Chapter 35: Weary Farfetch'd
When dark energy first began to flow out of Froakie's hand, Darren didn't realize the severity of the problem.
He had made many preparations for this match, and he was clear about all the moves that Froakie had displayed during the preliminary selection.
Despite his dismissive remarks before the match, as if Arthur's entry into the main competition was all because of hype, he actually secretly researched this opponent for the past few days.
No matter the means, his desire to enter the professional league was genuine. He wanted to win this competition and reach the top four no matter what!
Unfortunately, some things happened precisely in the few days after the preliminary selection.
"Thief."
Arthur's simple command almost made Darren jump up in shock.
"What?!"
The command he gave Farfetch'd in his mind was to continue attacking, but the next second, he saw Farfetch'd's wings slip—
The leek was gone...
Froakie directly snatched the leek with his bare hands!
Using the corrosive nature of the Dark-type energy, Farfetch'd's wing tips felt like they had been severely scalded when the leek was snatched. His hand slipped, and the weapon flew out...
Darren excitedly grabbed the railing of the commanding platform and hastily commanded in his mind: Grab it back quickly, even if it means getting hurt!
He thought that Froakie snatched the leek only to interrupt Farfetch'd's attack and then throw it back to cause damage.
But—
After grabbing the leek, Froakie made a face at Farfetch'd triumphantly, then turned around without hesitation and threw the leek powerfully towards the edge of the field, like a javelin thrower.
( Д )
My leek!!
Farfetch'd was instantly dumbfounded...
And Arthur had been wearing a faint smile since he gave the order.
Since the opponent was so fond of exploiting the rules, he would naturally oblige.
During the pre-match announcement, he specifically noticed a detail in the referee's announcement—
The referee said that Farfetch'd was allowed to carry the leek as a companion weapon, but only one, and if the leek was broken or went out of bounds, it could not be replaced or replenished before the end of the round!
At that time, Arthur thought about the compatibility of this rule with the "Thief" move.
Since the opponent was so fond of using the rules to his advantage, naturally, he couldn't fall behind, right?
So now, Froakie used the move not for dealing damage at all.
His goal was to throw the leek out of bounds!
Instantly, Darren was no longer calm!
How could Farfetch'd fight without his leek?!
"Use Agility to chase after it, quickly!!"
Finally, in his desperation, he couldn't help but shout the command he was used to, abandoning all pretenses of being cool.
Farfetch'd instantly sprang into action, his short legs moving so fast that he displayed the fastest speed of his life.
But Arthur had no intention of letting him off so easily.
"Quick Attack!"
In terms of short-range straight-line bursts of speed, "Agility" normally couldn't compete with "Quick Attack."
Farfetch'd, who started first, had only traveled halfway. He was about to reach the falling leek, but then he was hit hard from behind.
Froakie chased after him like lightning and rammed into his back, knocking him to the ground, rolling over and over for three times.
It's over!
This delay almost made Farfetch'd despair.
But coincidentally, there was a turning point.
Because the main competition field had fencing added around it, unlike the preliminary selection field.
Just now, Froakie, standing in the center of the field, didn't manage to throw the leek over the fence. The leek hit the fence and bounced back into the field.
Although as a leek, it had endured more impact than it should have today, the stalk was bent, and most of the leaves had fallen off.
But at least, it was still in the field!
Seeing this, Farfetch'd immediately got up and rushed towards his leek with bloodshot eyes.
He was now closer to it and had a good chance!
And Froakie simply didn't try to compete for it.
"Bubble!"
Following Arthur's command, he spat out a series of water bubbles again.
At this time, Farfetch'd was too desperate to get his leek back to dodge the bubbles. He endured the damage, feathers falling off in large clumps, just to grab his leek first.
Leek means life!
"Gaa!"
The moment he grasped the leek, Farfetch'd immediately felt his strength return.
He turned his head to glare at Froakie not far away, his eyes bursting with fighting spirit!
When a samurai grips his katana, a swordsman draws his sword, and a Farfetch'd retrieves his leek, the outcome of this battle becomes uncertain!
The benefits you gained earlier, I will take them all back now! - Farfetch'd's eyes showed this kind of fighting spirit.
But the next moment, just as he was about to prepare for a counterattack, he took a step and suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why... do I feel a bit numb?
Seeing the sudden change in Farfetch'd's expression, Arthur on the commanding platform couldn't help but smile again.
You like to play dirty?
You like to use every available trick within the rules?
Very well!
Then don't blame me for using your tactics against you.
Before throwing the leek, Froakie had a discreet move: he ran his hands along the entire leek.
The purpose was to smear the Paralyze Berry juice from the top of the leek to the entire stalk.
Then, when "Quick Attack" rammed into Farfetch'd from behind, he secretly plucked some feathers from the tips of Farfetch'd's wings;
When using "Bubble" just now, the bubbles actively targeted Farfetch'd's wings.
For Farfetch'd, the wings are his hands.
The main reason he was fearless about the small modification on his leek was that his wings had feathers, so he wasn't directly touching the leek when holding it.
But now, the end of the leek was also smeared with the juice, and Farfetch'd had very few feathers left on the tips of his wings.
The tricks he himself played had now backfired on him.
Would he hold the leek or not?
That was the question...
But Froakie wouldn't give him too much time to think.
First, he continued to use "Bubble" to suppress the opponent. After the opponent couldn't endure the attack and charged in, he immediately switched to "Pound" to counterattack.
At this point, even the commentators could see what was happening.
"Farfetch'd's movements... seem to be getting stiff? In these few close-range clashes since just now, he hasn't been able to suppress Froakie in his strongest area. Compared to the beginning, his suppressive power seems to have dropped. Is he tired?"
Tired?
In a way, yes.
Farfetch'd now felt that not only his body was tired, but his heart was also exhausted.
After realizing that the opponent had used "Thief", he had to keep holding the leek tightly at all times.
But the tighter he held it, the faster the Paralyze Berry juice penetrated.
After a few more clashes, Farfetch'd felt that one of his wings was almost completely numb...
The worst part was that this wasn't caused by his opponent...
It was caused by his own trainer's trickery before the match.
So, he felt so tired...
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