Chapter 409: A Thousand Layers of Strategy
You could say that this round of the gambit had begun the moment both sides had their moves ready but neither made the first move!
At that moment, both trainers were trying to read their opponent's play!
If Arthur had rashly chosen Protect, Simon would have definitely had his Palossand take the opportunity to slip away and hide in the sandstorm.
Conversely, if the Palossand had rashly used its ultimate, Earthquake, Arthur would have a chance to dodge it with Phantom Force and then counterattack—a huge gain!
Precisely because both of these outcomes were so fatal for one side, both trainers had very cautiously chosen to observe for a moment first.
So, although nothing had happened on the field during those two seconds, in reality, the hidden gambit between the two sides was as treacherous as a stormy sea, with one layer of strategy covering another!
Both sides were trying to guess what layer their opponent was on!
And at the same time, they were both hoping to be one layer higher than their opponent!
In the end, you could say that the result was acceptable for both sides.
The Palossand had wasted a move.
But it wasn't an ultimate. Its cooldown was very fast, much faster than Specter's Phantom Force!
In a little while, it could use another Earthquake, and this time, Specter would have nowhere to hide!
However, Arthur hadn't lost out either—his opponent hadn't escaped, and Specter had still gained something. If they continued to trade blows like this, the one who couldn't hold on first would definitely be his opponent!
The Shuckle hadn't managed to wear down Specter, so a full-health Specter was clearly stronger than the Palossand in terms of raw power!
As long as he continued to trade blows and didn't let his opponent use its Sand Veil ability to vanish into the sandstorm, he could always maintain a stable advantage.
Although he hadn't reached the stratosphere in this exchange, from a results perspective, he was still one layer higher than his opponent.
At this moment, the stadium was filled with countless discussions.
"Amazing! Is this the kind of gambit that happens between professional masters? The strategies are so deep!"
"If it were me, I would have just used Earthquake without thinking. Get the satisfaction first."
"Then you would have definitely been crushed by Arthur!"
"So what? There's no shame in losing to my idol."
"What the hell, you actually make a good point…"
The Starlight and Frost fans could generally remain cheerful, but the Blaze fans' emotions were a bit more complex at this moment.
Two environmental skills, Sandstorm and Gravity, had been set up, only to result in this. To be honest, it was a bit frustrating.
A few seconds later, the Palossand was the first to finish its cooldown, and as expected, an Earthquake came!
"BOOM!"
The intense tremor made the entire arena shake!
Specter couldn't ascend, so it had to take it head-on.
It hurt a bit.
But it wasn't enough to be a crippling blow.
"Keep up the pressure!" Arthur calmly commanded again.
If his opponent wanted to defeat Specter from a disadvantaged position, this small gain was definitely not enough.
Then, when Specter's cooldown was over, he didn't get greedy for damage.
"Use Lick!"
He only had Specter use his fastest-recharging small move for a bit of chip damage, to ensure that he could once again finish his cooldown at the same time as his opponent.
And he could also gamble on the chance of paralysis.
Unfortunately, the gamble didn't pay off.
This one lick just got Specter a mouthful of sand and failed to trigger the paralysis effect.
But it was no big deal. A few seconds later—
It was time for the tense and exciting gambit again!
Arthur needed to predict, and Simon was also predicting!
Can you predict my prediction?
And will I predict that you've predicted my prediction?
The nesting doll of a thousand layers of strategy had begun again!
This time, after a one-second delay, both sides spoke at almost the exact same time!
"Phantom Force!"
"Shore Up!"
This time, you could say that Simon was on a higher layer.
He had gained an advantage!
The Palossand didn't use an attacking move, so the Phantom Force, vanishing into the void, had dodged nothing.
On the contrary, Simon had taken the opportunity to have his Palossand heal itself.
The Ground-type move: Shore Up. It absorbs the energy of the surrounding earth and sand to restore itself. The drier the environment, the better the healing effect. In a sandstorm, the healing effect is particularly outstanding.
This is also an exclusive move of Palossand. Only this type of Pokémon can learn it.
This one move helped the Palossand heal more than half of the damage it had taken earlier!
Then, Specter emerged from the void. A swipe of its claw, and the damage was only so-so.
And then, without any suspense, a few seconds later, another Earthquake came!
The Blaze fans were excited!
"That's it! Just like that!"
"A few more times! Two or three more times, and you can really win!"
Sage Hwang also took the opportunity to offer praise. "That was a great play from Simon!"
But Arthur was also very calm.
Winning and losing are common in war. Try again.
After that, Arthur timed it perfectly, first having Specter use a Shadow Claw to add more damage, and then, when both sides' cooldowns were up again at the same time—
"Here we go! The two sides are about to start calculating each other again!"
For the third time in a row, the commentator was truly fired up!
The gambit began again!
This time, neither side hesitated. They both gave their commands at the same time.
But the result was completely different from the last time!
The tables had turned. This time, it was the Starlight and Frost fans' turn to stand up!
"Earthquake!"
"Specter, Disable!"
"Oh no!!"
The moment he heard Arthur speak, Simon's expression changed. He knew he was in trouble!
Arthur's sudden change of tactics had caught him completely off guard!
Specter's eyes glowed with a strange red light!
The Palossand instantly became a high-ping player. Every movement would stutter. The release of a single move was stretched out to a full two seconds!
Although, because of the Gravity field, Specter couldn't leave the ground, and no matter how slow the wind-up, there was no worry of missing. The Earthquake did eventually come out.
But Disable doesn't just have a stunning effect. It has a more crucial move-sealing effect!
The move the enemy is using when hit by this will be sealed for a long time afterward!
It was as if Simon had just won a round in their gambit, and then Arthur had immediately banned his account…
Now, Palossand's Earthquake—was gone!
The commentators were also smiling at this point.
"This… Arthur is being a bit ruthless, isn't he?"
The tense and exciting prediction game was now coming to an end.
Without Earthquake, although Palossand still had Bulldoze, the damage was significantly lower.
To try and take out Specter with a small move like Bulldoze, Simon would probably have to work for a very, very long time…
And the duration of Gravity and Sandstorm are both limited!
To win this round, he had to build as much of an advantage as possible during this time!
Otherwise, when the field and weather changed, how was his Palossand supposed to fight Specter!
An ultimate move may have a long cooldown, but its burst damage is also really high!
But they had only played this game twice, and Arthur had already banned his account…
Simon was fuming.
Are you even playing fair?!
"Specter, maintain close-combat pressure and use Lick continuously!"
After that, Arthur had Specter confidently use its moves in succession.
Because he no longer had to calculate his cooldowns to save a move for the gambit.
As long as it wasn't the ultimate move, Earthquake, Specter could take a normal Ground-type move without dodging.
The Palossand no longer posed a threat to him!
And what's more, after going on the offensive, luck seemed to have returned to his side.
Specter's second Lick was a solid one, and it successfully triggered the paralysis effect.
The Palossand was now paralyzed!
Poor Simon, at this time, in order to make full use of the limited time left on the Gravity field, didn't even dare to have his Palossand use Rest.
He could only endure the paralysis and continue to spar with Arthur.
In the blink of an eye, the small bit of health he had just recovered with Shore Up was lost again, with interest.
Sage Hwang's partner sighed. "This thousand-layered strategy… in the end, Arthur was still one step ahead!"
♧♧♧
-> 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