This elf world is a bit strange

Kikuko nodded slightly, and calmed down a bit. "That's right. Emperor Nabo has just broken through. Kog'Maw and Tyranitar are still a little short of their quality. Scaled Dragon has a good physique, but has not yet fully tapped its potential. It's just right to use this waterfall to train them. That guy Xiba also comes here often, with his big Onix."

Although she looks like a Spartan instructor, she is actually very meticulous and has put a lot of thought into Philio's affairs. However, her aloof and weird personality makes people feel a little distant from her.

Now that he understood the old man's intention, Firio stood up in awe and bowed respectfully to express his gratitude.

But Kikuko just waved her hand calmly and said nonchalantly: "No need to be polite. It's their ability to hold on until now, or it can be said that you, as a trainer, have done a good job. As for the rest, it depends on their own understanding and hard work. Stimulating muscles through attribute energy, and then using the muscles of the whole body to work together to concentrate and release excess energy. This technique is simple to say, but it is very difficult to practice."

"I still have confidence in my partners."

"Buyi~"

"Elu!"

As if in response to what Firion said, Solevil and Windie, who were eating snacks nearby, came forward and nodded vigorously, their eyes drifting toward the window from time to time, where they could just see the figures of their friends who were knocked into the water one after another by Arbok and Gallant.

They were in a terrible state, but they kept going.

"...You two have a really good relationship, so we'll just have to wait and see."

Kikuko smiled meaningfully, her dark pupils hiding countless emotions.

Fifty years ago, she, who worshipped battle, strength, and victory, did not understand the importance of the relationship between a trainer and his or her Pokémon partner.

Until Oki left without saying goodbye and the decisive battle on the Quartz Plateau.

Now, having gone through most of her life and knowing everything, she stands at a high place where she can see the peak but is always one step away.

Although I have reached the age where I should be open-minded and let go of everything, I still feel some regrets.

But looking at the young man in front of her who seemed to be in deep thought but still couldn't hide his high spirits, and his vigorous Pokémon, she felt that her unfulfilled ideals could be achieved.

"Mmmm!"

The old man cleared his throat and felt that he had been distracted for a long time. He waved in the direction of the wind fairy and took the little sheep with evil intentions into his arms.

"The future is still far away. There's no need to talk too early or too confidently. Let's get back to the point." She stroked the soft and warm cotton and whispered, "I want to ask you a question. What is the meaning of tactics?"

The old man's eyes were not only focused on Firion, but also swept over the Sun Eevee who was sitting upright obediently and the Wind Sprite who was not honest and moving around in his arms.

The expression she used was no longer "you", but "you all".

Chapter 274: Tactics and flaws: Evolution of tempered steel

"The... significance of tactics?"

Firio was puzzled. He admitted that in terms of strength, he was far inferior to the master Kikuko who had accumulated decades of experience. But when it came to tactics, at least in terms of being able to counter the moves of other masters in battle, he had the confidence that was no less than any of his predecessors.

Even Kalos's renowned tactical expert, Ge Jihua, had suffered losses in front of him more than once, not to mention other trainers.

But from what Kikuko said, it seemed that she was dissatisfied with his own tactics, which made him completely confused.

Not only him, but also Windy and Sun Eevee, who have always had absolute trust in his command, cast troubled looks at Kikuko.

"You really didn't realize it." Kikuko was not surprised at all. She picked up the remote control on the coffee table and pressed the button. "Then take a look at this. Maybe you can see some problems."

Accompanied by a "creaking" sound, an old TV that was probably almost the same age as the one in Kikuko's house slowly turned on, revealing a slightly blurry picture.

That was the first battle video in which Firion appeared in public.

The first encounter between Sara and Nancy, the contest between the immature dream demon and Yongjira.

From the feint attack of high-speed stars, to the precise pre-reading of electromagnetic waves, to the tit-for-tat strategy of pretending to hide in the shadows but actually fighting back with a desperate move, the weak defeated the strong and repelled Yongjira.

But the picture ends here, and what follows is the Prism Cup final not long after.

With the exquisite stand, impeccable temperature tricks, and the ruthless Night Demon, the Nine-Tailed Fox, whose strength on paper was similar to or even stronger than that of the Dream Demon, had no power to fight back and was played around by it.

Then, it was time for the final of the team tournament, where they faced the extremely strengthened Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile.

From the agile fighting at the beginning, to the pervasive poisonous form changes, to the illusion light that was seven parts virtual and three parts real, integrated with the Qiyi light, to the final chain attack of mental power and shadow balls, it was like mercury pouring on the ground.

This series of scenes are all confrontations that Firion is quite proud of. If the Dream Demon were here, he would definitely hold his head high.

That was its highlight moment.

But Kikuko didn't say anything, she just pressed the button again, bringing up new scenes one after another.

At Baike Gym, the gym battle where he defeated Gejihua after realizing the aura of the Overlord.

In the semi-finals of the tournament, there is a battle between the ace crocodile who evolves on the spot and defeats the king in one fell swoop.

There was also the fierce competition with Korni, which was considered the most powerful match in the history of the Miare Conference.

All public battles related to the Dream Demon appeared on the TV screen.

It was not until the song of destruction was finished and the exhausted dream demon slowly fell to the ground accompanied by the referee's declaration of victory that the video camera slowly returned to darkness.

At this time, Kikuko put down the remote control and looked at Firio.

"You must think that these six matches are very successful tactical cases, right?"

The old man's voice seemed to have a questioning tone, but his eyes were very determined.

Firion nodded silently, and the Wind Fairy danced with joy. Only the Sun Eevee on the side had a blank expression on his face. He lay on the armrest of the sofa thoughtfully, swinging his long tail.

"But if it were me, and I met you after watching these six battles, in a life-and-death fight, you would definitely die in my hands, even if I didn't use a Pokémon that was stronger than you."

The old voice was very calm, as if stating a self-evident fact.

"You may not be convinced, that's okay, you will soon understand why."

With the corners of her mouth slightly raised, Kikuko snapped her fingers, and Haunter, who had just served tea, brought out a small blackboard with almost no empty space for writing and drawing.

"This is……?"

Just one glance and Firio's pupils began to shrink.

Although it was very messy, and even the old man himself was scribbled due to fatigue in the end, a diagram of his fighting style has been fully presented.

"You are also a trainer who is good at tactics, especially in outdoor battles without rules. Then you should know very well that the foundation of tactics is the two most core benchmarks."

"One is for frontal suppression and the other is for unexpected tricks. All derivatives must be extended for this purpose."

"Many tactics seem to be clever, but in fact the final goal is to attack by force. Many plans that seem to be strong are actually beyond expectations."

"And you, Firion, in everyone's eyes, you are a trainer who is good at making strange plans and doesn't like direct conversations most of the time."

"The most valuable thing is that as long as you concentrate, you will hardly make mistakes. That's how the nickname 'robot' came about. It's very appropriate."

"But you and your dream demon have one important trait, or rather, a dangerous flaw in my eyes, which has never changed from the beginning to now."

"That is, he always likes to use a bold and fierce attack to make the final blow. Even the position and posture of launching the attack are almost the same."

Picking up the crutch that had fallen on the ground and using it as a teaching stick, the old man walked to the blackboard, pointed to the largest and deepest circle on the blackboard, which was almost completely covered by chalk, and said something.

The location of that circle is the same relative position where the Dream Demon launched the final attack in the six decisive battles.

"this……!"

Firion gasped, his mind replaying his numerous battles, including the final battle against Ayado's strange power at the Haruka Gym.

Just as the old man said, at the moment of the decisive battle, his and the dream demon's choices reflected their deepest wishes, which was an instinctive desire.

"If you observe this commonality carefully, it will become the real flaw of your tactical library and robot. Because, once you know this, your plan will no longer be an impeccable plan, because no matter how wild and imaginative it is, it will eventually come down to one point."

"Boom"

The old man stopped talking when his cane, which was covered in chalk dust, slammed heavily on the wooden floor.

She didn't say the rest of the sentence.

Even if some people cannot change the outcome of such tactics, that is only the result of lack of strength. Once they encounter a strong enemy of equal strength and who is familiar with the matter, the "unexpected" nature of the strategy will become "expected".

And this would be the fatal shortcoming that all tacticians would be terrified of.

After a long silence, with the image on the blackboard deeply imprinted in his mind, Firion nodded with difficulty.

"...Thank you, senior. I am grateful for your teaching."

"You don't need to worry too much. Everyone has their own tactical habits, especially young people like you who have only been with your Pokémon for a few years."

Seeing the slight shock in Filio's heart, Kikuko's face showed a little more tenderness. She reached out her hand and patted his shoulders gently twice.

"Even I will be defeated after being discovered by others, just like when I lost to those two brats on Sufang Island. There is no universal tactic, and there is no trainer without flaws."

Filio raised his head and looked at the unexpectedly kind old man: "So what do you mean?"

"I pointed out your weakness to tell you that you should never fight according to other people's intentions, and don't let others guess your intentions so easily, even if it's just one point, even when you have the upper hand and are about to make the final decision. You are a smart child, you must understand what I mean. The key to being imaginative is the word "strange". Don't let others see through you."

Kikuko's eyes were flashing with eager anticipation, which was the most painful lesson she had learned from the dispute between her and Professor Oak on the Quartz Plateau.

But her own tactical style had already been finalized by then, and even after decades of countless efforts, she was unable to completely reverse it, and ultimately tasted the bitter fruit on Sufang Island.

"Yes, I think I understand, Senior. Your teachings have indeed benefited me a lot."

Filio stood up, held Kikuko's somewhat cold hand, and thanked her solemnly.

"Heh... your silly look now is a bit similar to that guy Xuecheng when he was young. But, after all, you are still a much smarter young man than him."

Kikuko was a little dazed for a moment, but she quickly reacted, chuckled, and returned to her seat with her crutches and sat down steadily.

"So, you also understand why I don't let those two little guys do high-intensity training these days. Instead, I let them exercise their mental strength while observing your training, right?"

"Yes, senior, I understand your intention."

Firion nodded vigorously, with admiration in his eyes becoming even stronger.

Behind him, the quiet Sol Eevee and the noisy Wind Fairy stood side by side, staring at the blackboard with their big, shining eyes. The observations of the past few days converged at this moment, and they had some enlightenment in their hearts.

No matter how close their relationship is, the other six Pokémon, including them, are ultimately different from the Nightmare, who was Firion's original partner.

If Incubus and Firion complement each other and serve as reflections of each other's personalities in battle, then they can become corrections and supplements to Firion.

As the starting point and transit point for countless specialized tactics in the team, in just a few words, these intelligent creatures have become more clear about their own positioning.

Unlike the ace who needs to face the strongest opponent, nor is he an attacker who faces the enemy head-on, he is the most important command tower and tactical library for the entire team besides the commander Firio.

They repair defects, expand advantages, and create winning momentum without showing off. They serve as the axis and hub of Firio and his tactical system, completing the most diverse tasks, either overtly or covertly.

Even Emperor Nabo could not bear such a responsibility.

"Buyi..."

The Sun Eevee nodded its head lightly, and its big erect ears moved. The light of superpowers overflowed from its body, wrapped around Firion, and instinctively intertwined with him.

The endless thoughts were transmitted to his heart through the fusion of super powers, just like a long tail wrapped around his wrist.

"E...Elu!"

The Wind Fairy also woke up from the countless thoughts that were like a tide. Unwilling to fall behind, it saw the Sun Eevee's "early start" and stomped its feet hard.

The energy of the earth penetrated the wooden board from below without reservation, supporting it to leap up, break through the barrier of superpowers, and land steadily in Firio's arms.

"Oh? Is that Sakaki's 'Secret of the Earth'? No... that's not right. It seems there's something very powerful, a legendary Pokémon?"

The condition of the wind fairy immediately attracted Kikuko's attention. The knowledgeable old man saw the mystery of the earth at a glance, but did not recognize the aura of Xerneas, a god thousands of miles away, and only felt it was quite strange.

However, everyone has secrets, just like herself.

She knew this well and didn't delve into it. She just snorted coldly and evaluated Sakaki mercilessly: "Although that Tokiwa kid is very strong, he has almost the same problem as you. He looks flawless on weekdays, but loses his composure at the critical moment."

Looking at Firion's embarrassed smile, the old man glared and said, "You have to remember that fighting for pride is the most meaningless thing in the world! Victory is the root of everything, and the tactical instinct that is integrated into your every move and soaked into your bones is the cornerstone of victory. Everything else is superfluous."

Perhaps because she felt that her words were a little too heavy, Juzi paused for a moment, her eyes shifted slightly, she no longer stared at Filio, and the conversation changed accordingly: "However, his profound meaning of the earth is really interesting. Stuff. That old guy’s grandson learned a lot.”

Although they had broken off relations for decades and rarely greeted each other except in official occasions, Kikuko still knew a lot about Professor Oak and his family.

While she was sitting at home, she received a steady stream of information from all sides, and even knew the relationship between Sakaki and Qingluo who were hiding in the dark.

"Oh... yes, I took note of what you said."

Feeling that the dispute between the two old men had become a mess, Firio sighed lightly, pretended to be sincerely accepting the lesson, and was about to respectfully add tea to the old man, but he heard a dazzling white light coming from outside.

“Swish—Boom!”

There was a loud bang following immediately.

Rushing to the window and blocking the old man behind him, Firion opened a gap and looked outside.

"What's going on? I'm going!"

Before he finished his words, he ran towards the gate like an arrow.

"What happened? Why are you so fussy?"

Kikuko slowly stood up, walked quickly to the bedside with her crutches, her tone full of complaints.