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

"So, Master, how exactly did you subdue Cresselia?"

Xia Chen was so curious that he didn't hesitate to use polite language to press for answers.

Caldelia was very satisfied with her apprentice's attitude and said with a smile, "It's quite a coincidence that I met it on a small island that I passed by on my way from Sinnoh."

Xia Chen asked instinctively, "Full Moon Island?"

The only place in the game where you can catch Cresselia is Full Moon Island.

Cattleya shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. When I first arrived on the island, I sensed an extremely powerful aura, but it meant me no harm, so I ignored it. Then it entered my dream that very night. It must be curious about humans."

Xia Chen nodded. Legend has it that Cresselia can enter the dreams of people with pure and kind hearts and create a beautiful dream for them.

Cynthia chimed in, "And then? You won her over out of curiosity?"

"How could it be that simple?"

Gadriya said, "I defeated her before I subdued her, that's why I said it was boring."

So, we're using the most traditional method of taming creatures: [challenge taming]?

Xia Chen thought to himself, "Wait... am I overlooking something?"

Defeating Cresselia refers to...

"You mean...you defeated him yourself?"

Cattleya smiled modestly, "No, the Metagross and the others were also a great help."

Xia Chen: "......"

So it was you who personally defeated and captured the legendary Pokémon!

Xia Chen gained a new understanding of Cattleya's combat capabilities.

He thought it was just a champion-level Pokémon, but he underestimated it. This is definitely a humanoid legendary Pokémon!

Seeing Xia Chen looking at her like she was a monster, Cattleya explained, "It's not that exaggerated. Cresselia probably wants to come with me too, she's just looking for an excuse."

After thinking it over calmly, Xia Chen agreed.

If Cresselia possessed the same energy level as Seadrane, the "God Beast Gatekeeper," her defensive capabilities would reach an extremely terrifying level.

With the added advantage of her divine skill [New Moon Prayer], she might be able to hold out against Guleton for a while.

If Gadriya truly possessed the ability to defeat Cresselia, she would have already made her move against the Rockets and Rhodes in Galar six months ago.

"Alright, we've talked for so long, and we still haven't let her meet you. Come out, Cresselia."

Cattleya threw out a Dream Ball, which flashed with white light, and a beautiful elf, light blue in color and shaped like a crescent moon, appeared in the living room.

This Cresselia is not very large, about two meters in height and width.

A pair of pink ring-shaped wings encircle the sides and back of the body, adorned with shimmering particles, resembling a dreamlike star ring.

In terms of looks alone, Cresselia could easily defeat her arch-nemesis Darkrai.

The Nightmare God's appearance, which is no different from a tattered rag... is somewhat hard to describe.

"These two are my friends, say hello, Cresselia."

"That's what I'm saying," said Gadriya.

"Lia~"

Cresselia is also much better-tempered than Darkrai; her gentle voice can evoke images of starry skies and beautiful dreams.

She gently flapped her wings, and pink, shimmering particles immediately drifted into the air, creating a beautiful scene.

Xia Chen admired her beautiful figure and replied, "Hello, Cresselia."

Sylveon, standing to the side, curled his lip. Sure enough, this guy couldn't take his eyes off any pretty Pokémon.

Hmph, those despicable appearance-obsessed people!

…………

Since Cattleya had traveled a long way and was exhausted, Xia Chen didn't spoil the mood by immediately sparring with Cresselia.

Anyway, they'll be staying on Yuanling Island until after the New Year, and there will be plenty of opportunities afterward.

However, the arrival of Cattleya adds another legendary Pokémon to the island, bringing the total to six, enough to form a team.

Therefore, Leedon, Deoxys, Diancie, Zapdos, Heatran, Cresselia...

I must say, it has a shield, it can deal damage, and its defensive synergy is decent; it's actually not bad at all.

Even in the God-tier battles of the game, its strength is not low. Except for the infamous Kyogre rain team, it can basically fight against most other teams.

After releasing Cresselia, Cattleya let her go aside and play with the elves by herself.

Taking this opportunity, Xia Chen asked the two female champions about the path to becoming champions, and Cattleya naturally answered all his questions without reservation.

In her words, "Our master and student winning two championships together will be a legendary story!"

So the whole winter afternoon was spent chatting leisurely by the fireplace.

In the following days, the heavy snow continued almost without stopping, which turned all the planned outdoor activities into staying at home.

Fortunately, all three of them are usually very busy and don't lack outdoor activities these few days. In fact, staying at home feels more like a holiday.

Eating, sleeping, playing games, snow fishing, training and battling, interspersed with Xia Chen and Jia Deliya's bickering, almost every day of the holiday was spent in such a leisurely routine.

To prevent guests from finding the food too boring, Xia Chen adds some variety to the dishes, allowing the two champions and their elves to enjoy delicacies from all over Donghuang without leaving home.

It's only because they have strong self-discipline that they spend one or two hours in the gym every day; otherwise, they would have gained at least ten pounds by the end of the year.

On January 3, 2026, the heavy snow that had been falling for nearly a week finally stopped.

Xia Chen took this opportunity to return to Zhijiang to pay New Year's visits; if he delayed for a few more days, the festive atmosphere would be gone.

Xia Chen doesn't have many relatives left in Zhijiang. The only families he needs to visit on this trip are his business partner Jiang Qian and his childhood sweetheart Ming Yi.

I visited Jiang Qian in the morning, and when I arrived, she was clearing the snow in front of her door with the elves.

Qianjie has devoted herself to the company for the past few years, and has had to sacrifice her energy and time as a trainer, so she had some difficulty clearing the thick snow. Xia Chen naturally helped her when he saw this.

He had actually invited Jiang Qian to move to Yuanling Island so they could be neighbors and look after each other, but since Jiang Han had to attend school in the ancient city, living on Yuanling Island wouldn't be very convenient.

After a busy morning, and with Jiang Qian keeping him for lunch, Xia Chen said goodbye and headed to the old town in the afternoon.

Walking with Xianbu on the familiar bluestone street again, Xia Chen's state of mind was completely different.

The owner's seemingly unattainable wish has long been fulfilled, but the leisurely life he longed for has been delayed due to various unforeseen circumstances.

Spider-Man's saying, "With great power comes great responsibility," is indeed quite true.

What Xia Chen is concerned about now is no longer food and clothing, but those few dark organizations that are stirring up trouble, the Ultimate Hole that may descend upon him, and his parents who disappeared four years ago.

…………

With a sigh, Xia Chen slowly strolled to the old house.

Although he hasn't lived here since moving to Yuanling Island last year, Xia Chen still regularly hires someone to clean the place.

It's the place where I've lived for so many years, and it might even become a tourist attraction like "Xia Chen's Former Residence" in the future.

Mingyi's house was only a hundred or two meters away from here. Xia Chen didn't linger at the old house for long. After clearing the snow from the yard, he took Sylveon and Gardevoir to visit her.

The doorbell rang, and the long-unseen Serpent Lord opened the door.

Snake Sister has developed very rapidly in the past few years; even when she's half-crawled out, she's taller than Xia Chen.

When she saw that the visitor was Xia Chen, she was quite surprised in her crimson vertical pupils—Xia Chen had not told Mingyi before coming, but had only greeted her uncle and aunt.

"Happy New Year, Serpent Lord! This is a gift for you."

Xia Chen smiled and handed over a beautifully packaged box.

These are his handmade energy cubes, specially made for Snake Sister in both nutritional content and flavor.

If her tastes haven't changed much in the last two years.

The Serpent Lord paused for a moment, then extended a vine to take it, nodding in thanks: "Spud—(Thank you, Happy New Year.)"

The man and the snake were still exchanging pleasantries at the door when a familiar voice came from inside the house.

"Monarch Serpent, who's here?"

Then came the approaching sound of footsteps.

Xia Chen smiled slightly. After studying in Padiya for two years, this girl was still as lively as ever.

A moment later, Mingyi ran to the door.

Her familiar double ponytail bun hairstyle, her pretty and charming face, her beautiful figure that even bulky winter clothes couldn't hide, and the undisguised joy in her eyes when she saw Xia Chen outside the door.

It was Mingyi, Xia Chen's childhood sweetheart whom he hadn't seen for almost a year.

Chapter 481 The Disappearance of Parents, the Ether Foundation?

Although her body language and eyes revealed joy, Mingyi's first words upon meeting her were a haughty expression of disdain: "Hmph, it's you?"

Clearly, this was an outward expression of her displeasure at Xia Chen's prolonged absence from her life.

Xia Chen defended himself: "You know how busy I've been this year. That's why I came to see you as soon as you got back."

Mingyi's response was simply a single word, "Oh."

Seeing this, Xia Chen couldn't help but pat the head of his childhood sweetheart, whom he hadn't seen for almost a year.

The girl wrinkled her nose and immediately snapped back, "How many times have I told you not to touch my head? It's your fault I'm not as tall as you, you've been touching my head since we were little!"

To be honest, Mingyi isn't short at all; on the contrary, at 1.7 meters, she's considered tall anywhere, especially with her long legs...

Of course, Xia Chen knew that you absolutely couldn't reason with a girl at a time like this; the best way was to shut her up with something.

"Happy New Year, Mingyi, this is a New Year's gift for you."

Xia Chen handed over an exquisite box that had been prepared beforehand. Except for the color, the packaging was exactly the same as the one he had given to the Serpent Lord.

Mingyi reached out and took it, frowning slightly as she asked, "It's not an energy cube either, is it?"

Xia Chen rolled her eyes. "How could that be? You'll know once you open it and see."

Having known each other for many years, Mingyi naturally didn't stand on ceremony and immediately opened the package. Inside the box lay an exquisite bracelet strung with flower petals and three gemstones.