Chapter 408: You Might Have Gained a Little, But I Didn't Lose Either
For the third round, Arthur had Specter fight again.
In the second round just now, Specter had taken absolutely no damage. It had appeared on the field, swung a single claw, and ended the match. It was effortless.
His current condition was completely full, not a single worry.
And Arthur also wanted to see what Simon's last Pokémon would be.
The Dusclops was almost certainly a counter-pick for Old Flame. So what would be the counter-pick for Specter?
The answer was soon revealed—
For this round, Simon sent out a Palossand!
A Ghost-type Pokémon that resembles a sandcastle. You could say it's a sentient pile of sand. Although its normal appearance is a bit kawaii, with very few sharp edges, and the texture of the whole sandcastle is soft, almost like a cake.
But in reality, this is an extremely dangerous Ghost-type Pokémon!
Wild Palossand absorb the life force of other living creatures. They will suck small Pokémon into their bodies to steal their life force, pulling them in through a sand vortex and instantly devouring them!
Research has shown that only after devouring enough life force can a Palossand reproduce, using that energy to create new Sandygast.
So don't be fooled by their harmless appearance. In reality, they are extremely dangerous and terrifying predators.
You could say they have inherited the eerie and dangerous tradition of Ghost-type Pokémon.
In terms of typing, Palossand is a Ghost/Ground dual-type.
Simon's Palossand had appeared many times in previous matches. It was not weak, and there was a lot of data on it.
Its ability is Sand Veil.
So, his opponent's first move was not hard to predict.
"Palossand, use Sandstorm!"
Simon was the first to give a command.
And Arthur was not polite. He immediately seized this opportunity while his opponent was setting up the weather to launch a preemptive strike.
"Use Substitute to close the distance! Don't let it run!"
Arthur directly commanded Specter to use a forward flash, a powerful offensive move!
Palossand's Sand Veil ability is similar to Bianca's Froslass's Snow Cloak. Both grant optical camouflage in their respective special weather conditions.
A Palossand is literally a pile of sand. If he really let it successfully activate its ability, trying to find a moving, invisible sandcastle in a sandstorm would be really difficult.
So this forward flash was absolutely necessary!
Specter grabbed the Palossand just before it could disappear from view, and then unleashed a flurry of punches on this pile of sand!
All Ghost-type Pokémon are unable to remain hidden at the moment of using a skill, attacking, or being hit. Whether it's dematerializing, turning to sand, turning to mist, or flame-hopping, none of it works.
Just like how Specter also has to materialize when it attacks, and can only phase through walls after disengaging.
The moment the Palossand was using Sandstorm, it had to be in a solid state!
So Specter had caught it with precision!
Simon had also anticipated this. He could only take the hits and stall, and then give a command after his cooldown was over.
"Palossand, use Gravity!"
It was this move, as expected!
Arthur showed an "I knew it" expression.
From this, you could see that his decision to have Specter fight first was extremely wise. Otherwise, if he had let Old Flame face the Dusclops first, his opponent, regardless of winning or losing, would have likely used Gravity at the end of the round to set up the field for his teammate.
Just like the Dusclops had done in the first round.
Fortunately, Arthur hadn't given his opponent a second chance!
This time, the Palossand had to use Gravity itself, so Specter naturally took this opportunity to continue its beating.
"Specter, Shadow Claw!"
A normal Gengar would prefer the special-based Shadow Ball, but Specter was an exception. He just preferred the close-range Shadow Claw.
He had practiced this move a lot. Its power was not weak. In fact, you could say it was astonishing!
With one claw swipe, the Palossand's body was instantly cut into three pieces, and it took a long time for it to pull itself back together.
But in turn, it had successfully forced Specter back to the ground.
Under the effect of Gravity, all creatures were forbidden from flying. Levitation was also not an option.
The cooldowns ticked by, second by second—
The expressions of both trainers became serious once again!
The commentators could also see the impending tension.
"Is it coming? Is it coming? Is it that?!"
Professional players have a very precise grasp of their cooldowns. It's almost impossible for them to misjudge. But this time, the Palossand was continuously being beaten. Even though the cooldown for Gravity had been over for more than a second, Simon had still not given a new command.
Coincidentally, it was the same on Arthur's side!
Even though the cooldown for Shadow Claw is much faster than Gravity, and Specter's move had been ready a step earlier, both sides had, for some reason, delayed.
"Huh? Did Arthur make a mistake?"
Some spectators thought they had caught an error.
Until the next moment, when suddenly, both sides, at almost the same time, commanded with the fastest possible speed.
"Phantom Force!"
"Bulldoze!"
This was, once again, a psychological game between the trainers!
It was clear that under the effect of Gravity, all Pokémon were forbidden from flying or levitating. So, within the range of the field, a series of Ground-type moves, including Bulldoze, Earthquake, and Earth Power, could be considered almost guaranteed hits!
If you can't get off the ground, how are you supposed to dodge an Earthquake…
In this situation, a Gengar facing an ultimate move like Earthquake would either have to use Protect and defend on the spot, allowing the Palossand to take the opportunity to escape and disappear into the sandstorm, or it would have only one move to dodge it, and that is the Ghost-type move: Phantom Force!
This move allows a Pokémon to first vanish into an alternate dimension, briefly disappearing from the current one. After a delay of three to four seconds, it reappears, using the power of the void to launch a surprise attack. Its attack is imbued with otherworldly energy and cannot even be blocked by the all-powerful Protect.
This move isn't used often because it's too slow to activate. It also doesn't really fit Specter's head-on fighting style.
But in certain special moments, it can be surprisingly effective.
Like at this very moment!
Specter vanished into the void, dodging the ground-based shockwave that should have been a guaranteed hit under the field's effect!
This round of the trainers' gambit, it seemed Arthur had won.
But he hadn't completely won.
Because the commentator immediately pointed it out.
"Very uncharacteristically, Simon did not choose the ultimate move, Earthquake! He was likely also guarding against Phantom Force! Although Bulldoze was dodged, the cooldown for the small move Bulldoze is faster than Phantom Force. So, in the end, the Palossand will still have a chance to get off a guaranteed-hit Earthquake. It's hard to say whether Simon gained or lost in this exchange. Teacher Hwang, what are your thoughts?"
Sage Hwang also had a headache.
How am I supposed to see this? Can I say I'm watching from my seat?
"You can only say that Arthur may have gained a little, but Simon didn't lose either."
His partner beside him offered an awkward but polite smile.
Listening to you talk is like listening to you talk…
But at the very least, this made all the less-skilled spectators in the stadium realize.
"My heavens! So there were so many layers of gambits in that?! These two are so cunning!"
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you