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

The second day's competition format was 3v3, and the strength of the opponents increased slightly, but not by much.

The first two matches were easily won by Azure Blade Demon and Diancie, who each managed to defeat three opponents.

In the final match, they encountered a fairly strong rain team, which put some pressure on the rotating Volcano team.

Faced with three well-trained Water-type Pokémon at the Gym level, Volcarona struggled greatly and almost wasted its time several times.

But perhaps due to its competitive nature, it persevered and tenaciously won the final round of the selection competition with a score of one against three.

With this, Xia Chen secured his ticket to the main tournament of the Donghuang Tournament by winning every single point.

On the third day of the qualifying rounds, all the matches ended, and Xia Chen saw all the contestants who had advanced to the main competition on the official website.

Unsurprisingly, the names of Michael, Daigo, Darkrai, Blue, and Red were prominently listed.

In addition, Xia Chen also saw a few familiar names.

Hu Yang, a senior who graduated from Beijing University two years ago, Lin Weiyu, the prospective head of Yunze Dojo, who is also his neighbor at Yuanling Dojo, and even Nemo, the second young lady of Rotom Mobile Group, whom he met while traveling in Padia.

Xia Chen wasn't surprised. The circle of elite trainers is only so big, so it's normal to have many acquaintances in the main competition.

The Eastern Glory Tournament uses a brutal single-elimination format, just like in the anime.

This is also a tradition of all regional competitions.

Xia Chen glanced at the first round's match schedule. Among the thirty-two pairs, there were very few familiar faces he had met beforehand.

The only pair is Qinglv and Lin Weiyu.

His opponent in the first round was an unknown guy named Meng Yingcheng.

Chapter 453 Super Diancie VS Super Steelix!

November 20th.

The quadrennial Donghuang Tournament officially kicked off in Shangjing City, with sixty-four top trainers from the Donghuang region, selected through multiple rounds of qualifying competitions, ready to compete.

This description is not entirely accurate, because a good portion of these contestants are star trainers from other regions. As such, the attention this tournament has received is not limited to the Eastern Region.

Perhaps it was a deliberate arrangement by the organizers, but the opening match of the conference was none other than Xia Chen's game.

Therefore, more than half an hour before the first match, countless viewers were already waiting in the live broadcast room for the match to begin.

"Here it comes! Welcome to the Donghuang Tournament, where Xia Chen single-handedly intensifies the competition!"

"To be honest, it's really terrifying. In previous years, you only needed elite-level strength to enter the main competition of the Donghuang Tournament. This year, the level has been raised to almost the gym level. It's too terrifying."

"There's nothing we can do, too many people are trying to snipe Xia Chen. But why should we care so much? As long as the match is entertaining, that's all that matters."

"Indeed, they're the ones getting involved, while we're the ones enjoying the show."

"I heard this tournament supports Dynamax? Isn't it supposed to only happen in the Galar region?"

"The person who discovered Dynamax is here, so there must be a way. The only concern is that not many people will have a Dynamax Band, which might create an imbalance?"

"Don't worry about that. According to official statistics, out of the sixty-four people, forty-eight have mastered Crystallization, thirty-three have mastered Mega Evolution, and twenty-one have mastered Dynamax. They are all top-tier trainers, so there are definitely some of them."

"..."

Viewers eagerly discussed various previews of the match in the live chat.

Time ticked by, and about ten minutes before the start of the match, the sky above the Shangjing Arena suddenly became stormy.

But then a huge, deep purple bone dragon flew in from the other end of the sky. It was none other than Eternatus, the legendary elf who had caused trouble in Galar a few months ago and then reconciled with humans!

The audience in the arena immediately cheered and applauded for this legendary spirit that was so close to humans.

The Void-Tana flew in from the horizon, approaching from afar. Accompanied by a long, high-pitched dragon roar, countless deep purple energy particles drifted down from the arena, like a deep purple rain.

Galar particles filled the entire arena, making it a space capable of supporting Dynamax.

…………

The arrival of Wujitana has further enhanced the prestige and prestige of this year's Donghuang Conference.

Just as the audience's emotions reached their peak, the opening match of this conference finally began.

From the round of 64 to the quarterfinals, the format was 3v3 singles, and only Mega Evolution, Dynamax, or Crystallization were allowed in a single match.

Amidst much anticipation, the contestants from both sides emerged from the passageway.

When the handsome young trainer, whose experience was already legendary, stood on the side of the battlefield, some viewers spontaneously called out Xia Chen's name.

Soon, this force received more responses and support, and the loud shouts gradually became unified.

"Xia Chen! Xia Chen! Xia Chen!"

The sound, which usually only appears at the moment of victory after the game is over, rang out at the very beginning of the game.

Xia Chen's popularity in Donghuang is evident.

The trainer named Meng Yingcheng on the other side did not show any signs of embarrassment. After a moment of surprise, he simply shook his head and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Drawing Xia Chen in the first round of the competition was both lucky and unlucky for him. It was unlucky because his grand ambitions before the competition had been largely extinguished after encountering Xia Chen, the favorite to win the championship.

But for trainers, challenging strong opponents and climbing to new heights can also be considered a fortunate event.

Being able to spar with Xia Chen is an excellent opportunity for honing one's skills.

Meng Yingcheng let out a soft breath, reaffirming his resolve to himself.

"Come on, let me see where my limits are!"

The cheers from the stands gradually subsided, and the referee, riding on the Aegislash, blew the whistle to start the match.

The opening match of this year's Donghuang Tournament has officially begun!

Two beams of white light flashed, and the starting Pokémon of both sides entered the arena.

They are Xia Chen's Diancie and Meng Yingcheng's Steelix.

"Wow, both players have chosen very rare Pokémon. One is the legendary Diancie, and the other is Steelix, which cannot be found in the Pokédex."

After the lighthearted joke, the commentator began to seriously analyze the situation.

"Judging solely from the paper attributes and characteristics of the two Pokémon, Steelix has a significant advantage. Diancie is not only twice as weak to Ground-type Pokémon, but also four times as weak to Steel-type Pokémon. On the other hand, although Diancie is a legendary Pokémon, its strength is not as exaggerated as those we are familiar with."

"Oh? Both trainers pulled out Key Stones at the same time. Is that... Mega Evolution? The match has only just begun, and they've both chosen Mega Evolution, which can only be used once per match!"

…………

On the battlefield, before the glow of the Pokémon emerging from the ball had completely faded, the light of Mega Evolution had already illuminated the entire arena.

As the commentator said, both trainers chose Mega Evolution immediately, which means they cannot choose to Mega Evolve or Dynamax other Pokémon later.

It has to be said that there is some reason why Mega Evolution is more popular than Crystallization and Dynamax. Not to mention the princess-like and beautiful Mega Diancie, even the ugly Steelix has shown a different kind of charm after Mega Evolution.

The shattered steel stones encircled the neck of the giant steel snake, making it look quite imposing.

Below, several colorful diamonds adorn its gleaming steel body, adding to its sophisticated style.

Almost simultaneously, the two Pokémon completed their Mega Evolution, and a deafening cheer erupted from the stands.

Legendary Pokémon, the Mega Evolution Battle – even the very first match of the opening battle was so thrilling.

The trainers of both Pokémon issued their first commands without hesitation.

"Steel Serpent, Dragon Dance!"

"Tianci, Iron Wall!"

Both sides chose to strengthen their positions, but the former opted for offense while the latter leaned more towards defense.

This is also related to the characteristics of the two Pokémon themselves. Steelix has extremely high physical defense and decent physical attack, but its speed is too low. Dragon Dance is a very good way to improve its speed.

The Mega Evolution of Diancie greatly increases her damage output, but at the cost of a decrease in both defenses.

Strengthening Iron Defense is essential to avoid being stunned by Steelix's headbutt.

As soon as the two commands were issued, Steelix and Diancie began their respective actions on the battlefield.

The dragon dance is very distinctive, with a huge steel snake, more than ten meters long, dragging its heavy body and spinning clumsily in a dance.

The strong aura of Dragon-type moves emanating from it inevitably brings to mind that classic question—

How come Gyarados, Steelix, and even Corphish can all use Dragon Dance, but your noble pseudo-legendary Garchomp just can't?

The existence of this problem, which is considered a source of great regret by countless Garchomp loyalists, has its reasons. Steelix, which slowly stopped its spinning dance, was surrounded by a brilliant orange light.

The next instant, it lunged forward, dragging its massive body.

…………

"Iron Tail!"

The attack came suddenly and unexpectedly, followed by shouts.

All I can say is that the trainers who made it into the main tournament of this year's Donghuang Tournament are quite skilled.

When a ferocious-looking, imposing steel beast lunges at you, the old Diancie would probably be too terrified to move.

Now, after countless team training sessions, especially after Gullerton's "intimidation training," it is clearly impossible.

Without Xia Chen reminding her, Diancie subconsciously gathered her energy.

However, deciding which move to unleash with the concentrated energy requires Xia Chen's command.

"Don't be afraid, it's a reflective barrier!"

With lightning-fast reflexes, Xia Chen gave the order, and Diancie understood immediately. Undeterred by the onrushing giant Steelix, she focused intently on using her psychic power to create an invisible barrier.

Despite the speed boost from Dragon Dance, Steelix's base speed is really too poor. Its sudden leap looks impressive, but once it gets going, its lack of stamina becomes apparent.

In addition, the Iron Tail move involves a large-amplitude tail whip, which means that the Reflection Barrier was already constructed before the gleaming Iron Tail hit Diancie!

Huff—

The waving iron tail, propelled by immense inertia, lashed out with a rapid whooshing sound in the air. However, when it struck Diancie's diamond-like, dazzling body, it only produced a dull thud.

Iron Defense and Reflect, a combination of moves that are practically natural enemies of physical attackers, made Steelix's first wave of attacks have very little effect.

This damage was dealt even with Iron Tail having a 4x advantage against Rock and Fairy-type Diancie, and with STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus).

Although there is a certain difference in strength between the two Pokémon, it shouldn't be this great, right?

The terrifying defensive capabilities not only left the spectators on the sidelines looking at each other in disbelief, but also made Meng Yingcheng, who was watching everything unfold, frown deeply.