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

Putting aside his thoughts of complaining, Xia Chen said, "Alright, you can go out now. Take Xiao Xi to take a bath, and then we can prepare dinner."

“Oh, okay.”

Serena slowly walked out with the fiery red fox, then suddenly turned back and said, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to cook a meal for you too."

"Okay, fine, I'm not blaming you."

Xia Chen didn't turn around. "You'll get better with more practice in the future."

"Okay, I will!"

Serena smiled sweetly at Xia Chen's retreating figure before leaving the kitchen.

That night, Qianli didn't return. He just called Xia Chen to say that he was staying at the manor in Mikoli and to thank him for taking care of him these past few days.

This won't have much impact on the lives of the "family of three," except that we cooked a little extra food tonight, which might result in some waste.

However, Guleton said he could eat the rest as a late-night snack, so today was another day of finishing everything on his plate.

after dinner.

Serena wanted Xia Chen to give her some pointers on her dazzling performance, while Higana wanted Xia Chen to take her out to find a place to battle with Pokémon.

Xia Chen didn't want to be in a dilemma, so he had the two girls, one big and one small, decide the winner by playing rock-paper-scissors.

In the end, Higana won.

Xia Chen comforted the other Nana, saying he would guide her in her splendid performance again tomorrow.

Amidst Higana's joyful cheers, the three stepped into the deepening night.

…………

Sooto City is a typical tourist city. The island is dominated by beautiful natural scenery, which covers more than 70% of its area. The few buildings there are mainly entertainment and service facilities such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and Pokémon battle gyms.

In the center of the new town, near the crater, there is a Pokémon Battle Park that is quite famous locally.

Battle Park is a place where all sorts of people mingle, from beginners to elite experts, everyone can find a suitable opponent.

However, there are basically no trainers who can match Xia Chen's dojo-level strength.

Having just had a thrilling battle with Mikey today, he was no longer interested in this kind of fishpond.

Serena and Xiaoxi seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Although Serena is a Coordinator aiming to win the Contest of Fame, it doesn't mean she neglects to train her Pokémon.

The great creator of the Grand Contests once said that the brilliance of a Grand Contest is directly proportional to the strength of the Pokémon. Greater strength means more precise control, more possibilities for move combinations, and more dazzling move effects.

Serena has kept this in mind since her debut, so she has never slacked off in her training.

She is half a year younger than Xia Chen and currently possesses the skills of a senior-level expert, making her stand out among her peers.

Higanbana's situation is rather unusual; her starter Pokémon is an elite-level Salamence, and then she only has a Noctua, which is less than an amateur-level Pokémon.

Since arriving at this battle park, there have been several instances where someone defeats Higanbana's Noctua and arrogantly says, "Little sister, stop battling Pokémon and go back to sleep!", only to be terrified by a ferocious-looking Salamence the next moment.

This prank made Higana extremely happy.

But as the fight went on and word got out, no hothead dared to challenge this seemingly immature little girl.

However, every cloud has a silver lining; the absence of rookies has attracted some slightly stronger trainers.

For example, the boy and girl in front of me who look somewhat familiar.

Are these Ruby and Safia?

…………

"Hello, my name is Ruby. Your Salamence is very strong. Would you like to have a Pokémon battle with me?"

Ruby excitedly challenged Higana to a duel.

The girl next to her interrupted impatiently, "Hey, didn't you see she just finished a match? Of course she needs to rest for a while!"

When she turned to look at Xijiana, her expression instantly switched to a kind one. "Little sister, don't mind him. Take a rest for a while. We can wait. Oh, by the way, my name is Xiaoyao. It's nice to meet you."

Xia Chen, who was sitting on a chair not far behind Xijiana, suddenly remembered that there was only Xiaoyao in this world.

To describe the relationship between May and Sapphire, it's probably similar to the relationship between Ash and Red.

The two are based on the same prototype, but have different appearances in different Pokémon derivative works.

There are subtle differences in appearance and personality, but the similarity is so striking that it's impossible to tell them apart at a glance.

Xiaoyao participated in the first Grand Contest last year, but I've forgotten about it for a moment.

Speaking of which, I was wondering a while ago if Du Qianli's next child would be Xiaoyao. Luckily, I didn't offer any naming suggestions for his second child, or I would have made a fool of myself.

But even Ruby and Haruka have developed a strange connection in this world?

In the special episode, Ruby and Safia are the officially designated couple, and also a special episode couple that Xia Chen personally liked very much in his previous life.

Surprisingly, even when it was Xiaoyao who was in the picture, the two remained close.

Seeing this bickering couple arguing again, Xia Chen's expression was a bit strange. Was this me cheating on myself?

Well, that doesn't seem to be the key point. The key point is, Brother Qianli, do you know that your son is here picking up girls and having a puppy love affair?

No, according to the information Qianli himself revealed, he wasn't much better off; he became pregnant out of wedlock and had a son before he was even twenty.

Like father, like son.

As Xia Chen was lost in thought, Xi Jiana waved her hand, stopping the two from arguing. "Alright, stop arguing. Take it one at a time. Rocky and I don't need to rest."

With both parties having made their stance clear, there was no point in arguing anymore, so the battle began, with Lu Bi first and Xiao Yao second.

Salamence is outside, so Ruby has the opportunity to choose a Pokémon to counter it. Normally, people would send out a Pokémon that is super effective against it, but Ruby does not.

He threw out the Poké Ball, and it turned out he had chosen Swampert, one of the Hoenn starter Pokémon, a Water-type starter.

…………

"Time flows like water, yet this body remains steadfast, bursting forth like a shooting star, its fury soaring to the heavens! Go, ZUZU!"

A highly emotional, melodious voice drifted through the night sky, drawing astonished glances from passersby who wanted to catch a glimpse of the trainer poet's face.

Xia Chen facepalmed. No matter how cool your opening poem is, it can't change the fact that Swampert is completely countered by Salamence!

Dragons are waterproof, and flying creatures are immune to ground attacks. How could you possibly use a Swampert to defeat a flying dragon?

Just for the sake of using the Freeze Punch?

Once Salamence takes flight, how are you going to hit it with your head?

You have Gardevoir, right? Use Gardevoir to fight, you idiot!

Amidst Xia Chen's inner turmoil, the battle began.

Just as Xia Chen had anticipated before the battle, Swampert had no real way to deal with Salamence, and was once repeatedly overwhelmed by the latter's aerial attacks.

But as the protagonist of the series, Ruby still has some unique ideas.

For example, pretend to be hit by Salamence's Dragon Pulse and run away in fear, then launch an avalanche at Salamence as it swoops down.

If the attack power had been sufficient, the double avalanche damage would likely have shattered the Salamence, which is four times weak to ice.

After the avalanche, Higana abandoned her contempt and fought seriously for two or three minutes before defeating Ruby's Swamp Monster.

However, Salamence did indeed suffer considerable damage from the avalanche, and was subsequently defeated by Ruby's second Pokémon, Kirlia.

"Let's stop fighting, let's take Rocky to heal."

Higanbana enjoys seeing the shocked expression on other people's faces after their Nombat is followed by Salamence, but dislikes seeing the speechless expressions when the order is reversed. So, she decisively ran away after Salamence fell down.

Ruby, still somewhat unsatisfied, caught up, "Hey, are you stopping before it's over? My idol!!!"

The volume of the last two words suddenly increased, so much so that it even startled Dorgonchi, who was standing next to him.

The first half of the sentence was spoken to Xijiana, while the second half was naturally shouted at him after seeing Xia Chen next to Xijiana.

"Uh, hello."

Xia Chen smiled and waved at him.

I can recognize my fans just by looking at their faces, without them having to introduce themselves. That's what makes them my true fans!

…………

"So you two are here for the grand celebration, right?"

Inside the Pokémon Center at the Battle Park, Xia Chen looked at the excited boy and girl in front of him and asked a question he already knew the answer to.

"Yes, Senior Xia Chen! My name is Xiao Yao. I even made it to the main competition in the Grand Contest in Aroma City last year. Do you remember me?"

Xiaoyao, looking every bit the fangirl, introduced herself.

Xia Chen smiled and nodded, "Of course I remember. The Pokémon you used back then were Combusken, Skitty, and Beautifly, right?"

"Yes! Combusken and Skitty have both evolved now!"

Xiaoyao nodded excitedly.

Lubi, standing to the side, was a little jealous. "Hmph, so what if you compete on the same stage as your idol? You still get eliminated in the first round, don't you?"

Xia Chen: "."

Young man, are you jealous of the wrong person?

Before Xia Chen could reply, Xiao Yao turned around and snorted coldly, "Hmph, so what? I participated in the first Grand Contest with Senior Xia Chen, you should call me senior."

Serena, also a fan of Xia Chen, watched with relish as the two bickering lovers fought over Xia Chen, a strange sense of joy welling up inside her.

Xijiana then asked softly, "Brother Xia Chen, why are these two older brothers and sisters traveling together when they don't get along at all?"

Xia Chen smiled and patted her head. "That's part of the fun of traveling. Many people end up developing feelings for each other while arguing."

Xia Chen didn't lower his voice when he said this, and his teasing words clearly reached Ruby and Xiaoyao's ears.

They both blushed and immediately turned their heads away, no longer looking at each other.

"If this guy didn't also like Senior Xia Chen, I wouldn't have traveled with him."

"You think I'm not? What good qualities do you have besides idolizing my idol, you tomboy?"

Xia Chen smiled gently.

Well, I've become the matchmaker.