NOVEL WEB Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Is There Something Wrong With His Thinking?
Chapter 191: Is There Something Wrong With His Thinking?
On the very first day of the Champions Cup, a Kubfu team had a match.
It just wasn't the opening match.
The opening match was between the previous champion, the Grand Master Team from the Hoenn League, and the Platinum Team from the Sinnoh League.
In the end, the Grand Master Team continued its dominance, winning all three 1v1 matches and locking in their victory before the double battles even began.
After a commercial break, the competition continued.
Due to the large number of teams in the group stage, after the opening match, four competition fields would host matches simultaneously, with live streams running concurrently.
"Which one should we watch?" Arthur asked.
Luna, holding the remote, spoke up, "Let's watch the Kubfu team first. Anyway, we have to catch up on the recordings of all the other matches later. The coach will peel our skin off if we miss even one."
Bella and Arthur had no objections.
The first Kubfu team to take the stage on the opening day was none other than the Mowang Team, the team with the best domestic record.
The Mowang Team's performance in the Kubfu professional league was excellent year after year, making them a true evergreen of the league. Along with the Yankee Team, which was also competing this year, and another team that had suffered defeat this year, the Jinchan Team, they were known as the "Kubfu Big Three."
Unfortunately, their performance in international competitions was always subpar. As a result, these three teams were often represented by the images of Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita, implying that they were the "trashiest Big Three"…
Among them, the Mowang Team was often compared to Cyndaquil.
Whenever they lost a match, the live comments would be flooded with sticker memes of Cyndaquil lying on its back, belly up, with its soul floating out.
But if they won, the comments would instantly switch to pictures of a Typhlosion standing tall, roaring domineeringly while spewing fire from its chest.
Now, with the match just starting and the outcome undecided, the live stream channel was still dominated by pictures of Typhlosion.
The netizens were spamming sticker memes so furiously that Luna, in front of the TV, was forced to lower the density and transparency of the comments just to see the match better.
In their first match, the Mowang Team was up against a team from their group that was widely considered to be on the weaker side before the tournament, a team with little hope of even making it to the knockout stage.
It was no wonder the netizens were so enthusiastic.
The match began, the first 1v1 between the two sides—
The first player from the Mowang Team, though not their captain, was one of the team's core players, the 36-year-old veteran mainstay, Lucas.
The main stage commentator was enthusiastically introducing the player.
"I'm sure everyone is very familiar with Lucas, a veteran of the competitive scene who has fought for many years. His playstyle is calm and experienced, and his ace Pokémon is the pseudo-legendary Dragonite, a specialty of our East Continent!"
When Dragonite was mentioned, an astonishing cheer erupted from the live audience.
Powerful and rare Pokémon were always sought after.
Subsequently, the commentator introduced Lucas's opponent for this match: coincidentally, the opponent was also a specialist in Dragon-type Pokémon.
For the first round of the contest, both sides revealed their Pokémon simultaneously—
Lucas confidently sent out his ace, Dragonite, right from the start.
The opponent, meanwhile, sent out Noivern, which also had a Flying/Dragon typing.
Although both Dragonite and Noivern were flying dragons, their appearances were completely different.
Dragonite's body was much bulkier, its posture closer to a bipedal Godzilla, with the wings on its back appearing exceptionally small compared to its body, almost like decorations.
Noivern, on the other hand, had a very traditional pterosaur-like body, its form closer to that of a bat. Its forelimbs were fused with its wings, which had a wide span, and its body was slender. Its main colors were black and purple, hinting at its identity as a hunter of the night.
In terms of type matchup, Dragonite had the advantage.
Because Dragon-type, like Ghost-type, was a classic self-countering type—Dragon was super effective against Dragon.
Dragonite was relatively more skilled in Dragon-type moves, while Noivern's main strengths were mostly in Flying-type moves.
Furthermore, as a pseudo-legendary, Dragonite's base stats and potential were inherently stronger than Noivern's.
Therefore, looking at the on-paper comparison for this match, the advantage was clearly on Lucas's side.
Thus, the live comments were once again filled with Typhlosions, spewing fire.jpg
The referee blew the whistle, and the first round officially began.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed to get in close, suppress it with a quick attack!"
Lucas started off very aggressively.
He used a rushing, speed-boosting skill right from the get-go, not holding back at all.
In T1 league matches, the maximum number of usable skills per Pokémon in a single round was expanded from 6 to 8.
With plenty of skill slots, there was naturally no need to be conservative at the start.
The opposing Noivern was forced to use "Double Team" to dodge this charge.
After smashing through a clone, Dragonite still didn't brake, maintaining its high speed as it circled around in a wide arc, drifted through the turn, and charged back in again!
It wasn't until it had shattered all the clones that Dragonite finally engaged Noivern in close-quarters combat.
"This opening, not bad," Arthur commented from the sofa while chewing on popcorn.
Dragonite was often ridiculed for its bulky body, but this also meant it had great mass and a sturdy physique.
With proper training, its strength would generally not be lacking.
It clearly had an advantage in close-quarters combat compared to Noivern; the two weren't even in the same weight class.
As long as it latched onto the opponent and didn't let it escape, this was a perfect opening.
However, the opponent was not to be outdone.
"Noivern, Boomburst!"
This made even Arthur sigh with emotion.
"As expected of a T1 league, using an ultimate move right at the start. Truly terrifying."
Ultimate moves consumed more energy. A beginner's Pokémon might become exhausted after just one use. On the professional scene, ultimate moves were generally considered finishing moves.
Not to mention, there were also differences among ultimate moves.
Generally, in some card-collecting games in this world, any skill with over 100 power was collectively referred to as an ultimate move.
Like the "Stone Edge" Andrew's Lux had used previously, its power was exactly 100, just meeting the passing line for an ultimate move.
However, "Boomburst" had a power of 140 in such games.
As an ultimate move, it had the power of a "Stone Edge" plus a "Slash" on top.
It could be called the pinnacle of all sound-based attack skills!
At this moment, Noivern opened its mouth and roared. It was as if a tactical missile had detonated in its mouth. A gale and shockwave mixed with a colossal sound swept out, instantly causing more than half of the spectators in the audience to cover their ears in pain.
Dragonite was forced to a halt.
But at this moment, Arthur, in front of the screen, frowned.
"Why isn't Dragonite charging?"
He didn't quite understand.
"Boomburst" was certainly strong, but it was a Normal-type move; it didn't have a type advantage against Dragonite.
With Dragonite's physique, tanking one ultimate move wouldn't seriously injure it.
The opponent was clearly using an ultimate move to force it back, trading a large amount of stamina and energy for distance and space.
Can't he see that?
Why not just eat this move and continue to maintain pressure?
At this moment, Arthur couldn't help but feel a sliver of doubt about Lucas's command.
Then, as the match continued, this doubt began to grow larger and larger.
"This is way too timid! The opponent is already in your half of the field, why not use an ultimate?
Why is it 'Dragon Rush' again? What about 'Outrage'? Doesn't Dragonite know how to learn 'Outrage'?
That was such a good opportunity just now, why didn't he use an ultimate? Why isn't he using the ultimate move 'Outrage'? The opposing Noivern dares to use 'Outrage,' but Dragonite doesn't?!"
Just like that, Arthur watched as a winning game was constantly drawn out and delayed by the opponent's maneuvering, ultimately ending with both Pokémon fainting at almost the same time.
It reached a point where Arthur even had this doubt—
"Is there something wrong with this person's thinking?"
This comment made Bella, at his side, burst into laughter.
However, after laughing, Bella answered him with a serious expression.
And it also answered the question that Arthur had held for a long time.
"No, it's not that there's something wrong with his thinking. It's that he really has no other choice. You might not have been able to see it clearly, but he actually can't really command his Dragonite anymore."
Then, Bella added softly.
"This is the consequence of always leaving the Pokémon with instructors and not managing them himself."
(End of Chapter)
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