Chapter 416: The End of the Regular Season
Although Specter was wailing and crying, Arthur hadn't actually done anything that extreme.
No matter what, he would never truly engage in a life-or-death battle with his own Pokémon.
Arthur was just taking this opportunity to remind Specter.
"You've really been slacking off lately. With your lifespan, you shouldn't be declining even more obviously than Old Flame, should you?"
Specter really had been slacking off lately.
Of course, Arthur knew he couldn't be entirely blamed.
No living creature can maintain a state of constant, high-octane fighting spirit forever.
Moreover, for the past year, Specter had been relieved of his heavy burden, which had directly led to him seemingly letting go of his life's purpose altogether.
In the past, the driving force behind Specter's actions had always been revenge.
At that time, he had thought Arthur was dead, and the flames of vengeance had driven him to recklessly cause trouble for two hundred years.
And on that rainy night in the Star Brilliance Alliance, when he had learned that his master had traveled through time and was still well, Specter had suddenly felt a sense of peace and tranquility, as if his life had no more regrets.
That reunion had been a deeply moving moment for both of them.
But it had also, inevitably, resulted in—Specter no longer having any ambition.
In addition, over the past year, he had been recuperating, quitting the Soul Orbs, and his relationship with Mismagius had been heating up. Specter's little life had become more and more zen.
"Look at you. You've even gotten a potbelly," Arthur teased.
Specter looked at him indignantly, thinking, That's slander! I'm a ghost! Do you understand what a ghost is? I can dematerialize! I can become as thin as a wisp of smoke, you believe that?
Arthur threw up his hands.
Of course he believed it.
But do you have the guts to not dematerialize?
Specter huffed and turned his head away.
Mismagius, watching from the side, was secretly laughing.
Such a big ghost, and still acting like a little Gastly in front of his master.
But after the teasing, Arthur also became a bit more serious.
"I just tested you. If you really get serious, your strength is still at seventy or eighty percent of your former glory. I think that should be enough to reach the threshold for Mega Evolution. What do you think? Do you still have the ambition to give it another shot?"
The reason Arthur had gone so far as to draw his sword just now was, of course, not to deliberately make things difficult for Specter, but to test his current limit.
If Specter had really declined too much, Arthur was prepared to not force it.
Shadow Tag is a great ability, but his own Pokémon's well-being was more important.
But in the end, the test results were gratifying.
Although Specter had declined compared to his peak, he was still strong enough to be on the cusp of Mega Evolution. At the very least, he was definitely stronger than Old Flame's mate.
It just depended on whether he had the will.
Hearing this, Specter immediately lifted his head.
"Of course I do!"
That's just Specter's personality. He has a lot of pride. With so many juniors watching, he couldn't back down now!
So, Arthur immediately clapped his hands.
"Alright! Then starting tomorrow, you can't slack off anymore! Your training volume has to be at least as much as Greninja's!"
"Uh…"
In an instant, Specter's body went rigid.
No matter how many years had passed, his master's training was always so unforgettable!
At this moment, only one thought was circulating in Specter's mind—This was a rash decision…
Old Flame, on the side, continued to leisurely eat his energy blocks, smiling as he watched his old teammate dig his own grave.
You, ah, why did you have to act so tough? Why do you think the Master deliberately had all the junior Pokémon come and watch today? Specter, you've lived for centuries, how can you still not see through the Master's tricks? You've been played!
At this moment, Arthur just happened to glance over at Old Flame.
Old Flame immediately shut his mouth, signaling that he would absolutely not say a word.
And so, Arthur smiled with satisfaction.
Their chemistry was as good as ever. Everything was understood without a word.
Lina glanced suspiciously at her father.
She always felt that there was some shady deal between her father and the master. But unfortunately, the young Charizard still didn't understand the complexities of the human heart, or the slipperiness of the city…
The little dragoness still didn't know that she had inadvertently helped Arthur to "trap" her Uncle Specter.
One day, they will all understand: the longest road you'll ever walk is your trainer's strategy.
And so, from the next day on, Specter was also forced to join the juniors in their extreme, all-you-can-train special training.
In truth, just pursuing Mega Evolution didn't have to be so tiring. But Arthur's goal for Specter was, after all, completely different from that of Old Flame's mate.
For Old Flame's mate, it was really just a matter of being able to evolve, and nothing else was required. But Specter was different. Arthur certainly hoped that his Mega form would help him take his combat power to the next level!
So, the necessary preparations were naturally much greater.
Fortunately, the regular season was also coming to an end. Starlight and Frost's position was clear, and there was nothing to be particularly worried about.
In their final match of the regular season, they unfortunately lost to the Demon King Team, but it was of no consequence. It didn't affect their final ranking.
In the end, the regular season concluded. The Starlight and Frost team finished with a record of 14 wins and 2 losses, ranking second, just behind the Blaze Team. They successfully advanced to the winner's bracket of the playoffs.
And as luck would have it, their opponent in the first round of the playoffs would be the very same Demon King Team that had just beaten them at the end of the regular season!
"Speaking of which, we really are fated to meet the Demon King Team," Bella said to Arthur with a smile when she saw the playoff bracket.
"Indeed," Arthur replied with a smile.
It really was a coincidence. Last year, when the two of them were still at the Sea Carp team, their first-round opponent in the playoffs had also been the Demon King Team!
This year, they had changed teams, their record had greatly improved, but their first-round opponent was still the Demon King!
It really was an unusual fate!
This year's Demon King Team had also improved a lot, especially their captain, Roman: after his regrettable loss in last year's "Best Captain" vote, he seemed to have let go of his inhibitions and completely unleashed his power!
On the stage of last year's League Cup singles tournament, he had taken the championship, becoming the current strongest singles player in the Kubfu Alliance!
And this year's rule change was undoubtedly great news for Roman and the Demon King Team.
Because in the past, no matter how strong Roman was in singles, he could at most get a shutout and score three points. But now, the final captain's battle was a point-difference system. In theory, he could score up to six points on his own!
That's very scary!
In the just-concluded regular season, Roman could be said to have transformed into a ruthless scoring machine! He was the player with the highest average score per match among all seventeen teams!
Even higher than Arthur, who had a perfect win record and multiple shutouts!
An average score of over three points per match, the number one in the captain's battle win rate!
You could say that Roman had almost single-handedly lifted the Demon King Team to a position on par with the new generation's "big three."
This year's Demon King Team was even more terrifying than the one Arthur had faced when he was with the Sea Carp.
But all of that was still a few weeks away.
And what was imminent was undoubtedly: the temporarily opened transfer window, and the upcoming All-Star Weekend.
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