Luther realized that he had fallen into a cognitive trap.
Based on what he had seen so far, Misaki's team lineup revolved entirely around exploiting the Sandstorm weather condition. This meant that the Cloyster with the Dustproof Ability wasn't targeting his Jumpluff specifically.
Without an Ability that allowed it to attack continuously, this Cloyster couldn't use the devastating Shell Break strategy to boost its Attack and Speed. Its primary role in Misaki's system was to sacrifice itself.
By seizing an early battle advantage and transferring that momentum to the next Pokémon, the Dustproof Cloyster had already fulfilled its mission.
"So, that means…"
Last night, under the cover of darkness, Luther had been so overwhelmed by the sheer power of Tyranitar that he had completely overlooked the Gastrodon clinging to its back.
Luther frowned, cautiously instructing Kirlia to test the waters with Magical Leaf.
A glowing green Magical Leaf shot through the swirling sandstorm, striking Gastrodon directly.
Gastrodon moved swiftly, taking only a few glancing hits from the Magical Leaf before evading further damage.
Gliding across the icy surface, it displayed remarkable agility. It executed a drift-like maneuver, flinging itself off the ice.
Like a cannonball, it launched itself towards Kirlia, firing Mud Shot in mid-air to slow Kirlia's movements further.
Narrowly dodging a barrage of falling mud, Kirlia was about to retreat when Luther seized the moment Gastrodon landed, ordering Kirlia to continue the Magical Leaf assault.
After all, Gastrodon was a Water/Ground type, so a Grass-type move like Magical Leaf would give Kirlia a significant advantage if it hit.
"Eat it and use Earth Power," Misaki instructed Gastrodon.
"Misaki has chosen a head-on confrontation once again, but Kirlia's Magical Leaf completely counters Gastrodon's moves!" The commentator exclaimed, his voice echoing through the stadium.
The Magical Leaf was launched first, its shimmering green leaves sweeping over Gastrodon.
At the same time, an earthy yellow light spread across the arena, reaching Kirlia's feet instantly.
"Damn it!"
"Sunny Day!" Luther's urgent shout alerted Kirlia to the gravity of the situation.
Ignoring the Earth Power that was about to erupt beneath her, Kirlia completely overrode the Sandstorm Weather, bathing the entire arena in scorching sunlight.
The next instant, the Earth Power enveloped Kirlia. She could barely register what was happening, only feeling her body float upwards. By the time she regained her senses, she was already airborne.
She still wanted to do something, but her consciousness gradually faded away.
When she landed, the referee immediately declared her unable to continue the battle.
Although she had sustained some damage and her stamina had been depleted from the earlier fight, Calm Mind had also boosted her. The fact that the Earth Power had knocked her out so decisively took many by surprise.
Misaki greatly admired Luther's decisive action.
Recognizing the overwhelming power of the Earth's Force, he didn't take the risk of dodging the move. Instead, he played it safe by immediately switching the weather from Sandstorm to Sunny Day, which neutralized Gastrodon's Sand Force.
Luther comforted Kirlia with a few words before falling into deep thought.
As he'd suspected, Gastrodon was probably the strongest Pokémon in Misaki's team, aside from Tyranitar.
Cloyster's entry was clearly designed to create an optimal battle environment for Gastrodon.
The slow-moving Gastrodon could now move swiftly across the icy terrain, and the sandstorm that Tyranitar had summoned earlier amplified the damage caused by Gastrodon's moves.
Despite having endured at least one and a half Magical Leaf attacks, Gastrodon remained remarkably spirited, showing only a few superficial scratches.
Luther knew that he had to regain control of the battle. Any hesitation would leave him increasingly on the defensive.
He released Mismagius onto the battlefield, making his decision.
With its Levitate Ability, Mismagius is immune to Ground-type moves and can evade ground-based hazards such as Spikes, making it the perfect Pokémon for this situation.
However, Misaki wore a triumphant smile, Luther hadn't been mistaken; it was genuine pride.
"Energy Ball!"
Although he couldn't decipher Misaki's intentions, Luther decided to seize the initiative by using Mismagius's superior speed.
The swift Mismagius slammed an Energy Ball into Gastrodon's face. Stung by the attack, Gastrodon recoiled.
"Incredible! Despite being hit by Magical Leaf and then sustaining point-blank damage from Mismagius's Energy Ball, Gastrodon is still standing!" The commentator exclaimed, marvelling at Gastrodon's extraordinary defensive capabilities.
"Use Whirlpool!"
Despite being knocked sideways, Gastrodon erupted in a blue glow. The water it spat out twisted into a swirling vortex, instantly engulfing Mismagius, who hadn't had time to retreat.
The watery barrier sealed her in, and her attempts to break free were thwarted by relentless rotating currents forcing her back.
"Use Psychic to tear apart the water barrier!" Luther ordered.
Mismagius obeyed, channelling her psychic power to forcefully rip open the water vortex imprisoning her. Fuelled by rage, she seized control of the intact water column, intending to retaliate against Gastrodon.
But Gastrodon had vanished.
Outside the whirlpool, Crobat hovered with a mischievous grin, its purple body and four small wings fluttering rapidly. It seemed to say, 'You've been waiting long enough.'
Without hesitation, Mismagius hurled the psychic-controlled water column at Crobat.
Crobat was prepared for this. Before the water pillar had time to fall, it left a series of afterimages in the air and disappeared from Mismagius's view.
"So fast," Luther couldn't help but marvel.
This Crobat was undoubtedly faster than his fastest Darkrai. Just observing its astonishing aerial maneuvers revealed the exceptional training Misaki had put this Pokémon through.
"Whirlpool to trap Mismagius, then a swift switch to Crobat…"
'Was Mismagius Misaki's true target all along?'
Misaki straightened up and stretched languidly. "There's no need for Darkrai to make an appearance. Mismagius will do just fine.'
"Poison Fang."
Luther shouted in alarm. "Don't stop moving! Execute irregular movements!"
Luther's commands were lightning fast. Mismagius began moving the moment he started giving instructions. Crobat's speed was simply overwhelming. The moment Mismagius moved, Crobat's Poison Fang had already sunk into her flesh.
Indeed, Poison-type moves aren't particularly effective against Ghost-types.
But Misaki had no intention of using direct move damage to render Mismagius unconscious.
Her goal was attrition.
Cloyster was Misaki's vanguard, while Crobat was her rhythm setter.
The casting animation for Toxic was too lengthy; Poison Fang was much quicker. Crobat would bite and retreat immediately, leaving Mismagius with no chance to retaliate.
As she watched the poisoned Mismagius writhe in agony, Misaki snapped her fingers.
"Checkmate."
(End of Chapter)
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