Chapter 341: My Youth is Back!
Before Arthur took the stage, his teammates all offered their encouragement.
"You got this!"
"You're under a lot of pressure this match. You have to win!"
"This is a real match now. It's time to go all out!"
The reason they said Arthur was under a lot of pressure was because everyone had already guessed who his opponent would be—Serena!
The Otter Team was very confident. Their lineup order for the entire Devon Cup had barely changed, even in the finals—
First match, Luna. Second match, Serena.
They believed their raw power was superior. They were confident and weren't afraid of being targeted.
And they were doing the same thing today.
Until this newly launched "Galactic Battleship" suffers a bitter defeat, it probably won't stop.
The commentators, at this point, were starting to waver again.
"For the second match, the Otter Team's vice-captain, Serena, is taking the stage! Oh! And unexpectedly, the Starlight and Frost team has chosen to send out the rookie, Arthur! Although Arthur's performance on the doubles stage last season was incredibly brilliant, in the singles arena, he is still just a newcomer. And his opponent today is the Otter Team's most stable point-scorer! The only suspense in this match is probably whether Serena will win by two points or three!"
The two professional commentators on site were once again making their confident predictions.
To this, all Arthur could say was that they hadn't learned their lesson from the last match.
The match began, and for the first round, both sides sent out their Pokémon simultaneously.
Arthur sent out Charizard, and Serena sent out Blastoise.
A very classic matchup. Both Pokémon were incredibly popular in the Kubfu Alliance region.
But just then, some fans noticed, "Hey, doesn't Arthur's Charizard look different from the one in the Devon Cup?"
In reality, even among the same species of Pokémon, there are individual differences, just like how people can be tall, short, fat, or thin.
Old Flame and his daughter naturally had clear differences in their appearance!
"No way, right?" At this moment, the first reaction of most of the audience was disbelief.
Many of them hadn't watched the Devon Cup preseason tournament.
"What kind of respectable person raises two of the same Pokémon? Do you?"
"I don't."
But just then, Arthur took the initiative to raise his hand and signal to the referee.
"I request to invoke Expansion Rule, Article 13."
His cool voice, amplified by the microphone at the player's bench, spread throughout the stadium, causing a brief moment of silence.
Some of the newer spectators asked, "What does Article 13 mean?"
And after that brief silence, what followed was a tsunami of roars so loud it nearly knocked the new fans off their feet!
"What the hell?!!!"
"Article 13! A player from our Kubfu Alliance can finally invoke Article 13?!"
"Holy crap!! It's finally not just those foreigners from the Hoenn League who can use this rule! My youth is back!!"
"Damn! How did he do it?! This guy, Arthur, he's a real monster!!"
The new fans trembled as they watched the chaotic scene around them.
"Wait, can someone please explain what this rule means?"
Finally, a spectator who had just been shouting "My youth is back!" noticed him.
"Kid, do you know about Mega Evolution?"
"Mega Evolution? I've heard of it."
The older spectator took a deep breath, as if he still hadn't fully calmed down.
"The so-called Expansion Rule, Article 13, is specifically for Mega Evolution! This evolution is a Pokémon's own ability, so in principle, it should be allowed in matches. But Mega Evolution requires the use of a Mega Stone, which conflicts with the original rule that prohibits held items in the arena. If only one side brings a Mega Stone, it would be unfair, which is why Article 13 exists. The rule states that any player with a Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution must declare it to the referee before the battle begins. To maintain balance, the referee will then temporarily permit the non-Mega side to also carry one battle item, limited to the current round."
After explaining, the older spectator patted the new fan's shoulder and said with emotion.
"You're new, so you probably can't understand. It's been over ten years since a player from the Kubfu Alliance has invoked this rule in a match! In the Champions Cups and World Cups of recent years, it has always been our players being forced to accept the rule adjustment because of the opponent's declaration! The last time I saw someone from the Kubfu Alliance stand up and declare this to the referee before a match, I was still in elementary school!!"
The match hadn't even started, but Arthur's simple declaration had already sent the entire stadium into a frenzy.
The commentators were dumbfounded.
They could feel another round of face-slapping coming on.
The spectators who hadn't believed Arthur had two Charizard were also dumbfounded.
Now they had to believe it, because no one had heard about anyone invoking Article 13 during the Devon Cup.
Even Serena and the Otter Team on the field were dumbfounded—
Because they hadn't prepared an item!
Who the hell would have thought they would encounter Article 13 in the Kubfu Professional League?!
It had been over a decade since anyone in the Kubfu Alliance had used this rule. The audience hadn't expected it, and neither had the clubs and players.
Helpless, the referee had to pause the match to allow the Otter Team some time to temporarily retrieve a battle item.
They hadn't brought one, but it was impossible that they didn't have one.
For the Champions Cup and World Cup, all these items have to be prepared. Outside the Kubfu Alliance, Arthur wasn't the only one who had mastered Mega Evolution.
The most famous is the Hoenn League. Teams from there frequently use Mega Evolution. The current world number one, the Grand Master Team, has more than one Mega Pokémon!
When facing these opponents, the Otter Team always had to have items ready.
Fortunately, this match was in their home city. After about twenty minutes, the team had a Pokémon fly over a batch of items from their base for Serena to choose from.
In the end, Serena chose an item called the "Mystic Water" for her Blastoise to hold.
Its effect is to increase the power of its Water-type moves!
To this, Arthur just smiled faintly.
He was very satisfied with this result!
Because Serena was confident enough that, even after learning that he had mastered Mega Evolution, she still chose an item that enhanced her Pokémon's offense.
This was good!
Because Old Flame's current stamina was not suited for a long battle. If he had to face a defensive, stalling Blastoise, the match could drag on and unforeseen complications could arise.
But now, Arthur wasn't worried at all.
For Old Flame's first competitive debut in two hundred years, Arthur wasn't afraid of a confident opponent; he was afraid of an opponent who wasn't!
The item was chosen. The referee finally blew the whistle, ending the twenty-minute-long timeout, and re-announced the start of the match!
And Arthur, naturally, did not hold back. His first command was—
"Evolve, Old Flame!"
"ROAR!"
A white light flashed!
The stadium once again erupted in a sky-piercing shriek!
Although they had already known the result when the player had invoked the rule, seeing this scene with their own eyes still made many of the older spectators tremble with excitement.
My youth is back! It's finally back!
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