Hakuya found the other three people's reactions in the VIP seats a bit strange. Whether it was earlier when Misaki had the upper hand, or now that Luther had turned the tables, they all remained calm.
Cynthia especially stood out; when Misaki was in the lead, she had actually sighed.
Hakuya was curious and asked about it, but Cynthia's answer was simple.
"Let's just keep watching."
There was a hint of helplessness, or perhaps disappointment, in her tone.
'Was she disappointed in Luther or Misaki?'
...
Mismagius was clearly still in good condition, yet Luther recalled it back to his side. Misaki glanced at Luther, placed Crobat on her shoulder, and took her fourth Poké Ball out from her waist.
Through the monitor in the VIP section, Cynthia could clearly see that it was a metallic gray Poké Ball.
"Misaki, you still don't understand what kind of person Luther really is. Haven't you noticed? He has no intention of fighting you for tempo at all." Cynthia let out a soft sigh while speaking. "From the beginning, his goal wasn't the tempo. It was to make you think he wanted to fight for it."
As soon as Luther's Houndoom entered the field, it triggered the Spikes left on the ground earlier and took significant damage before the battle had even begun.
Yet, when Houndoom was injured upon entry, Misaki showed no sign of joy.
Misaki's second tempo controller, Metagross, floated silently in midair.
But Misaki had guessed wrong.
"Curious, aren't you?" Luther smiled. "Why, it's not Marill, but Houndoom, a Pokémon completely unsuited for entering after tempo has been lost."
Misaki was indeed puzzled. "I never revealed that I had Metagross during the Gym Battle. How did you know?"
"I didn't. I just guessed," Luther replied.
"Guessed?"
"Yeah, it's just a guess. I used my own method of controlling the tempo to think about how you would choose your Pokémon," Luther said. "Your Tyranitar would definitely still be waiting for another chance to enter. Mismagius disrupted your rhythm."
"If it were me, I'd switch to a Pokémon capable of seizing the tempo," Luther said, his lips curling slightly upward. "Especially after seeing my Mismagius leave the field."
"Given my disadvantaged situation, with Darkrai waiting in reserve and Mismagius already withdrawn, Marill is the only thing I could use to turn things around. If you sent out something Marill has trouble dealing with, you could wear it out..."
After Luther finished speaking, Misaki froze for a moment, then let out a light laugh.
"Spot on. That's exactly what I was thinking," Misaki said. "But I still have one question for you..."
"Why do you think Houndoom can take back the tempo? It's a Pokémon that falls apart if it gets dragged into a slow pace!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Misaki shouted to Metagross:
"Rock Slide!"
Although Houndoom seemed to have the perfect type advantage, Metagross had powerful, versatile moves.
Misaki's goal was simple: chip damage. As long as Rock Slide landed once, Metagross could widen the distance, focusing on harassment while waiting for Houndoom's stamina to run out.
The weather advantage could be reclaimed at any time. Half of the battlefield was still frozen, and if Gastrodon entered, it would have a large area to utilize.
None of the Pokémon in Luther's lineup seemed capable of removing Spikes, meaning any Pokémon entering afterward would continue to take damage.
Misaki calmly reviewed the advantages she still held. She simply couldn't see where Luther would find an opportunity to reclaim the tempo.
Although Houndoom reacted quickly, it was still struck by the falling rocks from Rock Slide.
Gritting its teeth, Houndoom looked at the Metagross that had already distanced itself, with no intention of pursuing it.
"Inferno."
The moment Misaki heard Luther's command, she ordered Metagross to retreat.
But in the next instant, something clicked in her mind.
"Don't fall back, interrupt it with Rock Slide!"
Houndoom's muscles bulged, and smoke began to rise from its entire body. Just as Metagross released Rock Slide, its psychic power allowed it to perceive something abnormal in the battle arena.
The temperature was rising rapidly. Metagross couldn't determine an exact value; it could only sense that the entire field had turned into a furnace.
The referee overseeing today's battle was the same one who had officiated Luther's match against Hayata.
He was all too familiar with this scene, and right now, he was practically being "cooked" by it.
"Aegislash!"
The referee first called out the hidden Aegislash, then signaled his companions in the spectator area to release Dewgong.
Dewgong quickly sprayed water over the referee and Aegislash to cool them down.
Steam filled the entire field. Even standing behind Aegislash, the referee could feel the scorching heat waves.
It's always like this when they go this far, and the field is always destroyed after the battle.
"Next time I officiate a match with Luther, I'm switching shifts..."
With the mist obscuring the view, Misaki couldn't see Luther's expression, but she could hear the teasing tone in his voice.
"Field advantage? Spikes? If I destroy the field, doesn't that solve everything? Not a big deal."
Misaki had to make a choice.
Inferno had already drained Houndoom's stamina significantly. At this point, if it took even a single super-effective hit, it would likely be knocked out. However, Rock Slide carried the risk of being dodged.
Using Hammer Arm would allow Metagross to follow up at close range, but it would also put her at high risk of being counterattacked.
Should she continue to stall or go on the offensive?
"Keep your distance. Use Agility to increase speed."
Despite the thick mist obscuring her view of Houndoom's movements and position, Misaki made her decision. This was the safest choice. She would wait for Houndoom to exhaust its stamina or for Luther to withdraw it himself.
Given Luther's tempo-focused playstyle, he would never waste Houndoom's abilities. After clearing the field with Inferno, he'd likely probe with a single attack and then switch it out, saving it for later.
That was Luther's style. He wouldn't stubbornly force a losing fight.
The commentators praised this decision.
Anyone who had watched battles before knew how to deal with Houndoom. Competitors in the main tournament also knew how to respond when Luther brought it out.
Only Bertha and Cynthia sighed softly.
"Metagross is finished."
Misaki heard the sound of fingers snapping and instinctively looked toward Luther.
Within the scorching mist, a pitch-black figure leapt high into the air.
Boosted by Agility, Metagross moved nimbly, attempting to evade.
However, Houndoom clawed tightly onto the edge of Metagross's body, latching onto its disc-like form.
"Overheat!"
Seeing Houndoom's body turn red, Misaki quickly ordered,
"Use Hammer Arm to knock it off!"
Metagross flipped its entire body upside down, taking advantage of Houndoom's momentary imbalance to accelerate and fling it off.
In one smooth motion, Metagross swung its Hammer Arm, smashing Houndoom toward the ground.
A scorching wave of heat burst from Houndoom's body. What should have been a knockout blow only stunned Houndoom briefly, and then it sprang back up.
A streak of red light shot forward and crashed into Metagross just as it finished its Hammer Arm attack and attempted to retreat.
The only remaining advantage from Kirlia, Sunny Day, was fading. However, Houndoom had already absorbed enough of its power.
It lunged forward, grabbed Metagross's face, and opened its jaws wide.
The next instant, sparks exploded across Metagross's vision as a raging sea of fire engulfed the two Pokémon.
"Flash Cannon."
At such close range, there was no need to aim. Enduring the burning pain, Metagross fired its Flash Cannon.
Houndoom was blasted away, crashing onto the scorching battlefield.
Metagross's body overheated. Unable to maintain its position any longer, it fell from the air, flames flickering across its body.
"Houndoom has lost its ability to battle."
The referee's announcement brought Misaki no joy.
Metagross had been her final tempo controller in this battle, essential for ensuring safe offensive opportunities for Tyranitar and Gastrodon.
Crobat had already lost a lot of stamina and was injured. Now, not only was Metagross burned, but he was also severely wounded.
Kirlia and Houndoom were out. Mismagius was injured, and its stamina was uncertain.
The mist on the battlefield dissipated. The scorched ground cracked and broke and then began to sink. The Pokémon League urgently replaced the battlefield, though everyone knew it would be destroyed soon, too.
Marill sprayed water over Houndoom's body to cool it down. Luther glanced at Houndoom before shifting his gaze toward Misaki.
The two locked eyes for a long moment before Misaki broke the silence.
"This doesn't seem like your style."
Luther smiled. "Oh? How so?"
"In evenly matched battles, you always create opportunities through constant switching and use the synergy between your Pokémon to win. But you didn't do that this time."
"Houndoom used Inferno to destroy the field and achieve your goal of regaining the upper hand. A valuable combat unit like Houndoom should have been withdrawn, not pushed to fight to the death. If it hadn't been able to damage Metagross effectively, you would've just thrown away a powerful asset."
Luther chuckled.
"You really understand me. I'm sure you've studied all my recorded Pokémon League matches and thought of countless ways to beat me. But Misaki... there's something I don't understand."
"Why are you using my strongest style to fight me?"
Luther's words made Cynthia smile in satisfaction. It seemed she wouldn't need to enlighten Misaki afterwards.
"The coordination of six Pokémon, controlling the tempo through synergy, compressing the opponent's options and slowly suffocating the match... yes, others use this approach too. But your thinking is too similar to mine."
Luther stared directly at Misaki.
"It's almost like... you're my shadow."
Misaki's style echoed Luther's.
The airtight, suffocating battlefield pressure she created was exactly what others used to experience when facing Luther. How many trainers would put two tempo controllers in their team?
Only someone like Luther would use a 'kindergarten lineup,' rotating four Pokémon... Chansey, Jumpluff, Espurr, and Kirlia... as tempo controllers.
That was Luther's exception.
Based on the available data, Misaki's Tyranitar was extremely powerful. What it needed were strong support partners to drain the opponent's stamina and set up a decisive finish.
It was not a powerhouse like Metagross that could switch roles to become a tempo controller.
"Before facing me, your battle style was always straightforward, fully embodying Cynthia's aggressive nature and forcing mistakes through relentless offensive pressure."
"But in this match, from the very start, you emphasized controlling the tempo. Even your team lineup was built around it. In your previous battles, even against Core Gym Leaders, you never controlled the tempo so comprehensively."
"Don't tell me… this is just a coincidence."
(End of Chapter)
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