Chapter 365: From "How Can We Lose?" to "I'm Actually Fine"
On Saturday, Starlight and Frost faced the Demon King Team at their home stadium.
The attendance at the local arena set a new record! Arthur saw a large number of banners and glowing signs in the crowd.
Among them, there were many supporting him, Old Flame, and Specter.
After more than a year of fighting, he was now an undisputed star player. Maybe not a household name, but his fame had certainly spread far and wide!
As he walked through the player tunnel, many excited fans shouted, "Arthur, which match are you playing? Go for another shutout!"
Fans always have big hearts. No matter how strong the opponent, they can always shout for a shutout.
At this point, the head coach's tactical arrangement had not yet been made public, so Arthur just smiled and nodded at the fans, not saying a word.
He wouldn't be playing in the early 6-on-3 singles matches today.
But there was no need to reveal this information in advance.
After taking the stage for the introductions, Arthur glanced over at the commentator's desk.
As luck would have it, the commentator for this match was once again that Great Sage Hwang.
They really were fated to meet.
After the player introductions, everyone returned to their lounges, and the commentators began their usual pre-match banter.
"The Starlight and Frost team has a lot of momentum lately. Teacher Hwang, do you think they can continue their dominant streak today?"
The commentator partnering with Sage Hwang today was a newcomer, and he opened by respectfully calling him "teacher."
Although commentator Hwang was a bit of a clown, his predictions were a bit off, and his jinx was a bit potent, in other aspects, such as his seniority and professional ability, he was still on point.
As a well-known commentator in the industry, he deserved to be called "teacher" by a newcomer.
Although at this moment, Arthur could guess without even looking at the live broadcast that the chat was definitely being spammed with a dense wave of "teach."
Commentator Hwang made his judgment seriously. "I don't think so! The Demon King Team's foundation is still very deep. And the information on several of Starlight and Frost's new players, like Arthur, has now been thoroughly studied by the major teams. The Demon King Team's analysis department has always been very strong. I estimate they've likely already come up with a counter-strategy. If Arthur faces Lucas or Sam in this match, I predict he's going to be in for a rough time."
Commentator Hwang was being very serious in his analysis.
One of the main reasons he was often teased was because he never slacked off.
Some commentators are used to using the "jinx" excuse to cover up their weak professional skills. After their rash judgments are proven wrong, they just laugh and say "jinx."
No one is interested in teasing a commentator like that, because it's just an excuse for being bad.
But Sage Hwang was different!
He genuinely put serious effort into his analysis and judgment every time. Every word he said was well-reasoned, and before the fact, he could even make you feel very convinced.
Until the event took a bizarre turn!
And he was never a fence-sitter. Even today, in Starlight and Frost's home stadium, he said what he thought.
This kind of commentator is a truly dedicated professional!
In another timeline, he might have become a respected veteran of the industry.
But perhaps because of the favor of the great cosmic will, his predictions always managed to be met with some unpredictable developments.
For example, today, he spoke again.
"In the first two matches today, I think Lucas will most likely secure a win for the Demon King Team!"
"But Teacher Hwang, I heard that Lucas just recently retired a Sirfetch'd?"
"Lucas retired his Sirfetch'd because that Sirfetch'd was old and its condition was declining. But at the same time, he has recently added three very powerful new-generation Pokémon! Including a Dragon-type Flygon. The Lucas without a Sirfetch'd is the real Lucas now. Today, with his Flygon and Dragonite teaming up, this is a 'dragon riding your face' situation. How can he lose? Alright, here we go! We see that for the first match, the Demon King Team is directly sending out their star player, Lucas!!"
And then, he saw their captain, Leo, slowly walking out of the Starlight and Frost player tunnel…
The Dragon Slayer, Leo!
The player order is set by the coach before the match and submitted to the referee. There's no such thing as picking your opponent after seeing who comes out.
So, for this to happen, it could only mean that Starlight and Frost had planned this tactic from the very beginning, and had luckily guessed the Demon King Team's lineup.
This should have been an extremely low-probability event.
But for some reason, after Sage Hwang had just spoken, the audience now felt a sense of calm, as if this was how it was meant to be.
The new commentator partnering with Sage Hwang couldn't even hold back his laughter.
"Teacher Hwang, what are your thoughts? Pfft! Teacher Hwang, are you okay?"
"I… am actually fine."
Sage Hwang suppressed the urge to flip the table and calmly moved on from the topic.
It was a good thing this was an official commentator's desk. Otherwise, he would have definitely thrown out a couple of his signature catchphrases: "Damn it! Let's just watch the match!"
And sharing his depression at this moment was the player on the field, Lucas.
The moment he saw Leo on the other side of the arena, he went completely numb.
Both were veterans. There was no way Lucas hadn't heard of the "Dragon Slayer" title.
This was the one singles player he wanted to avoid the most!
And the timing was also particularly awkward.
He had just recently retired his Sirfetch'd, which was getting old and declining in condition. This left a gap in his roster for a Fighting-type to counter Ice.
And of the six Pokémon he had registered for this match, his Dragonite and Flygon were both doubly weak to Ice!
And on the other side, Leo had both a Cloyster and a Weavile, two main Ice-type Pokémon!
This situation was like driving past a cemetery late at night—he had just seen a ghost!
Because this was the Starlight and Frost home stadium, most of the venue was filled with cheers and laughter.
But in the online live stream, the Demon King Team's fans were now wailing in despair.
"Sage, please, stop your magic!"
"Hwang, you old fool, shut up!"
"Kill the old fool, save the team!"
These kinds of comments scrolled by in a continuous stream, filling the official live stream with a cheerful atmosphere.
Commentator Hwang was also suffering.
How the hell was I supposed to know?!
Since the rules had changed in the new season, no team had sent their captain to fight in the early 6-on-3 singles matches anymore.
They all chose to preserve their strength for the final captain's battle.
Who would have thought that for this match, the Starlight and Frost team would suddenly come up with such a play?
Without any prior intel, how could a humble little commentator like him have possibly guessed this?
You're making things difficult for me, old Hwang!
Most of the rational fans could understand this, but precisely because this change was so unexpected, it made the Sage's jinx seem all the more powerful!
And so, the Starlight and Frost fans also joined the fray, counter-spamming the live chat with "Sage Hwang is a god!" and "Say thank you, Sage!"
In a match commentated by Sage Hwang, the entertainment value is always maxed out.
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