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

After all, no one knows exactly how long the experiment will take, and the champions are quite busy with their daily work, so waiting here won't yield any results.

The research on the Mega Stone continued slowly, while the aftermath of the announcement of Mega Evolution continued to unfold.

…………

In fact, because Xia Chen's suspenseful techniques in the video were so clever, the world still only had one concept of super evolution.

What changes occur to the Pokémon after Mega Evolution, and how much stronger they become, remains a mystery.

The only reference we can have is the Super Rayquaza that appeared that day.

However, using a legendary Pokémon as a reference is somewhat unrealistic.

Mega Rayquaza was able to overpower Groudon and Kyogre, who had both completed Primal Reversion, and other Pokémon could also have such strength after Mega Evolution.

Obviously impossible.

It would be fine if there were a before-and-after comparison, but the key issue is that Rayquaza appeared in its Mega Evolution form and only reverted to its original form after the final battle, so no one knows how much of a boost Mega Evolution brought to it.

But humans are a very strange species, and the more so, the more curious they become about this mysterious new thing.

So when the news spread that "Xia Chen will have an exhibition match with Mikoli at the grand opening ceremony of the celebration a few days later," everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Clearly, although there is no reliable information to support this, everyone agrees that this exhibition match is the most likely time for Super Evolution to make its debut.

This [spectacular battle exhibition match] also capitalized on the hype surrounding Mega Evolution, becoming a hot topic of discussion among trainers worldwide on various forums.

"I guarantee that Sylveon the Great will definitely make an appearance in this exhibition match. If you guess wrong, I'll become Eevee Girl!"

"Is it possible—and I'm just saying possibly—that Xia Chen has more than just Sylveon capable of Mega Evolution? If you want to become an Eevee girl, just say so!"

"Holy crap, that makes sense. That top comment about turning into Eevee-chan... if it actually happened, would I get some satisfaction?"

"Putting aside what kind of Pokémon it is, Xia Chen is actually going to battle Wallace? Although he's called a Gym Leader, he's actually an Elite Four member!"

"He and Wallace had a gym open tournament about two weeks ago. Dragapult and Milotic took turns, and they barely managed to fight Wallace's main Pokémon, Gyarados, to a draw."

"So, Xia Chen is confident that after Mega Evolution, he can fight against Elite Four level Pokémon with the strength of a Gym Leader?"

"Holy crap, is this for real? If so, the power of super evolution is terrifying!"

"It's fake. My uncle works for the Grand Festival event organizers. He said this exhibition match was arranged a long time ago. I guess Wallace will send a Gym Leader-level Pokémon to make an appearance."

"That's true. No matter what, it's a bit too terrifying that Mega Evolution can give a Pokémon such a huge boost."

Online, discussions about this exhibition match are varied and heated.

Meanwhile, the experiment on the transformation of the Super Stone also made substantial progress before the grand celebration officially began.

…………

"Of the thirty experimental Pokémon, twenty-seven of them have already shown changes in the energy wavelength of their evolution stones, and some of the high-quality evolution stones have even begun to change shape."

On the eve of the grand celebration, Mikoli's latest report truly surprised Xia Chen.

Although he always appeared confident on the surface, he was actually just as nervous as anyone else.

After all, the origin of the Super Stone is not definitively answered, even in the original games or anime of the previous life.

Wasn't he also feeling his way across the river by touching the stones? Fortunately, the successful progress of the experiment greatly increased the possibility of mass production of super stone.

"But on the other hand, there are still too few keystones. Is there any way to convert them?"

Daigo's question left Xia Chen somewhat helpless. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I don't know either. We can only keep an eye on the records of meteorite falls around the world, as this is currently the only known way to obtain Keystones."

In the past few days, Xia Chen asked Lie Kongzuo to help guide him to several places where keystone deposits were buried.

These meteorites were all relatively small, and the total amount of keystone extracted from them was less than what Xia Chen had.

It is foreseeable that even if the conversion of the Mega Stone proceeds smoothly, the number of Key Stones will become a problem.

Therefore, for a long time to come, Mega Evolution will be the exclusive domain of elite trainers.

However, Mega Evolution is one way to break through the upper limit of a Pokémon's strength, so the prerequisite is that the strength must reach a certain level before we can talk about whether or not it can break through.

From this perspective, it is destined that super evolution cannot be popularized to the general public; it can only be said that each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Amidst the intensive research and widespread public discussion surrounding Super Evolution, the second Grand Celebration is about to begin.

September 25th marks the end of more than half a month since the two gods caused chaos.

There's an old saying in Donghuang: "Once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten." But this incident, with almost no casualties, didn't even leave a scar.

With the completion of the reconstruction and restoration work in Liuli City, the shadow of the disaster has quietly dissipated.

In autumn, the ancient city of Liuli is ablaze with color, its forests a tapestry of vibrant hues and golden hues.

Today, in addition to the beautiful scenery that can be seen at any time, a grand celebration is being held here.

Countless flying Pokémon carrying their trainers landed in the ancient city of Sootopolis in an orderly manner under Officer Jenny's management.

Because the ancient city of Liuli is not very large, its associated Liuli arena can only accommodate a limited number of people.

With fewer than 10,000 seats, it's not even as good as many stadiums in rural areas like Alora.

However, this place is perfect for holding a grand celebration—under the sunlight, the entire building shimmers and glows, appearing exceptionally enchanting and truly deserving of the word "grand".

At this moment, at 8:30, half an hour before the opening ceremony of the celebration, the exquisite venue was already packed to capacity.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the start of the match.

It's often said that the opening exhibition match is the appetizer for the main event, but in the context of the Grand Contest, this appetizer might be a bit too overpowering—

At least 80% of the hundreds of millions of viewers currently watching the official live stream are there specifically for the exhibition match.

Even the contestants in the stands were excitedly discussing the upcoming competition, creating a scene reminiscent of a celebrity fan meeting.

…………

"Ugh, there's still half an hour before it starts! I'm so impatient!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I'd rather it be later. Once they're done fighting, it'll be our turn."

"Hey, who do you think will win, Senior Xia Chen or Teacher Mikoli?"

"I don't know, since it's not a normal match format. Speaking of which, what exactly is the format of the 'Glamour Match'?"

"You'll find out soon. I heard that the elimination rounds after the preliminary rounds will use this format. I'll have to listen carefully later."

"What's the point of discussing the match results? Don't you guys think the Misha pairing is really great?"

"Finally, I've met someone who shares my passion! I also saw some art books by this artist online, would you like to see them?"

"."

What kind of nonsense is this?

Serena, sitting in the very center of the players' lounge, silently complained to herself.

It's said that three women make a drama, and clearly, the competition was particularly fierce in the contestants' lounge, where female contestants made up more than 70% of the participants.

Serena seemed particularly out of place here.

It's not that she's aloof or anything, it's mainly because she's been gossiping about Xia Chen and Mikoli with these yaoi fans. If Xia Chen finds out, he'll tear her apart!

However, she wasn't the only one who seemed out of place; there was also a beautiful girl holding Bogarman in her arms.

Serena knew her; she was Dawn from the Sinnoh region, whom she had noticed while looking at the roster of contestants.

The fact that the main Pokémon is a Piplup seems a bit too strange—can this little guy really be strong enough to meet the senior level requirements for the competition?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Xiaoyao waved her hand in front of Serena's eyes, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

The two met through Xia Chen and got along quite well, often chatting and training together these days.

Serena smiled gently, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about whether I could improve today's performance a bit more."

Haruka comforted him, "You've already done a great job. I think only Rukia here can definitely outshine you."

A year ago, Rukia was a favorite to win the first Grand Contest, and she remains so a year later.

After a year of promotion, the number of viewers and participants in the Grand Prix has increased significantly, and naturally, the competition has also intensified.

Even so, Ryukia remains a formidable figure in the hearts of all the contestants.

So much so that a saying has become widely circulated in this circle: "Without Xia Chen, who can compete?"

This shows how much pressure and shadow Rukia brings to others.

What Xiaoyao said wasn't entirely a lie. She genuinely believed that apart from the unparalleled Rukia, Serena was one of the best among everyone, far superior to herself, a half-baked academic failure who barely managed to get a festival ticket.

Serena disagreed and was about to offer a humble rebuttal when the surrounding noise suddenly became much louder.

…………

"It's started, it's started!"

"Wow—Senior Xia Chen is so handsome!"

The meaning of these sounds couldn't be clearer—the exhibition match was about to begin.

Serena and Haruka stopped discussing and immediately looked up at the huge screen in the room broadcasting the event live.

As expected, Xia Chen and Mikoli had already taken to the field.

The entire grand celebration was hosted by Michael, the Gym Leader of the Glass Dojo, which is quite prestigious.

At this moment, he was reciting the opening address of the magnificent celebration in a beautiful, poetic tone.

What would normally be dry and dull words, when uttered by him, truly sounded like wise advice, making the audience feel not the slightest bit impatient, but rather quite comfortable.

After the opening remarks and before the exhibition match, there is still one important thing to do—explain the rules of the dazzling battle.

This matter should be explained by Xia Chen, the "inventor" of the rules, since he has the right to interpret them.

Although it's a brand new format, the essence of a flashy battle is to attack and neutralize the opponent's attacks through the elegant release of moves; there's nothing more fancy about it.

Therefore, the rules were explained very quickly, and with the addition of detailed rules, Xia Chen only spent two minutes.

He didn't know if the audience had listened or understood what he was saying.

But none of that matters—you'll understand once you play a game.

Just after Xia Chen finished explaining the rules, two score displays mentioned in the rules suddenly lit up on the screen behind him, which were the [Glamour Value] of both sides.

Attacking or deflecting an opponent's attack will deduct points from the opponent's score, the amount depending on the level of skill involved.