Chapter 434: Numb
The roar of the Earthquake and the explosion of the water stream sounded at the same time!
Both sides had gambled their entire will on this one blow!
One side was the number one singles player who had dominated the league for a season!
The other was the miracle youth who had been meticulously designing his strategy since the end of the regular season, preparing for this very battle!
A confrontation between a rookie and a king!
The commentator was so excited he had stood up.
"This is it! This is the decisive blow! Who's going to win?!"
The roaring subsided, and the referee immediately raised his flag.
But the result was unexpected.
"Greninja and Swampert are both unable to battle!"
The final outcome was a mutual knockout.
Both Pokémon had exhausted their strength, ending in a draw.
According to the rules, both sides get one point, and for the next round, both sides will send out their Pokémon simultaneously.
The audience was a mix of awe, regret, indignation, and joy…
At this moment, the stands were a portrait of a hundred different emotions.
During the halftime break, the two commentators began their lively analysis.
"I think this result is probably acceptable for both sides."
"Indeed. Arthur has lost the combat power of two Pokémon, but he has traded for his opponent's strongest ace, Swampert. From this point alone, his strategic objective has been achieved."
"We had previously thought that Greninja would be Arthur's counter-pick, but it seems this Greninja's potential is far greater than that! In the future, we might see it grow to become a third ace, on par with his Gengar and Charizard!"
With that comment from Director Mian, Greninja probably had no regrets.
He was no counter-pick Pokémon!
He had gone head-to-head and traded blows with the current league number one's strongest ace!
He was also Arthur's ace Pokémon. Of this, there was no doubt!
The match continued.
Because the first round had ended in a draw, there was no advantage in sending out Pokémon first. It was still a simultaneous reveal.
On Roman's side, he revealed his second ace Pokémon: Ludicolo.
Unlike Leo, who specialized in tactics and liked to hide his aces, Roman didn't play such games. His tactics were always written on his face.
So if he could use an ace, he would use an ace!
The pressure was immense.
And this was exactly what Arthur had predicted!
The preparations he had made for this battle were not just Little Eevee's stalling and Greninja's Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!
For this round, he sent out Specter!
And at the start, he once again shocked everyone.
He raised his hand and signaled to the referee.
"I request to invoke Expansion Rule, Article 13."
This calm voice was not heard for the first time this season.
But the moment they heard it, all the spectators subconsciously looked at the field—
That's not right! You're not sending out a Charizard?
"Did Arthur… just grab the wrong Poké Ball?"
The imagination of the goofy spectators is infinite. Someone had even thought of this reason.
But the more normal people quickly came to their senses, and then let out an explosive curse.
"HOLY CRAP! His Gengar can't have Mega Evolution too, can it?!"
The commentators were also the first to realize.
"It's not a Charizard! It's a Gengar! Arthur is requesting Article 13 for his Gengar! My heavens!! Is this player truly the embodiment of miracles?!"
And at this moment, Roman had a premonition of something terrible.
His entire face was terrifyingly grim.
Even later, when he returned to the sidelines under the referee's guidance to discuss item selection with his teammates, his expression did not relax in the slightest.
He had realized that he had been completely targeted in this match!
Arthur had out-schemed him!
And very thoroughly at that!
In the end, he chose to have his Ludicolo chew on a Persim Berry.
Chewing this berry can alleviate the corrosion of poison energy, reducing the damage from Poison-type moves.
Ludicolo has a weakness to Poison, and Gengar happens to have the Poison type. His choice was logical.
But Roman still knew: this was just treating the symptom, not the cause!
Even Director Mian on the commentator's desk could see it.
"This is likely going to be a very difficult round for Roman! Arthur's Gengar's Mega Evolution is truly unexpected! This one move is an incredible counter!"
He was already being charitable. If he weren't on the official commentary desk, he would probably be shouting: Dirty! So dirty!
This one move from Arthur had so thoroughly messed with Roman's mind that it was on the verge of breaking.
Because his Ludicolo has the Swift Swim ability!
The same ability as Leo's Kingdra from before. It gets a stunning speed boost in the rain!
His Ludicolo's fighting style is the complete opposite of his Swampert's!
Swampert has no speed training, and is extremely specialized in close combat, as tough as a heavy-armored warrior!
And Ludicolo relies entirely on speed, excelling at long-range attacks, like an agile, wind-like ranger!
At the start, he naturally commanded, "Ludicolo, use Rain Dance!"
And Arthur's response was very simple.
"Specter, use Phantom Force to get over there! Evolve as you attack! Step on its shadow!"
Just hearing this command made Roman go numb.
He was about to be shut down by this dirty trick…
Question: A long-range, kiting ranger-type Pokémon that relies on speed runs into the Shadow Tag ability. What does it do?
A: Cautiously maintain distance, don't let it get close enough to step on your shadow!
B: Suppress it completely, don't give it a chance to get close and use Shadow Tag!
C: The moment its shadow is stepped on, it's over!
D: An obtuse angle…
Roman wanted to choose A and B, but Arthur was going for the kill!
He had even brought out Phantom Force. He really wasn't giving him a single chance!
Want to suppress? Specter just vanishes into the void.
Want to kite and maintain distance? A few seconds later, the opponent will reappear right beside Ludicolo!
This is an interdimensional leap. There's no dodging it!
Dirty!
This is so dirty!
Roman was about to go numb…
Three seconds later, Specter emerged from the void, swiped a claw at Ludicolo, and at the same time, its own body erupted in a dazzling white light of evolution!
In that instant, Roman's eyes were filled with a look of utter despair.
The evolved Specter had a different appearance. After landing, it stepped down!
The shadows of the two were connected, the length a mere five meters.
Then, Specter stretched out its new body, looked at the Ludicolo that could now only move within a five-meter radius, and let out a kind and friendly laugh.
"Ahehehe! Hehehehe!"
It really was very friendly…
And at this moment, the Ludicolo's expression was surprisingly in sync with its master's.
Numb. Crap…
Watching this scene, the two commentators were a bit at a loss for words.
"We see that the Shadow Tag ability is truly worthy of its 'Champion Ability' title in arena battles! What will Captain Roman do to deal with this situation? Captain Roman… Captain Roman… pfft! Captain Roman, please don't give up!"
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