https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-368-Jinghe-I-Alone-Am-Enough-to-Take-You-All-On-/12936650/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-370-Our-Ghosty-is-Super-Cute-Too-/12936652/
Chapter 369: The Art of Playing Second
Chapter 369: The Art of Playing Second
"Master Jinghe, please guide me!"
In the second match, Jinghe encountered the foodie duo, Ami and Ali.
Having already won a match, they were more relaxed without the pressure of securing a meal, and they faced Jinghe with composure.
At the referee's signal, the two summoned their respective Pokemon.
"Go, Steelix!"
"I'm counting on you, Charm!"
Ami summoned her signature Pokemon, Steelix.
As the Gym Leader of a Steel-type Gym and known as the "Copper Iron Wall Girl," her Steelix was even more renowned than the Electric-type Electabuzz, "Light."
Ali's Pokemon, Charm, was a humanoid creature resembling a yoga practitioner, with a large red pant-like body and red hair, a typical Fighting-type Pokemon.
"Charm, the meditating Pokemon, with Fighting and Psychic attributes, can predict its opponent's actions through mental power. It's said that it can go an entire month without eating, solely focusing on meditating with Rotom!"
After Rotom retreated back into the Pokedex, it resumed its "main job."
It was undeniable that Charm's trait of not eating for a month perfectly matched Ali's current state.
As the two summoned their Pokemon, Jinghe also threw out two Poke Balls.
"Roar!"
"Growl!"
Amidst the flashing red light, the bulky Swift Dragon and the solemn Bear Pupil appeared.
The appearance of these two Pokemon caused quite a stir among the audience.
After all, the Swift Dragon was a quasi-legendary Pokemon from the Kanto region, renowned for its power.
The Bear Pupil was even rarer than the Swift Dragon, with most people unable to recall its name immediately, only recognizing it through others' introductions.
"Master Jinghe is taking this seriously," Daye whispered to Denji.
Both Daye and Denji had witnessed and experienced the Swift Dragon's formidable strength and the Bear Pupil's profound understanding of martial arts techniques.
Especially the Swift Dragon's "Controllable Rage."
Initially, Regigigas was knocked down by Gigaforg's hammer, and the Swift Dragon's impact was undoubtedly crucial.
Even without Daye's words, Denji could sense the state, aura, and momentum of these two Pokemon.
And they weren't the only ones.
Ami and Ali across the field felt the same.
However, amidst their apprehension, Ali appeared more excited.
Finally, she could test her skills against the "Martial Master" Master Jinghe.
Although it wasn't the "real-person sparring" she desired, it was still an excellent opportunity.
"Master Jinghe, we will give it our all!" Ali clenched her fist and shouted with determination.
Ami, being shyer, didn't make any pre-battle declaration, but her nod acknowledged Ali's words.
The two had challenged the Seven-Star Restaurant together multiple times, and their tacit understanding was undeniable.
The referee confirmed that both sides were ready and promptly announced, "Battle begins!"
"Steelix, Lighten Up!"
Ami, despite her shyness, became serious and focused as soon as the battle started, immediately issuing commands.
"Roar!"
The massive Steelix roared and quickly stood up, shedding numerous metal parts from its body, reducing its weight, and significantly increasing its speed.
"Charm!"
Gigaforg, sitting in the audience, jumped up in surprise.
He stared at the scattered metal pieces on the field, clenching his fists.
Jinghe was relieved that he hadn't sent Gigaforg into battle, as he suspected Gigaforg might have made Ami's Steelix even lighter.
"Charm, Reflect Barrier!"
Ami issued her command almost simultaneously.
Charm swiftly moved in front of Steelix, waving its hands downward, and transparent walls immediately appeared.
While one side enhanced their Pokemon, the other assumed a defensive stance to counter the attack.
There was no verbal or eye contact between the two.
This alone demonstrated the high level of understanding between Ami and Ali.
Moreover, the advantage of having two people in a double battle was immediately evident.
When two people with sufficient coordination each commanded a Pokemon in battle, they had a clear advantage in controlling the battle's rhythm and issuing commands faster than a single person commanding two Pokemon.
Of course, this was when facing ordinary Trainers.
Jinghe, commanding six Pokemon simultaneously, might experience slight delays, potentially struggling to attend to each Pokemon promptly.
But with only two Pokemon...
"Swift Dragon, Dragon Dance!"
"Roar~!"
The Swift Dragon vigorously flapped its wings, creating a wave of air, and its aura, contrasting its appearance, intensified with the Dragon Dance's boost.
The Bear Pupil, like Charm, stood before the Swift Dragon but made no move.
This wasn't due to Jinghe's slow commands.
On the contrary, Jinghe was confident in his reaction speed and on-the-spot command ability, and the Bear Pupil's stillness was a strategic move to counter attacks better.
Most of the audience didn't understand this, but Daye, Ami, and others did.
Consequently, Ami and Ali didn't relax; instead, they became more solemn.
However, it was undeniable that in a double battle, the initiative and control of the battle rested in the hands of the two Trainers.
And so, with lightning speed...
"Steelix, Bind!" Ami waved her hand.
The massive Steelix demonstrated speed uncharacteristic of its size.
Its large size also reduced the distance between it and the Swift Dragon and the Bear Pupil.
Steelix moved only a short distance before vigorously twisting its body, its tail aiming to bind the airborne Swift Dragon.
It seemed to consider the Swift Dragon the most significant threat.
"Roar!"
However, the Swift Dragon's body glowed with a sudden white light, and with the speed advantage of "Superspeed," it skillfully evaded Steelix's tail, charging straight at Charm.
But...
A mischievous smile appeared on Ami's usually quiet face.
Steelix's tail soared past the Swift Dragon, aiming directly at the Bear Pupil!
From the start, their target was never the Swift Dragon, but the Bear Pupil!
A surprise attack!
Master Jing He narrowed her eyes, her mind filled with thoughts, but she still didn't give any commands, only shouting, "Dodge!"
Facing the incredibly thick tail that was drawing closer, the Bear Pupil strictly followed Master Jing He's instructions and didn't attack, instead dodging to the side.
But...
In the end, it couldn't avoid the Steelix's tail and was caught!
"Hmm?" Tian on the audience stand was taken aback.
If the Bear Pupil not attacking earlier made sense to Denji, then the current situation was a bit unclear.
Even they couldn't understand, so it was even more so for the other spectators.
"Is it a bit too much for Master Jing He to command two Pokemon against two people?"
"There's no other way, after all, the opponents are also two Gym Leaders."
"In other words, Master Jing He is going to suffer a heavy defeat today?!"
"I'm starting to get excited!"
"..."
This group of "anti-fans" couldn't wait to see Master Jing He get beaten up and even became excited at the prospect.
On the field...
The Swift Dragon, which had used Superspeed to rush towards Charm, was blocked by the Reflect Barrier.
And this slight gap was seized by Ali.
She tensed her body and shouted, "Charm! Flying Knee Kick!"
Master Jing He's heart sank. "As expected."
"Re-moo!"
Charm stared intently at the Bear Pupil, slightly lowering its body, then its legs sprang like a coiled spring, propelling it into the air.
With its body taut like a drawn bowstring, it bent its knees and concentrated all its power into a single point, kicking towards the 'bound' Bear Pupil.
Flying Knee Kick was an extremely powerful Fighting-type move with a base power of 130! But it had a fatal weakness—if it missed, the user would suffer severe rebound damage.
This was why Steelix was used to restrict the Bear Pupil's movements.
Steelix's initial use of Light Screen to increase speed was also in preparation for this.
More importantly...
Charm's Ability—Yoga Power!
[Yoga Power: Increases the damage of non-fixed damage physical moves by 2x!]
The already powerful Flying Knee Kick, combined with Charm's Yoga Power Ability, made this kick absolutely devastating! Even if the Bear Pupil wasn't weak to Fighting-type moves, if hit, it would be instantly knocked out!
This was Ami and Ali's tactic.
At first glance, it seemed like Steelix, which had been powered up, would be the main attacker, but in reality, Charm was the true powerhouse.
Once Steelix bound the Bear Pupil, it couldn't even escape, creating the perfect opportunity for Charm's one-hit kill.
Losing one Pokemon in a Doubles Battle was absolutely fatal.
This was going to be bad!
This was everyone's initial thought.
But just then...
The Bear Pupil, which hadn't attacked since its entry, finally moved.
"Ku~! (-ω-) zzZ"
It even fell asleep while still bound by Steelix.
With a serious expression, it exerted force, creating some space to move its arms, leaving Steelix slightly surprised.
At that moment, Master Jing He's voice rang out perfectly.
"See Through!"
See Through was similar to Guard, but instead of relying on an energy shield, it required the Pokemon to have higher martial arts skills and the ability to counter moves.
Charm's deadly Flying Knee Kick was completely blocked by the Bear Pupil, and the force was successfully dissipated.
Bang!!
Charm slammed into the ground, creating a loud noise and sending dust flying.
Hua—!!
The entire audience was stunned.
Could this be countered? The spectators asked themselves; in this situation, not a single one could dodge.
Even Tian and Denji might have been in the same situation.
If they were commanding, they might have also let the Bear Pupil use See Through when Steelix tried to bind it.
But by doing so, the Bear Pupil, though not bound, would have lost the best opportunity to dodge, leaving it defenseless against Charm's Flying Knee Kick.
"So Master Jing He had been waiting all along."
"And they still couldn't 'take out' Master Jing He?"
"Wow—to react to that move?"
"..."
Denji's expression turned serious. "Rather than reacting, it's more like Master Jing He was waiting for Ali's Charm to use that move from the very beginning."
Tian agreed.
"It feels like Ami and Ali's tactics were seen through from the start. Master Jing He set a trap and let them walk right into it."
This gave them a new understanding of Master Jing He's tactical abilities.
Different from a set strategy.
This was purely about countering moves, which better showcased a Trainer's tactical level.
At the same time...
Master Jing He gently adjusted her glasses.
"Checkmate, Water Whip!"
The Swift Dragon had already turned around when Charm kicked towards the Bear Pupil, perfectly positioning itself next to Steelix.
The tail, wrapped in a water current, lashed out, dealing heavy damage to Steelix.
Using this opportunity, the Bear Pupil completely freed itself from Steelix's bindings, setting up the final close-quarters battle.
Steelix was unable to battle!
With only Charm left, weakened by the rebound damage from Flying Knee Kick, it couldn't cause much trouble.
The battle was decided!
Although the entire battle was quick from start to finish, it left the audience thoroughly satisfied.
This was the art of Doubles Battles.
Countering moves.
If not for Master Jing He, Ami and Ali's tactics would have overwhelmed any combination.
But alas...
Master Jing He's strategy of "responding to changes without changing oneself" was too brilliant.
When Charm's Flying Knee Kick missed, the outcome was sealed.
In Pokemon battles, there are both first and second moves.
This time, Master Jing He demonstrated the art of the second move.
Ami and Ali lost with complete acceptance.
---
PS: I intended to sleep until 9 AM and then start writing, but I overslept. My head is still a bit dizzy, sorry for the late update.
(End of Chapter)
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