Chapter 389: The Fat Tiger Team
On their way, Arthur also took the opportunity to recall the information he knew about the player, Elara.
Elara, female, twenty-eight years old. Just like Luna and Chen Lin, she was also a player who had just transitioned to a main singles role this year.
Previously, she had been an All-Star doubles player with an impressive win rate. Back when the Tigris Team wasn't yet the "Fat Tiger Team," she had been a relatively stable point-scorer for them.
After being promoted to a main singles player in her original team this year, she had performed exceptionally well in the first three matches of the season, securing three consecutive wins. Her record was excellent.
But after that, things had gone downhill.
The reason was that her Pokémon roster was still too small. Her lineup for each match was relatively fixed, and she only had one main strategy.
In her debut at the beginning of the season, she had caught her opponents off guard. But after everyone had gradually become familiar with her "three-trick pony" style, her win rate had plummeted.
Now, she had become a relatively overlooked player on the team.
Seeing Ivy approach, Elara was quite surprised.
"You really came to find me? I thought you were just kidding online."
Ivy smiled. "Of course I wasn't kidding. So, have you thought about what I said?"
This kind of contact, of course, hadn't just started today. Ivy had already talked a lot with Elara online, but she had never received a definite answer.
Elara was a bit hesitant.
It wasn't that she was dissatisfied with Starlight and Frost.
Starlight and Frost was no longer a weak team. The B+ team from before the season had, after the first half, become the undefeated team leading the league standings!
Online, they were now mentioned in the same breath as the Otter and Blaze teams as the "new big three" of the season, standing in opposition to the old guard and representing a new force in the league!
What Elara was actually worried about was: "Let's be clear first. I'm well aware of my own problems. I know my lineup is too shallow. But I will not blindly capture a large number of Pokémon at once. In my opinion, that is an extremely irresponsible act towards the Pokémon! I can't bring myself to just catch them and not raise them. So if you have a problem with that, it's best not to sign me. It would just make everyone unhappy after I join."
Ivy had anticipated this, so she wasn't surprised.
But Arthur was a bit surprised and took another look at her.
A trainer with such principles is a rare sight in the Kubfu professional circuit today.
But for some reason, Elara's face suddenly turned red, which caught Arthur off guard.
He turned to look at Ivy innocently.
And was met with a playful, knowing glare.
Then, Ivy smiled and assured Elara, "Don't worry. If you can't trust us, can't you trust Arthur?"
"???"
Arthur, standing beside Ivy, was full of question marks.
Wait, what does this have to do with me?
But to his surprise, Elara actually turned to look at him and nodded very seriously.
"Alright. I trust you."
After the official reality show program began, the players went on stage in batches.
While they were waiting, Ivy asked Arthur with a sly smile, "Do you want to know why she trusts you so much?"
Although he was a bit curious, Arthur was no fool.
He decisively replied, "No."
This made Ivy pout and glare at him fiercely.
"Hmph! You're just saying that! Let me tell you, she's actually a big fan of yours. She really likes you~ According to her, she was inspired by your story and that's why she decided to stick to her current Pokémon training method. You were the one who gave her courage. Otherwise, she said she might have already given in to her club's suggestion and started capturing and screening Pokémon in bulk."
"..."
For a moment, Arthur was also a bit stunned.
This was the first time he had learned that he had actually had a real impact on some people and events over the past year.
At first, he was a little surprised.
Then, it gradually turned into a sense of gratification.
This is… pretty good.
He felt a sense of pride, as if he had changed the circuit just a little.
Ivy noticed the slight curve that had appeared on his lips and gave another dissatisfied "hmph."
She added, "But don't get any ideas. She's ten years older than you. Even if she's your fan, she just sees you as a little brother to dote on."
Arthur probably didn't understand this kind of fan mentality. He just gave a very straightforward reply.
"Don't worry. After she joins, after a few days of training with me, she'll know who the real big brother is."
Arthur just thought that being a big brother was a higher rank than being a little brother.
He had no idea that his words would have a completely different, less innocent meaning to others.
"Where did you learn to talk like that? You're so young, but you already talk like such a player. I'm warning you, you're not allowed to be a playboy on our team."
"???"
Arthur was completely bewildered by Ivy's accusation.
What did I say wrong?
After the program recording was finished, Arthur didn't stay a moment longer. He went back to train that very day.
He had always tried to get out of activities like fan meet-and-greets whenever he could.
He'd rather be back at the base, training with his Pokémon.
Time flew by, and the mid-season break was soon over.
As luck would have it, in the first round of the second half of the regular season, Starlight and Frost was up against the Tigris Team.
The match was at the opponent's home stadium. When they arrived at the arena, they saw that most of the signs and flags were for the Tigris Team.
Their team mascot is Incineroar, and that was the Pokémon most seen on the flags.
The only problem was that on many of the glowing signs, the Incineroar were a bit… fat. They were almost as big as a Purugly.
It couldn't be helped. Ever since their record had tanked, the team's nickname, the "Fat Tiger Team," had become more and more widespread.
Their team image had been tragically persecuted, getting fatter by the day. Now, it had completely lost its former ferocity.
It was a case of an Incineroar turning into a Garfield.
Coincidentally, the commentator for today's match was once again Sage Hwang.
But this time, he had learned his lesson. He announced at the start that he had permanently retired from the prediction business. Don't ask him who he was optimistic about; he was only optimistic about the winning side!
It's not that he had become slick; it was just that the previous match between Starlight and Frost and the Demon King Team had scarred him too deeply.
"The Lucas without a Sirfetch'd is the real Lucas!"
"This is a 'dragon riding your face' situation. How can he lose?"
And then, before the doubles match, "I think Starlight and Frost's current form is a bit unbeatable!"
Until the final captain's battle, he was still spouting golden phrases, such as, "Arthur could even be swept by Hurricane later on!"
Every single sentence was like a weapon of causality, jumping back and forth, precisely manipulating the match, playing with the sixteen players on the field like puppets.
That battle had not only seen Arthur defeat Leo and ascend to a new throne, but on the commentator's desk behind him, Sage Hwang had also become a legend in a single battle!
From then on, a new axiom was added to the competitive circuit—
If the jinx has a color, it must be yellow…
To this, Sage Hwang felt very wronged.
In the first match of the day, he really didn't make a single prediction.
But now, the live stream chat was starting to spam—
"The Sage is quiet. It's all your fault!"
In this cheerful atmosphere, Arthur took the stage for the first round.
And as luck would have it, his opponent for this match was Elara.
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