Chapter 36: Post-Match Interview
"Damn, attack, attack!! Keep pressuring him!!"
In Farfetch'd's mind, his owner's urging voice kept ringing, wave after wave, like a death-chasing Wolf.
In fact, he did try to follow the command.
But as he did, he felt increasingly powerless...
Froakie still had "Bubble," a mid-range attack move, to use for follow-ups, but the current Farfetch'd hadn't learned "Air Cutter." His only means of attacking was close combat.
And the stiffness caused by the Paralyze Berry was most impactful on close combat!
The slashing speed of "Fury Cutter" was affected and wasn't swift enough, often dodged by Froakie.
The speed of drawing the sword in "False Swipe" was no longer sharp enough, and its trajectory was repeatedly read through by the enemy.
Finally, he had one last Normal-type move, "Slash," but Farfetch'd dared not use it.
Because after the heavy chop of this move, there would be a significant pause. If the move failed to hit, he was particularly afraid that Froakie would rush up again, seize his leek, and throw it out of bounds.
Sometimes moves don't necessarily have to be used to be effective.
Once Froakie demonstrated the "Thief" move, even though he didn't use it now, Farfetch'd didn't dare to be careless even for a moment, constantly gripping his leek tightly.
This was probably what they called deterrence.
Under the dual influence of this deterrence and the Paralyze Berry juice, Farfetch'd's fighting became increasingly weaker.
But he couldn't retreat.
Because retreating meant endless harassment from "Bubble." He had no way to counterattack at that range.
As time passed, even the official commentator, who was usually afraid of being called a jinx, boldly made a prediction at this time.
"Farfetch'd's close-range pressure is getting weaker and weaker. Unless a miracle happens, this match will likely end for him."
"Damn, what are you doing?! Fury Cutter! Again! Cut him down!!"
In the telepathic connection, the owner's voice became increasingly frantic.
Farfetch'd swung his leek again, but because he was too slow, Froakie grabbed the leek.
Crap!
He cursed inwardly and desperately clenched the leek.
But the next moment, he found that Froakie's hand holding the leek wasn't covered in the black smoke of Dark-type energy.
The opponent... didn't use the move?!
In that moment, he vaguely saw Froakie grinning at him.
He had been tricked!
This thought had just flashed through his mind when the huge paw landed on his face.
Froakie used the move "Pound" with his free paw, and it was super effective!
After one strike, Froakie jumped up and performed a series of aerial kicks, then gracefully landed a 270-degree backflip, took a deep breath, and spat out a series of water bubbles.
Farfetch'd, who was knocked back, was stiffening again, his speed slowed, so he couldn't disperse the water bubbles in time.
"Bang bang bang!"
A series of explosions rang out densely.
After the noise, all that was left was a pile of Farfetch'd's feathers...
The referee blew the whistle and raised the flag in a timely manner, signaling Froakie not to pursue.
The winner of this match was decided - Farfetch'd had completely fallen and couldn't fight anymore.
The moment the whistle sounded, the audience in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
At this time, Eleanor Vance, sitting in the audience, opened her mouth in shock.
He... actually won?!
And Arthur remained as calm as ever.
Seeing Darren on the opposing player platform silently recalling Farfetch'd into his Poké Ball and about to leave, he also called out to Froakie and prepared to head back.
Until he was intercepted halfway by the host who ran onto the stage, and dragged back to the center of the field.
Only after being reminded did he realize that there was a post-match interview segment for the winners.
The host was also speechless.
It was her first time seeing a player win a match and try to leave faster than the loser. If she had taken longer to touch up her makeup, the winner might have disappeared...
Standing in the center of the field after the battle, facing the five hovering Magnemite with cameras constantly filming, Arthur still wore his usual business smile, without showing much excitement or elation.
Even the host interviewing him was more emotional than him.
"First of all, let's congratulate the winner, Mr. Arthur! It can be said that this victory was quite unexpected. He was heavily underestimated before the match and faced almost humiliating provocation from his opponent. Even under these circumstances, our young Mr. Arthur still delivered an amazing victory. So now, let's ask our Mr. Arthur, what do you have to say after winning?"
Taking the microphone, Arthur thought for a second, then looked down at his advertisement shirt.
"Oh, first of all, allow me to introduce a Pokémon energy drink, Red Taurus Energy Drink, for your Pokémon's most abundant energy. As for what I have to say... well... I'm pretty happy, I guess."
When he recited the advertisement slogan in a monotone voice, the smile on the host's face froze...
The audience seats, at this moment, burst into laughter.
"Wow... what a marketing genius..."
"The sponsor has really struck gold..."
Jokes like this spread rapidly throughout the stands.
The host was trying her best to control the situation.
"It can be seen that our Mr. Arthur doesn't care at all about the opinions of others. Whether it was the questioning he faced before the match or the feelings he's sharing after, he never forgets to promote the sponsor."
The host paused here, allowing Arthur to speak.
Arthur said, "Because I took the job and got paid."
"..."
The host was speechless again...
I didn't ask you to answer that, oh my!
Everyone knows that, you don't have to say it, right?
You've completely ruined my train of thought...
The host tried hard to suppress the inner rage that almost made her break down and run away. She maintained her smile and continued, "Earlier before the match, your opponent happened to question you about this. So I'd like to ask Mr. Arthur again, were you affected by your opponent's words?"
Hearing this question, Arthur pondered for a second.
This pause almost scared the host again.
Fortunately, he didn't recite the advertisement slogan a second time, avoiding further irritation to the poor interview host.
When he looked up again, he smiled and said calmly, "No, I don't think there's any conflict between participating in a match and taking on a commercial deal, right? Besides, isn't winning the only thing that matters?"
The audience thought this was a good answer, and the host also breathed a sigh of relief: at least the conversation rhythm was back to normal.
Only Darren, who had already left the stage, heard this and his face turned extremely ugly.
These words, just like Froakie's slapping strike, landed hard on his face.
As if mocking him: So what if you said a lot before the match?
Winning is all that matters.
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We've hit 200 Power Stones goal As promised, here's the bonus chapter. Thank you for your support—please keep it coming!