Chapter 362: The Most Fundamental Difference
Was there a major problem with Chen Lin's approach?
He himself didn't think so, and neither did his past or present teams.
For a long time, most clubs and players in the Kubfu Alliance operated this way.
Especially two years ago, when he was in the critical period of transitioning to a main singles player. To prepare for the upcoming 6-on-3 singles format, he urgently needed to expand his Pokémon team, so he began to acquire and capture a large number of new Pokémon.
Just like Luna when she had first met Arthur.
Thinking back to the end of the year before last, when Arthur had just joined the Sea Carp team and Luna had first asked him for help, she too was following the club's arrangements, simultaneously training over a dozen backup Pokémon, constantly using a large sample size for trial and error.
The reason the club had arranged for Luna to do this was because, in the past, most doubles players who transitioned to main singles had followed this path.
In the past Kubfu professional circuit, this was not only not a mistake but a consensus, a proven "smooth path."
It was only after meeting Arthur that Luna had begun to change. Especially after she had personally witnessed her long-neglected Beedrill return to the professional stage after many years and deal explosive damage with Return. It was then that she had a sudden awakening and was determined to change her ways!
But Chen Lin, unfortunately, had never worked with Arthur.
So, on his path to becoming a main singles player, there was no awakening, no change, only constant capturing, delegating, and even abandoning.
He had painstakingly assembled a mediocre lineup by throwing a large number of Pokémon at the problem, and then relied on tactical execution and type matchups to strive for victory.
For example, after his Charizard was ultimately worn down and defeated by Lina in the first round, when Arthur sent out Greninja in the second, he immediately brought out a perfect counter: Galvantula.
Electric is super-effective against Water, and Bug is super-effective against Dark.
At the same time, Galvantula also had a very rare Poison-type move, Gastro Acid!
It could vomit its own stomach acid, imbuing it with energy and spitting it at the opponent. Any Pokémon hit by this acid would temporarily lose its ability.
It was a move specifically designed to counter Greninja's Protean ability!
In the previous match, the Serenity Team's Marilyn had also prepared this move to counter Greninja, but unfortunately, her team had collapsed too quickly, and she never got the chance to use it.
To be able to so accurately produce a specialized counter for Arthur's Pokémon was a testament to how much Chen Lin's roster had expanded since becoming a main singles player.
It was precisely because he had enough Pokémon that he could always bring out a counter and seize the advantage in type matchups.
You couldn't say this was completely useless. Type matchups are indeed a very important factor in Pokémon battles.
Even a powerhouse like Old Flame had been momentarily stumped by a lower-tier Primarina, simply because it happened to be Water/Fairy.
But to single-mindedly pursue tactics and type matchups, to capture too many Pokémon in the process, to waste time on procurement, delegation, and screening—in the end, you often overlook many more important things!
Real-life Pokémon are not just data in a video game, after all…
So, just as Chen Lin's Charizard couldn't beat Lina in the previous round, even after sealing Greninja's ability and countering its type in this round, his Galvantula was still being chased down and beaten by Greninja in close combat!
"Galvantula, use Bug Buzz while retreating!"
"Greninja, tank it! Rush forward, flip it over, and use Night Slash on its abdomen!"
Not long after the round started, Greninja had already endured the corrosion of Gastro Acid, ignored the clamor of Bug Buzz, and easily dodged Galvantula's front leg counterattacks. It got in close, grabbed two of its opponent's legs, and forcefully flipped it over!
Then, with one arm cloaked in the black energy of the Dark type, it decisively plunged a hand-blade into Galvantula's abdomen!
Although it's unknown whether arachnid Pokémon have kidneys, Greninja still instinctively aimed for this spot.
It had almost become a conditioned reflex for Greninja.
The moment it heard the command for Night Slash, its eyes would subconsciously lock onto the opponent's kidneys!
The joy of a kidney shot was fascinating to this frog.
After this blow, Greninja even mounted the Galvantula, seizing the opportunity to unleash a flurry of attacks!
It beat the Galvantula until it twitched and convulsed, its fluids splashing everywhere.
A few seconds later, Arthur read his opponent's command for Thunderbolt and had Greninja use Substitute to gracefully escape.
The teleportation distance of Substitute was just enough to be at the edge of Thunderbolt's range, avoiding the arc of electricity without getting too far away.
The moment the Galvantula finished discharging, it immediately rushed forward and easily flipped it onto its back again!
The gap in their close-combat experience made Galvantula seem like a helpless toy in front of Greninja. When its moves were on cooldown, it could only let Greninja do as it pleased, being easily pinned down and manipulated into various positions…
Chen Lin had single-mindedly expanded his Pokémon team. Although this made it easier for him to gain an advantage in type matchups, he had lost out on many other possibilities.
After that, Galvantula could only rely on the un-dodgeable sound wave attack, Bug Buzz, to deal some damage. Even after slowing Greninja with Electroweb, it still couldn't stop the frog from repeatedly flipping it over, prying open its six legs, and delivering powerful blows to its soft underbelly.
In the end, Galvantula's condition deteriorated too quickly. Chen Lin was forced to command it to use Giga Drain to try and recover some health, but this interrupted the corrosion of Gastro Acid, and he couldn't reapply it in time.
"Use Toxic Spikes!"
Arthur decisively commanded Greninja to use the Poison-type move. With its regained Protean ability, it changed its type to Poison, thus gaining a partial resistance to Grass and Bug-type moves.
Then, Arthur continued the assault: "Tank the damage! Stay in close! Don't give it a chance to get up!"
By the time Chen Lin commanded it to reapply Gastro Acid, the Galvantula was already on the verge of being knocked out by Greninja's fists.
Just before Greninja's final Night Slash, Chen Lin quickly took out his Poké Ball and, at the last possible second, recalled the Galvantula with the return beam.
Arthur's command for Night Slash had even already left his lips.
This last-second recall to dodge a move was, to be fair, a pretty cool play.
It was just a shame it was completely useless…
Chen Lin still couldn't change the situation he was facing.
He was forced into a long period of contemplation for his final Pokémon choice.
Because Arthur also still had his one mid-battle switch unused. Although he had just saved his Galvantula with a stylish, last-second recall, he had also forced himself into the awkward position of having to send out his Pokémon first.
Arthur still had Old Flame and Specter, two ace Pokémon, in reserve. The Greninja on the field was still in decent shape, not in a state where it could be easily taken out.
Thinking it over and over, Chen Lin found that no matter what he did, he was screwed…
He had many, many Pokémon.
But at this critical moment, it seemed he couldn't trust any of them.
Perhaps this was the most fundamental difference between him and Arthur
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