Chapter 273: Gave It His All, Tears in Chat
In the end, Minun didn't last until Ampharos could come to its aid.
Knowing escape was impossible, the poor little rabbit left behind three final ripples before exiting the stage—
First, it used Thunder Wave to paralyze Greninja.
Second, disregarding its own safety, it sent a long-distance Helping Hand to Ampharos.
Third, seizing the momentary opening when Greninja's combo was interrupted by a paralysis-induced stun, it used its last ounce of strength to hit Gallade with Encore!
The Normal-type move: Encore. It's a powerful form of hypnosis that forces an enemy to continue using its last-used move, unable to stop until the duration ends.
This move seems silly at first glance, but it can sometimes have miraculous effects.
For example, at this very moment, when Gallade had just used Protect…
As everyone knows, the effect of using Protect consecutively is greatly diminished!
The second time it's used, the protective shield becomes significantly thinner, and subsequent attempts might even fail completely, causing the user to become stunned for nothing.
Minun's trainer was a veteran player. This was everything he could do in a desperate situation.
First, give Ampharos Helping Hand. The boosted Thunderbolt would then force the opponent to use Protect to save themselves.
Then, a single Encore would completely neutralize Gallade!
His commands, his calculations—he had truly given it his all.
This performance absolutely deserved a "tears in chat" from the fans.
Encore has a cooldown comparable to an ultimate move, lasting over fifteen seconds. This was also why he chose to use it last.
If I don't expect to "live" until the cooldown is over, then rounding up, it's like there's no cooldown at all.
After giving the command, the player's hand immediately went to his waist to retrieve his Poké Ball.
The next moment, Greninja recovered from its brief paralysis and continued its punch towards Minun.
But this time, the moment Minun felt the "wind from the punch," it immediately lay down on the ground, rolled its eyes back, let out an exaggerated cry, and fainted at the speed of light.
The referee froze for a second, then raised his flag.
"Min—"
The referee had just said the first syllable when the Yankee player, with the astonishing speed of a Wild West gunslinger, instantly whipped out his Poké Ball. With a swish, he recalled the fallen Minun, so fast that the referee nearly bit his tongue.
That reaction speed was truly something to behold.
He was in such a hurry to recall it, not because the local supermarket was having a half-price sale on potato chips.
It was to prevent Greninja from having a target for U-turn!
Without a valid target to attack, U-turn cannot switch with a teammate!
This way, Greninja couldn't switch out to save Gallade, who was stuck using Protect!
At this moment, Minun's trainer had truly considered every single detail.
With a support Pokémon cornered by a ninja and destined to be helpless, he had truly squeezed every last drop of value out of his situation.
Seeing this, even Arthur felt a sense of helplessness.
They were all professional players, and the opponent was a veteran powerhouse team. They weren't going to be defeated that easily.
On the other side, Gallade, with no one to help, was forced to repeatedly use Protect on the spot.
And now, Ampharos appeared completely unhurried.
"Ampharos, use Cotton Guard first!"
Using Protect consecutively makes it weaker and weaker, eventually just becoming a self-stun that helps the enemy.
So, Derek wasn't in a rush. He decided to apply a buff first.
With Minun gone, Magnetic Flux was useless, so he was forced to use another move slot.
The Grass-type move: Cotton Guard. After casting, the user grows cotton-like fluff on its body, massively increasing its physical defense.
This move was specifically prepared for the one-on-one duel with Greninja later.
The fluffy down was the best cushion, effectively countering Greninja's close-combat techniques!
As for Gallade?
It would have to use Protect at least two more times before it could break free from the hypnosis. In Derek's eyes, it was already a dead Pokémon…
Poor Elijah. He had finally gotten a chance to be rotated in, only to unfortunately become a background character once again.
So cold, so infuriating. When will we benchwarmers finally get to stand up?!
"Shadow Sneak! Go stop it!"
Unable to count on his teammate, Arthur could only have Greninja go forward and interrupt it himself.
But during the process of tormenting Minun, Greninja had been intentionally led further and further away from Ampharos.
Minun had really given it its all…
Worthy of another wave of "tears in chat."
Greninja had to first close the distance. Only after getting into Shadow Sneak's range could it slip into the shadows and teleport over.
But the paralysis slowed it down.
By the time Greninja emerged from Ampharos's shadow, the opponent was already at the final stage of its cast.
The attack made Ampharos stagger, and the cast was on the verge of failing, but it managed to stabilize at the last, critical moment.
Just one more hit!
All it needs is one more hit!
Greninja took half a step back, preparing a spinning whip kick to send Ampharos flying.
But just as it lifted its leg, its body suddenly stiffened again.
Of all the rotten luck, the paralysis effect triggered again.
This one-second pause was fatal!
The next moment, the opponent's Cotton Guard was complete.
Arthur was also decisive.
"Fall back, create distance, and use Rest."
After giving this command, Arthur turned to Elijah and said, "Just try to hold on!"
The paralysis from Minun's final attack really needed to be dealt with. And he needed to recover his status to prepare for the battle with Ampharos in peak condition.
As for Gallade, still stuck using Protect?
I can only offer you my moral support, brother.
Just think of it as buying me time to recover with Rest.
Elijah: You've got to be kidding me!!
But what came out of his mouth was: "Hang in there!"
That was all the support he could give the Gallade on the field.
Now, all Gallade could do was use the cooldown periods to vent its frustration on the fluffy Ampharos with its fists and feet.
Even though Ampharos, with its cushion of fluff, barely felt a thing…
Once the cooldown was over, it had to use Protect again. It couldn't control itself.
But Ampharos was cooperative, standing there and letting itself be punched and kicked, not fighting back at all.
Because it was too lazy to.
If I hit it too hard, it'll run away and I'll have to chase it. That's too much trouble. I'll just stand here and let it hit me. When my move is ready, I'll just use Thunderbolt to take it out. Much easier.
In a way, Gallade was using its own body to hold Ampharos in place.
At least for the moment, Derek had no intention of interrupting Greninja's Rest.
He had to take out one of them during Encore's duration.
A few seconds later—
"Thunderbolt!"
Gallade, stunned after its failed Protect, took the full force of the attack, coughing up a black ring of smoke.
Even then, it rallied its remaining strength and continued to uselessly pound on Ampharos's fluffy cushion.
It had to tank one more hit.
It had to make some kind of contribution.
In a way, it had also given its all.
No matter what others thought, at least Arthur was willing to give it a "tears in chat."
"Thunderbolt!"
After the third failed Protect, Gallade, now completely blackened by electricity, finally collapsed.
The referee raised the flag!
"Gallade is unable to battle! Will the trainer please recall their Pokémon!"
At the same time, Greninja woke up from its Rest—
The paralysis was gone. The self-inflicted damage from Substitute and the minor injuries it had sustained earlier were all fully recovered!
It was in perfect condition!
And because the effect of Entrainment hadn't worn off yet and Minun had already fainted, it was now the only Pokémon on the field with the Minus ability. The energy flow could only circulate between it and Ampharos.
The boost from the Plus and Minus abilities was now, ironically, simultaneously empowering the two remaining opponents on the field
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