Chapter 340: A Bold Prediction and a Mad Scramble to Justify It
After several failed attempts to get in close and pressure the Inteleon, Luna already knew she was at a disadvantage.
In a long-range shootout, Ninetales had no advantage. The opponent's Snipe Shot was a guaranteed hit, making moves like Mist and Double Team useless.
Not to mention, the opponent's ability was Sniper, which boosted its dynamic vision and skill accuracy. A head-on sniping duel was not a fight she could win.
She had originally hoped to overwhelm it in close quarters, only to be repeatedly and calmly dismantled by its skilled gun-fu.
In the end, she could only rely on wide-area attacks like Dazzling Gleam for her main damage output.
But this put her in the same predicament as the rain-and-thunder combo when they first faced Arthur—a lack of conventional offensive options and finishing moves.
During her move's cooldown, Ninetales was practically helpless against Inteleon.
Luna tried many different tactics, such as attempting to slow Inteleon with Icy Wind and weakening its special defense with Fake Tears.
But Aaron's responses were all very steady. He didn't make a single mistake.
He used Substitute to dodge the Icy Wind.
And after being hit with Fake Tears, he didn't panic. He read the timing of Luna's Dazzling Gleam and had Inteleon throw up a quick Light Screen just before the light exploded!
Aaron wasn't in a hurry to press his advantage. He didn't take any reckless risks, instead playing it safe and steady, showcasing his seasoned command to its fullest!
The people who had lost to him in his youth, unable to accept defeat, had always crudely attributed his victories to his family's money and his good Pokémon. Even his own parents believed this.
But no one saw the Aaron who, from the age of eleven or twelve, had spent day after day watching recordings, studying tactics, and practicing his command.
To understand the use and secondary effects of every Pokémon move as quickly as possible, he would spend entire days in the library after school.
To train his on-the-spot reaction speed and predictive abilities, he had traveled all over the province to challenge people at every well-known battle club, and had even nearly been kidnapped by traffickers because of it.
Competitive Pokémon is primarily about the Pokémon, but that doesn't mean the trainer is insignificant.
People are always quick to describe successful individuals with a simple word like "genius" or "whale," but sometimes, this is unfair.
Just as Arthur's current "miracle" was the result of two lifetimes, more than a decade of devilishly self-disciplined training and practice. To summarize it with just the word "genius" was like erasing all of his effort and hard work.
And Aaron was the same!
His parents knew nothing about competitive Pokémon. They stood arrogantly outside the circle, self-righteously believing that their money was the reason for all his success. They had no idea that a true master is never just about how much they can spend.
Someone who only spends money is just a whale. Only those who grind, spend, and have a true passion and skill for the game deserve to be called a master!
In the past, Aaron had been suppressed for too long, to the point where he had given up struggling and had just decided to coast.
Until Arthur came along and forcefully commanded him to put down his "main body." Only then, with his hands no longer clutching a thermos, did Aaron finally begin to show his true talent!
From this day forward, this young man—the youngest main singles player in the entire Kubfu Alliance besides Arthur—would surely stun everyone!
And today was destined to be the beginning of that transformation—
After a grueling battle of over ten minutes, the referee finally raised his flag.
"Ninetales is unable to battle!"
The first round, a crucial one, had been won by Aaron!
For the second round, Aaron very quickly sent out his Garchomp, almost without thinking!
With Ninetales down, it would be incredibly difficult for Luna to counter his pseudo-legendary ace!
Before the match, the commentators had been guessing that Aaron was the sacrificial pawn in Starlight and Frost's strategy. But after the first round, anyone with eyes could see—Aaron had seized the initiative!
"Luna is in trouble," Bella worried subconsciously, then immediately realized that saying this was no longer appropriate and quickly stuck out her tongue.
"The pressure is now on the Otter Team's side!" the commentators were now all switching sides.
In the second round, Luna, with the disadvantage, could only choose to send out her Empoleon, continuing the ace duel that had been cut short.
She had no other Ice-type Pokémon. Her other Pokémon, without a type advantage, would likely just be feeding the monster if they went up against Garchomp.
The tragic fate of the Demon King Team's captain a few days ago was still fresh in everyone's mind.
If you couldn't apply pressure, a Garchomp also had buffing moves similar to Dragon Dance.
Helpless, Empoleon took the stage again!
The blade-like Steel Wings once again clashed with Garchomp's ferocious Dragon Claws!
In reality, the type advantage is not as dramatic as double damage, and a double weakness certainly doesn't reach four times the damage.
Although Empoleon also knew Ice Beam, it wasn't its specialty. It was fine for bullying professional-level dragons, but against a pseudo-legendary of the same power level, its signature wing-slashes were more effective.
Ice Beam could be used for a surprise attack, but it wasn't enough to secure a one-hit victory.
This was why Luna had insisted on switching to Ninetales mid-battle earlier.
In the end, although Empoleon fought valiantly and managed to heavily injure Garchomp, even covering it in a layer of frost, it ultimately couldn't hold on and was the first to fall.
Aaron had taken another round!
"Yeah!"
In the Starlight and Frost lounge, Captain Leo was already cheering excitedly.
The lazy tea-sipper on his team had finally stepped up!
In the third round, Luna, with her back against the wall, staged a desperate counterattack. She used her Kabutops to take down Aaron's Milotic, narrowly avoiding a shutout.
Then, with her momentum, she used Kabutops to also take out the heavily damaged Garchomp, which had just fought a grueling battle, tenaciously pushing the match to a final, decisive round!
But alas, a Pokémon's strength has its limits. After winning two consecutive battles, Kabutops's stamina and condition were also pushed to the brink.
In the final round, Inteleon's steady and precise gun-fu gave it no openings. After injuring one of Kabutops's legs, it created distance and, with a long-range Snipe Shot, pierced through Kabutops's front shell, knocking it onto its back, unable to rise again…
"Kabutops is unable to battle!"
With the referee's announcement, the long-suppressed home crowd could only offer a lukewarm round of applause.
The commentators could only silently swallow the bitter fruit of their failed pre-match predictions.
"It seems we were all wrong. The player Aaron from the Starlight and Frost team seems to be a completely different person this season."
"Yes, his playstyle and tactics have changed so much. It's perfectly reasonable that we made a small misjudgment earlier."
The two commentators went back and forth, and although they had looked so smug when they had made their biased predictions in their home stadium, their desperate attempts to justify themselves now were just pathetic…
The first match, Starlight and Frost had unexpectedly taken a two-point lead!
And in the second match, it was finally Arthur's turn to take the stage
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