Chapter 417: A Newcomer Arrives
Although the newly added transfer window this year was very short, there was no lack of drama. Fresh gossip was served up one after another.
After all, the Champions Cup was still on the horizon.
Of the eight teams that had made it to the playoffs, who wasn't dreaming of the Champions Cup?
That was the highest tier of competition, after all! And it was the supreme stage that symbolized the honor of the entire league!
The rules for qualifying for the Champions Cup were as follows: the winner of that year's professional league playoffs would directly qualify as the first seed.
Then, excluding the first seed, the team with the best overall performance in the last two years would qualify as the second seed.
After that, excluding the first and second seeds, the top six teams among all those that had made the playoffs in the past two years would compete in two additional rounds to decide the final third and fourth seeds.
So even teams that hadn't made the playoffs this year, like the Sea Carp team, theoretically still had a chance to play in the qualifiers. They were also hoping to make some gains during this temporary transfer window.
And looking at the Starlight and Frost team, their actions and acquisitions, when compared to their peers, seemed very quiet.
They simply signed the wandering player from the now-bankrupt Tigris Team, Elara, according to their established plan.
"I can't believe you guys actually signed me."
Even up to the moment she arrived at the Starlight and Frost training base, Elara seemed a bit surprised and uneasy.
Perhaps because her record this season had been a bit unsightly, the young woman's mentality was now a bit insecure. Arriving at Starlight and Frost, she still looked as if she couldn't believe it.
It wasn't until her new teammates warmly welcomed her.
"Welcome, welcome~"
"Finally, some reinforcements for the main singles division."
Especially Alex, whose tactical style was also a bit one-dimensional and was in desperate need of a substitute for rotation, looked at Elara as if she were a long-lost relative.
"This is great! Now that you're here, the pressure on me is finally less."
This left Elara feeling flattered.
"The atmosphere here… it's really different."
Ivy wasn't the only one who had contacted her. After the rule change, many teams were now short-staffed. But in other places, she had never felt such a friendly atmosphere, even if those teams' current rankings were far below Starlight and Frost's.
Ivy, who had brought her over, asked with a smile, "So? Are you satisfied with the atmosphere here?"
"Yes!" Elara nodded solemnly.
Just then, the headmistress-like head coach came over and interrupted their greetings, getting down to business.
"Regarding what we talked about online, the suggestions I gave you, how is that coming along?"
Because the intention to sign Elara had been more or less confirmed in the middle of the season, the coaches at Starlight and Frost had, as an exception, offered many constructive suggestions to a player from another team.
At the mention of this, Elara finally regained some of her confidence.
"I've been seriously implementing all of your suggestions. My Eevee has successfully evolved into an Espeon. She's very strong now~"
Talking about her Pokémon, Elara immediately shed her previous insecure, low-pressure state and, as if a light had been switched on, became visibly radiant.
Arthur, watching from the side, nodded.
He could tell that this was also a traditional trainer who had invested a lot of love into her Pokémon. His kind of person.
But what he didn't expect was that the topic would suddenly shift to him.
First, Aaron casually asked, "Oh? Your Espeon is very strong? Is it ready to compete?"
Elara was a bit modest. "Not that fast. But she's only five years old this year! Her strength is already very close to the main singles level. She's the Pokémon I've poured all my effort into raising."
Although Elara's words were modest, it wasn't hard to read the pride in her expression and tone.
For an Eevee to evolve and reach a professional level of strength at the age of five was indeed very impressive. The Eevee evolutions that normally appear on the professional stage are mostly between ten and twenty years old.
But what Elara never would have expected was that, at the mention of this topic, everyone at Starlight and Frost suddenly had a lot to say.
Captain Leo, with a sly smile, pointed to the Little Eevee on the side, which was being teased by Doublade's tassel, and asked with ill intent, "Oh, is that so? Then guess how old that Little Eevee is?"
Elara recognized it at a glance. "Is that Arthur's Eevee? I remember him! He was amazing in the match against Leo! Uh… you want me to guess his age? Such a powerful Eevee… I guess he's four… right?"
She felt she had already guessed as low as possible.
Because her own Espeon was five years old this year, and everyone had only asked her to guess after hearing that news, so it should be a little younger than five, right?
Even so, she still felt that four was incredibly unbelievable.
But she didn't expect Leo to just hold up one finger with a wicked smile.
"Am I wrong?"
Elara thought that Leo holding up one finger and shaking it meant "No."
But who would have thought that in the next moment, Leo would calmly say, "What I mean is: he's one."
"???"
Beside them, Arthur was helpless and innocent, wanting to say, can you guys stop using my Pokémon to crush the newcomers?
Elara turned to look at him, her face full of astonishment, her pitiful expression as if her entire worldview had been shattered and she was desperately seeking confirmation.
Unfortunately, all Arthur could offer was a rather pale comfort. "Actually… he'll be two in a few months."
"So he really is only one?!"
"Emm, a little over one."
"...How on earth did you do it?!! Magic! You must have used magic, right!"
On this day, her first at the Starlight and Frost team, Elara first received a lot of question marks, and then her mind was filled with a lot of misunderstandings…
Beside her, Leo, Aaron, and Alex exchanged a smile, a clear sense of mission accomplished.
These days, if you come to play as a main singles player here, how can you not be crushed by a certain unscientific, perverted rookie? Back then, it took us several days to recover from our existential crisis!
So at this moment, among the main singles players, only Arthur was helplessly holding his forehead.
He was the only one left who was still professionally and seriously helping the new teammate get familiar with the environment.
You guys are enough!
After a simple lunch, they then took the new teammate to the outdoor field to experience the special training course of Starlight and Frost—
Receiving the demonic guidance of Arthur!
At first, hearing about this segment, Elara was astonished.
"Eh? Wait?! Isn't Arthur the youngest player in your singles division? Is it really appropriate for him to be giving guidance?"
Although Elara had been secretly lurking in Arthur's fan group and had always been very thirsty for Arthur's looks… ahem, talent!
But before coming here, she had found it hard to imagine that the one responsible for guiding others in the Starlight and Frost team would actually be Arthur.
"Even if you're not training your Pokémon through an instructor, shouldn't it be the captain or a senior who gives guidance?"
Hearing this question, Leo was instantly embarrassed…
"Ahem!"
He cleared his throat, pretending to have a cough, and moved on from the topic.
"Everyone has their own specialty. Arthur's guidance is more… more suitable for you! Yes, that's right. That's it."
He was too embarrassed to say that it was because he often couldn't beat Arthur in their private training, and his guidance was completely inferior…
A captain has his pride too
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