Chapter 269: Plus and Minus
For this match against the Yankee Team, the Sea Carp side rotated Elijah back into the lineup after a long absence.
This was because the opposing doubles team had a very famous Toxicroak, a Poison/Fighting-type that is doubly weak to Psychic.
The Sea Carp team hoped to use Elijah's Gallade to counter the Toxicroak. Even if it didn't work out, it would at least put some pressure on the opponent's team selection.
After all, that Toxicroak was at an Elite Four level. Even forcing the opponent not to use it and substitute another Pokémon would be a win.
Soon, the singles portion of the match was over. The Sea Carp team's performance was as stable as ever, trailing 2 to 4.
Then, the doubles matches began.
Arthur and Elijah took the stage together!
But when they saw the opponent's lineup, they were a bit dumbfounded.
The Yankee Team had broken up their usual pairings for this match, fielding two players who didn't normally team up.
One of them, like Arthur and Elijah, was a first-year rookie.
Seeing this, the commentators naturally had a field day.
"Well, this looks interesting! With a total of three rookies on the field, could this be another chapter in the ongoing rookie saga?"
However, the players on the field weren't in the mood for gossip.
Arthur knew this had nothing to do with a rookie battle.
"The other side clearly has a strategy prepared."
Sure enough, the moment both sides revealed their Pokémon, the opponent's true intentions were laid bare—
The two Pokémon the Yankee Team sent out were an Ampharos and a Minun.
Their abilities: Ampharos had Plus, and Minun had Minus!
Plus and Minus are a very special class of abilities. On their own, they do nothing.
However, once Pokémon with both of these abilities are on the field at the same time, energy begins to flow between the positive and negative poles, simultaneously strengthening the power of both Pokémon!
The boost is quite significant, making it a top-tier ability combination in the world of doubles battles.
Other teams had used Plus and Minus combinations before, and their combat power was always formidable.
The Yankee Team hadn't had a Plus/Minus combo in the past. It was only this year, when a rookie named Derek brought an Ampharos with the Plus ability, that they first had the idea of forming such a lineup.
The sneaky part, however, was that they had never before revealed that Derek had an Ampharos!
In the few times Derek had been rotated in during the first half of the season, he had always used an Indeedee, a Psychic/Normal-type.
"Damn it! The Yankee Team is so cunning, using a long-hidden strategy against us!"
In the backstage lounge, a young analyst voiced his frustration.
He was likely trying to cover up the embarrassment of his team having gathered zero intelligence on this beforehand.
However, the players could see the situation clearly. Luna cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"The Yankee Team has already qualified for the playoffs. They're bringing out this lineup now to practice for the postseason."
The commentator on the broadcast then landed another blow.
"No one expected the Yankee Team to have a hidden Plus and Minus combination this year! They're likely planning to use this year's Best Rookie as a final quality check for their new lineup before the playoffs!"
After this weekend, there was only one round left in the regular season.
The Yankee Team's point total had long since secured them a spot in the playoffs; they were even guaranteed a spot in the winner's bracket.
The reason they were revealing a strategy they had hidden for so long was most likely not for a single match's victory.
Though it was harsh to say, the truth was undeniable—
The Sea Carp Team was not yet worthy of the Yankee Team using such a major strategy specifically to target them…
They had likely just taken a liking to Arthur's skills as a doubles "quality inspector" and were planning to use him to test the real-world strength of their new lineup before heading into the playoffs.
In other words, they respected Arthur's individual skill as a litmus test.
Targeting the Sea Carp Team?
Sorry, you're not there yet.
This fact was a brutal slap in the face to the analysts. The one who had just spoken felt his mouth twitch, feeling completely embarrassed and unable to save face.
In recent years, the increasingly mature business model of the league had elevated the status of team coaches and analysts.
Coaches were in charge of Pokémon training and development; analysts assisted in formulating strategies and arranging for players to acquire supplementary Pokémon; and the players themselves were only responsible for on-the-spot command.
This increasingly refined model was now being accepted and adopted by more and more teams.
And in such a model, the players on the front lines often had very little freedom.
Many had grown accustomed to this system; some players even actively embraced it for the sake of an easier job.
So when a "freak" like Arthur appeared, some of the younger, less experienced analysts found it difficult to adapt.
They couldn't understand why a player who had not once followed their advice since joining the team was now gaining more and more recognition from his rivals.
Why could someone who received no intelligence support from them before a match still appear so calm, confident, and unfazed on the field?
Doesn't that just make us look useless?
Perhaps this was the subconscious reason they disliked Arthur.
Of course, if you asked them directly, they would never admit it.
But anyone with eyes could see: Arthur's current achievements had very little to do with their analysis team.
So, at this moment, even though they had failed to gather intelligence on the Yankee Team's hidden strategy, no one blamed them.
But sometimes, not being blamed is even more hurtful than being reprimanded.
"Stay calm. Don't overthink it. Just focus on this match. It's a rare chance for you to get rotated in, so do your best to show what you've got!"
On the field, Arthur not only kept his own composure but also took a moment to comfort the slightly panicked Elijah.
He really didn't care about this lapse in intelligence.
He himself had used information gaps to set traps for opponents before. Besides, outside the arena, in real-world battles, unknown enemies were the norm.
So his mindset was very stable.
This only further highlighted the anxiety of the young analysts in the back.
Unfortunately for them, no one cared about their anxiety, and this disregard was the sharpest sword of all.
The referee blew the whistle, and the match began!
The opposing Ampharos charged forward right from the start, exuding the air of a hot-tempered brawler.
"Ampharos, close the distance! Use Thunderbolt!"
This was partly because Electric is super-effective against Water, so they had no reason to fear Arthur's Greninja.
It was also to provide cover for the weaker link in their lineup, Minun.
There weren't many Pokémon with the Plus or Minus abilities. The most common were Plusle and Minun.
Over ninety percent of these two species had these abilities.
However, both Pokémon were inherently weak, much like the Pelipper in the rain-and-thunder combo.
They're often joked to be Pokémon whose stats were nerfed to make room for their powerful ability.
So, the main offensive role in this match was destined to fall on Ampharos.
At the same time, Minun was diligently performing its support role—
"Minun, use Helping Hand!"
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