Chapter 224: And Who Wasn't?
Arthur's command was shouted half a beat even faster than his opponent's.
It was clear he had already had this idea in mind.
Sitting and waiting for death had never been his style!
No matter how desperate the situation, even back then on the battlefield when he was separated from all his Pokémon and fell into a swamp alone to face a wild Feraligatr, he had never once given up the will to survive and win!
As long as he could still breathe, he would never let himself give up!
At the final moment, Arthur had truly thought of a way to break the stalemate.
Although he had never verified it beforehand, at this moment, he chose to bet on his intuition.
Greninja grabbed the nearby Weavile!
Then, its hands were染 (rǎn - stained/imbued) with an inky black energy.
The Dark-type skill: Fling!
He used his teammate as a projectile, decisively throwing it towards the retreating Raichu that was casting its move.
What is he doing?!
At this moment, all the spectators were astonished.
Even the commentator was stunned, his words tinged with a regional accent, "What the hell is the Sea Carp rookie doin'?!"
Only the players from the Otter Team on the opposite side instantly had looks of terror on their faces.
The person who understands you best is often your enemy!
At this moment, the ones who first guessed Arthur's idea were actually the pair on the opposing side.
The lightning fell as usual, still chasing Weavile's rear.
In just an instant, the lightning had completed its task.
But afterward, when people focused their eyes again, they were surprised to find—
The trajectory left by the lightning strike in the air had strangely bent at the last moment.
The final target of this lightning bolt was actually Raichu itself!
"What's going on?!"
The minds of the live audience and the comments in the live stream chat were now filled with question marks.
But the professional players sitting in the players' section on the sidelines reacted much faster.
"Holy crap, he utilized the Lightning Rod ability?!"
"That's f*cking brilliant!"
Once the first person had revealed the secret, everyone was instantly enlightened.
At the final moment, Greninja used the skill "Fling" to give Weavile a boost, not to smash anything, but to send it to Raichu's side as quickly as possible!
Raichu's Lightning Rod ability had two main effects: making itself immune to lightning damage, and—attracting lightning!
As long as a part of Raichu's body was grounded, in its vicinity, the first target of any lightning would definitely be itself!
This move was effective against both the opponent's and a teammate's Electric-type moves, making it a 100% "get struck by lightning" constitution.
Originally, the reason the opponent's combo chose a Raichu with this ability was mainly to protect Pelipper.
The Water/Flying-type Pelipper was doubly weak to Electric-type.
If the opponent they happened to face also knew "Thunder," the buff from the dark clouds would be shared by both friend and foe.
And at this time, Raichu's Lightning Rod would become the best shield to protect Pelipper!
As long as it stayed with Pelipper, the lightning would definitely strike it first, thus sparing Pelipper.
This was in itself a safeguard to protect a teammate, making the combo more comprehensive and more difficult to counter.
But now, Arthur had used this very ability in reverse to screw over the opponent!
Half a beat slower than the professional players, the commentator finally figured out the reason for this scene, his volume instantly rising again: "Brilliant! This rookie from the Sea Carp Team used a uniquely creative method, utilizing the opponent's Pokémon's ability, borrowing Raichu's Lightning Rod to save the dying Weavile!"
At the same time, Bella helped complete the explanation of Arthur's entire plan chain.
"He must have planned to use Lightning Rod from the beginning. He deliberately didn't speak for a long time so the opponent couldn't guess his intention, only making his move at the last second to catch the opponent completely off guard!
If this intention had been exposed too early, Raichu could have actually avoided it by jumping; the Lightning Rod ability must have a part of its body grounded to trigger. As long as it's not grounded, it won't attract lightning.
But he held back until the very end, until Raichu was casting its move, then used Fling to instantly accelerate, leaving the opponent with no time to react!"
Luna then joined the discussion.
"And this move can generally only be used once. The next time, the opponent will be on guard. But the timing he chose was just perfect!"
This was no awkward praise; the timing Arthur chose could truly be called a stroke of genius!
Weavile, having been thrown next to Raichu, immediately launched a counterattack!
"Triple Axel!"
This time, Asher once again used the strongest physical attack move that Weavile currently had mastered!
At this time, the opponent was also getting anxious!
"Pelipper, Tailwind, maximum wind resistance!"
Raichu was not afraid of "Thunder"; on the contrary, the lightning coursing through its body could activate the energy within, making it even more berserk for a short time.
The problem was: this was its own lightning, so now it was in a cooldown period. No matter how berserk the energy, it had nowhere to be channeled.
And at this moment, Arthur and Asher had a telepathic understanding. Without needing to look at each other, they immediately reached a consensus in their hearts—
We absolutely cannot drag this out until the next "Thunder" falls!
Within these ten seconds, no matter what, Raichu must be taken down!
"Throw the kunai!"
The last nearly-shattered water kunai in Greninja's hands was thrown with all its might.
But the target was the Pelipper fanning the winds on the side!
Pelipper, caught off guard, was hit square in the face by the water kunai. The splashing water droplets from the explosion even got into its eyes.
"Peli!" it shrieked.
The turbulent airflow in the field immediately calmed down considerably.
The wind direction had stabilized a bit.
Greninja then sprinted at full speed, heading straight for Raichu, its eyes sharp and brimming with killing intent!
And at this time, Weavile had also delivered its second kick, leaped into the air again, and continued to spin like a top.
Raichu was retreating desperately.
It was also heavily injured!
And it knew very well that it absolutely could not fall!
If it fell, this combo would have no damage output.
Pelipper was just a support.
But its stout body limited its speed at this moment.
Greninja, starting later, arrived first, quickly catching up to it!
"Lock it down!"
With Arthur's command, Greninja leaped out. After landing on Raichu, it agilely flipped its body, quickly came around to the opponent's front, hooked Raichu's short arms, and from under its armpits, applied a wrestling hold that "forced the unwilling"!
Boy♂Next♂Door!
At the same time, Weavile completed its spin in mid-air, its legs crossed, and the final kick, carrying a trail of ice crystals and pale blue ice energy, carved a crescent-like arc in the air—
One kick came, striking Raichu square in the chest!
The advanced Ice-type skill "Triple Axel," this time all its damage was dealt, filling Raichu up completely!
"Peli!" the distant Pelipper cried out strangely.
At this moment, it was no longer the coward who only dared to hide in the clouds above, repeatedly dancing on the edge of a foul.
"Charge, Pelipper!!"
The opponent, both player and Pokémon, had gone crazy at this point.
They had risked everything and were starting to disregard all consequences.
But—
And who wasn't!!
In the last few moments, Raichu, propping itself up, swung its fists and tail like a demon, the fat on its body trembling nonstop from the blows it was taking.
Pelipper also charged crazily into the fray, forcefully opening its toothless beak, trying to swallow the enemies to stop them from brutalizing Raichu!
Everyone knew this was the final moment!
Time passed second by second, each one exceptionally intense and grueling!
Until—
"Thunder!"
The sixth ultimate move, "Thunder," of the match!
"TWEEET!"
The referee blew the whistle—
"Weavile is unable to battle! Player, please recall your Pokémon as soon as possible—"
However, just less than two seconds later—
"Raichu is unable to battle! Player, please recall your Pokémon as soon as possible—"
At that moment, it was as if all the strength had been drained from the Otter Team's ace pair.
It was over…
The rest of the match held no more suspense.
Pelipper, which had already received one foul, stood no chance against Greninja.
Sure enough, a minute or so later, the referee blew the whistle for the third time.
"Pelipper is unable to battle! Player, please recall your Pokémon as soon-
This match is now over! The winner is: the Sea Carp Team!"
(End of Chapter)
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