"Guinaifen is incredible!"
"She's a goddess! Did she actually just take down a Stellaron Hunter's ace?"
"It's just one knockout, don't get ahead of yourselves."
"You don't understand! Look at the gap in their history! This isn't just a point; it's a miracle of the common folk!"
The stadium was a pressure cooker of emotions. The Xianzhou spectators were so swept up that some began reciting classical poetry to describe the "counterattack of the mortal against the genius." For a brief moment, Guinaifen wasn't just a streamer; she was the protagonist of every underdog story ever told.
On the field, Guinaifen was vibrating. The roar of the crowd was like a physical heat, making her blood boil, but the mental exhaustion was starting to set in. Her knees felt weak. She knew the truth: that victory was 90% attribute advantage and 10% lucky baiting. The fact that Silver Wolf had almost won despite the 4x disadvantage proved how terrifyingly high the Hunter's "gaming sense" truly was.
"That's the spark!" Silver Wolf shouted across the field, a genuine, predatory grin on her face. She didn't look upset about losing Dragonite; she looked hungry. She hadn't felt this level of engagement since her last duel with Julian. "Keep it up, Little Gui. Let's see what else you're hiding!"
The War of Attrition
Guinaifen recalled the battered Wigglytuff and sent out her Jolteon. Silver Wolf, refusing to be caught off guard again, went for a hard counter: Venusaur.
The elemental table had flipped.
The crowd murmured. Some thought Silver Wolf was being "unsportsmanlike" by using a hard counter, but the veteran players silenced them—this was the Top 8. There was no "mercy" in the Master Challenge.
Guinaifen stuck to her "Gutter Fight" strategy. It was her only path to victory: compress the decision-making time until Silver Wolf had to rely on instinct rather than calculation. But it was a double-edged sword. One mistimed command from Guinaifen, and Jolteon's fragile defenses would vanish.
She utilized Jolteon's superior speed to dance around the Venusaur, whittling it down with Double Kick and Pin Missile. But Silver Wolf was a master of area control. She used Sleep Powder and Vine Whip to restrict Jolteon's movement lanes. Eventually, a stray Razor Leaf caught Jolteon mid-dash. By the time Jolteon fainted, it had only managed to take half of Venusaur's HP.
The exhilaration of the first round began to fade into a cold reality for the audience.
Guinaifen didn't let up. She sent in her Dragonite to finish the weakened Venusaur. She succeeded, but Silver Wolf's parting gift—a Toxic—left her Dragonite poisoned. Guinaifen cursed her own fatigue; she had forgotten to layer Safeguard in the heat of the moment.
Silver Wolf sent in Cloyster.
The 4x Ice weakness was a death sentence. Guinaifen felt a wave of despair wash over her. Maybe I should just surrender. I've done enough, right? But then she remembered the "Soul Link" from the previous night. She remembered the look in her Pokémon's eyes.
"Not yet!" she screamed, her voice cracking.
She threw herself back into the rhythm. Despite the poison and the type disadvantage, she managed to land a massive Thunderbolt on the Cloyster before her Dragonite succumbed.
The Final Stand
The stadium hushed as the scoreboard updated.
Silver Wolf: 3 Pokémon down (Dragonite, Venusaur, Gyarados—the latter severely wounded). 3 remaining (Cloyster, Flareon, and one unknown).Guinaifen: 5 Pokémon down (Wigglytuff, Jolteon, Dragonite, Gengar, Lapras). 1 remaining: Charizard.
The audience realized with a start: Guinaifen had actually taken three of Silver Wolf's Pokémon out. This "simple-minded" streamer had fought the galaxy's best hacker to a bloody standstill.
Silver Wolf sent out her Flareon. Guinaifen countered with Lapras, but the mental toll was becoming too much. She missed a crucial read, allowing Flareon to land a Will-O-Wisp that crippled Lapras's offensive power. Lapras fell shortly after, but not before dragging Flareon down to the red.
Now, it was down to the wire.
Guinaifen's final hope was her Charizard.
Silver Wolf still had a severely wounded Cloyster, a wounded Gyarados, and one final, unknown Pokémon.
If Charizard entered now, it would have to face two Water-type threats back-to-back. Guinaifen's breath was coming in ragged gasps. She looked at her last Poké Ball.
"Charizard... it's all on you."
Silver Wolf re-deployed her Cloyster. She had adapted to the "Fast-Pace" tactic. By using Protect and Shell Smash at the perfect intervals, she kept Charizard at bay, slowly draining its health with Icicle Spear.
Guinaifen's Charizard was her pride and joy, but it was being dismantled by a master. As Cloyster's final attack connected, Charizard skidded across the field, its wings sparking.
Silver Wolf stood tall, her eyes fixed on the smoke. "You fought well, Guinaifen. Better than anyone expected."
But through the smoke, a silhouette remained standing. Charizard wasn't done. Its Blaze ability had triggered, its tail flame roaring into a towering pillar of white-hot fire.
Guinaifen looked up, her face pale but her eyes blazing with the same intensity as her partner. "We haven't... lost... yet!"
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