The Ravonia Team in Ruins
The roster for the team battle must be submitted to the competition committee in advance, but there is no such regulation for the group stage. Players can be arranged arbitrarily, adding more suspense.
The players participating in the team battle this time are Bruce and Liam. They are the champion and runner-up of the collegiate league, and the two strongest members of the team.
"The players for the first team battle are invited to the battlefield." The loudspeaker at the venue made an announcement, and the entire audience waited with bated breath. The enormous spotlights swept from side to side, and the atmosphere was thick with tension and anticipation.
"Let's go."
"Take him down directly!"
"Go, go, go!"
The seven competitors cheered for Bruce, and Julian nodded slightly with a smile on his lips.
They have full confidence in Bruce's strength.
Bruce nodded in response to the crowd, then raised his eyes to look at the battlefield; his heart was inevitably agitated. He let out a shallow breath, and his emotions gradually returned to calm.
In front of the eyes of the entire audience, dozens of cameras were trained on Bruce. Wearing the national uniform of red and white, the tall and handsome Bruce elicited an explosion of cheers.
Seeing this, the commentator Martin Tyler spoke quickly and clearly: "The Avalon team has decided to let player Bruce play in the first match."
He paused for a moment, a smile on his face, and said loudly, "Bruce's resume goes without saying; as the champion of the collegiate league, he is undoubtedly the strongest player on Team Avalon."
"We have ample confidence in this."
"Sending Bruce to take the lead undoubtedly shows the Eastern team's determination to win this competition."
At the same time, the camera shifted, revealing the scene of the Ravonia team's bench.
"What?"
Martin Tyler let out a slight sigh at first, then said with doubt in his eyes, "The Ravonia team has also sent their strongest player here, who is also the captain of Team Ravonia, Henry Mitchell."
Martin Tyler did not look at the information and quickly added, "Some viewers may not know this player Henry. He is the champion of this year's collegiate competition in Ravonia and has been the best talent trainer in Ravonia once every ten years. Once he debuts, he's a formidable opponent to consider."
"But the player Bruce facing him this time will surely be better and more talented than him."
As soon as these words were spoken, a flood of comments erupted in the live broadcast.
"Is the start the battle of the strongest players? That's a bit exciting."
"Exciting? Facing Bruce? I don't think there's any suspense."
"Indeed, the genius trainer of Ravonia and our genius trainer are two different concepts."
"Don't underestimate any rival; it would be embarrassing if the tables turned."
"Does the Ravonia team not think clearly? They should definitely send their strongest players for the first match. Why would they want to confront us head-on?"
"Yes, the right choice should be to let Henry play second and have the weaker player face Bruce."
In fact, the coach of the Ravonia team thought more about this. He even planned to let Henry and another strong player skip the team battle and concentrate on the ring battle.
Yes, they are going to forfeit the 4 points in the team battle and focus all their efforts on the ring.
Facing the Avalon team is a dire situation. There is a clear gap between the two teams, and they can only take a gamble.
But Henry vetoed this proposal, stating firmly, "I heard that Bruce is the champion of the collegiate league in Avalon this year, and so am I; I want to fight against him."
"If the other players go first and Bruce wins too easily, then he can continue participating in the group arena, which is not good."
After hearing these words, Michael nodded helplessly.
Even as the team coach, he cannot force the selection of players, and everyone's wishes must be respected.
Ignoring the hustle and bustle of the outside world, the two contestants slowly walked towards the battlefield and stood in the command seats on either side.
Henry was a slender but capable trainer. His dark eyes were narrow and elongated, revealing a faint glimmer.
This kind of temperament was somewhat terrifying, like facing a viper lurking in the shadows; once the prey showed the slightest defect, it would launch a quick and violent strike.
The Hearthstone Stadium gradually calmed down, and all eyes turned to the two figures on the field.
On the big screen, the score displayed was 0:0 at that moment.
Bruce and Henry exchanged glances, not speaking, simply waiting silently for the referee's signal.
The referee looked around, saw that the players on both sides were ready, quickly raised two flags, and shouted loudly, "Please send out your Pokémon!"
As the voice fell, both players threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.
"Go, Excadrill!"
The white light blossomed, and a Pokémon with a strong body, dark brown skin, and a white face landed on the field.
This Pokémon has sharp claws like Oreburgh, and its fighting spirit is as sharp as a sword.
[Pokémon: Excadrill (Ground/Steel)
Ability: Sand Rush
Qualification: Master
Level: Lv49 (Ace)]
"Alright, the first Pokémon is level 49." Bruce raised his eyebrows while looking at Excadrill's data panel.
As an international event, each player is an elite trainer who has emerged from thousands of candidates, and this level of Pokémon is more common.
On Bruce's side, the white dress of Gardevoir swayed as usual, standing gracefully on the field, and countless people were astonished by her strong demeanor as a Psychic queen.
"Sure enough, Bruce chose to send out Gardevoir for the first round."
"Excadrill has good resistance to Psychic and Fairy types, and its attributes are dominant."
"Well, attribute restrictions are useless against Gardevoir."
Amid the heated discussion, Katsuragi, who was sitting in the player's seat, looked at Gardevoir, suddenly bit her lip, her eyes wandering, and recalled the scene where Meganium was taken out in one blow.
Junsuke Yu noticed Katsuragi's unease, patted her shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Miss Katsuragi, take this opportunity to think about how to fight against this Gardevoir."
"Failure is not terrible; we have to learn from our failures."
"Yes, Yu-kun." Upon hearing these words, Katsuragi nodded, then gazed intently at the field, silently clenching her fists.
Seeing that the players on both sides had sent out their Pokémon, the referee blew the whistle, waved the flag, and shouted, "The battle begins!"
As soon as the voice hit the ground, Bruce sharply commanded, "Stealth Rock."
"Crack!"
Excadrill responded to the command, curled its claws, and sharp rocks floated around Gardevoir out of nowhere, causing damage to the Pokémon rotating on the field.
As a 3V3 battle, this move can play a crucial role.
"Mystical Fire." Bruce's eyes were calm, and his clear voice resonated through Gardevoir's mind via telepathy.
In front of players from other countries, there was no need to hold back.
"What!"
Gardevoir's eyes lit up; she opened her mouth, and orange flames erupted, forming a pillar of fire in an instant and blasting towards Excadrill!
"Excadrill has double weakness to Fire; if hit by Mystical Fire, it will be severely injured in an instant!" Upon seeing this, Martin Tyler exclaimed immediately.
On the field,
The pillar of fire surged towards Excadrill, the heat wave rolling along, the temperature rising rapidly, and the surrounding air seemed to distort.
"That's the move..." Seeing the terrifying Dazzling Gleam, Katsuragi unconsciously gritted her teeth.
Meganium was instantly taken out by this Mystical Fire, without any resistance.
Michael was not in a hurry; he thought for a while and then said in a deep voice, "Rapid Spin."
"Crack!"
Excadrill's claws and the sharp blades on its head closed tightly, transforming into a drill shape and spinning at super high speed, unleashing gusts of wind.
Boom!
The turbulent pillar of fire came rushing in, and when it met the furious wind, at the moment it struck Excadrill, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier, splitting apart and flying off in both directions!
"Excadrill used Rapid Spin and withstood the fire!"
Commentators around the world were explaining the game in real-time. Seeing how Excadrill withstood the Mystical Fire, everyone gasped.
Only Martin Tyler initially frowned slightly, then quickly unfolded it, a smile on his face as he said, "The audience who has watched the collegiate league matches should be familiar with this."
"This is Bruce's first back shield technique, which can use many moves to rebound lethal attacks, even achieving both offensive and defensive effects."
"At that time, the back fist shield sparked heated discussions online, and many trainers joined in the discussion, expanding the usage scope of the back fist shield."
"I didn't expect Henry from the Ravonia team to master the back shield."
For a time, countless netizens from Avalon were talking about it.
"Wow! Stolen tactics!"
"This is bad; this Henry has come prepared."
"Why panic? What he faces is Bruce, the creator of the home protection shield."
Seeing Excadrill use the back shield, Bruce appeared surprised, then a smile crept onto his face.
That's right; if the game ended too quickly, it would be boring.
And these skills are for you to learn from me, and me to learn from
you, to make the game more exciting and interesting.
The flames gradually dissipated, and Excadrill brandished its claws, staring intently at Gardevoir with sharp eyes, exuding a terrifying aura all over its body.
"Sandstorm." Seeing that Excadrill was unharmed, Sucrava calmly issued the command again.
"Crack!"
Upon hearing this, Excadrill roared mindlessly, violently waving its claws, and immediately unleashed a rolling wave of yellow sand; the sandstorm was sufficient to cover the sky and the sun, enveloping the entire site, and fine sand and stones flew all over the sky!
p treon / Thenamealreadyexis
50 chapters ahead