month. Naturally, Gardevoir, Zoroark, Sylveon, and Cypher have all grown to the level of Gym Leader. Although Dragapult's own strength is still a little short of the Gym Leader level, with Dragapult and Dragoon, its combat power is no less than that of Sylveon and the others."

"So, even without bringing Guleton, I can barely assemble a full team of Gym Leader level Pokémon, which is quite commendable."

"As for Sticky Treasure, she successfully transformed into Sticky Beauty a few days ago, the kind with a shell. Therefore, it can be inferred that the difference between the ordinary Sticky Beauty Dragon and the Green Dragon should be distinguished by this Sticky Beauty form."

"In its Green Form, Goodie looks like a snail, able to completely retract its body into its shell. In actual combat experiments, in this state, it can withstand at least five Water Cannons from a Gym Leader Milotic. Goodie's current strength is only at the Elite level. Conservatively speaking, Goodie's defensive and defensive durability in its shell-retracted state is probably higher than Shuckle's."

"Add to that her incredibly powerful [Magic Mirror] ability, and you can foresee the immense psychological trauma she will inflict on her opponents and enemies in the future."

"Finally, there's Milerton. Without the help of the secret seasoning, its injuries are healing slowly, and it's still only at the Champion level. It's far from the state it was in when we first met. So I haven't thought about going to Milerton during this time. Before my transformed Deoxys can fight continuously, going there would only be humiliating."

"With the competition approaching, online discussions are rampant, and the debate is nothing more than about the final rankings. To be honest, even I can't predict this accurately. However, I've been listed as one of the top favorites to win by the mainstream voices, so they're quite right."

"Since it's one, there must be a second and a third. The mainstream view is that if I don't send out Guleton, the two who can be on par with me, or even subtly suppress me, are Blue and Steven. One is the descendant of the world's most famous Pokémon scholar, and the other is a wealthy young master from a very rich family. Their Pokémon talent and accumulated resources are no less than mine. In addition, they are a few years older than me. At the age of twenty-one or twenty-two, they have already reached a height that most trainers can never reach in their entire lives."

"And the only ones who can defeat these players who use Pokémon coins are probably me and my overpowered Pokémon."

------

Raven City, the largest city in the central part of the Unova region.

In contrast to the highly stressful work atmosphere of Flying Cloud City, the commercial center of Unova, Raven City, known as an entertainment metropolis, is filled with a relaxed atmosphere.

It boasts the world's oldest theater, the tallest Ferris wheel, and the most technologically advanced Pokémon battle arena.

And this is the very place where the annual World Youth Pokémon Battle Championship will be held in a week.

The large screens in the square, the billboards in the subway station, and various places in the streets and alleys are all playing the promotional video for the [Xiao Ba Masters Tournament].

The video, which plays on a loop, is less than three minutes long, yet it is full of wonderful moments.

The content is simple: it's a compilation of highlight moments from top young trainers from eight different regions on the battlefield.

The green Blastoise, Iris's Haxorus, Steven's shiny Metagross, Alain's Charizard. And of course, Xia Chen's Sylveon.

Each contestant's ace Pokémon takes turns appearing in this video, offering viewers a spectacular audio-visual feast.

The superb editing, coupled with the exciting background music, attracted a large number of citizens to stop and watch without any extra special effects.

Among them, Raven Arena, located in the city center, has the highest foot traffic.

In the crowd, a handsome young man, holding a Sylveon aloft with both hands, said weakly, "Sylveon, are you done yet? You've watched it three times already."

Even with Xia Chen's extraordinary physique, he was exhausted after lifting a 30-kilogram weight for more than eight minutes at noon.

However, a sweet, coquettish voice came from above.

"Bu-ee~ (Just a little while longer, it'll be my turn to appear soon~)"

Xia Chen had to hold it up for another half minute.

Finally, as the rousing music gradually subsided and the video played the words, "July 7, 2025, Raven Arena, reach the pinnacle, who can rival us!", Xianbu finally asked Xia Chen to put him down, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

…………

"I don't know what's so interesting about it. If you want to watch it, just ask Rotom to show it to you when you get back, right?"

On the way to the hotel where the athletes were staying, Xia Chen stretched his arms, which were a little sore and numb due to insufficient blood supply, and complained to Xianbu.

Xianbu walked briskly around Xia Chen's feet, looking quite pleased with herself.

As she draped a silk ribbon over Xia Chen's arm, channeling her life energy to soothe it, she chuckled, "Bu Yi~ (Don't you think it's cool to see yourself on such a big screen?)"

"That's true."

Xia Chen nodded in agreement.

However, what he didn't know was that Sinbu's excitement wasn't entirely due to that; it was also the joy of finally stepping onto the world stage.

At this time in her previous life, she had only recently evolved into Sylveon, and Xia Chen had only just begun to make a name for himself in the world of Pokémon breeding.

As for the trainers, there's not much to say. Xia Chen is just an average student at a top university, and I'm just a senior-level Pokémon with nothing to offer except cuteness.

They have no right to represent the young trainers of Donghuang and stand on this stage that countless people dream of.

But now, with the flapping of a butterfly's wings, everything has changed.

Lost in thought, Sylvanas and the other two slowly strolled to their accommodation for the competition: the best Pokémon hotel in Raven City.

For a competition of this caliber, the United Alliance, as the organizer, would naturally not be stingy, and the players' treatment would be provided to the highest standard.

After checking in at the front desk with his trainer ID, Xia Chen took the elevator to the ninth floor where his room was located.

The entire floor has an area of ​​over a thousand square meters, yet it only has two rooms, which speaks volumes about the room's luxury.

But who will be my neighbor during this time?

Xia Chen glanced silently at the "Do Not Disturb" sign posted on the door opposite his room, and a sense of curiosity suddenly arose in his heart.

Since everyone else said they wouldn't bother him, Xia Chen naturally wouldn't make a fool of himself. He swiped the door open and went inside with Xianbu.

…………

The distance between the Padia region and the Unova region is quite far, and Xia Chen arrived in Raven City at two or three in the afternoon.

After walking around and checking in, it took quite a while, and by the time we settled in, it was already dark.

In this situation, Xia Chen was too lazy to cook, so she decided to go out to the hotel restaurant to find something to eat.

As Xia Chen opened the door, the door across the street happened to be open as well, allowing her to see the neighbor she had been curious about earlier.

Short hair, a very distinctive side-swept fringe, a delicate, expressionless face, and a brown and black patterned electric mouse in his arms.

The case is solved; the neighbor is Mary.

Mary seemed to be heading out to find food as well. When she looked up and saw Xia Chen, she was momentarily stunned, but quickly regained her composure.

Glancing away, Mary walked unhurriedly toward the elevator, making no attempt to greet her neighbor.

Xia Chen was happy to have some free time, so he followed Gardevoir into the elevator with her.

The two did not exchange a single word until they arrived at the hotel restaurant on the second floor.

The silence was quickly broken by the bustling restaurant. There weren't many people in the restaurant, only twenty or thirty, but there were plenty of elves.

As the most luxurious hotel in Raven City, it is mostly frequented by trainers who are not short of money, and when trainers are not short of money, their strength is also quite good.

As a result, hundreds of elves of different sizes gathered together, creating a lively scene.

Xia Chen originally wanted to find an empty seat, but it was lunchtime and he couldn't find any empty seats at all.

During his scan, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar face: Nemo, whom he hadn't seen for several months.

Nemo herself didn't notice Xia Chen, but Babu Tubo, who was next to her, keenly noticed Xia Chen's gaze.

The cute, fluffy, brownish-yellow bear waved in their direction, and then Nemo excitedly waved back at Xia Chen, her single ponytail swaying back and forth.

Xia Chen led Gardevoir over.

…………

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have come to pick you up!"

Senior Nemo's enthusiasm remains as strong as ever.

While ordering food on the tablet, Xia Chen complained, "What, are you still part of Hezhongren?"

Nemo laughed heartily, "My family has a branch here, you know."

Xia Chen was speechless; he had almost forgotten that this girl was the second young lady of Rotom Corporation.

Sure enough, apart from himself, none of the [Eight Young Masters] were not from wealthy families.

Oh, right, Mary, this down-on-her-luck second-generation heiress, isn't one either.

"Speaking of which, why did you only arrive a week before the competition? You seem to be one of the last ones to arrive."

Perhaps it was because she had met an old friend in a foreign land, but Nemo was a little excited and talkative at this moment.

Xia Chen shrugged. "Something came up and I was held up for a bit."

He was waiting for news from Piper a while ago. Anyway, the match hadn't started yet, so a few days earlier or later wouldn't make much difference.

"By the way, is anyone else missing?"

Xia Chen was a little curious about this question.

Nemo recalled, "Uh, Daigo, and that guy named Darko, right?"

Dacto was not well-known among the eight people, and Nemo only remembered his name after thinking for two seconds.

Xia Chen understood immediately. Daigo was probably still digging for rocks in some corner. Don't tell me he went to catch a mythical beast.

The thought of this possibility gave him a headache.

Although Darkrai is just a mythical Pokémon, it is a creature that can rival the Twin Dragons of Time in the movie.