Chapter 431: Punch Out, Water Stream Rock Smashing!
Little Eevee, by itself, had managed to stall for nearly four minutes.
The swampy terrain had only a little bit of time left.
And at this moment, Arthur finally brought out the Pokémon he had truly intended to use against Swampert—Greninja!
Some fans got excited.
"The main course is finally being served! Is Arthur's 'light' personality finally coming online?!"
But some fans were also worried.
"Can Greninja handle it? Why not just send out Gengar or Charizard? That would be more stable, right?"
Although the fans all recognized the strength of Arthur's ace Pokémon, that generally only referred to Old Flame and Specter.
The commentator's tone was also filled with concern. "For this round, Arthur has sent out his Greninja. To this day, we are still not sure if Arthur's Greninja is his counter-pick Pokémon or his third ace. Perhaps in this match, we will get some answers."
The main reason everyone was so conflicted about Greninja's position was that in the lineups of most singles players, the number of ace Pokémon never exceeded three.
This was influenced by the rules of the competition.
Because before this season, the main event for singles players was the 6-on-3 singles match. The maximum number of Pokémon that could be used in a single match was only three, so three aces were enough.
Training more aces has a relatively low cost-effectiveness. It's better to train a variety of counter-pick and support Pokémon of different types.
Just as Leo's three strongest aces are Noivern, Hydreigon, and Arcanine;
Leo's three aces are Cloyster, Azumarill, and Weavile;
And Roman's three strongest aces are Swampert, Ludicolo, and Poliwrath.
No one's aces exceed three. This has become a norm.
And on Arthur's side, because his thinking is more inclined to his style as a combatant in his past life, he has never paid much attention to this conventional rule. When he trains his Pokémon, he doesn't specifically distinguish between ace and counter-pick.
But he doesn't care, but the fans and the audience do!
Even Greninja itself cares, just a little bit!
The proud ninja doesn't say it, but his personality is very competitive. Since he was a child in the small pond of the free-range center, he had set his sights on being the boss of the fish pond! The most handsome frog in the whole area!
Now, in front of the juniors like Little Lapras and Little Eevee, he has always considered himself the big brother.
He accepts that he can't compete with the seniors like Old Flame and Specter, but he can't lose to the other Pokémon!
If the master is limited to three aces, then the third one will definitely be me, Greninja!
Not some counter-pick Pokémon!
He is a frog who will be an ace!
Then let's start with this battle!
At the start of the match, the grassy and watery energy of the swamp had not yet completely dissipated. When Greninja entered the field, the ground under its feet was still muddy.
The opposing Swampert seized this last bit of time and, without hesitation, charged forward!
"Swampert, use Tackle to accelerate! Attack!"
The commentators' first guess was: "Arthur should probably back off a bit, right? After all, the swamp only has a few dozen seconds left."
But this time, Arthur felt Greninja's soaring fighting spirit!
His command was unexpected.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken! Meet the enemy!"
Both commentators were stunned for a moment.
"What?! Arthur isn't choosing to back off? Is he really going to fight it out before the swamp disappears? Is that really a good idea?"
Although the fans were also nervous and confused, they didn't forget to spam the chat.
"He's back! It's all back!"
"This is the Arthur we know!"
Greninja threw out three shurikens in a row, but then it didn't rush to throw any more. The remaining energy was converted into water kunai, which it temporarily held in its hands.
And after getting in close, Roman's side also didn't rush to use an ultimate.
"Swampert, Ice Punch!"
Unfortunately, Little Eevee had used up all of Swampert's move slots in the last round. Otherwise, in this situation, it would have been better to test the waters with Brick Break or Waterfall. Ice Punch was a choice born of necessity.
The opposing Greninja had just entered the field, and it had many move options. Roman didn't want to rashly commit to an ultimate move, lest it be easily dodged.
But this time, Arthur really didn't dodge.
"Take it head-on! Counterattack!"
Greninja, relying on its own Water type's resistance to Ice, braced itself: arms crossed, legs spread, and took the full force of its opponent's powerful punch!
The Pokémon changed, and Arthur's command style also did a 360-degree turn!
Now, he was incredibly aggressive!
After taking the punch, Greninja slid back several meters in the mud, almost falling to its knees.
His opponent's strength was as terrifying as the rumors said!
Fortunately, the Baby-Doll Eyes and Charm that Little Eevee had repeatedly spammed on his opponent before leaving still had some residual effect, which helped Greninja to withstand this punch!
Then, it brandished its kunai and took a step forward to begin its counterattack!
Roman raised an eyebrow.
Although he didn't understand why his opponent had suddenly gone crazy, he was naturally happy to accept this kind of exchange.
"Swampert, trade blows with it!"
The commentators were also extremely surprised. "Arthur spent four minutes with great difficulty to create such a favorable situation. Why would he choose to fight head-on with his opponent at this final moment? Although it's very cool, it's not very rational!"
So, was Arthur really just trying to be cool?
At this moment, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Of course not!
Because in this last bit of time that the swamp existed, it would be the period when his opponent was the most anxious, the most impatient!
Only at this point would Roman attack without any reservations. Even if it was a probing attack, his mind would be focused on how to expand his advantage!
This was the period when his opponent's offense was the most focused!
But at the same time, it would also be the golden period when his opponent's defense was the most lax!
Arthur had risked a head-on clash at this time precisely to seize this lapse in his opponent's defensive awareness and give him a surprise!
"Now! Sidestep! Water Stream Rock Smashing!"
At this point in time, the Swampert would not defend, nor would it dodge!
Because Roman was now in a hurry!
He really wanted to seize these last few dozen seconds of the swamp!
So, only now was Arthur confident of a guaranteed hit!
Greninja ducked its head, and with a quick, sliding sidestep, it dodged Swampert's sweeping arm. At the same time, it advanced a small step, completely closing the distance into Swampert's guard!
Before it was its opponent's chest, exposed by the swinging arm!
With a flip of its wrist, the water kunai dissolved, disappearing, becoming a small stream of water that spun and wrapped around its wrist!
As it drew back its right arm to build up power, these streams of water traced a graceful, ethereal trajectory in the air, like silk ribbons!
This one punch was the culmination of all of Greninja's recent hard work and sweat!
Locking onto the center of the Swampert's chest—
Punch out!
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist!
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