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After lunch, a piece of data appeared on the forum.
It was the creator of the shortest pure battle-time match in the preliminary round and his Pokémon.
Dakota and Darkrai had a total battle time of twelve seconds.
This was the second shortest preliminary round match in the tournament thus far.
However, there was still an astonishing record that was nearly impossible to surpass:
Cynthia and Garchomp... total battle time: nine seconds.
In the year that Cynthia rose to the top and became Champion, her preliminary round matches were like a shark entering a fish pond—her opponents were often eliminated before they could make a move.
Dakota didn't feel anything special about setting a new record. He simply wanted his opponent to experience despair.
After Dakota mentioned it, Luther finally learned that the opponent he defeated was one of the troublemakers in the lounge earlier.
Well, then that guy could only be considered unlucky. Luther didn't know if being instantly crushed was more mentally devastating than a slow death.
After returning to the Contestant Village, where they were staying, Luther looked curiously at the people holding cameras with long and short lenses surrounding the entrance and snapping photos like crazy.
"The annoying part is here. Dakota, you go take the interview. We'll head inside first."
Etorre immediately fled with Mao.
Dakota frowned, then patted Luther on the shoulder.
"Didn't you just say that people were commenting on how cute your Pokémon are instead of how strong they are? Here's a promotion opportunity for you."
Dakota quickened his pace, following right after Etorre, and walked straight through the reporters who were about to surround them.
Luther sighed and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"If you want to become a Pokémon Master, you have to be famous. Now is your chance to show the world who you are. These reporters are all yours."
After hearing Luther's words, Ash looked a little lost, still trying to figure out the connection between fame and becoming a Pokémon Master.
Luther grabbed Mai's hand, dodged the microphones being shoved toward him, and slipped into the Contestant Village before the reporters' circle could close in.
Back in the courtyard, Etorre took the opportunity to quickly check on his Pokémon's condition.
When Luther saw Etorre's Chandelure floating in the air, he suddenly remembered the terrifying Litwick entry in the Pokédex. Curious, he took out his Pokédex and checked it.
"Chandelure, the Luring Pokémon. It sways its flames to put its opponent into a hypnotic state."
Seeing Luther check the Pokédex, Etorre smiled and asked, "Are you interested in Chandelure?"
Of course he was interested. The horrifying description of Litwick in the Pokédex was enough to make anyone wary of that entire evolutionary line.
However, according to Etorre, he hadn't raised the Chandelure from a Litwick. He had encountered a Chandelure in the wild that was being attacked by a pack of Mightyena and simply caught it.
"Based on your rhythm, are you planning to use Chandelure, Drifblim, and Excadrill in battle tomorrow?" Luther asked.
Etorre nodded. "In my opinion, it's best for every Pokémon to experience this kind of battle atmosphere before the tournament. That way, they won't get nervous during the real matches."
"It's also for safety. The preliminary rounds and the main tournament are tightly scheduled. If a Pokémon becomes fatigued and can't recover quickly or gets injured and needs rest..."
Ettore patted Excadrill's head while checking its physical condition.
"When that happens, the more Pokémon you have that are already adapted to the competition rhythm, the more options you'll have. And you're less likely to mess up at a crucial moment."
Ettore looked at Dakota, who was sitting on a bench nearby with his eyes closed, basking in the sun, and laughed.
"Whatever you do, don't learn from Dakota. He's stubborn and insists on using only Darkrai all the way through."
Ash and the others finally returned to the courtyard. Even Piplup looked exhausted—those reporters really were extremely persistent.
Dawn accepted the drink Candice handed her and took a huge gulp.
"Interviewing Ash is one thing, but why were they asking Brock and me so many questions, too?"
Luther became interested. "What did they ask?"
Only after asking did Luther realize that Brock was nowhere to be seen.
Just as he was about to look around, he saw Croagunk drag Brock in from outside. Brock's entire body was twitching uncontrollably.
Among the reporters who had interviewed them, there were a few really pretty, mature "big sister type" beauties.
"They asked Ash what his goal was, asked about you, asked about Etorre and Dakota, and also asked..."
Why did she suddenly go silent? Luther looked at Dawn curiously, but she just blushed and refused to say anything.
"They also asked if Ash is your boyfriend."
Ettore scooped up a basin of water from the artificial lake and poured it over Ferrothorn's body as he spoke, turning his head back.
Seeing the approving look in Piplup's eyes and the expression on Dawn's face, it wasn't hard to tell that Etorre had guessed correctly.
"Then…how did you answer?" Candice, who had clearly sensed romance in the air, stood up immediately and stared intensely at Dawn.
"I didn't answer! I didn't answer!" Dawn said quickly. Then, she hugged Piplup and continued drinking her beverage with her head lowered.
Luther fell into deep thought.
His arrival had disrupted the normal course of events. If things kept going like this, would Ash even get to meet Serena?
Professor Rowan still kept in fairly close contact with Kalos. He should make time to call and ask about Serena's situation.
Luther wasn't interested in getting involved in shipping wars, but at the very least, there should be fair competition.
Candice brought a plate of sliced pears and placed it in front of Luther. She had learned Luther's tastes from observing Mai and copied her approach.
While Luther was thinking about how to help Serena get a fair chance, something headache-inducing appeared right in front of him.
Looking at the plate of pears, he didn't know whether to eat them.
Marill, who had devoured lunch in the restaurant so quickly that the kitchen staff had stayed on high alert, was now floating lazily on the artificial lake to rest. Luther whistled.
Marill rolled over, saw the plate of pears in front of Luther, and immediately rushed onto the shore.
"I'm kind of full after lunch. Let Marill and Espurr eat them. They performed really well in today's match."
Marill lifted the plate and was just about to pour the pears into her mouth when she heard that Espurr was supposed to get some, too. She immediately stopped, leaving two pear slices on the plate. She quickly shut her mouth and handed the plate to Espurr.
Candice tilted her head and stared at Luther for a moment. Then she picked up a bag beside her.
'Good grief! So, when you left the group on the way back, you went to a fruit shop?'
There were at least a dozen pears in there!"
"It's fine, there's plenty. I'll peel another one for you."
Hadn't Candice and Mai discussed things already when they were alone together that day? Did they still not reach any conclusion?
Candice was almost done peeling the pear. Just as Luther was about to say something, his phone rang.
Mai's call?
Wasn't she back in her room changing Chikorita's Pokémon food flavor?
They were so close, there was no need to call.
"Luther, it hatched!"
Wait… I hatched?
"The egg cracked!"
(End of Chapter)