Payback, this was Norman's final trump card in a desperate situation, and also his true killing move!
Payback: Uses the opponent's power to return double the physical damage the opponent dealt last time!
This was a somewhat underhanded move, and Vigoroth, who had years of tacit understanding with him, clearly understood his thoughts. That's why it deliberately held back some strength during the recent clash, using Miltank's power to fly back while taking the opportunity to make a comeback!
"Sorry... This match, I've won!" Norman thought, glancing at Marcus with a hint of apology.
Unconsciously, he had actually brought out his true strength to battle, and deliberately holding back and losing under these circumstances would be disrespectful to Marcus.
Besides, if a Teacher lost to his disciple, how could he teach? How could the Teacher's authority be established? So he had to win this match.
That's right, he had quietly decided. After the battle, he would take this tactical genius under his wing and teach him meticulously!
"Boom—!"
While he was thinking, Vigoroth's red-glowing arms had heavily smashed into Miltank's body. The smoke and dust that hadn't yet dissipated surged again, completely enveloping the entire battlefield.
Seeing no movement in the arena for a long time, Norman smiled and said, "It seems I..."
"Miltank, the last... Body Press!"
With a muffled "Bang!" sound, Vigoroth flew out from the smoke, crashing heavily to the ground, clearly having lost its ability to battle.
Norman: "Huh??"
Caroline: ???
Just like when he read his opponent during live streams in his previous life, Marcus showed his signature mischievous smile: "Sorry, Norman-sensei, I anticipated your Payback... Miltank's last move that it hadn't used yet was Endure!"
Endure: Uses the power of the whole body to protect vital points. Even if hit by a fatal blow, it can retain its last bit of stamina without losing its ability to battle.
"Endure? When did that happen? Did you use it?"
Norman's face was blank. He couldn't accept it! He clearly had won! This kid cheated!
Marcus stepped forward and rubbed Miltank's head: "Just now~ After all, I've raised Miltank for three years, a little communication trick is very reasonable, right?"
He smiled, not saying anything more.
In fact, he had considered many tactics from the start.
The combination of Defense Curl + Rollout was indeed powerful, but it would also definitely be something Norman would focus on defending against.
So he deliberately used Defense Curl to reveal a weakness, and his opponent was very cooperative, directly exposing Encore + Bulk Up + Focus Punch, three skills.
To be honest, seeing the aggressive Focus Punch, Marcus was indeed a little flustered, but after Miltank successfully endured it, his victory equation was complete.
The only variable was the opponent's last skill.
He couldn't be completely certain, but it was over 80% likely to be either Reversal or Payback, one of the two.
This was also the reason why he didn't use Rollout to approach after commanding Miltank to use Defense Curl.
While approaching with Rollout could use speed to interrupt the opponent's Focus Punch charge, the opponent had used Bulk Up twice, and Body Press might not be able to finish it off instantly. At that point, with all four of his skills revealed, he would become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
The opponent would only need one Payback to defeat Miltank, which was not in perfect condition.
It could be said that in this battle, Marcus rediscovered the pleasure of strategizing, and he also gained a completely new understanding of Pokemon battles.
Using skills, dodging, clashing, controlling the timing during battle, stamina consumption, etc., all made his blood boil.
Choosing to use Defense Curl and remain still at first was also to see how Norman would seize the timing of the battle, so he could mimic and learn. Otherwise, a rash attack would only expose his weaknesses.
Thinking of this, Marcus also stored this valuable experience back in his mind and rubbed Miltank's head: "You worked hard, Miltank, you performed very well!"
"Moo~!" Miltank gave a simple smile and handed him a cup of Moomoo Milk.
This was its expression of approval for Marcus.
"The winner is decided! The victor is Marcus and Miltank from Goldenrod City! According to the agreement, someone is going to take Marcus as his disciple~"
Caroline's slightly playful voice sounded, making Norman's old face turn red.
"Ahem... Your performance in this battle was really good. I didn't expect you to be quite skilled in tactics. Come with me."
After speaking, Norman walked towards the backyard with his hands behind his back, looking like a Teacher.
"Don't look at him pretending, he's dying of embarrassment right now, hahaha!" Caroline's unconcealed voice came from behind.
Norman's figure suddenly stumbled: "Marcus, hurry over! Wife, you, you, say less. Remember to make a portion for Marcus for lunch!"
Caroline covered her mouth and chuckled: "Look, look, he's getting anxious, right?"
"Pfft..." Marcus also couldn't help but laugh, then walked towards the backyard at Norman's urging.
[Ding, successful cross-level challenge, obtained Special Attack Talent Value ×1!]
[Ding, completed achievement, First Battle Victory, obtained master points ×10!]
"Hmm?" Marcus was startled. He could even get Talent Value from this?
According to his previous investigation, Talent Value was a combination of Individual Values and Species Values. In other words, could he train a Pokemon to have full talent through this method?
"Holy crap... Is it that strong..." Marcus couldn't help but blurt out.
"Huh? What?" Norman in front turned around in confusion.
"Uh... well, I was saying, Teacher, your garden design is really nice..."
"Haha, really? Caroline and the others said I had no taste."
Seeing his disciple being so sensible, Norman couldn't help but feel pleased.
Who could refuse a sensible, smart, and talented young man as a disciple...
A moment later, he brought Marcus under a large tree. The thick trunk was full of Slaking, Vigoroth, and Slakoth. Clearly, this was the nest of the Slaking family.
Norman sat down on the ground and said, "Tell me about your experiences. That way I can arrange a suitable study plan for you."
Marcus sat next to him and briefly told him about his plan that he had accumulated for many years and decided to pursue at the age of 20.
"You kid, you should have said so earlier. I'm not an unreasonable person. Sigh... It's a pity..."
Norman sighed. In his opinion, Marcus had wasted 8 years. If he had met him 8 years ago, he might already have Elite Four or even Champion strength by now!
"Actually, it's okay. At least now I'm still firmly moving towards my dream, and I also have enough opportunities."
Norman heavily patted his shoulder: "Well said! Do you have a starter Pokemon you want? Let me see about arranging one for you, it can be considered a welcoming gift."
Here it comes!
Marcus suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked at Norman: "Actually, this is one of the reasons I came to find you, Teacher. I want to choose Slakoth as my starter Pokemon!"