Chapter 41: Advancement
This scene not only confused Uncle Darren, but also left the spectators and commentators on the sidelines perplexed.
"This is unscientific..."
On the stands, the player wearing a baseball cap had a look of disbelief written all over his face.
Teaching a Pokémon fighting techniques without using moves is far more difficult than teaching a Pokémon a new move.
Where did this Froakie get such abundant combat skills against humanoid opponents?
He really couldn't understand it.
And to add insult to injury, he had to endure the excited questioning of those young fans from No. 12 High School behind him.
"See that? Son of Suicune is amazing! He's not like you said, close to losing!"
To be honest, this player was very frustrated.
He really wanted to ask those young fans if they even understood the match.
But it was pointless because Arthur had gained the upper hand...
He really wanted to argue that his analysis earlier was flawless. Normally, any knowledgeable person would have judged this as a favorable matchup for Machop.
But it was pointless because Arthur had reversed the situation...
He really wanted to defend himself and the Machop on stage, that "zero move pressure" was already a very impressive technique in the amateur circle.
But it was pointless because Froakie used even more incredible fighting techniques to gain the upper hand!
He considered his judgment to be far superior to these middle school fans.
But none of this mattered.
He couldn't argue back...
This was infuriating...
Helplessly, he could only pull his cap down further, deciding to keep quiet from now on.
Fine, I'll be the one to back down, okay?
This match is impossible to predict.
However, he could give up, but the players on the field couldn't.
Uncle Darren's mood was becoming increasingly anxious.
Machop had no ranged attacks, nor any speed-enhancing moves, so he couldn't close the distance quickly like the agile Farfetch'd.
If he continued to drag it out, Froakie would slowly wear him down.
Originally, he thought that as long as he could get a close-range opportunity at the beginning, Machop would be able to secure victory in close combat - first using "zero move pressure" to force the opponent to make the first move, and then instantly counterattacking to deliver a super effective hit!
His script was already written, but alas, it was NG'd from the very first scene...
Machop couldn't dominate Froakie in close quarters.
Purely comparing fighting techniques without using moves, the nimble Froakie was even better than Machop!
How did he train him? Uncle Darren couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
"Charge in and grab him!"
Unable to win in technique, he could only change his approach, trying to gain the upper hand by using brute strength.
No more punching or kicking. Instead, he started using the philosophical wrestling techniques.
He imagined that once they entered the realm of grappling, Machop, with his weight advantage, could reverse the situation and dominate Froakie!
But Arthur saw through his plan at a glance.
"Jump away, retreat!"
He decisively ordered Froakie to withdraw, not giving the opponent a chance to grapple.
"Jump back, Bubble!"
Froakie continued to create distance and use Bubble to wear him down.
Uncle Darren got excited again.
"Charge in and use Thunder Punch!"
The opponent used "Bubble," so Froakie's type would be fixed as Water-type for a short time, and Thunder Punch would be super effective!
Unfortunately, Machop's lunge failed, and he couldn't grab Froakie, so the distance between the two Pokémon was increased again.
At the same time, Froakie, using continuous retreating, had already moved to the part of the field with sand and rocks.
"Grab a handful of sand and use Thief."
When Machop charged in desperately, Froakie had already used his second move.
Dark-type Thief!
This time, "Thunder Punch" still failed to achieve the intended super effective hit. At the same time, Machop was blinded by a handful of sand, and as a result, took three more punches and kicks from Froakie.
Then, the distance between the two Pokémon was widened again.
Uncle Darren could only become more and more anxious.
He couldn't achieve that one-hit KO effect he wanted.
The technical disadvantage made Machop look like a reckless brute, constantly chasing and chasing, but never able to truly subdue Froakie...
In this frequent chasing and clashing, the injuries of both Pokémon were rapidly accumulating.
Froakie's fight was also very difficult. Even though he wasn't hit by super effective moves, he still took many of the opponent's attacks head-on, and the injuries on his body were much more severe than in previous matches.
However, Machop's injuries would only get worse!
Because in the chasing process, he had to endure more attacks from Froakie.
After a long ten minutes, the two Pokémon chased and retreated, circling the arena twice. Finally, this match reached its conclusion.
Machop, out of energy, let out a final, unwilling wail, and collapsed on the path of pursuit.
The referee blew the whistle and raised the flag.
The match was over.
Arthur won!
The moment the result was announced, Uncle Darren couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and bitterness, laughing at himself.
"Sigh, it seems I have to go back to work again."
Perhaps working a job was his final fate. He thought despondently...
And at the same time, Arthur, after finishing the short interview, reciting that now memorable advertisement slogan once again, quickly left the stage, taking Froakie for treatment.
Since the schedule had reached the second half, the number of matches each day was decreasing, so the intervals between matches were also shorter.
Today the top eight was decided, and tomorrow morning would be the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals in the afternoon, with only the finals held the day after.
So time was tight, and Arthur had to get Froakie treated as soon as possible, in hopes of a quick recovery to his best condition.
When he left the stage, he happened to meet a young man in the player tunnel, spinning a baseball cap on his finger.
Arthur recognized that he seemed to be one of the players who had advanced to the top eight, so he nodded briefly as a greeting as they passed.
But he had a strange feeling that this young man spinning the cap looked at him with a lot of resentment, as if he had done something offensive to him.
Do I know him?
Even Arthur himself was hesitant.
...
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, the stadium's attendance reached a new peak.
On the one hand, it was another weekend.
On the other hand, the quarterfinals that morning were of special significance for those players who wanted to advance further.
That day, the pre-match live stream specifically focused on the audience seats – because many current professional players from the Sea Carp Club would also be present, supporting the event organizers.
And at this moment, the reluctant Luna was sitting in the front row of the audience, and beside her was Bella, who had tried every means to drag her there...
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