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

For the outside world, the impact of this match was equally significant.

As mentioned earlier, as the top trainer with the highest hopes for the next Hoenn champion, Wallace's participation in the Eastern Conference is basically a game-changer.

It's not that they can't lose, but the audience's expectation is that either Mikey is playing recklessly, or he will lose to Xia Chen, who sent out Guleton.

However, the result was quite different from the pre-match predictions. Mikoli not only lost despite giving his all and playing his best, but the score difference was also quite large.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was a complete shock.

Clearly, it's not that Mikoli is too weak, but that Xia Chen is too strong.

This guy, who has only been in the industry for three years and is only nineteen years old, already has the strength to challenge for the championship.

So, will Xia Chen be able to represent the Donghuang region in next year's Masters Tournament, and what level can he reach?

The onlookers couldn't help but fall into deep thought...

…………

Returning to the Donghuang Tournament itself, after two days of competition, the four finalists emerged.

They are Chi Hong and Daigo from the upper half of the competition, and Xia Chen and Long Yue from the lower half.

After a grueling quarterfinal run, Xia Chen's opponents in the semifinals are finally less difficult.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Long Yue is weak.

She is fully capable of being the Gym Leader of the Hidden Dragon Gym, and is an absolute Gym Leader, capable of outshining 99.9% of her peers.

But compared to Xia Chen and Mikeli, they are far inferior.

In comparison, the gap between teams in the upper half of the competition is smaller, and the suspense is greater.

Although there is a significant gap in fame between Steven and Red as of now, no one thinks this will be an easy match for Steven.

Crimson has defeated Blue and Darko in succession. Both are leading figures among the current generation of young trainers known as the "Diamond Generation," with the latter being the runner-up in the last World Junior Championship.

As everyone knows, the one who defeats the Great Demon King will become the new Great Demon King, and the strength of Crimson, who defeated these two, goes without saying.

In other words, even if Daigo and Akane's paths to the finals were reversed, Daigo wouldn't be able to guarantee a 100% chance of making it to the semifinals.

Therefore, no one can be certain about the outcome of this match.

As for the match between Xia Chen and Long Yue... if Xia Chen loses, I estimate that a lot of people will accuse the match of being rigged, or there will be comments like "Xia Chen bet on himself to lose".

After a day of rest to allow the players and their Pokémon to recover and regroup, the semifinals of the Donghuang Tournament officially began.

The morning match is a fairly predictable one: Xia Chen vs. Long Yue.

Although the outcome wasn't particularly suspenseful, both players were very popular, which naturally increased the level of attention this match received.

In fact, Xia Chen himself had many feelings about the battle with Long Yue.

When they met, I had only been a newcomer for a short time, and Long Yue's strength was like a vast lake with no end in sight.

As I grew older, each time we met, the gap between us visibly narrowed, then visibly widened again...

In a sense, she can be considered Xia Chen's "strength benchmark".

The match ended quickly, with the final score being 6-2.

Although it looks similar to the previous 6-3 score, it doesn't mean that Long Yue and Mikoli are evenly matched.

The main reason was that Xia Chen sent out Volcarona and Diancie to train, and even used only Mega Evolution for the three specialization systems.

The difference in their abilities is thus evident.

Long Yue quickly recovered from the tragedy. After the match, she and Xia Chen went to treat the Pokémon's injuries. After lunch, she watched the afternoon match between Red and Steven with Mike and the others.

…………

"This match is very unpredictable... By the way, who do you guys think will win?"

The usual winner guessing game was held before the competition began.

On this issue, the group had different opinions. Blue and Darko, who were eliminated by Red, thought that this kid was quite extraordinary, but the others thought Daigo was more promising.

After all, Crimson is currently perceived as a dark horse, and whether it can maintain that momentum remains to be seen.

Xia Chen also felt that the two were evenly matched and did not believe that Chi Hong would definitely make it to the finals just because of his agreement with Chi Hong.

The match started quickly.

The starting Pokémon for both sides were Skarmory and Poliwag, making it a match where Skarmory had a slight advantage.

However, after getting to know someone better, Daigo now likes to use tactics, and he immediately pounced on a layer of Stealth Rock.

This thing can be used for both offense and defense. If all else fails, you can use [Blow Away] to blow the Poliwag Swimmer off the field and force a Pokémon to come up.

However, Crimson doesn't play by the rules at all. Taking the initiative, it charged forward and used [Throw] on Skarmory, throwing it back into its Poké Ball.

Such moves that force the opponent out of the arena are not without limitations; at the very least, your energy level cannot be much lower than the opponent's.

The two Pokémon are roughly equal in strength, which is why they were able to do it.

Fortunately, Steven can choose which Pokémon to switch to, otherwise it would be difficult to fight if an Aggron were forcibly brought in.

He chose Cradle Lily as his Pokémon to battle Poliwag, a Pokémon that had previously annoyed Nemo quite a bit in their battle.

As expected, Cradle Lily immediately used Rooting, while Mosquito Swimmer didn't waste any words and directly began the ultimate enhancement - Belly Drum.

This enhancement move is very special, raising one's attack to the maximum level achievable with current strength, at the cost of greatly reducing health and stamina.

This is an extreme double-edged sword that takes an unconventional approach.

While Mosquito Swimmer can use [Drain Punch], a "life-stealing move" that doubles the advantage over opponents, Cradle Lily also has the same old three moves: Leech Seed, Regenerate, and Ultimate Drain.

If they continue like this, Cradle Lily has a better chance of making it to the end, but the competition will inevitably become much more boring.

However... this is Crimson, how could he possibly settle for a war of attrition with his opponent? After Belly Drum, he didn't use the Absorb Punch that everyone expected, but instead used Taunt!

A skill that can block an opponent's variation moves.

It directly blocked Cradle Lily's two major recovery abilities: Parasitic Seed and Self-Regeneration!

The provocation was unexpected by everyone, including Daigo and Michael, who had a clearer perspective from the sidelines.

From a normal person's perspective, if you want to use provocation, isn't the best time to do it when Cradle Lily has just appeared and before she has released her roots?

Since Poliwag didn't use it at the time, Steven lowered his guard and assumed that the Pokémon hadn't mastered the move.

Little did they know that Crimson's idea was even more insidious: to lure them into a trap and then catch them like turtles in a jar!

Once Root is used, Cradle Lily cannot switch sides and is locked onto the battlefield.

But what can it do when faced with the Mosquito Swimmer whose attack power is amplified to the limit after its belly bulges?

Will you rely on ultimate absorption to kill your opponent?

That's a bit too far-fetched.

Unsurprisingly, Cradle Lily was knocked down by three consecutive Absorption Punches plus two Explosive Punches.

The fact that it could last so long was thanks to the ultimate absorption and rooting; otherwise, the mosquito coil swimmer with the enhanced belly drum would have much more than just this much ability.

Even worse, because of the absorption punch, the mosquito coil swimmer also "absorbed" back all the life force he had lost by using the belly drum.

…………

After a poor start, Daigo learned from his mistakes and quickly adjusted his tactics, replacing his opponent with another formidable general, Aegislash.

A Pokémon that isn't particularly outstanding in Steven's lineup, but is well-suited to the current situation.

Firstly, its ghost-like attribute prevents it from being defeated by the Poliwag Swimmer's fighting techniques. Secondly, its impeccable defense after switching forms allows it to outlast the Poliwag Swimmer during its strongest period.

The idea was good, but how could Red, who had the initiative, possibly follow Steven's plan? He immediately switched to his second Pokémon, Dragonite.

How terrifying can a Dragonite that inherits the Belly Drum enhancement be?

The answer to this question will be revealed soon.

Although Dragonite's prized [Extreme Speed] is immune to Ghost-type Swordslinger, it doesn't prevent it from using other moves.

A few casual "Farmer's Three Punches" and the shield-formed Shield Sword Monster cried out that it couldn't take it anymore.

Fortunately, Belly Drum's remaining duration was short, and Aegislash survived Dragonite's onslaught of powerful attacks, managing to stay alive.

After a fierce battle, Aegislash fell, but it still managed to remove many of Dragonite's status effects.

At this point, less than ten minutes into the game, the score had reached an unbelievable 2-0, with Daigo at 0.

But Daigo's counterattack officially begins now.

Having weathered Red's initial three unexpected attacks, Steven finally unleashed his ace, Metagross.

This is a highly anticipated battle between pseudo-gods.

Steven used Mega Evolution on Metagross without any doubt, while Red did not hesitate and used Dynamax on it.

Dragonite's three Dynamax moves are all Dynamax Blaze, and it doesn't use Dynamax moves like Dynamax Fly or Dynamax Punch, in order to deal more damage.

Red saw things very clearly. There was a significant gap between Dragonite and Mega Metagross. If Dragonite were to use Flying Dash or Punch, it would still be no match for Mega Metagross after Dynamaxing.

Furthermore, Dynamax moves like Max Spectral or Max Insect, which weaken the opponent's abilities, are ineffective against Metagross with the ability [Clean Body], making the three straightforward Dynamax Infernos a better choice.

It must be said that Crimson was indeed very calm, and his judgment was completely accurate.

Mega Metagross survived Dragonite's Dynamax by dodging and using Protect, and then defeated Dragonite in one fell swoop.

This was a good start to the counterattack, but the next red Pokémon would be a significant challenge—Charizard.

Moreover, it is Mega Charizard Y, with the ability [Solar Power]. Mega Charizard Y is the most violent and extreme attacker in sunny weather, and it is completely designed to counter Metagross.

This Mega Evolution battle was truly spectacular. In the end, Mega Charizard Y, with the advantage of sunny weather and superior stamina, came out slightly ahead and defeated Steven's ace Pokémon, Mega Metagross.

However, this does not mean the end. Steven still has the cards Dynamax and Crystallize, which is a disadvantage for Crimson.

The next Dynamax Aggron defeated Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur in succession, until Lapras finally came out and ended the fight.

The score was now extremely close at 4-3, and the outcome might hinge on a single, brilliant move at any moment.

The game's divine move belonged to the Crimson Mosquito Swimmer, who used an unexpected hypnotic spell to plunge the Sword Dance-enhanced General, whose morale was soaring, into a baby-like sleep.

Originally possessing the characteristics of a "General," he should have made a grand entrance carrying the will of all his comrades and wreaked havoc on all sides. However, he could only be dragged through his most powerful period in frustration.

Although he eventually killed the Poliwag Swimmer to avenge himself, he was defeated by the crimson ballast stone Pikachu.

Ultimately, just when the audience thought Daigo was about to turn the tide, Crimson defeated his opponent by a narrow margin of 6 to 5, advancing to the finals of this year's East Glory Tournament.