Chapter 368: The Jinx
As it turned out, the headmistress's warning was absolutely necessary!
The Demon King Team was not to be trifled with!
After being caught off guard by Starlight and Frost's tactical surprise in the first match, they did not panic. Instead, they quickly stabilized their formation.
Lucas's mentality had taken a bit of a hit. He was still in a daze when he returned to the backstage lounge.
But the others were not affected.
In the second match, they quickly returned the favor. The veteran, Sam, gave Starlight and Frost a shutout of their own, taking down Alex 3-0.
A novice main player like Alex, who specialized in a single type, was truly at a disadvantage against a counter-specialist like the Demon King Team.
All six of the Pokémon Sam had registered for this match were super-effective against the Dark type!
It was an intense lesson for the Dark-type specialist, Alex.
When he returned, his teammates were on one hand comforting him: "It's okay, don't take it to heart. There's no shame in losing to a veteran like him."
And on the other hand, they were adjusting their own mentalities.
The overall score was instantly tied.
In the third match, Aaron took the stage. His mentality was stable, and he had a great back-and-forth with a substitute main player from the opposing team. The entire round, including the halftime break, lasted for a full hour and forty minutes!
Both sides engaged in high-intensity combat with a high density of commands. Their strategies and tactics were on full display!
In the end, it was Aaron, whose mentality had completed its nirvana, who seized an opportunity. He caught a mistake from his opponent, whose reaction was delayed under high pressure, and decisively pressed his attack to establish an advantage!
He ultimately won the entire match!
A battle between two evenly matched players naturally had no chance of a shutout. Both sides finished cleanly. Aaron won but only received the base two points.
And with that, the singles segment was over.
The score was now 5-3.
Then came the doubles matches. The head coach was encouraging the players beforehand.
"Let's go! Let's try to win both matches and lock in the momentum for Arthur!"
If they could win the next two doubles matches, they would end the competition early with a 9-3 score!
At that point, for the captain's battle, all Arthur would have to do is not lose by a massive six-point margin to secure an easy win.
Before taking the stage, Ivy and Bianca were raring to go.
They had been wanting to let Arthur experience the feeling of being carried to victory for a long time, to stop him from always shining so brightly as a mere rookie!
But as luck would have it, during the short break between the singles and doubles matches, the commentator, Sage Hwang, gave them a massive jinx.
"Looking at Starlight and Frost's current form, I think they're a bit unbeatable! Although they were just shut out in one match, the team's overall spirit still feels incredibly high! And until the end of the last singles match, we still haven't seen the legendary rookie, Arthur, take the stage. Could it be that Starlight and Frost have moved him back to doubles? Arthur is only eighteen this year. He still meets the conditions to play doubles. This is completely feasible according to the rules! So if we look at it that way, I'm very optimistic about Starlight and Frost in the upcoming doubles matches."
His newcomer partner, knowing they were in Starlight and Frost's home stadium, even tried to save the situation.
"Teacher Hwang, are you sure? The Demon King Team's doubles pairs are also very strong."
But Sage Hwang was adamant. "I'm sure! I'm really, really optimistic about Starlight and Frost!"
And so, in the first doubles match, the moment Ivy and Bianca took the stage, they were immediately targeted…
Their snow-based team ran into a sandstorm combination that the Demon King Team had meticulously prepared!
A Tyranitar and an Excadrill!
The pseudo-legendary Tyranitar has the Sand Stream ability, and it started fighting with Ivy's Ninetales for the weather right from the start.
Excadrill's Sand Force ability gives its moves a power boost in a sandstorm.
Then, the Excadrill hid in the back, using Tyranitar's massive body as cover to secretly set up a layer of Hone Claws, sharpening its attack!
With the advantage of its Steel-type moves being doubly super-effective against Ninetales, it charged forward recklessly and, with a series of Metal Claws, managed to one-shot Ivy's Ninetales!
This sudden burst of power was completely unexpected, catching Ivy completely off guard.
With Ninetales down, the weather on the field was immediately taken over by the Demon King Team!
The sandstorm gradually overwhelmed the snowfall!
Without the cover of the snow, Froslass's ability was a blank slate. But the opposing Excadrill was now even more powerful, its damage becoming more and more astonishing!
In the end, not long after Ninetales had fainted, Bianca, knowing she couldn't continue, proactively recalled her Froslass and chose to forfeit.
Starlight and Frost regrettably lost the first doubles match, allowing the Demon King Team to tie the score once again.
When this round ended, the young newcomer commentator glanced at Sage Hwang.
"Teacher Hwang, you…"
"There's still one more match! One more doubles match! Arthur might even play in the next one! I still stand by my opinion! Although the big point advantage might be gone, I'm still optimistic about Starlight and Frost's side!"
Sage Hwang was still sticking to his guns!
Indeed, Arthur still hadn't appeared. The live audience thought about it and felt that he might have a point.
A true jinx, before it takes effect, always seems reasonable and convincing!
And so, in the next match, Bella and Justin were also targeted!
The opposing All-Star player, Dylan, once again gave up his pseudo-legendary ace, Kommo-o, and instead sent out a rare Rock/Electric-type Golem!
Paired with his teammate's Electric/Steel-type Magnezone, both Pokémon had full resistance to Flying-type moves, which made it extremely difficult for Justin's Pidgeot to be effective.
At the same time, their Electric-type moves were super-effective against both Bella's Togekiss and Justin's Pidgeot!
The moment this Pokémon combination was revealed, the Demon King Team once again had a full advantage, standing on the high ground of type matchups and calling the shots, which made Bella and Justin extremely uncomfortable.
They had never expected their opponent to once again give up his pseudo-legendary ace. They hadn't adjusted their Pokémon selection, and the moment they took the stage, both of them were wearing masks of pain.
They were suppressed by Dylan and his partner for the entire match, almost unable to mount any decent counterattack.
As the referee raised his flag twice in a row, announcing that Togekiss and Pidgeot had fainted one after the other, the Starlight and Frost team lost another match.
The score had now been overtaken by the Demon King Team…
At this point, forget about carrying Arthur to an easy win. Instead, all the pressure was now on Arthur's side.
And at this moment, the live audience and the viewers in front of the screen were also furious!
Firstly, they were angry and confused as to why Arthur still hadn't appeared. What the hell was the team doing?!
Secondly, they were furious at—Sage Hwang, damn you and your ancestors!
At this moment, as they recalled the commentator Hwang's earlier analysis, they no longer found it reasonable at all.
It had seemed so logical, but now the fans couldn't sleep. Upon careful reflection, they could read only two words between the lines—
JINX!
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