Chapter 288: Utterly Infuriating
Strictly speaking, the fact that the match had turned out this way wasn't entirely Derek's fault.
His Effect Spore ability running into a Synchronize ability was just bad luck. Anyone would be frustrated in that situation.
But you could only say it was fate.
In an exhibition match, especially in the final three rounds where professional players could use their main Pokémon, if you, as a pro, perform worse than a fan—regardless of whether it's due to luck or something else—the audience will have a hard time accepting it.
You could say it's harsh, but a player can never blame the audience.
You're the professional, after all.
So, even if Derek had a million grievances, he could only swallow them.
He could accept losing to Arthur, but being completely neutralized by a fan's Indeedee was just too much to handle!
He had to ask his teammate for help.
And at this point, Justin finally snapped out of it, realizing he couldn't just keep having a hot-blooded solo duel.
"My bad."
He quickly apologized to Derek, then commanded his Pidgeot to change course.
"Get around Lapras! Go wake up the shield mushroom first!"
But Arthur wasn't about to let it go that easily!
"Glide over and use Smart Strike!"
Little Lapras slid across the ground in hot pursuit of Pidgeot. The moment the distance closed, it unleashed Smart Strike!
A faint, fated line once again connected Pidgeot and Little Lapras's horn!
Once that line was drawn, Pidgeot's fate was sealed.
Smart Strike is a guaranteed hit!
The move would guide Little Lapras to relentlessly pursue Pidgeot's silhouette until it connected!
And to wake up Amoonguss, Pidgeot had to dive to a low altitude, unless it was willing to waste a precious cooldown period using a ranged attack to hit its own teammate.
Between wasting a move and taking a hit, Justin ultimately chose the latter.
"After you wake it up, turn back and use Wing Attack!"
Derek also reacted quickly, issuing a command with millisecond precision.
"Grass Knot!"
The moment it was woken up by a wing slap, Amoonguss immediately used a move, summoning ropes of grass from the ground to entangle the charging Lapras, reducing the impact of its attack.
At the same time, Pidgeot swung its wings like blades, closing in with two arcs of light!
In the nick of time, Arthur's reaction was also absurdly fast.
"Disperse the move! Water Gun the Indeedee! Use Follow Me!"
He was now commanding both Pokémon at once.
Beside him, Monica was reduced to a mere repeater: "Indeedee, use Follow Me."
Pidgeot and Amoonguss were both forced to turn their heads towards the just-awakened Indeedee.
Even Little Lapras was taunted, but as it turned its head, it also conveniently turned its armored side towards Pidgeot again.
Because its line of sight was forcibly diverted, Pidgeot couldn't see Little Lapras turning. Its already-in-motion Wing Attack couldn't be adjusted and could only continue on its original path, once again striking the ability-protected shell.
Not only was the effect minimal, but the impact also sent a jarring pain through Pidgeot's wing…
Arthur's commands continued without pause.
"Use the momentum to get closer to Indeedee! The moment the cooldown is over, use Icy Wind on Pidgeot!"
The three Pokémon taunted by Follow Me would involuntarily move towards Indeedee, and Arthur simply went with the flow.
With everyone gathered together, if Amoonguss were to use Rage Powder now, it would just be asking for all three Pokémon to gang up on it. Pure suicide.
At the same time, with all four Pokémon so close, it was futile for Pidgeot to use U-turn. It would just be switching places within a tight cluster, which was pointless.
The opponent clearly understood this situation as well.
Justin immediately shouted, "Pidgeot, hold your position for now! The moment you're free, retreat!"
Pidgeot would retreat, leaving Amoonguss to taunt the other two with Rage Powder, while it attacked from the rear with Air Slash. This would also allow Amoonguss's spores to harass the opponent. With this, the situation could still be salvaged.
However, as well-thought-out as it was, their plan was read once again.
Arthur had completely predicted their intentions.
Before the effect of Follow Me even wore off, Little Lapras had already unleashed a blast of Icy Wind!
With the slowing effect applied to Pidgeot, retreating was no longer so easy.
Two seconds later, when the taunt effect ended and the Pokémon regained their freedom, the frost-covered Pidgeot could barely fly.
"Continue pursuing Pidgeot! Ignore the mushroom!"
Arthur's command was clear and precise.
Pidgeot hadn't had a chance to fly far yet. Derek grit his teeth.
He didn't dare use Rage Powder at this moment!
Taunting his own teammate along with the opponents? What kind of play was that?!
And so, although Amoonguss was now awake, the situation hadn't improved one bit.
From the audience stands, boos of disapproval began to rise.
"Tch! What is this? This Derek is playing horribly!"
"He's a disgrace to professional players!"
"I feel like he's playing worse than that youth camp trainee."
Although Derek couldn't hear the audience's comments from the field, his frustration was just as immense.
What was supposed to be his redemption match was increasingly turning into a new source of shame.
This obstacle named Arthur… it seemed he really couldn't overcome it…
Unlike his gloomy expression, Justin remained full of fighting spirit from beginning to end.
Until the very last moment, he was passionately cheering on his Pokémon.
"Pidgeot, you can do it! One more dive!"
"Watch your positioning! Dodge! Don't be afraid, don't think about creating distance! You can't win a long-range battle with Lapras! Get in there! You can do it! Use Wing Attack!!"
"Don't give up, Pidgeot!!"
This hot-blooded passion might have seemed a bit silly, but it had a simple, infectious quality, as if it could remind you of why you first fell in love with the sport of Pokémon battling.
And even looking at the results, Pidgeot's performance could be described as an honorable defeat.
Through one brave, reckless dive after another, it had managed to fight Little Lapras to a mutual standstill despite a type disadvantage. It even seized a moment of carelessness from Arthur at the end to take out the weaker Indeedee behind Lapras.
Although it was ultimately defeated, it left behind plenty of scars and marks on Little Lapras before it left the field.
As a trainee, a fan, Justin's performance had earned him the respect of the live audience.
Derek, on the other hand, was in a truly pathetic state.
His tactics were seen through, his commands were predicted…
And to top it off, his Pokémon's ability was perfectly countered. Nothing was going his way. In the end, although his Amoonguss lasted longer on the field than Pidgeot, its contribution was far, far less.
In the final 1v1 against Little Lapras, despite dragging out the fight for a long time with a series of recovery moves like Ingrain and Synthesis, all he got was a stadium full of dissatisfied boos and even more ridicule.
The audience's review of the final duel could be summed up in four words: boring and drawn-out!
And in the end, he didn't even win…
It was a complete and utter loss.
It made him want to slam down his pen and scream, "This is utterly infuriating!"
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