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

"Buyi? (Sir, would you like something?)"

Xia Chen glanced at the fresh tree fruits on the shelf behind the bar and said, "Give me a glass of chilled melon juice."

"Buyi~ (Understood, I'll make it for you right away~)"

Vaporeon, its big, wet tail swishing, jumped back and began making tree juice.

He took out a berry from the refrigerator, which was almost half the size of a Water Eevee's body. Then, a sharp water blade formed slightly in his hand, and with a swift motion, he cut the berry in half.

It is said that Vaporeon can completely transform into a liquid and dissolve in water, so it is not surprising that some parts of it can change shape at will.

No wonder so many weirdos like Vaporeon.

Yes, my own fairy cloth is still the best.

The left hand transforms into a water blade to slice the melon, while the right hand becomes a drill-like juicer to blend it. Finally, ice energy is used to condense a few ice cubes and add them in, and a glass of chilled melon juice is ready.

Suicune transformed its left hand into a basin, picked up a glass filled with bright red liquid, and placed it in front of Xia Chen. "Suicune~ (Enjoy!)"

"Thank you!"

Xia Chen hadn't drunk much water the whole way and was extremely thirsty, so he took the cup and drank two big gulps.

The icy, smooth liquid rolls down your throat, bringing a double pleasure of sweetness and coolness.

In one word, cool!

Perhaps because he was extremely thirsty, Xia Chen inexplicably found the juice given to him by Vaporeon to be exceptionally delicious.

"The sap made by Vaporeon incorporates its own bodily fluids during the preparation process, making it even cooler and sweeter. Isn't that amazing, a Water-type Pokémon?"

A gentle, refined voice answered Xia Chen's questions from behind, and then the person walked over and sat down beside him.

Xia Chen's expression was somewhat strange. It was mixed with Vaporeon's bodily fluids. It sounded ominous.

"Don't worry, the purity of Suicune's bodily fluids is comparable to distilled water."

With his hair still a little damp, Mikuri snapped his fingers. "Suiteru, make me a [Sea Breeze]."

Since the guest had said so, Xia Chen naturally chose to trust him.

…………

With a rather complicated feeling, Xia Chen finished his Guaxi juice and greeted Mikoli, who had elegance etched into her very bones, standing beside him.

"Mr. Michael, it's been a long time."

Michael prefers his identity as an artist to that of a museum owner, so Xia Chen follows suit and calls him that.

"It has been a long time, but I've heard your name in the news quite often, Teacher Xia Chen."

Teacher Xia Chen

Xia Chen, who was receiving this form of address for the first time, felt rather uncomfortable and said with a wry smile, "Please don't call me that, I really can't accept it. Let's just call each other by our first names."

Michael smiled slightly and nodded without hesitation.

After some meaningless small talk, the two got down to business.

"It's all thanks to your help that this magnificent celebration could be held in such a wonderful place as Liuli City."

Xia Chen, still holding the title of Honorary Chairman of the Grand Contest Committee, naturally expressed his gratitude.

Mikoli shook his head slightly and replied, "Not at all, it is also an honor for Liuli City. I have always thought that the Grand Contest is the second greatest invention in the last hundred years."

The first one, of course, is the Poké Ball, which everyone agrees on.

He then shook his head regretfully, "I originally wanted to sign up for this competition, but unfortunately I was rejected."

Xia Chen twitched his lips. It was really wise of him to refuse your malicious request to fry fish.

He comforted her, saying, "With your skill level, winning the competition should be a sure thing."

Mikkel smiled, took a sip of the crystal-clear, light red cocktail in her glass, and changed the subject, saying, "However, Miss Ma Xiu later made a suggestion, inviting me to play a spectacular exhibition match at the opening ceremony. That would be so interesting."

Xia Chen responded with a wry smile, "Of course you're funny, because your humor is built on my suffering."

"To be honest, in an excellent exhibition match, even a spectacular one, being evenly matched is a very important factor. My strength is still far inferior to yours."

He has nothing to be ashamed of. Weak is weak, and strong is strong. It is shameful to be afraid to admit weakness.

Mikoli chuckled softly, "Who's stronger or weaker? We'll find out after a fight."

Xia Chen was slightly taken aback and asked, "You mean we should practice a flashy battle first?"

"No"

Mikoli shook his head and said, "What I mean is, let's start with an elegant and charming Pokémon battle!"

…………

The master of the Liuli Dojo has a different approach to the battlefield than others.

There was no rocky terrain, only a vast body of water, roughly the size of half a football field, and several loose plastic platforms attached to the water.

A water-themed gym naturally uses a water-based environment.

There were quite a few people in the stands next to the arena. These were spectators who had come after receiving a push notification on their phones from the [Lilac Gym app] that "the Mikkuri Gym Leader Open Tournament is about to begin."

Because in every gym open tournament, the trainers who battle Wallace are all well-known.

This time, Mikoli's opponent gave the audience who came to open the blind boxes a big surprise.

"It's Xia Chen!"

"Speaking of which, he hasn't made any public appearances since that final match against Darkrai, has he?"

"The Grand Festival is about to begin, so it would be a bit unreasonable if the father of the Grand Contest and the previous champion didn't come."

"What kind of spirit will he use today? Will it be Gulerton?"

"Don't be like that. Didn't you see how bad the court was in the last final? That was with triple protection. If you were to pull out Guleton here, I would turn around and leave immediately."

Discussions like these continued to rise from the audience.

If not 100%, more than 70% of the people in the stands recognize Xia Chen, the trainer who has become incredibly popular in the last two years.

No, his achievements and complex identity cannot be simply summarized by the word "Trainer".

Especially after that legendary battle two months ago, his reputation is now comparable to that of top trainers like Cynthia.

Therefore, the news of Xia Chen's reappearance at the Liuli Dojo Open Tournament quickly spread across the internet through the audience at the venue.

Suddenly, the downloads of the [Liuli Dojo] app skyrocketed—because it was the only place to watch the live stream of this match.

The incident caused a stir on the sidelines and online, while in the water on the opposing side, a sexy referee in a bikini stood on Laplace and read out the rules online.

"This match is an open challenge match for the Crystal Gym. The challenger is Xia Chen, a Gym Leader, and the Gym Leader is Mikey, also a Gym Leader. The format is the League's standard 3v3 rule. Do either side have any questions?"

The two said in unison, "No."

The referee nodded, rode Laplace to the sidelines, and then blew the whistle.

"Then, let the game begin!"

…………

"Unleash your most magnificent dance, Milotic!"

Wearing a white open-front suit, Mikoli elegantly tossed the heart-shaped ball in her hand.

A flash of white light appeared, and a graceful and charming Pokémon leaped into the water—it was Milotic.

Xia Chen simultaneously threw out the Poké Ball he had prepared in advance, while releasing his Aura to investigate.

Dojo-level, 2-star!

He felt relieved.

Perhaps to test Xia Chen's strength, Mikuri didn't immediately unleash his main Elite Four-level Pokémon, but instead gradually sent out a Gym Leader-level Pokémon to test the waters.

Although he is still slightly stronger than he is now, he is definitely capable of fighting!

As Xia Chen pondered, the Poké Ball he threw out burst into white light in the air.

The even more beautiful Shiny Gardevoir makes its appearance, using its psychic powers to float about half a meter above the water's surface.

"Gardevoir, prepare for battle!"

In battles on water-based terrains, there aren't many Pokémon to choose from.

Although there were indeed several sizable floating boards on the water, they were so weak that they would sink immediately if they withstood an area-of-effect move from a gym-level Pokémon.

Therefore, aquatic spirits or spirits with the ability to fly are the first choice.

So only a few remain: Milotic, Gardevoir, Dragapult, and Gullardon.

Excluding the last one that's beyond the scope, Xia Chen's lineup is actually quite transparent.

Therefore, starting with Gardevoir was entirely within Mikkuri's expectations.

As the owner of the Glass Dojo, and the challenger in this match, the hospitable player launched the first attack.

"Melnas, rain!"

Mikkelsen's conducting voice, imbued with elegance, sounded like a soft, gentle chant, eliciting screams from the female fans in the audience.

As a pure water-based team, the rain undoubtedly enhances the overall strength of the lineup.

Therefore, if you don't have a Pokémon with the [Rain] ability as your starting move, Rain Dance is a move that you can't go wrong with.

If Xia Chen were in command, he would have made the same choice, but he would never have prayed for rain at the start.

This means that the opponent will not get any pressure at the start of the game.

Is Michaeli giving himself a stage to perform on?

…………

With his mind racing, Xia Chen snapped out of his reverie and immediately commanded without hesitation, "Gardedoll, meditate!"

He didn't care whether this was a trap to trick him into strengthening himself; it was just a two-star Gym Leader level Pokémon. Unless it could also use its [Water Spray] ability, there was nothing to guard against.

Two commands, one from the front and one from the back, reached the field, and immediately, energy shimmered around the two elves.

As if in response to the water energy released during Milotic's dance, the air's breathing fluctuations changed instantly.

In the blink of an eye, the air was filled with moisture, and dark clouds quickly gathered above the Water Field. Less than a second after Michael's command was given, a light drizzle began to fall from the dome of the gym, at an astonishing speed.