The so-called new rules were new regulations concocted by those people from the International Pokémon Battle League who had nothing better to do.
To put it nicely, it was to make battles fairer for both sides.
"So what exactly are the new rules?" Xiao You asked, as she wasn't very clear about Pokémon battle rules either.
Ling Fei said in a deep voice, "Actually, it's just splitting the original 10 rounds of 6VS6 battles. The original 10 battles have been changed to 3 battle point matches, with each match divided into three types of battles: three 1VS1, two 2VS2, and one 6VS6."
"In the 1VS1, one Pokémon is designated for each battle, and winning one battle earns one point. Pokémon that have participated cannot participate again."
"In the 2VS2, two Pokémon participate simultaneously in each battle, and winning one battle earns two points. Pokémon that have participated in 2VS2 also cannot participate again."
"For the remaining 6VS6, both sides send out six Pokémon simultaneously, and the winner gets six points."
"The same format is conducted for three matches, and the one with the higher score at the end wins."
Xiao You continued to ask, "How is this different from before?"
"This battle method places more emphasis on the Trainer's comprehensive strength," Ling Fei explained. "In previous 6VS6 matches, if a certain Trainer had a particularly strong Pokémon, he might be able to overwhelm his opponent, for example, A Li's Hatterene just now. But under this format, such a situation cannot occur."
"That's right, even in 1VS1, each Pokémon can only participate once," Yan Jin explained. "This not only depends on the individual strength of the Pokémon but also on the Trainer's tactical methods."
The audience present only now understood the meaning of this format.
"But why would the opponent change the format at the last minute?" Xiao You asked, puzzled.
Ling Fei sighed and said, "This is probably because Hatterene is too strong. They probably don't have the confidence to win against Hatterene, so they resorted to this desperate measure."
"Huh? Isn't this a bit too underhanded?" Xiao You sounded a bit indignant.
"Although it is a bit, this is also a brand-new format promoted by the League, so it can't be said to be cheating," Ling Fei explained.
"But does Trainer A Li know about this format?" Xiao You asked with some concern.
Yan Jin, however, said grumpily, "He knows nothing. He doesn't pay attention to Pokémon battle news all day. He probably only heard about it today, just like you guys."
Hearing Yan Jin's words, Mu Li almost jumped up to hit him: Who said I don't know? I watch international matches, okay?
It must be said that Mu Li did know about this format, but he had never designed any teams or anything like that.
Anyway, he wasn't participating in the competition.
Unexpectedly, the flag he had planted that day ultimately turned into a boomerang, hitting himself.
Mu Li looked at his Pokémon and asked, "Who among you wants to go?"
Seeing the eager Jigglypuff, Mu Li immediately ignored her: "This is a Champion match, you behave yourself!"
Jigglypuff immediately pouted: Jigglypuff is wronged.
Mu Li suddenly saw a certain little pink one raising a hand, and his eyes lit up: "It's decided! It's you!"
At this moment, the referee also reconfirmed the new rules with Harris: "In that case, we will first proceed with 3 rounds of 1VS1 battles! Both sides, please send out your respective Pokémon!"
Accompanied by a flash of red light, what appeared before Harris was his ace Pokémon—Salamence.
It must be said that Harris, compared to Park Sang-eun, still had a certain reputation in China.
Many Pokémon fans in the country knew him, and naturally, they also knew how violent his Salamence was.
The appearance of Salamence immediately caused screams from the audience.
On Mu Li's side, a pink head appeared.
"Be...Bewear???" Xiao You on the commentary desk couldn't help but exclaim.
Not only that, but even the audience below couldn't help but let out gasps of surprise.
"No way, someone is actually using a Bewear for battle?" Harris felt a slight toothache the moment he saw Bewear.
Bewear's strength was naturally unquestionable, but the problem was that this Bewear also had to be obedient!
Wild Bewear, once they reached maturity, were very difficult to tame. Most people couldn't defeat them, and even if they managed to, the opponent wouldn't listen to them at all.
This gave many Trainers who coveted Bewear a huge headache.
And if you were to train one from a young age, you'd have to catch a Stufful first!
Every Stufful has a Bewear behind it, and Stufful are notoriously home-loving. Once caught, they pine away, unable to eat or drink, let alone train; it's hard for them to even survive normally.
This is also why Trainers of Bewear are extremely rare.
Moreover, Bewear is not without alternatives. Instead of spending that effort to capture a Bewear, it's better to just replace it with another Pokémon as a physical attacker.
Not only the audience present, but even Harris was encountering a Trainer using Bewear for the first time. Although he had met people who had captured Bewear before, they were just keeping them as pets.
"This A Li is indeed not simple!" Harris's expression grew more and more solemn.
Bewear, however, showed no signs of nervousness at all. He was holding one hand in his mouth, staring at the Salamence in mid-air.
With a command from the referee, the battle began.
Aerial advantage, nothing to say. Without even needing Harris's command, Salamence started with a Dragon Dance.
But before Dragon Dance had even finished twisting its tail, a giant rock, almost the same size as Salamence, flew directly towards Salamence.
Salamence immediately flapped its wings violently, barely dodging the attack.
Just as Salamence was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Harris shout, "Watch out!"
Salamence subconsciously glanced at Bewear, only to see that Bewear's figure had disappeared.
And in his blind spot, Bewear, like a ninja, was hiding behind the flying rock.
The moment the rock flew past Salamence, Bewear leaped up, bounced onto Salamence's head, and delivered a hand chop.
And then, there was no then.
Salamence immediately fell into a dazed state, losing its ability to battle.
The entire process took less than 2 seconds.
Harris was stunned, everyone was stunned, and no one in the entire stadium made a sound.
Only that Bewear couldn't help but yawn, continuing to stuff his right paw into his mouth.
After an unknown amount of time, the referee finally reacted.
"1VS1 battle, the winner of the first round is A Li! Congratulations, Bewear!" The referee was already ecstatic.
The next moment, all the audience members completely erupted.
"Holy cow, this Bewear is really fierce!!"
"Hiding behind the rock, how did he even think of that move!"
"Bewear is too cute, I love him so much! I want to pet him!"
"A Li is too handsome!!"
...
Compared to the excitement of the audience below, Harris's face had turned utterly dark.
He had never expected that Mu Li would have such a powerful Bewear.
However, he had no idea that his nightmare had only just begun.