Chapter 618: The Times, They Are A-Changin'!
As Group C's matches concluded for the day, the Kubfu audience was mostly satisfied.
It was only the fifth day of the second round of the group stage, and two of their own teams had already confirmed their advancement. What more could they ask for?
In previous years, this would have been unthinkable.
But happiness sometimes comes suddenly. In the afternoon, during Group D's matches, the Blaze Team also won.
Kubfu's forums, message boards, and various online discussion groups ushered in an unprecedented carnival that night.
"Kubfu's momentum is really strong this year."
Even foreign netizens were hotly discussing Kubfu's miracle this year.
"It's incredible. Where did these players responsible for the Captain's Match come from? Why don't I know any of them?"
"Same here. What happened to the Kubfu Professional League this year? It feels like it went through a major earthquake!"
"More than an earthquake, it's like it got hit by Precipice Blades!"
It wasn't surprising that these netizens from other alliances were making a fuss. For foreign friends who didn't follow the Kubfu Professional League much, they didn't know any of the Captain's Match players from the four Kubfu teams this year.
Arthur and Forrest were rookies, and Roman, although a veteran, was a late bloomer, playing in the Champions Cup for the first time this year.
As for Serena of the Otter Team, she used to be the director of the Serenity Team. Forget the Champions Cup, she often couldn't even make the playoffs.
The only Kubfu player familiar to foreign netizens was now the captain of a wild card team...
It was ridiculous!
The change was so drastic that in their eyes, it was indeed comparable to the move Precipice Blades, completely changing the terrain structure.
Meanwhile, back in the Kubfu Alliance, the former Champions Cup regulars from the Yankee and Jinchan teams watched the heated discussions online with mixed feelings.
What happened to the Kubfu Professional League this year?
Honestly, they didn't know either!
It felt like in the blink of an eye, these veterans were swept into the dustbin of history.
The change came too fast, like a tornado, leaving them no time to react or escape.
By the time they came to their senses, there were no seats for them in the Champions Cup.
And even worse than not making it to the Champions Cup themselves: the rookies who squeezed them out played exceptionally well this year, each fiercer than the last!
A complete victory in the group stage!
They hadn't achieved that in many years...
Yet a group of rookies from Starlight and Frost did it in their first Champions Cup!
The contrast was stark!
It made them feel deeply that the times had changed, the new generation replacing the old...
Amidst the joyful atmosphere in Kubfu, these tears of the times could only sigh silently and feel sad.
The next day, everyone in Starlight and Frost woke up late, which was rare.
Even the disciplined Arthur overslept and missed his morning training.
It was because everyone was too excited last night and partied too late.
Advancing with a perfect record, creating team history—even the head coach rarely allowed them to indulge themselves.
However, only last night.
They were professional players, after all. Indulgence was temporary; diligence and hard work should be eternal.
Besides, advancing from the group stage was just the beginning.
That morning, after washing up, the members of Starlight and Frost came to the player lounge, greeted other teams, and then sat down obediently under the supervision of the head coach to watch the matches.
Advancing was just the start.
They needed to pay more attention to other teams' performances, study, review, and analyze more.
To prepare for possible encounters in the knockout stage!
Not to mention that today's four matches would also determine the advancement status of their good brothers, the Blaze Team.
Yesterday, in the first match of the second round, they had already beaten the number one seed in their group: the Free Iris Team from the Siren Alliance. The current advancement situation was very optimistic.
Siren's Free Iris and White Eagle's Fearless Team were competing for the title of the most disappointing number one seed this year. It seemed Free Iris was likely to take the lead.
Sure enough, they lost again in the first match today.
Basically declared hopeless for advancement, becoming the first number one seed from a region to be eliminated in the group stage so far.
It is worth mentioning that the team that defeated them in the first match today was the Hoenn Alliance's number three seed: the Primordial Sea Team.
The name Primordial Sea comes from the ability of the Legendary Kyogre. Similarly, their team mascot is a roaring Kyogre.
"The Hoenn Alliance really has a lot of Mega Evolutions."
After watching this match, everyone's most intuitive feeling was undoubtedly this sentence.
Even as Hoenn's number three seed, the Primordial Sea Team had several Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution. As expected of the region's specialty.
But this didn't scare Arthur and the others.
"However, their Mega Evolution pressure is far worse than Brother Arthur's."
Such a straightforward voice undoubtedly belonged to the little fanboy Justin.
Although suspected of awkward boasting, it surprisingly won a lot of approval from other teams around.
"Indeed, comparing Mega Evolutions, these Pokémon's boosts are obviously inferior to Arthur's, and also inferior to Steven from the Grand Master Team."
Arthur nodded, rarely not being modest.
Because it was unnecessary.
"Nothing should go to extremes. Hoenn values Mega Evolution a bit too much. Under the balance of supplementary regulations, Mega Evolutions with insufficient boosts are just giving items to the opponent."
Most rookies agreed with his statement.
Only veterans like Warren, the captain of the Otter Team, couldn't help but feel emotional and sigh upon seeing this.
Once upon a time, the pressure brought by the Hoenn Alliance's Mega Evolutions to Kubfu was unimaginable to the new generation of players!
For many years in the past, these old players almost turned pale at the mention of Mega.
But now, not only did their own alliance have Mega Evolutions, but the players could also calmly comment on the pros and cons of Hoenn teams' Mega Evolutions with a normal mindset.
The times, they really have changed!
But this change wasn't bad.
Then in the second match of the day, the Blaze Team easily defeated the wild card team in the same group.
Then in the last match of the day, the Blaze Team drew with Hoenn's Primordial Sea Team. Both teams ended peacefully, advancing hand in hand, kicking the Free Iris Team out of the knockout stage.
Blaze ultimately took the top spot in the group thanks to point differential advantage.
The performance of the Blaze Team in this battle also proved Arthur's point well—
Mega Evolutions that aren't powerful enough aren't that terrifying under arena rules.
Forrest hadn't mastered the power of Mega Evolution, but that didn't stop him from cleverly using item bonuses to defend against the opposing Mega Pokémon tightly in the Captain's Match.
Kubfu's fear of Hoenn and Mega for so many years seemed to finally be drawing to a close this year.
The times, they have changed!
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