Chapter 587: The Wind King Will Not Rot
Having been delayed in the desert for so long, the Champions Cup was imminent by the time Arthur returned.
It was only then that he learned how much had happened during his absence of over two months.
"So this year, the four teams representing our Kubfu Alliance are us, Blaze, Otter, and Metro? The 'Big Three' have been wiped out?"
After Arthur left, the remaining playoff teams began the battle for the final two spots in the Champions Cup.
It wasn't surprising that the Otter Team took the lead. As one of the "Tridents" this year, their matches against Blaze and Starlight and Frost were evenly matched!
Their qualification for the third spot was almost a certainty.
What was truly unexpected was the fourth spot!
The Metro Team eliminated the Demon King Team in the final stage, securing the last ticket to the Champions Cup!
Leo sighed with emotion. "Yes, the era of the Big Three is over..."
And this wasn't even the biggest news recently.
Bella, while munching on melon seeds, continued to fill Arthur in.
"This time, the Demon King Team is really falling. Their old captain, Leo, has run away."
"Run away?"
Arthur was confused.
What does that mean?
Bella was enjoying the gossip so much she was swaying back and forth.
"Run away means run away. Leo processed his retirement in the Kubfu Alliance, and a few days later, he went abroad and joined a new team in the wild card region as an import player."
There's such a move?
Arthur felt impressed.
But he quickly realized: "Won't he lose a lot of fans doing this?"
Bella glanced at him sideways. "Oho, Arthur knows about losing fans now. Looks like you're not so innocent anymore~
"I remember a year ago you only knew how to train and fight, completely clueless about these off-field operations."
What does this have to do with being innocent? Arthur had lines of black forming on his forehead.
After a year in a professional club, even a pig would understand a little about operations.
Besides, even without knowing operations, one could guess: abandoning an old team to be a foreign aid for a team abroad would definitely attract criticism.
Arthur saying "lose fans" was a very euphemistic way of putting it.
In fact, even today, there were still a large number of people online criticizing Leo for not maintaining his integrity in his later years.
The Kubfu Alliance wasn't a small league without its own competition. Going out as a foreign aid because you couldn't make it in the league was a bit degrading.
Not to mention that Leo was far from being unable to make it!
He had only missed the Champions Cup once this year.
So Arthur was really curious. "Why did he have to do this?"
Neither Bella nor Aaron, these young players, could answer this question. In the end, only Captain Leo lit a cigarette and started talking about the past.
"I can probably understand some of Leo's thoughts. He is actually a very proud person. He probably wasn't willing to see the philosophy he adhered to for decades completely denied, and the dynasty he built single-handedly collapse like this."
Leo looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, his tone faint and his gaze deep.
The temperament was perfect.
It was a pity his prestige didn't keep up.
The newcomer Elara bluntly said without giving him face, "Captain, can you stop being poetic and speak human language?"
"..."
"Pfft." Bella was the first to laugh unkindly, spraying melon seeds all over the table.
Since Leo stopped being responsible for the Captain's Match, he felt his status in the team was declining day by day.
Although he knew Elara meant no harm, just her personality, it still hurt...
Being a captain is too damn hard, fck!*
"What do you think of the Demon King Team's philosophy?"
He had to change his approach and ask first.
Elara was as straightforward as ever. "Not much. Completely ignoring Pokémon's feelings and emotions, cold as a machine."
Leo continued, "Yes, we, including the vast majority of newcomers and viewers now, think so.
"But have you ever thought: Leo has adhered to this philosophy for decades. Would he himself think this philosophy is wrong?
"The Demon King Club has officially announced a change of command next year. The head coach and assistant coaching team will all be replaced. If Leo continues to stay in the Demon King Team, where would he stand?"
Hearing this, Arthur understood the captain's meaning.
In the end, there is no absolute right or wrong in philosophy. It's not a math problem with a standard correct answer.
They chose to trust the potential and effort of Pokémon, but this was inherently full of variables.
Leo chose to trust the trainer's own knowledge and judgment, trusting in more stable tactical arrangements and type matchups. Was this necessarily wrong?
No one knew.
But if a strong person had no confidence in the philosophy he had adhered to for decades and wavered easily, he wouldn't have reached the position of the former number one in Kubfu.
Philosophy has no absolute right or wrong. Every trainer with a strong heart will only believe in what they believe and adhere to.
So, if one day, when the philosophy you adhere to is no longer mainstream, or even rejected by the mainstream public, what should you do?
Choose to leave sadly, turning your back on the collapsing throne, or choose to go all-in, raise a rebellious flag against the whole world, and rebuild your dynasty?
Undoubtedly, Leo chose the latter.
In fact, he was quite old.
Although he was often called the "Ageless Wind King," how could a person really not age?
But at least this year, his heart seemed not to have fully aged yet.
He chose to fight one last time!
Even if he was criticized for not maintaining his integrity in his later years, even if he was condemned by countless Kubfu fans, he was unwilling to leave silently in the changing times.
Because even if he didn't leave, he was destined not to serve as the absolute core of the Demon King Team next year as he did in the past.
In the current environment where half of the Kubfu audience was captivated by the miracles of Arthur, Forrest, Blaze, and Starlight and Frost, the intention of the Demon King Team's change of command was self-evident.
Commercial clubs wouldn't stubbornly go against the mainstream purchasing power of fans.
In the past, the atmosphere of the whole circle was utilitarian, so they naturally chose utility.
Now that the wind direction had changed, the club would naturally choose to change too. This was normal.
But this normality made Leo foresee his own awkwardness.
"He is very brave."
Arthur suddenly praised him.
Not every player had the courage to make such a decision.
On the contrary, more people would often choose to continue muddling along in their old teams, resting on their laurels, repeatedly harvesting fans' nostalgia, and reminiscing about past glories over and over again.
Perhaps repeating a cycle of retirement and comeback until they cashed in all their past glory, grabbing the last bit of easy money before leaving.
But Leo didn't choose to do that!
This point alone was enough for Arthur to express his admiration.
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