Chapter 380: I Don't Understand, But I'm Deeply Shaken
Gengar versus Hydreigon. From a pure type matchup perspective, Arthur was naturally at a disadvantage.
The Dark type is super-effective against Ghost, and it also has an extra resistance to Ghost-type moves.
But Specter was not afraid. On the contrary, his fighting spirit was soaring!
Unlike Leo's style, Arthur's aces were never afraid to challenge a strong enemy!
Besides, in terms of condition, his opponent was not completely unscathed.
In the first round, Hydreigon had defeated Mismagius, but it had also paid a considerable price.
Especially the Curse that Mismagius had left it with—that was a curse that ignored all defenses, resistances, and type matchups, a silent assassination!
At the same time, Hydreigon had also used up four of its move slots in the first round. This meant its tactics were basically set, and it would be difficult to make any timely adjustments.
The four moves Hydreigon had already used were Taunt, Screech, Crunch, and Work Up.
Among them, the Work Up had just been a feint to lure Mismagius in closer; it hadn't actually been fully cast.
At the start of this round, Leo once again chose to use a buff to lure his opponent in.
"Hydreigon, use Work Up!"
But this time, Arthur's response was different.
"Specter, move forward! Use Haze!"
He didn't choose to immediately interrupt. Instead, he chose to release Haze, enveloping the opponent's side of the field.
As mentioned before, Haze also has the effect of clearing buffs and debuffs. Although it's not as fast as Clear Smog, it's much more persistent and can cover an area for a long time.
Another reason Arthur chose Haze this round was that his opponent's other move, Screech, was a debuff, which would also be countered by Haze.
The Normal-type move, Screech, creates a piercing noise to disrupt the enemy, and uses sonic resonance to soften and weaken the defense of the enemy's exoskeleton, shell, or fur.
Previously, Hydreigon had used a combo of Screech and Crunch to quickly finish off Mismagius after luring it in.
Screech is a low-cost, fast-casting, quick-recharging small move that can be quickly combo'd with Crunch. It had been exceptionally effective in the first round.
But as the saying goes, a Saint Knight is never defeated by the same trick twice!
This time, Arthur's response had changed.
This made Leo frown slightly.
With this, his opponent had essentially nullified two of his move slots with just one move.
A big loss!
But at this point, for him to interrupt his own cast, Leo was a bit reluctant.
In that one moment of hesitation, Arthur's second command had already followed.
"Use Smog again!"
This time, Arthur's tactical design was a bit different from usual.
Specter let out another cloud of turbid smoke.
The black Haze, layered with the purple Smog, had now completely ruined the visibility on Hydreigon's side of the field.
The commentators were also at a loss.
"It seems… the battle on the field is… very intense?"
"Yes, quite intense! The two Pokémon are inseparable!"
They said it as if they believed it themselves.
In reality, they couldn't see a thing in that purple-black mess…
But this time, Leo just gave a cold sneer.
Just now, with Haze, you got a small advantage. But to use Smog again is just naive! You think blocking my vision will work?
Leo thought to himself that his opponent was, after all, a newcomer who didn't have a deep understanding of Pokémon. To make such a low-level, common-sense mistake!
"Hydreigon, Screech! Then pounce and use Crunch!"
He wasn't worried at all about Hydreigon not being able to find its target in the dense fog.
Because Hydreigon never relies on sight to hunt!
In its pre-evolved stages of Deino and Zweilous, their vision is almost non-existent.
Even the darkest fog couldn't stop them from locking onto their prey!
The commentator once again began to passionately spout nonsense.
"Hydreigon has pounced! It has opened its bloody maw! This is the Dark-type move, Crunch! Arthur's Gengar is in danger!"
The newcomer commentator beside him watched Sage Hwang passionately commentate on a patch of pure black fog, his head full of question marks with nowhere to go.
Is this what a professional commentator is? I'm in love!
But soon, Sage Hwang was gradually running out of steam.
Because why was there no sound from the fog?
Isn't Hydreigon a predator that isn't afraid of the dark? Why has it been in there for so long with no reaction?
And just as confused as him was Leo.
He also had not received any feedback for a long time.
Meanwhile, the referee on the sidelines had long since put on his special goggles and activated the energy detection device.
This was to prevent any Pokémon on the field from secretly bypassing the move slot limit in this zero-visibility situation.
But Arthur was straightforward. He didn't play such sneaky little tricks. He called out his command loudly and clearly.
"Specter, use Venoshock! Hit and run! Don't get into a brawl!"
The skill-tracking screen on the side of the field immediately registered the new move, Venoshock, for Arthur's side.
Sage Hwang even suspected that the referee himself might not have been able to see clearly.
But now, Leo was truly suspicious.
How is this possible?
Even if Gengar, as a ghost, is not afraid of the dark like Hydreigon, that newcomer can't be a ghost too, can he? How on earth is he commanding his Pokémon while looking at this mass of purple-black fog?
Through his mind?!
And the answer was, yes!
What Arthur was relying on was his mental link!
In this aspect, he had long since guessed that Leo was no match for him!
Because he was a practical, hands-on trainer from his past life. On the battlefield, there were countless situations where he couldn't speak. And on the battlefield, Pokémon don't always stay in front of the trainer in a neat arena. The situation on the battlefield is constantly changing. Many times, it's a test of the chemistry and trust between a trainer and their Pokémon, not just a matter of command and obedience.
And in this aspect, Arthur had long since seen that Leo was lacking!
He didn't trust his Pokémon, not even his ace.
He was better than the other members of the Demon King Team. At least his own prestige and authority were enough to suppress his Pokémon. There would never be a situation where a Pokémon was rebellious and disobedient.
In a purely competitive arena, this level of control was usually enough. As long as the Pokémon obediently listened, any lack of subjective initiative could be compensated for by the trainer.
But Arthur had keenly sensed the gap between him and his Pokémon, and in this round, he had taken the initiative to create a battle environment that cut off the line of sight between the trainer and the Pokémon!
Haze layered with Smog. Now, this half of the arena was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face!
Specter was in its element. All Arthur had to do was give it a general idea, and it could handle the rest on its own!
Two hundred years ago, he was already very used to this style of fighting, following by Arthur's side, needing very little communication, a single glance being enough for the man and the Pokémon to coordinate perfectly.
But the Hydreigon on the other side was not used to this at all!
At this moment, on the players' stage, Leo's face was grim.
In his mental link, all the feedback he was getting from Hydreigon was—
It ran away again!
I can't catch it!!
Why is this Gengar so slippery?!
This is so annoying!
This kind of useless feedback.
This time, he truly felt that he was being dragged into a realm he was completely unfamiliar with.
And Arthur was using his exceptionally rich experience in this realm to completely dominate him!
He couldn't understand it, but he was deeply shaken…
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