Dakota was arranging things according to the Doubt tournament format.
Although this was the first time the Sinnoh League had used a dual preliminary-round format, nobody had considered that group leaders should not meet each other so early on.
Of course, in the Pokémon League's Ranking Tournament stage, winning matches earned generous prize money, but shouldn't the top-ranked players have at least some privileges?
As Dakota watched Mismagius and Crobat locked in an aerial dogfight, both Pokémon battered and covered in injuries, he opened a discussion thread about the Doubt format on the Pokémon League forum, echoing the original poster's opinion.
Dakota could clearly sense Misaki's strength, her Darkrai would certainly not be able to withstand her relentless bombardment.
From either a spectator's or a tournament management standpoint, Misaki and Luther were clearly trainers who should go much further. Yet now, they were exhausting themselves just to fight for a spot in the top 32.
"If you're going to use a Ranking Tournament system, group leaders should be given more favourable treatment!"
That was Dakota's comment.
He usually didn't like getting involved in such disputes, but this scene had deeply moved him. Aerial dogfights were highly entertaining for spectators, but for Pokémon trainers, they were pure torment.
With Pokémon using Agility, their positions changed every second, forcing Trainers to keep their wits about them and make split-second decisions.
Both Pokémon had already expended most of their stamina in the prolonged entanglement. Now panting heavily and unable to find a decisive opening, they could only rely on fast-release moves; it was essentially gambling.
Shadow Balls and Dark Pulses flashed wildly through the air.
The pressure shifted onto Luther.
His last two Pokémon were Chansey and Darkrai. Sending out Chansey at this point would only turn it into a healing battery for Crobat.
However, if he switched proactively, he feared that the dying Crobat might leave behind a 'parting gift' that could impact Darkrai's battle against Tyranitar.
Even the commentator noticed their hesitation: Misaki wanted to play it safe, but Luther wanted to force a change.
"Sleep."
Mismagius froze for a moment, then closed its eyes and floated in midair as it began to recover its injuries.
This was a step too far, when Crobat had previously regained stamina, it had at least used Supersonic as a setup. But Mismagius was doing it blatantly.
"Don't let Mismagius recover! Use Bite to deal damage, then follow up with a close-range Dark Pulse, finish her off in one go!" Misaki issued a rapid series of commands, then left it to Crobat.
"Sleep Talk."
Crobat opened its mouth, preparing to bite Mismagius, but suddenly Mismagius moved.
Both Misaki and Luther watched nervously.
They all realized that Luther's use of recovery was a feint. His real goal was to force Misaki into an all-out, decisive clash.
His determination to keep Mismagius up against Crobat until the end proved that, aside from Darkrai, his other Pokémon lacked powerful offensive capabilities. Mismagius had to take on the annoying bat alone.
Now, the outcome depended on the move that Sleep Talk would randomly select.
Both sides were already exhausted. The outcome of a single move would decide everything.
The paralysis effect should have weakened over time, but Crobat had been so aggressive for so long without triggering it even once. That was just unfair! It was about time luck turned in his favor!
Luther clenched his fist and muttered:
"Come on... give me something good!"
In an instant, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking both Mismagius and Crobat.
They were simply too close.
Although Mismagius had indeed hit the jackpot by getting the exact countermove that Luther had hoped for, the sleeping Mismagius was also struck by its own Sleep Talk-activated Thunder.
Shocked awake, Mismagius struggled with dizziness and exhaustion as it desperately searched for Crobat.
The poor bat had been completely electrocuted. Its wings could no longer flap, and it had already fallen to the ground by that moment.
"Crobat is unable to battle."
Luther let out a long breath while Misaki sighed.
Ultimately, both sides had been gambling, but this time luck favored Luther.
However, Misaki had now confirmed that Luther only had one Pokémon left that was truly combat-capable: Darkrai.
She decided not to send out Tyranitar to help Gastrodon create a weather advantage. Instead, she chose to keep Tyranitar in perfect condition and prepare it specifically for the final fight.
Gastrodon was eager to move, ready to deliver the finishing blow to the exhausted Mismagius, but Misaki had other plans. She was already plotting another 'crime'.
"Mean Look."
Luther grinned, clearly enjoying the shocked expression on Misaki's face.
"Finish off Mismagius. Use Ice Beam."
Mean Look had locked Gastrodon in place, meaning it could no longer return to Misaki's Poké Ball.
If Luther had done this, it meant he definitely had a nasty strategy planned. Misaki had already guessed at one possibility.
Ice Beam struck the barely standing Mismagius in the face, but it responded with a teasing smile towards Gastrodon.
It was a look of complete understanding of Luther's command, showing calm confidence in controlling the situation.
Gastrodon was finished. It would no longer be able to interfere with Darkrai.
Before leaving the field, Mismagius gave Gastrodon one final 'gift' — Curse, a move that sacrifices the user to put a countdown to defeat on the opponent.
The commentators, who had just been saying that Luther should switch out to avoid giving Misaki an opportunity to make a comeback, fell completely silent.
What commentators? Luther was here to destroy their plans!
Crobat's full recovery had largely depended on Misaki's decision-making and luck.
She used Supersonic to create the conditions for a gamble, then relied on her moves and Crobat's body to stop Luther recalling his Pokémon.
Gastrodon had just had a similar opportunity to recover; it could have taken one move from the stamina-drained Mismagius and then used Recover to heal up. Easy gains.
However, Luther neither recalled his Pokémon nor tried to attack Gastrodon directly. He was decisive.
Crobat managed to turn things around because I gave you the space and opportunity to recover. Now I'll have Mismagius go down through self-sacrifice; let's see how you replicate that play.
Looking at Gastrodon, now shrouded in a layer of dark energy, Misaki's expression was complicated. In the end, all her thoughts condensed into one sentence:
"Luther… well played."
She already knew that Luther's final Pokémon would definitely be the time-stalling Chansey.
As long as Gastrodon could cause Darkrai any trouble at all, Tyranitar would have an easy time of it.
Misaki understood all of this.
But that didn't mean Luther would let her do it.
Darkrai entered the field.
Emerging slowly from the shadows, it carried a suffocating aura as it advanced towards Gastrodon.
Misaki made her decision instantly:
'Parting Shot.'
A move that sharply lowers the opponent's Attack and Special Attack.
Gastrodon executed it without hesitation. Before losing consciousness, it released all its remaining energy towards Darkrai.
In its current state, any direct attack from Gastrodon would barely harm Darkrai, so it was better to sacrifice itself for something more valuable.
Misaki knew that Darkrai could remove this debuff, but securing Tyranitar an opening attack opportunity was enough for Gastrodon.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395