NOVEL NEXT Chapter 296: Earning Respect
As Luna gave the command, Clayton's expression grew even darker.
By now, Luna's intention was crystal clear: she was planning to sacrifice her Ninetales to wear down Metagross's condition.
She had no intention of winning the first round.
Up to this point, Ninetales hadn't made a single serious attack.
It's not that Ninetales didn't know any Dark-type moves that were super-effective against Metagross; she simply had no intention of using them.
Encore forcibly locked Metagross into its move choice, forcing it to repeatedly use Magnet Rise for a short time. But even then, Ninetales didn't seize the opportunity to attack.
It just kept dodging Metagross's grasping claws, and as soon as its cooldown was over, it used Confuse Ray!
Confuse Ray, a move that deals no damage but causes confusion, was giving Clayton a massive headache.
Rest was already sealed by Imprison.
Metagross had no way to get rid of this confusion status.
"Use Grass Knot to trap it!"
Hearing this command, Arthur immediately realized: the opponent was about to gamble on a brute-force kill.
Ropes of grass shot up from the ground, constantly trying to entangle the running Ninetales.
Even if they couldn't bind it perfectly, as long as they restricted Ninetales's speed, the next Meteor Mash would be a one-hit KO!
With a double-super-effective type advantage and a significant gap in power levels, a two-hit KO with Meteor Mash was perfectly normal.
The reason this was a gamble for Clayton was that he was betting on two things: first, that Metagross wouldn't be hindered by its confusion, and second, that Ninetales's Powder Snow wouldn't trigger another freeze.
For Clayton, who had the clear advantage in raw power, this was not a favorable trade.
For the stronger party to be forced to gamble on probability is, in itself, a strategic failure.
The strong should crush their opponents; only the weak need to rely on luck.
But Luna's series of preparatory moves had pushed Clayton into a corner where he had no choice but to gamble.
For this alone, Luna could already be proud.
At the very least, she was performing far better than the other doubles players who had competed so far.
A few seconds later—
"Use Meteor Mash!"
"Ninetales, Powder Snow!"
The moment of truth had arrived!
Who was the lucky one, and who was the unlucky one?!
"Is this the end?!" the host shouted.
Bella clenched her fists nervously.
The next moment, the answer was revealed—
"Awwwww!!!"
The audience booed, feeling a bit let down.
Because in the end, nothing happened.
Metagross was hindered by confusion, and its Meteor Mash failed.
And Ninetales's Powder Snow failed to trigger a freeze, unable to lock down Metagross.
The two made contact and then separated. In the end, neither could finish the match.
So, it was as if nothing had happened…
The battle continued!
"Maintain your distance! Keep using Powder Snow!" Luna quickly commanded again.
Powder Snow's cooldown is faster than Meteor Mash's. Soon, Ninetales could roll the dice again.
Clayton's expression was visibly darkening.
As the one with the advantage in raw power, this was a situation he definitely did not want to be in.
If this continued, he might not be able to hold back from ditching his "idol burden."
Fortunately, the next Powder Snow also failed to trigger a freeze. He could still try to save some face.
"Metagross, use Scary Face!"
Metagross let out a roar, simultaneously projecting a terrifying ghostly illusion.
The horrifying face instantly made Ninetales's fur stand on end, all nine of its tails shooting straight up.
As a naturally ferocious predator, Scary Face was a move Metagross excelled at. The illusion, combined with its own intimidating presence, was normally enough to paralyze an ordinary Pokémon with fear for several seconds!
"Get in close and grab it, Metagross!" Clayton commanded again.
As a main singles player, he was, after all, very experienced. He wasn't completely trapped by this situation.
Originally, he had been having Metagross use Meteor Mash from a distance, locking onto Ninetales with descending fists. A single hit would have ended the match.
But now, he changed his tactics!
Grab Ninetales, use its claws and weight to pin it down. This would naturally minimize the impact of its confusion.
Even if it messed up and failed to use a move due to confusion, as long as it had Ninetales pinned down and unable to run, it would have multiple chances to try again.
However, Luna was just as decisive!
After Ninetales was caught, she didn't struggle. The moment her opponent used Meteor Mash, she commanded:
"Ninetales, use Spite!"
After using this final move, Ninetales calmly faced its "death," its head held high as the steel fist descended.
After one punch, Ninetales collapsed, and the referee immediately raised his flag.
"Ninetales is unable to battle!"
But at this moment, Clayton's expression was not a happy one.
The Ghost-type move: Spite. After using this move, the user enters a state of spiteful counterattack. If it then receives a massive amount of damage exceeding a certain limit, it will automatically counter, cursing the attacker, causing them to lose some energy and sealing the move they just used.
And so, Ninetales fainted.
But now, Metagross was also nearly crippled…
It was stuck in a state of confusion that it couldn't cure, a whole bunch of its moves were sealed by Imprison, and despite having used five of its six move slots, it didn't have a single usable attacking move left…
The fan tournament was over. They were now using official professional rules!
A Pokémon only has six move slots for the entire match.
And now, Metagross only had one empty move slot left.
This is the biggest difference between singles and doubles—in doubles, when a Pokémon faints, the match is over. But not in singles.
Some Pokémon, though they may fall, can pave the way for their teammates to follow.
In the second round, Luna led with her Empoleon, but unfortunately lost to Clayton's sandstorm-setting Hippowdon.
However, the Kabutops she sent out next managed to sweep two Pokémon in a row, defeating both Hippowdon and Metagross!
By dragging the duel into the final round and defeating her senior's strongest pseudo-legendary ace, Luna's series of plays was dazzling and breathtaking.
She was, by far, the best-performing doubles player to have competed so far!
Before her, no one had been able to push a senior to the final round. Very few had even managed to make them reveal all three of their Pokémon…
Most had just been like Chen Lin in the first match, nearly swept by a single one of the opponent's aces, a crushing defeat!
"Go, Luna!!"
Before the final round began, Bella shouted excitedly from the sidelines.
To have gotten this far was already beyond most people's pre-match expectations!
It seemed she was just one step away from creating a miracle.
But alas, so close, yet so far…
In the final round, Clayton cautiously sent out his Venusaur, whose flawless defensive play weathered Kabutops's storm of slashes.
In the end, the miracle did not happen. The score was set at 3-2. Clayton was the victor.
But in this match, Luna's performance had earned her everyone's respect!
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