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

Unfortunately, the Flame Centipede was extremely conservative and chose to defend from the start. The specks of powder were absorbed by the semi-transparent energy barrier and disappeared without a trace.

After the barrier disappeared, a pale silver light appeared on the pot next to it.

The light solidified and flowed into the body of the Flame Centipede, and a pale silver glow visibly enveloped its surface.

The defensive tie is in effect!

The thin-skinned and fragile Flame Centipede has gained nearly half of the Potpot's defensive attributes, an effect that would require at least two Iron Walls combined with a momentary amnesia!

In the first round of the competition, the more coordinated Tiannan couple had a slight advantage.

However, Xia Chen and Chi Hong were not disappointed by the scene.

The fact that the Flame Centipede used Guard at the start of the game is actually an open card, but the reason Crimson still used Sleep Powder on it was for one purpose only—

This will mislead the opponent into thinking that the target is the Flame Centipede.

So he decisively commanded, "Venusaur, charge forward!"

Xia Chen shouted, "Vulcan Moth, Storm!"

Venusaur, with a body as large as a tank, took the lead. With the muscles of its short but thick four legs opening and closing, its entire body quickly charged towards Centipede.

Although the weather wasn't sunny and its [Chlorophyll] ability, which doubles speed in sunny weather, wasn't triggered, Venusaur's overall speed was still quite high thanks to the tailwind.

This is at least true when facing the more cumbersome pot-shaped pot and the Flame Centipede.

At the same time, the Volcano flapped its wings vigorously, gathering a violent hurricane in front of it using flying-type energy.

This is one of the three weaknesses of the Firefly-type Centipede.

At this moment, not only the spectators on the sidelines, but even the owners of the venue believed that their target was the Flame Centipede.

This strategy played right into their hands.

Young people, you probably don't know just how tough the Flame Centipede can be after receiving the defensive split buff!

"Pot, sticky net!"

"Burning Flame Centipede, Flaming Whip!"

Shuckle's Goo Web is a relatively uncommon Bug-type status move, but its effects are anything but simple—

A sticky net is placed under the opponent's feet. Pokémon on the field will not be affected at this time, but any Pokémon that is substituted in will fall into the net and have their speed reduced!

In layman's terms, it's a slower version of the Invisible Rock.

Shuckle's role in doubles is very limited; it can only serve as a utility Pokémon.

After helping teammates with defensive splits, the only thing left to use are these annoying variation moves.

If it's a well-rounded Pokémon, then focusing fire on Venusaur with Centipede would actually be a better choice right now.

Unfortunately, he couldn't, so the Flame Centipede had to fight alone.

Intense flames erupted from its yellow, heat-generating organ on its abdomen, quickly engulfing the slender body of the Flame Centipede.

From a distance, it truly looks like a long whip made of flames.

Centipede used its body as a whip, lashing out with its densely packed legs at the charging Venusaur, attempting to take the full force of the attack head-on.

Seeing that a head-on clash between Mars and Earth was inevitable, Venusaur suddenly stopped, exerting force with its four claws, and actually managed to bring its wildly running body to a halt!

The rocks beneath their feet shattered into pieces due to the sudden "brake," sending sand and dust flying.

Bathed in rich energy, Venusaur used its momentum to turn around and aimed at Shuppetto, which was spitting out a sticky net!

Meanwhile, the storm condensed by the Volcano behind him was also activated. Under the control of the Volcano, the chaotic and violent airflow also tacitly swept towards Shuttle!

At this moment, their strategy became crystal clear—

Their primary target was never the Flame Centipede, but rather the Pot Pot, which was no longer as tough after its defensive capabilities were deployed!

…………

Venusaur's previous sleep powder was so deceptive that neither of the two Pokémon on the field expected their opponent to suddenly turn on them.

Even though the trainer behind it shouted for Shuttle to retract into its shell immediately, Shuttle still couldn't react.

Compared to Venusaur, which is as big as a small tank, Shuttle is at best a slow-moving old man's car. It was unsurprisingly knocked away by Venusaur, which accelerated twice!

Then the [storm] came and completed the aerial relay, swallowing Potpot into the raging turbulence.

The turbulent airflow condensed into sharp blades that scraped against the pot's body. Its exposed limbs and head suffered severe damage, and even its hard shell was left with countless fine scratches.

Centiskine was helpless against this and could only twist its body and whip Venusaur with its Flame Whip to try and avoid being at a disadvantage in this exchange.

Although Fire-type moves can deal double damage to Venusaur, the tanky Venusaur can withstand the Flame Whip, while Shuckle, which has lost half of its defense, cannot withstand the powerful attacks of Tackle and Hurricane.

The storm subsided, and with a loud thud, the pot fell to the ground from the sky, then fell silent—incapacitated!

The "powerful second pot" seems incredible, but it's not.

While Shuttle is a renowned top-tier tank, its strength lies in its absurdly high defense and magic resistance, while its health and stamina are pitifully low.

After losing half of its defensive capabilities, it's actually not as strong as a regular Pokémon. Being focused down and instantly killed isn't entirely out of the question.

Less than a minute into the match, the "first blood" of the game was drawn, and enthusiastic cheers erupted from the sidelines.

The Tennan Gym Leaders rarely send out their main Pokémon to face Gym Challenges, which guarantees that this match will be of very high quality.

The challenger's strength and tactics are even more encouraging.

Of course, the object of their joy was not Xia Chen, but Chi Hong.

After all, given Xia Chen's abilities, there are countless performances that are more outstanding than this one.

However, this seemingly unfamiliar trainer displayed a level of strength that was truly unexpected.

Not to mention her young age, Venusaur's strength has already reached the Gym Leader level.

What's even more astonishing is that the two commands, which didn't specify the attack targets at all, directly caused the gym leader to misjudge the situation.

Venusaur's drifting ability was incredibly skillful, and its powerful combination with Volcarona allowed it to instantly defeat Shuppet.

A few doubts arose in their hearts.

Who is this unknown young man?

Chapter 449 is out? Just normal procedure.

One of the Pokémon on the field lost its ability to battle, and the remaining three Pokémon stopped their actions in unison, waiting for the turn to switch.

During this break, the audience on the sidelines started discussing the somewhat unfamiliar red-hatted boy next to Xia Chen.

"Who is this person? Does our Eastern Empire have such a young and outstanding trainer?"

"Are you stupid? Isn't Xia Chen one of them?"

"Okay... I always ignore the age of this pervert."

"Forget about age, I completely ignored his human identity. There's no need to compare him to this kind of alien."

"So who exactly is the trainer of this Venusaur?"

"I know, the runner-up of the Eastern Empire Youth Trainer Tournament two years ago was a Kanto native, his name was... Red something?"

"Oh, I remember now, Xia Chen was the champion that year! I was influenced by him too, especially by his Pikachu."

"Then the loss was not unjust; it should be the most prestigious runner-up, right?"

"Not silver content?"

Many people on the sidelines were discussing things related to the crimson color.

That's normal. Compared to Xia Chen, who has always been in the public eye, Chi Hong has rarely appeared since he went into the wilderness of Donghuang two years ago. He only showed his face in that competition and won the runner-up.

Frankly speaking, a runner-up of that caliber wouldn't have been enough for people to remember him for half a year. It's already quite good that a few people still remember him.

It is precisely because of this contrast that his and Venusaur's performance is so amazing.

Even his partner Xia Chen couldn't hide his brilliance.

The discussion didn't last too long, because on the battlefield, the defending champions, the couple, had already replaced the pot-pot, which had lost its fighting ability.

Replacing it was a Pokémon that was a stark contrast to Shuckle: Goodra!

Another cheer erupted from the audience.

No matter when, the appearance of a pseudo-god is always so impressive.

Xia Chen muttered to himself, "What happened to the Bug-type Gym?"

Is *Nematocystis* also an insect?

Could it be because its first-stage form, Sticky Treasure, looks like a slug, while its second-stage form looks like a shell-less snail?

While secretly grumbling to himself, Xia Chen outwardly put on a very serious face.

He understood the intention behind the opposing team sending out the Gooey Dragon—since the Shuguru had fallen, they would have to replace it with a more resilient one, otherwise, if they were to be overtaken on one side again, they would lose the battle.

While losing to Xia Chen isn't shameful, it would be somewhat embarrassing to be swept away even after using your main Pokémon.

We're all owners here, don't I have any pride?

With this mindset in mind, Nian Meilong made her debut.

…………

Facing Goodra, known as the "Wall of Sighs" among special attackers, and Centisk, who inherited half of Shuckle's defensive abilities, Crimson looked somewhat troubled.

These two Pokémon... are a bit tricky to deal with.

He turned to look at Xia Chen and quickly asked, "Change?"

Xia Chen nodded, "Okay."

After a brief exchange, Red didn't hesitate to pick up the Poké Ball and replace Venusaur, then threw out another of the three Poké Balls he had brought with him.

A flash of white light appeared as a large, chubby, orange figure with a somewhat憨憨 (simple and honest) expression stood steadily on the battlefield.

This was the third Pokémon he brought along, besides the Charizard and Venusaur he had planned for the Sunny Day team. Right now, there was no room for the Sunny Day combination to work, so Red naturally switched to this versatile Pokémon that could be effective in any situation.

Xia Chen did not change his Pokémon. Although Volcarona's best Fire-type moves were not very effective, it was still a viable option. This would allow it to practice more in adversity.

Just as Crimson was exchanging Pokémon, the other Pokémon on the field also made new moves.