Chapter 18: First Battle
Arthur and his opponent arrived at the front of Venue 3 at the same time, showed their number plates to the staff by the field, and then walked towards the competition positions.
The Pokémon competition field was a rectangle, with players standing at the midpoint of the short sides.
Arthur was still holding the selfie stick at this point.
He had asked the staff whether he could film, and they said he could do as he pleased, so he continued.
At this time, his opponent in this match suddenly shouted at him, "Hey, bro, are you here to check in? Do you want to wait until you finish taking pictures before we start? I can wait."
Arthur replied calmly, "No need."
From the opponent's tone and expression, he read the meaning of mockery, but honestly, he didn't understand the point of the mockery at all.
As a newbie internet celebrity, he didn't know what "checking in" meant, let alone grasp the business essence of "one photo at the start, the rest is all made up."
Eleanor Vance told him that since he was participating in the competition, he should record the process, so he had been recording since he registered and got his number in the morning.
Obviously, he didn't know how real internet celebrities "elaborately" recorded their lives with selection.
So naturally, he didn't understand what the opponent was mocking.
When he said no need, he really meant no need.
The next moment, Froakie had very proactively jumped into the hard soil field in front.
He had been forced to train so hard every day, he had long been suppressed and wanted to beat someone up, of course, except for his owner, who he couldn't beat.
Pokémon competition fields are generally made of compacted hard soil.
They don't use concrete or plastic because if Ground-type Pokémon dig holes, and Grass-type Pokémon scatter grass seeds, the staff responsible for repairing the field might explode.
At this time, the opponent's expression changed from being relieved to slightly serious.
Because he found that the competition was about to start, and Arthur not only didn't plan to give up after taking a photo, but was still recording with his phone.
He asked uneasily, "Are you live-streaming or recording?"
"Live-streaming, I guess," Arthur confirmed and replied.
"I advise you to switch to recording, so you can cut this part out if you lose."
The opponent originally wanted to subtly mock Arthur with these words and mess with his mentality.
But unexpectedly, Arthur suddenly looked enlightened.
"Oh, so it can be like this? I'll remember that next time."
"..."
Damn it...
The opponent felt like his own mentality was becoming unstable.
At this time, the staff at the field urged them, and he couldn't delay any longer, so he quickly summoned his own Pokémon.
The opponent's Pokémon was a Scyther.
Type: Bug + Flying.
A very classic "beginner-friendly" Pokémon.
Because as a base form, Scyther has one of the best combat powers among unevolved Pokémon, so it is born very strong.
This makes it very popular among novice trainers.
Hence the name "beginner-friendly."
Arthur didn't look down on his opponent because he used a "beginner-friendly" Pokémon, nor was he afraid of Scyther's strong early-stage combat power.
He just calmly treated this match.
Scyther's Bug + Flying type has no type disadvantage against Froakie's Water type.
This match was winnable, that was all.
Then the staff blew the whistle, and the match officially started!
"Scyther, Quick Attack!" the opponent commanded first.
The opponent also seemed more used to shouting out commands.
Scyther immediately started upon hearing the command, dashing forward!
Scyther is shaped like its name, resembling a standing large praying mantis, and the ends of its two forelimbs are extremely sharp sickle blades, as bright as curved swords.
Using the "Quick Attack" move, Scyther quickly closed the distance.
But Arthur's reaction was equally fast. The moment the opponent started, his command was also issued.
"Smokescreen!"
This was a new move that Froakie had just mastered after training so much these days.
The effect is to spray a large cloud of gray mist from his mouth to block the enemy's vision.
The thick smoke spread rapidly, and Scyther, charging in a straight line, could no longer change direction at this time, and could only plunge into the smoke.
Vaguely, he felt like he had successfully hit something, but in a flash, he couldn't see anything in front of him. Scyther couldn't confirm the result either.
At this time, Arthur first used the psychic link to confirm Froakie's status, and the reply he received was "Just a small injury."
With this, he was relieved and smoothly transitioned to the next command.
"Leer!"
Immediately after, a sharp and ear-piercing croaking sound came from the smoke, making people's skin crawl.
Normal-type move: Leer.
It disturbs the enemy with its unpleasant croaking, making the opponent irritable. Long-term harassment can also disrupt the elemental energy in the enemy's body, causing them to cast spells slower and reducing the power of their moves.
"Smokescreen" and "Leer" are both very basic moves, many Pokémon are born with them, but few use them in such an organized and disgusting way in a match.
It had only been a few seconds since the opening, and the opponent was already feeling uncomfortable.
"Scyther, retreat first."
The opponent helplessly had to let Scyther withdraw from the smoky area.
Scyther's strength lies in close combat. Normally, it should keep pressuring and chasing the opponent to slash, but now it ran into a smoke demon at the beginning, and the opponent was also playing very frustratingly.
But even if the opponent chickened out, Arthur didn't intend to let him go easily.
"Quick Attack!"
Scyther knows this move, but so does Froakie!
Seizing the moment when the opponent withdrew from the smoke, before his vision could adjust to the sudden change, Froakie chased out like lightning, trailing rolling smoke behind him, like a roaring bullet, and rammed into Scyther's waist.
"Screech!"
Scyther raised his head and screamed, his expression visibly in pain.
However, although it took a full hit, the opponent's face showed not worry, but joy.
"Now, Scyther, use Fury Cutter!"
Scyther's best skill is close combat!
He was not afraid of the opponent rushing up, on the contrary, he was only afraid of the opponent not coming!
At this moment, he felt his chance had come!
Upon the command, Scyther immediately gathered energy, and the sickle blades on his forelimbs shone with a silvery white halo, as if the weapon had an enchantment effect.
Then he slashed out, the light from the blade was bright and dazzling, deadly and beautiful!
Bug-type move, also one of Scyther's signature moves: Fury Cutter!
However, Arthur's expression was still calm.
He had long expected to face this move.
Few Scyther in this world don't know "Fury Cutter." It's their bread and butter skill.
His actions weren't reckless, but rather he had already considered that he would encounter this move when he ordered Froakie to use "Quick Attack" and charge.
"Crouch!"
In a moment of intense competition, his command was unusually concise.
And Froakie's trust in him was unconditional. Upon hearing "Crouch," he immediately lowered himself.
The bright blade light then swept past Froakie's head, almost cutting off a piece of his upper eyelid.
"Retreat!"
Froakie again obeyed unconditionally, jumping back and away.
The second "Fury Cutter" slashed vertically, the blade almost grazed his lips before finally hitting the ground.
"Endure!"
The third slash, Arthur calmly judged that there was no way to retreat, and directly ordered to endure.
Although Froakie shivered a little, the effects of long-term training took hold. He gritted his teeth and did as he was told, raising his arms to block his head.
"Slash!"
Scyther's slash finally hit, cutting a bright red mark on Froakie's arm.
But Pokémon have very strong physiques. Froakie had a tough skin, and Scyther's blade, although sharp, wasn't enough to cut him in half with one blow when the strength of the two sides was roughly equal.
And at this point, Arthur finally ushered in the counterattack opportunity he wanted.
"Lick!"
From this moment on, it was time to switch offense and defense!
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 100 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)