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The double battle unfolding before the crowd attracted considerable attention from spectators, as many people present wanted to defeat the Frontier Brain to obtain a high-level lottery ticket, but they remained uncertain about the Frontier Brain's actual strength and were hesitant to risk wasting their hard-earned money.
This particular battle presented a perfect opportunity for everyone to gauge Benson's true capabilities and skill level.
"Battle begin!" the referee announced officially.
"Murkrow, use Tailwind!" Benson commanded his support Pokemon.
"Darmanitan, use Icicle Crash to attack Meowscarada!" he ordered his primary attacker.
Benson's strategy was quite obvious and predictable, exactly as Jacob had anticipated: Murkrow would provide crucial support with Tailwind, while Darmanitan would handle all the offensive pressure.
Since Jacob had seen through the strategy so clearly, he naturally thought of an effective way to counter it.
"Meowscarada, use Sucker Punch to attack Darmanitan!" Nina called out decisively.
"Cinderace, use Sucker Punch to attack Darmanitan!" Jacob commanded simultaneously.
Jacob and Nina hadn't discussed their tactical approach beforehand, but both trainers made exactly the same strategic choice almost simultaneously.
They exchanged a knowing smile across the battlefield.
This demonstrated the unspoken understanding that existed between skilled trainers; both had seen through Benson's strategy and conceived of the identical counter-attack.
While Tailwind could significantly speed up Darmanitan, the move wasn't without viable counters.
The Sucker Punch move represented the best possible countermeasure. Sucker Punch was a very special move, classified as a Dark-type physical attack, and its base power wasn't particularly high under normal circumstances.
However, Sucker Punch possessed a very unique and valuable effect: if the target was actively using an attacking move, then in most battle situations, it could strike before the opponent could complete their action.
This move was also one of the few priority moves available among Dark-type attacks. Although it had certain usage restrictions that trainers needed to consider, its effect was surprisingly effective when used correctly.
Murkrow was flapping its wings energetically, using Tailwind to boost its team's speed, while Darmanitan was concentrating intensely to form a massive ice pillar for its attack.
Meanwhile, Meowscarada's and Cinderace's attacks had already arrived at their target. Dark-type energy enveloped their bodies completely, increasing their movement speed dramatically, and in the blink of an eye, they had pounced to positions directly beside Darmanitan.
At that exact moment, both the Libero ability and Protean ability activated simultaneously!
Meowscarada and Cinderace were both enveloped in swirling Dark-type energy, changing their own typing to Dark, and the Sucker Punch move also received a valuable same-type attack bonus for increased damage.
Originally, the base power of Sucker Punch wasn't particularly impressive, but with the same-type attack bonus applied, its power became quite astonishing and dangerous.
This was especially true since Meowscarada and Cinderace were both high-speed physical attackers with excellent Attack statistics, while Darmanitan's Defense stat was notoriously low, comparable to that of a Magikarp. It was highly probable that the Fire-type Pokemon couldn't withstand two consecutive Sucker Punch attacks.
"Bang!"
Meowscarada's sharp claws, completely enveloped in crackling Dark-type energy, slammed directly onto Darmanitan's vulnerable body, heavily injuring the Fire-type Pokemon with just a single devastating blow.
Immediately afterward, Cinderace's powerful kick, also enveloped in Dark-type energy, struck Darmanitan with tremendous force, sending it flying across the battlefield and collapsing to the ground, having completely lost its ability to continue battling.
"Whoa!" the crowd exclaimed in amazement.
The entire scene erupted in an uproar of surprise; absolutely no one had expected Benson, an Elite-level Frontier Brain, to have his primary Darmanitan instantly knocked out of commission.
This battle had ended far too quickly; in just one round of attacks, the victor had been decisively determined.
Of course, this wasn't because Benson was particularly weak as a trainer, but rather because Jacob and Nina were exceptionally strong competitors. Both were top-tier trainers in competitive battle; one was the Champion of the Frosthollow Province High School Cup, while the other was already an established Heavenly King-level trainer. It was perfectly normal and expected for them to defeat a Frontier Brain with relative ease.
With Darmanitan eliminated from the battle, only a lone Murkrow remained on the field, clearly unable to cause any meaningful trouble for the opposing team.
"Meowscarada, use Knock Off," Nina commanded strategically.
Even with victory virtually assured, Nina still approached the battle with complete seriousness and professionalism. She continued to have Meowscarada use Knock Off to remove the valuable Eviolite that Murkrow was holding.
"Cinderace, use Pyro Ball!" Jacob called out his finishing move.
With the explosive Pyro Ball move connecting successfully, Jacob and Nina easily secured their victory in the battle, and they successfully obtained the coveted high-level lottery tickets they had originally desired.
"Congratulations to both of you for defeating our Frontier Brain," the staff member announced professionally. "Half of your original challenge fee will be refunded to your account."
Perhaps it had been quite some time since her last competitive battle, as Nina was noticeably excited beneath her composed exterior. Although her mask successfully hid her smile, her curved eyebrows clearly revealed her excellent mood and satisfaction.
Holding their newly earned lottery tickets, they made their way to the official lottery station.
Small, medium, and large boxes corresponded to basic, intermediate, and advanced lottery draws respectively.
Jacob carefully scanned the prizes displayed in the advanced prize pool and discovered that the rewards offered by the Battle Frontier were indeed very impressive and valuable, including not only rare Dragon-type Pokemon but also many useful items and special Pokemon eggs.
Of course, the actual chance of winning the grand prize was disappointingly small, only a few tenths of a percent. Jacob couldn't help but grumble under his breath, "What dishonest merchants!"
Although the probability of winning the grand prize was extremely low, it didn't affect Nina's enthusiasm in the slightest. She walked confidently to the lottery box, prepared to take the first draw, reached her hand into the box, randomly grabbed a prize ticket, and pulled it out carefully.
She retrieved a special key and scratched off the metallic coating.
"Congratulations, you have won one bottle of Premium Nutrient Solution (Trial Size)."
The trial-size nutrient solution was clearly the lowest-tier consolation prize, worth only about fifty thousand Pokedollars. Nina looked at her modest prize and felt slightly disappointed. She turned to Jacob and said, "You should draw quickly. My luck clearly isn't very good today. Let's see how your luck compares; it must be better than mine."
"Alright," Jacob smiled warmly, walked to the lottery box, and looked at the container filled with tickets. Suddenly, an interesting idea sparked in his mind; he wanted to test if he could use his system to gain an advantage.
Jacob reached his hand into the lottery box, and every time he touched a different ticket, his system immediately provided a helpful prompt.
"Prize ticket (Congratulations, you have won one bottle of Premium Nutrient Solution (Trial Size))"
"Prize ticket (Congratulations, you have won one C-grade Thunder Stone)"
This unexpected discovery filled Jacob with secret delight. He hadn't expected his system to possess such a useful cheating function.
What a shame. If only he had discovered the system's effect earlier, Jacob would have gone straight to purchasing scratch-off tickets, playing card games, and participating in various gambling activities. Becoming the God of Gamblers in the Pokemon world would have been just around the corner.
Pokemon: I Am Not the God of Gamblers.
Since his system could effectively cheat the lottery system, Jacob naturally aimed for the grand prize. However, to his genuine surprise, after carefully feeling around the entire box, he couldn't locate the grand prize ticket anywhere inside the container!
The highest prize he could find was a second-place prize ticket.
Damn it! What black-hearted merchants!
Jacob couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Definitely dishonest merchants, no business operates without some deception!"
Sure enough, those who operated large businesses were all morally questionable. This promotional event was supposed to last an entire month; how could they possibly allow someone to win the grand prize on the very first day? They were clearly counting on that rare Dragon-type Pokemon egg to attract customers and maintain interest.
Even with his advanced cheating methods, he couldn't outsmart their business tactics.
If Jacob were the business owner, he would employ the same strategy: a thirty-day promotional event, releasing a second-place prize every few days to maintain customer interest, and then, after approximately twenty-five days, when the excitement had built to a peak, arrange for a planted customer to claim the grand prize.
This approach would generate publicity and recover the prize investment—killing two birds with one stone.
There was never such a thing as a free lunch in this world. Hoping to become wealthy by winning lotteries or drawings was less realistic than finding a wealthy benefactor.
Despite his disappointment, Jacob selected the best available ticket and prepared to claim his second-place prize, knowing that sometimes even small victories were worth celebrating.