Chapter 175: A Duel of Similar Styles
Arthur had chosen this opponent for a simple reason: he had watched this trainer's duels before and knew that this Gallade's fighting style was the closest to Frogadier's.
Both pursued high speed and agility, a combat style akin to that of a ninja or assassin.
Back then, Arthur's Leafeon also had such a fighting style: its movements were like a ghost's, coming and going like the wind. It could sneak into others' homes to "visit" female Vulpix without ever being discovered by their trainers.
Wherever it went, it created numerous urban legends of Eevees and Vulpix mysteriously getting pregnant…
The biggest advantage of such a fighting style was that it was less constrained by move cooldown periods.
Frogadier, with its agile movements and increasingly refined martial arts, could maintain 60-70% of its combat effectiveness even without using skills.
It made Specter, next to him, practically cry with envy.
In contrast, Arthur's Little Lapras had a completely opposite style: always pursuing greater skill power, longer skill range, and shorter skill intervals!
Although it also practiced ice-skating for positioning, it almost never considered counterattacking when its skills were on cooldown.
If Frogadier followed the path of a high-agility, high-speed ninja, then Little Lapras followed the path of a direct, powerful magic cannon!
Specter's combat style was, to some extent, similar to Little Lapras's.
This was probably another major reason why he and Leafeon didn't get along back then; even their fighting styles were incompatible.
In this regard, Arthur was very open-minded. He never forced all the Pokémon under his command to follow a unified style.
What was suitable was best.
Every Pokémon had its own path.
While Frogadier's path would inevitably sacrifice some burst power and skill potency, its exquisitely honed movements and skills could also grant it more room to maneuver and control the flow of battle.
There was no need to envy others' fighting styles.
On this path, the only thing you needed to do was to train your own style to the extreme!
This was what Arthur had always taught Frogadier.
And indeed, Frogadier had done just that!
In this battle, the opponent coincidentally had the same style, thus making it the best test and refinement for Frogadier.
Before the match, Arthur encouraged him, "Don't be afraid, go for it, Frogadier!"
Before the staff member at the side blew the whistle, Frogadier responded with great vigor.
"Kero!!"
The next moment, the match officially began.
The opponent made the first move: "Gallade, use Psycho Cut!"
Gallade flexed its arms, and in the next instant, psychic energy gathered, immediately condensing into two cherry-red crystal short swords, which it grasped in its hands.
"Psycho Cut" was a Psychic-type skill. Similar to the "Leaf Blade" Arthur had seen a Grovyle use at Crescent Bay more than half a year ago, this skill also had two uses.
One was an explosive burst, channeling all energy into a single slash, used as a pure single-hit attack – once the sword is drawn, there are no regrets!
The second was like Gallade was doing now, continuously consuming energy to condense crystal blades in exchange for a prolonged weapon enhancement.
It was equivalent to using this skill like Shirou Emiya's Projection Magecraft.
These two ways of using the skill also represented two completely different fighting styles for Pokémon: the former focused on burst damage, the latter on kiting and sustained combat.
And the opponent's Gallade in this battle clearly favored the latter style.
Coincidentally: so did Frogadier!
"Go, Frogadier, use Double Team!"
The purpose of this battle was training and refinement, so Arthur abandoned his increasingly familiar smokescreen tactic at the start.
He had Frogadier create four clones right in front of the opponent!
Subsequently, the four clones, along with the main body, five frogs in total, surrounded Gallade!
Frogadier's legs were long. Frog-like Pokémon traditionally relied on significant leg bending and thrusting when running, causing their upper bodies to habitually lean forward.
This naturally formed a posture similar to a ninja run.
Five identical frogs, all maintaining this posture, rushing towards a sword-wielding enemy in front—
This scene inexplicably gave off a hot-blooded anime vibe.
In a daze, it was as if a voice was screaming hoarsely off-screen: Sasuke!
Naruto!
...
Of course, Gallade's response was also quite hot-blooded.
It also ran forward, confidently meeting its opponent!
The first frog leaped from the side, jumping high and kicking towards Gallade's face.
Gallade, while charging forward, stopped abruptly without warning, crouched down, and dodged the kick.
Then, in the process of getting up, it swung its blade!
The blade in its hand drew a crimson arc, cleaving the Frogadier in mid-air in two with one stroke!
Clean and neat, cut in two with one blow!
It showcased its own equally outstanding combat skills.
This Gallade, like Frogadier, was also the type that relied on movement and martial arts rather than just skills!
In fact, due to its species advantage, its current skills were even more polished than Frogadier's, which had not yet evolved into its final form!
However, a "pop" sound was heard immediately after.
The cleaved Frogadier instantly exploded into a puff of white smoke above Gallade's head.
It was just a clone.
Can it actually micromanage Double Team clones to perform such detailed actions? At this moment, Gallade couldn't help but raise its evaluation of its opponent by several notches.
But it was still too early!
It immediately turned its head, the blade in its other hand already prepared to meet the next Frogadier.
No matter how good the micromanagement, a Double Team clone was ultimately just a fragile clone.
Watch me cut them all down in minutes—
However, just as this thought began to form, a violent impact suddenly struck the back of its head.
"What?!"
Without time to turn around, Gallade was sent flying by this powerful force.
How could this be?! Wasn't the one behind me just a clone?
Just as Gallade was wondering this, it looked back to see all the Frogadiers collectively starting to run in disarray again, the main body once more mixing with the clones, making it difficult for Gallade to distinguish.
"Calm down, Gallade! It just used the white smoke from the exploding Double Team clone to hide the main body's movement. Don't let a single hit distract you!"
Its trainer's timely reminder came through their mental link, helping Gallade quickly regain its composure.
I don't need to panic. It was just one hit, and no skills have been used yet.
The battle had only just begun!
It tightened its grip on the psychic-materialized blades, its eyes narrowing once more.
This time, I've got you!
In an instant, Gallade took the initiative, "Swish, swish," two quick slashes cutting down two clones, finally locking onto the Frogadier it judged to be the main body.
You're finished!
The blades in both hands slashed down simultaneously, converging in a crimson cross in mid-air!
However, this time, another clone abruptly appeared out of nowhere in front of it, proactively meeting Gallade's slash, and shattered against this cross-slash.
Gallade subconsciously thought this was another Double Team clone and immediately withdrew its blades, preparing to continue searching for the main body.
But this time, its judgment was wrong again…
This was Frogadier's second skill under Arthur's command: "Shadow Sneak"!
The clone that had suddenly appeared was actually the shadow from the sneak attack.
Frogadier had let the shadow deliberately collide with the slash and break, sacrificing the move's damage, precisely to make the enemy misjudge.
By the time Gallade focused its gaze and shockingly realized that the Frogadier in front of it hadn't shattered into white smoke, it was already too late.
Frogadier lunged forward a large step, a single leg shot out in a direct kick, once again striking Gallade!
In this contest of skill between similar fighting styles, Frogadier had actually reversed its own species disadvantage and seized the upper hand!
(End of Chapter)
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