69novels Chapter 119 Counterattack and Defeat
Chapter 119 Counterattack and Defeat
Chapter 119 Counterattack and Defeat
The atmosphere on the second day of the competition was completely different from that on the first day.
If the first day's theme was "showcase" and "crushing", then the bloody battles from the round of 64 to the round of 32, and then to the round of 16, had an added touch of brutal elimination tournament atmosphere, as well as—unexpected surprises.
The morning's round of 32 saw the first major upset of the tournament so far.
The battle takes place in the Rock Field.
On one side is Lin Qi from Shengjing, a major city in Northeast China. His Steelix is huge and has a cold metallic luster. It is clearly the result of a lot of resources being invested in its careful cultivation. It is a high-ranking seed in the points competition and is a sure-fire spot in the top 16 in the pre-competition predictions.
On the other side was Serjan, a dark-skinned Uyghur lad with a simple smile, from Kashgar in the northwest border region. His companion was a fire-breathing camel that looked honest and even a little clumsy.
Although Serjan's fire-breathing camel was spirited, it seemed to be slightly inferior in size and imposing manner. In everyone's eyes, this was a duel with no suspense.
The battle began, and Steelix first used "Quicksand Hell" to control Cameroon, and then used "Tackle" to knock the trapped Cameroon away, giving Steelix the upper hand in the situation.
The Fire-Breathing Camel appeared to be struggling against Steelix's onslaught, its humps turning slightly red from constantly releasing "smoke" to defend itself. The audience almost wanted to congratulate Lin Qi in advance.
But Serjan's eyes remained calm.
He spoke in slightly accented Mandarin, and his instructions were concise and firm.
"Stay calm, remember the ground shaking!"
"Now! Keep spewing smoke to obstruct our view!"
"Don't be afraid, stick to it, and stomp on it!"
Camerupt executed the mission meticulously, and its tenacity, which was inconsistent with its honest appearance, and its unreserved trust in its trainer, gradually revealed its power.
By using the brief cover created by "smoke" and sensing ground vibrations, it miraculously avoided Steelix's fatal "impact" or "frozen fangs" time and time again.
Like the most experienced desert traveler, it searches for a glimmer of hope in the mist.
The turning point happened in an instant.
Steelix, unable to break through the defenses, grew increasingly impatient and finally resorted to "Sacrifice Charge" in an attempt to finish off the heavily wounded Cameroon in one blow.
Serjan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he almost roared, "Hold on! Fire-breathing camel! Use all your fire-breathing power!"
Camerupt was already poised to unleash its power, using its body to take the brunt of Steelix's self-sacrificing charge! Then, it channeled all its strength and fire-type energy into an unprecedentedly concentrated form, unleashing it at the temporarily exhausted Steelix!
"boom-!!!"
A powerful burst of flames exploded right in front of Steelix!
The giant steel snake seemed to be roasted, and then it was blasted away by the force of the explosion, letting out a painful hiss in the air.
"Fire-breathing camel, charge! Ram!" Serjan pressed his advantage, his voice hoarse but full of power.
With its four hooves pounding the ground, the fire-breathing camel, like a burning chariot, lowered its head and slammed all its weight and remaining force into the injured body of the steel snake!
"Bang!!"
The giant steel snake could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The referee's flag was promptly lowered.
A moment of silence fell over the entire arena, followed by a roar of cheers that were more enthusiastic than any previous victory, a mixture of shock and elation! A stunning upset! An underdog victory!
Coming from the most overlooked and marginalized place, they defeated a powerful opponent with the most simple yet surgically precise tactics!
Serjiang rushed onto the field and tightly embraced the panting, wounded fire-breathing camel, tears welling up in his eyes.
After a brief moment of distraction, Lin Qi, the opponent, recalled his Steelix into its Poké Ball and stepped forward, solemnly extending his hand to Serjiang.
In the stands, people from Kashgar embraced each other excitedly, waving their distinctive little hats.
At this moment, Serjiang and Camelfire not only won victory for themselves, but also became a symbol for countless ordinary trainers and dream chasers in marginalized areas.
Although Fire Camel was unfortunately defeated in the round of 16 in the afternoon due to his injury not being fully recovered, Serjan's name has been deeply etched in the hearts of many people.
As soon as the competition ended, congratulatory messages from his hometown, well wishes from friends, and encouragement from his family poured in. The Kashgar government even announced that it would hold a welcome celebration for him.
The slight gloom brought by the defeat was quickly dispelled by this weighty recognition and warmth.
The third day of competition saw the battle to determine the final four, and the intensity of the competition reached a new level.
The skill gap between players has narrowed further, and any small mistake or element of luck can sway the outcome of the battle.
The more crucial change is that the venue is no longer fixed to a type that favors one side, but is randomly selected by the system before the match.
This change greatly tested the players' adaptability and the versatility of their Pokémon.
Players who are poorly prepared or whose Pokémon types or tactics are severely countered by the terrain are likely to suffer a defeat.
The most regrettable accident happened to Zuo Meimei, a favorite to win the championship and a player from Chengdu.
Her domineering panda is powerful and fierce, and she swept through the competition in the first two days.
However, in the battle for a spot in the semifinals, the venue drawn by the system was—"the water venue".
The other side of the confrontation is Hu Tian, a relatively low-profile individual from the Qinghai Lake region, and his electric light monster.
In terms of type, the Water/Electric type Lantern has an absolute advantage over the Fighting type Pandaren, not to mention that the battlefield is Lantern's home turf—vast waters.
Zuo Meimei had obviously anticipated this situation. Her tactic was to use the domineering panda's amazing explosive power and jumping ability to quickly approach the floating platform and seek an opportunity for close combat.
However, Hu Tian was better prepared.
His "lightbulb" not only has excellent swimming skills, but he also set up hidden "charging" energy points underwater on several key floating platforms in advance.
At the start of the battle, the Lightbulb Monster dived into the water and used its speed advantage to harass the Panda with "water guns" and "electric shocks," forcing the Panda to maneuver on the narrow floating platform and wear down its stamina.
Zuo Meimei commanded the domineering panda to launch a brilliant surprise attack, using "Bullet Punch" to accelerate and almost leap across half the arena to pounce on the floating platform where the lamplight monster was peeking out.
But the cunning Lantern Monster submerged ahead of time and activated "Thunder" at the same time! The powerful current did not directly attack the Tyrant Panda, but was injected into the waters where it had previously "charged"!
In an instant, lightning crackled across the water where the domineering panda had landed and the adjacent floating platform area! The domineering panda screamed in agony, its body paralyzed, its movements distorted, and it lost its footing, falling into the water with a "plop"!
The Fighting-type Pokémon that fell into the water was doomed to face the Lanturn, who was poised to attack.
A precise and powerful "100,000 Volts" pierced through the water, and the domineering panda struggled for a moment before losing consciousness.
"The Tyrannical Panda is incapacitated! Blue Team's Hu Tian wins!"