Chapter 601: On the Edge of the Cliff
The group stage lasted twenty-four days, with a total of two rounds, meaning each team would face the other teams in their group twice.
Now, twelve days had passed, and the first round of the round-robin was complete.
The situation in each group was becoming clear.
Except for the Fearless Team from the White Eagle Alliance and the Free Iris Team from the Siren Alliance, all number one seeds had held their top spots in their respective groups.
Among them, the Three Waves Team from the wild card region stood out, leading all teams with the highest point differential after three matches, becoming the biggest dark horse of this Champions Cup so far.
This was something no one had expected before the tournament.
That night, the professional players from the Kubfu Alliance gathered to chat. Someone teased, "As expected of the Ageless Wind King. He's still got it. He hasn't lost a single Captain's Match yet, right?"
Since Leo was now a wild card player, he generally didn't hang out with them, but that didn't stop everyone from talking about him.
From a player's perspective, most people didn't actually dislike Leo.
Only certain extreme fans were truly annoying.
However, when the topic of undefeated captains came up today, some people couldn't help but feel depressed.
"We have an undefeated captain here too..."
Everyone fell silent.
Because the person who spoke was a player from the Metro Team.
Currently, there were only two players from the Kubfu Alliance who remained undefeated in the Captain's Match—
One was Arthur, which everyone was used to.
The other was Roman from the Metro Team!
In the high-intensity competition of the Champions Cup, even Luna from the Otter Team and Forrest from the Blaze Team had given up their "first blood" in the first stage of the group stage. Only Arthur and Roman remained undefeated.
But their situations were worlds apart.
Starlight and Frost was currently undefeated, ranked first in their group with strong momentum and a top-three point differential. Their prospects were bright.
The Metro Team, however, had one win and two losses, only beating the wild card team in their group. Their chances of advancing were precarious.
Even the Metro Team player sounded depressed and guilty when he spoke.
Their captain had beaten Future Yuzuru, beaten the prodigy from Sinnoh, and remained undefeated!
But they were dragging their captain down, like a bunch of terrible teammates.
It felt terrible...
Especially tomorrow, the final moment deciding their fate was coming!
The second round of the group stage would no longer be a slow rotation, but would be settled group by group. The first day's matches would all be from the same group.
Group A was first, meaning that with four matches tomorrow and two the day after, the final list of advancing teams from Group A would be decided!
In the worst-case scenario, they were only two days away from taking a taxi to the airport.
Everyone comforted them upon hearing this.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe there's still a chance."
"Yeah, consecutive matches within two days are a severe test for all teams. Your opponents might not be able to handle it either!"
"Believe in your captain!"
These words cheered up the Metro Team player slightly.
Because one thing everyone said was right: when the second round of the group stage started the consecutive battle mode, variables increased significantly. Even strong teams might not be able to handle it!
The reason was simple: with consecutive matches within two days, if a Pokémon was seriously injured, healing would definitely not keep up.
Stamina, endurance, and the trainer's concentration would all be severely tested!
The organizers knew this would be a problem, but it was exactly the effect they wanted.
Variables made the matches exciting, and the audience loved it.
As for the problem of Pokémon not healing in time and stamina failing due to consecutive battles, the organizers' answer was simple—
As professional players, you should overcome these difficulties!
Because this difficulty is fairly given to all teams.
The Metro Team player took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
"That's right, there's still a chance!"
Arthur and his team were also paying attention.
"Fortunately, we're not in Group A, so we don't have to go first," Aaron sighed.
Captain Leo nodded at this moment.
"Yes, let's see the intensity of the confrontation tomorrow. If it's too high, we might need to adjust our tactics."
The competitive intensity of the Champions Cup was much higher than the professional league!
No team here was weak.
Since it was their first time participating in the Champions Cup, it was necessary to gather more intelligence and adjust in time.
Then came the thirteenth match day, the life-and-death battle for Group A began!
At this time, sure enough, everyone brought out their best skills!
In the first match, the wild card team that had been treated as a punching bag in the group exploded, drawing with the Platinum Team and becoming the first spoiler!
However, in the second match, the Metro Team still couldn't defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox Team, remaining third in the group.
In the third match, the Nine-Tailed Fox Team crushed the Platinum Team;
In the fourth match, the Metro Team successfully defeated the spoiler wild card team!
At the end of the day, although the Metro Team was still third in the group (two wins, three losses), they saw a glimmer of hope for advancing!
That night, the hearts of all Kubfu viewers tightened!
Group A only had two matches left.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Team continued their dominance, currently five wins and undefeated, already confirmed to advance as first in the group.
The Metro Team with two wins and three losses, and the Platinum Team with two wins, one draw, and two losses, both still had a chance to advance.
But that night, heartbreaking news came—
"Captain Roman's Swampert likely won't recover before tomorrow's match."
This news pressed on everyone's hearts like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.
During dinner, Leo sighed. "Sure enough, we can't underestimate any team in the Champions Cup. When it's our turn, maybe we must consider conserving Pokémon stamina in the first half of the schedule."
The results of Group A wouldn't affect their advancement, but the process was enough to show them many problems—
The intensity of the confrontation here was too high!
Even the wild card team, originally thought to be free points, jumped up and hit the Platinum Team in the knees.
The intensity between other teams was maxed out!
Without arrangements, they would inevitably face situations where main Pokémon got injured and couldn't heal in time.
This was the Champions Cup!
Not the domestic professional league.
Expecting Pokémon to win easily without injury was destined to be impossible...
"Even Roman's Swampert couldn't withstand this intensity."
Arthur, who had actually fought Roman, felt this deeply: Roman's Swampert was slow and a bit clumsy, but its thick skin and ability to take a beating were top-notch!
If even such a Pokémon couldn't handle two high-intensity matches a day, one could imagine the others...
Tomorrow's final life-and-death battle, the Metro Team was truly standing on the edge of a cliff!
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