area51novel Chapter 34 Defeat is still glorious
Chapter 34 Defeat is still glorious
"Let me confirm with you two, you didn't deliberately lose to me to save face, right?"
After the fierce battle, amidst the devastation of the battlefield, Yueju, looking on with suspicion, retrieved the bandana-wearing thug into its Poké Ball and asked the two opposite it from afar.
"Although I did say lines like 'dishonorable victory' before, this guy is the current king of the game. To have someone use such exaggerated acting to deliver victory to him, even as a ruthless gambler, I would be disgusted and unable to swallow it, okay?"
The high school girl next to Yueju nodded indignantly: "They must think this game is unimportant, so they humiliated us in this way."
Under the intense gaze of the two opposite him, Touko's eyes were now fixed on Hugo beside him, his gaze filled with dissatisfaction and suspicion.
Hugo immediately defended himself loudly: "It's one thing if others don't know the situation, but Douzi, you've been standing next to me the whole time. I've never given any strange orders!"
"Strange instructions? Hugo, explain yourself clearly. Why did your Chimchar miss all of its moves except for the first one that hit Bandana-wearing Stooge? Missing is one thing, but why do those off-target moves always seem to put us at a disadvantage?"
Douzi scolded his companion in a bad mood.
"First, the sparks from the missed 'Spark' obscured Emboar's vision, causing its 'Heavy Arm Hammer,' which should have been a one-hit kill, to miss. Then, you commanded Chimchar to dodge the opponent's feint to the right, but it unexpectedly tripped and stumbled a few meters before crashing headfirst into Emboar. This caught Emboar off guard, and it took another hit from a Champion-level 'Flying Knee Kick.'"
“You know me, these things were all unfortunate accidents,” the detective said, feeling very aggrieved. “Besides, you were the one who told me not to just stand there and not to give any orders to interfere with the other side.”
"You've been interfering with our side the whole time, haven't you?" Douzi roared angrily, having missed out on the prize money. "It was the same when we sent Chimchar to block the attack. Their 'Flying Kick' was already going to miss, but your 'Tackle,' which wasn't even a move, somehow changed the direction of the kick, causing it to hit Emboar again... Hugo, if you had just done nothing and let it miss and fall to the ground, we would have won!"
"What are you saying! When the bandana-wearing thug was charging up his 'Flying Knee Kick,' you were the one frantically giving me winks, okay? I just gave Chimchar a perfectly standard command like 'Go block it,' okay?"
"Even if you say that, what was with that ridiculous 'crazy grabbing' move at the end? Normal interference wasn't enough, and then you actually attacked Yanwu King directly! What did I do to you? You hit me five times in a row, killing my teammate! We were still able to turn the tide then!"
"Excuse my bluntness, but at that time, Emboar's 'Smoke Charge' had already created a lot of smoke and dust. The Chimchar, which was originally in the enemy's half of the field, was attacked and dodged by the enemy, and couldn't stop in time, so it hit your Infernape. At that time, in a cloud of smoke, you heard the sound of the attack hitting, and didn't you happily shout, 'You're actually quite useful at crucial moments,'?"
"I take back what I said! Hugo's synergy with Pokémon is terrible. I was a complete idiot to say that I could win double battles with Hugo! Do you know how devastated I was when the smoke cleared and I saw Emboar lying on the ground? And you, you heartless detective, rubbed salt into the wound by recalling your Chimchar with a Poké Ball, which hadn't lost a single drop of stamina the entire time, and then you just surrendered. And you still say you're not a spy sent by that Elite Four member?"
"Chimchar is a newly adopted starter Pokémon. Isn't it a bit cruel to make it battle one-on-one against the signature Pokémon of the Unova Elite Four?"
"It would be truly cruel to watch the prize money slip through my fingers!"
"You've finally revealed your true nature, blinded by greed. In the end, you only got the chance to participate in this competition because of my black ticket, didn't you? Didn't I warn you long ago that bringing me into a doubles match would inevitably result in a loss?"
"Even so, it was Hugo's fault for being so meticulous in his preparations for the battle, deliberately giving me a glimmer of hope for victory, and then messing things up at the crucial moment!"
Amidst the increasingly heated argument, Lingju suddenly walked towards the two of them through the still-smoky battle area.
Douzi and Hugo stopped arguing at the same time, and as Yueju approached, Hugo stepped forward and took her hand before she could react.
"What a fantastic match! As expected of the master strategist among the Elite Four, all four of your consecutive 'High Kicks' landed perfectly. Your bandana-wearing thug truly possesses top-tier Pokémon strength. We accept our defeat wholeheartedly."
Ignoring the increasingly ashen face of the lewd-looking detective, the white-coated detective became even more enthusiastic, putting his arm around the Dark-type Elite Four member's shoulder and pointing at the Fighting One with a cheerful smile.
"My partner has some skill, but he's still too young. Compared to you, who has already established himself at the top of the league, he's nothing. His limitations were completely exposed in this match, weren't they?"
All that's been exposed is Hugo's talent for messing everything up, isn't it?
Douzi, utterly bewildered, secretly wondered what the detective was up to. But she maintained a confident demeanor, calmly observing everything before her—in short, a smile was the best thing to do in situations like this.
On the other side, Lan Tachibana finally seized the opportunity to dodge the detective who was ignoring the facts and talking non-stop, and stretched out her palm to Touko behind her—
"This match should have been your victory, Miss Touko. When I bet my chances on the bandana thug's accuracy, I never expected it to end like this."
The gambling king bowed to Douzi with a standard aristocratic gesture of thanks: "Your ridiculous antics cannot overshadow your talent. I will sharpen my fangs and meet your challenge on the road to the championship."
The meaning behind the Dark Elite Four member's action is clear: he does not acknowledge the victory in this match, so he personally submits to Touko in his capacity as Unova Elite Four member.
The girl with the high ponytail scratched her head awkwardly: "The League Challenge? I've been participating in tournaments all over the place, and I haven't even started collecting gym badges yet... Judging from the start date of this year's challenge, it seems like it's too late."
Cranberry was taken aback: "Isn't your goal to win the league?"
The girl shook her head vigorously: "The initial investment in the league competition is too large, and it's an elimination tournament..."
"There's never much prize money to be made, and it's troublesome if you become the champion—that's what that guy told me in the past," Hugo chimed in, betraying his companion without hesitation.
Rubbing her temples, Lingju seemed to be having a real headache: "Anyway, the little girl's matter is settled first, and then there's this little Chimchar's trainer..."
The shark-like, serrated mouth grinned again, facing the detective.
"You've been deliberately trying to sabotage me from the moment I left, haven't you? Unfortunately, I'm very familiar with the way these petty thugs awkwardly try to get favors from others. Before I hit rock bottom, you'd better confess honestly."
"As expected of the King." Hugo casually withdrew his arm from Yueju's shoulder. "But before that, I have a suggestion. It's a bit unfair for someone of your caliber to be playing in a match of this level. Why don't you withdraw from the subsequent doubles match in the first-class carriage, Mr. Yueju?"
Faced with the detective's startling words, Yueju pointed to the high school girl behind her: "That girl is waiting to use her winnings as travel expenses, I can't just leave her alone."
A knowing look appeared on Hugo's face, and he naturally followed up with his suggestion—
"My partner is a star trainer in the Unova region, and her battle with you, Elite Four, has already proven her strength. I think that the top student from Fukiyori High School wouldn't object to letting Douzi fill the vacancy left by Yue Tachibana, right?"
After a moment's thought, Lingju nodded in agreement.
Douzi, still confused, listened to the conversation between the two in a daze.
Huh? It seems the prize money is going to be secured again?