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After Arcanine got back up, Haruto Kisaragi commanded it to use 'Crunch' once again. Haruto decided to try one more time.
Without any suspense, Psyshock interrupted 'Crunch' again. This time, Espurr was even more prepared. After being hit, Arcanine was blasted into the air by 'Psyshock' and flew a certain distance before crashing back down onto the ground.
"Pikachu suffered a lot from that move the first time it battled Espurr, too," Ash said with a smile from the lounge.
Pikachu nodded repeatedly beside him. He clearly remembered locking eyes with Espurr and getting hit for no reason.
This was the greatest aspect of Luther's training of Espurr: Psyshock. Espurr had mastered it to the point where she could attack without moving visibly or warning. It was extremely difficult to defend against, and the activation speed was unbelievably fast.
Haruto Kisaragi felt awkward. 'Close Combat' was supposed to be his opening move against Marill, but Luther had anticipated his strategy and switched Pokémon, putting Arcanine on the defensive.
With both defenses lowered, Arcanine looked miserable after taking two Psyshocks. Yet Haruto Kisaragi was still hesitating.
If he withdrew Arcanine now, Espurr could comfortably set up Rain Dance and then switch Marill back in. This would result in him immediately losing control of the weather.
Should he switch...or not?
Luther didn't give Haruto time to think. Arcanine wasn't attacking, but Espurr took the initiative and moved in close.
Seeing Espurr make an attacking motion, Arcanine dodged instinctively. Haruto Kisaragi was just about to have Arcanine counter with a Fire Blast when Espurr's hand movement suddenly vanished.
"Yawn."
Arcanine never expected Espurr's previous move to be a feint. It was completely unguarded and hit by Yawn. Before the drowsiness could fully take effect, Arcanine used all its strength to unleash a Fire Blast.
However, Espurr's small size gave her a huge advantage. She shifted downward slightly, slipping through the gap in Fire Blast's trajectory.
To prevent Luther from gaining the upper hand, Haruto Kisaragi immediately pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled Arcanine, giving Espurr no chance to finish it off.
But Luther didn't go for the finishing blow. His command was something else:
"Trick Room."
At the exact moment Haruto recalled Arcanine, Trick Room took effect across the battlefield.
This move caused most of the audience to freeze for a moment. While some Pokémon Trainers knew what it was, many more looked completely confused.
Only after the commentator explained its effect did applause rise from the stands.
The weather that Haruto Kisaragi was worried about—Luther didn't choose to fight for it. Instead, he chose to patch up Marill's one weakness:
'Speed.'
Haruto Kisaragi's final Pokémon was Toxicroak, the evolved form of Croagunk. It was a Poison/Fighting-type Pokémon, which was completely countered by Espurr's Psychic-type power.
Another type of disadvantage.
The commentator and the crowd shouted in confusion. But Luther knew exactly what Haruto Kisaragi's plan was.
This Toxicroak was actually meant to create an opening for Luther to use Rain Dance after setting up Trick Room. Without a doubt, this was a Toxicroak with the Dry Skin ability.
Dry Skin: A Pokémon with this ability is unaffected by Water-type moves. If hit by a Water-type move, it can recover stamina.
Under rainy weather, it can also recover stamina.
It must be said: Haruto Kisaragi had taken data-based counterplay to the extreme. He prevented Luther from unleashing a full combo and knocking him out immediately by using Pokémon Abilities to work together.
This level of awareness was impressive. After failing to defeat Marill in one shot with 'Close Combat', Haruto actually gained the upper hand. He lost that advantage due to his two reckless charges against Espurr.
After all, not everyone had ever seen a Pokémon capable of using moves without any starting motion. So it wasn't strange that he doubted what he was seeing.
From the stands, boos and confused shouts directed at Haruto Kisaragi continued to rise. Candice and Mao didn't understand why the audience was booing—Haruto was battling well. Couldn't they tell?
Luther switched Espurr out. Espurr's speed had been specially trained because the older "big brothers" on the team were all a bit slow. As the one responsible for setting the rhythm, she needed to be a fast Pokémon to ensure the first 'Trick Room' move.
Marill swaggered onto the battlefield and stared straight at the fierce-looking Toxicroak.
"Blizzard."
"Thunder Punch."
Toxicroak's speed was suppressed by Trick Room. It only began to accelerate after being blasted by Blizzard, swinging its fist toward Marill.
This should have been a guaranteed hit. Marill was using Blizzard and couldn't move.
Yet Toxicroak's punch passed straight through Marill and slammed into the ground.
Everyone stared in shock as Marill used her tail to forcefully shift her body away. They were completely dumbfounded.
It was only a small, half-step shift, but it was enough to dodge the move.
Toxicroak extended its other arm, electricity crackling around it, and threw another punch at Marill at point-blank range.
"Trade fists with her... Ice Punch!"
The audience gasped at the idea of a direct fist clash with a type disadvantage.
But something even more shocking happened next.
After the two elemental punches collided, Toxicroak was blasted away by Marill's punch after only a few seconds. Its arm, which it had used to clash fists, was already coated in a layer of frost.
Haruto clenched his teeth tightly. He had learned of Luther's terrifying record from Candice's trainee Pokémon Trainer academy. He had raised his alertness toward Marill to the highest level, so much so that four of the six Pokémon he brought were specifically meant to counter her.
However, even with that level of caution, it still wasn't enough. This monster's Ice-type moves were far too powerful; its raw strength was outrageous.
With just one punch, Toxicroak's stamina was nearly depleted. Could a non-evolved Marill really do this?
Haruto had done everything possible in terms of data-based countering, yet he was losing in a direct clash. Bitterness filled his chest.
"Sucker Punch." Haruto Kisaragi made his prediction.
"Use it again... Ice Punch!"
Toxicroak also realized he was at a disadvantage. This time, he unleashed every ounce of strength he had. For a brief instant, he broke through Trick Room's distortion, and his two fists slammed into Marill's belly.
Marill's expression clearly twisted in pain, this was exactly what Haruto Kisaragi wanted. Just as Espurr had interrupted Arcanine's Crunch, Haruto Kisaragi intended to forcibly contend with Marill using Sucker Punch.
However, Marill narrowed her eyes slightly and extended the arms that had been guarding her chest.
She used Ice Punch with both hands.
Toxicroak, which was several times larger than Marill, was launched into the air.
The moment it hit the ground, the referee declared that it had lost the ability to battle.
The battle sequence that had looked so complicated had actually taken less than a minute. The audience hadn't processed what had happened when the battle was already...
Over?
The applause was sparse and scattered.
Haruto took a deep breath and sent out Cacturne.
"Toxicroak already did its best. If we can take down Marill, the scales of victory will tip in our favor."
Rather than encouraging Cacturne, Haruto Kisaragi seemed to be encouraging himself.
'Trick Room' was still affecting the field. Toxicroak hadn't stalled for long enough; it was fatal. But Haruto had no choice. Sending out the still-sleeping Arcanine would be a waste. All he could do was hope that Toxicroak's Sucker Punch, combined with the earlier Close Combat, had done enough.
At the very least... It might disrupt Marill's movements.
"Sucker Punch!"
Luther gave only one command.
"Take it, then hit back with Ice Punch."
Realizing the situation was unfavorable, Cacturne erupted with all it had. As it broke through Trick Room with Sucker Punch, it chose a two-pronged strike: one fist aimed at Marill's head and the other at her belly.
This method would at least cause Marill to feel pain and become temporarily stiff. This would give Haruto Kisaragi time to assess the situation and possibly execute another move.
But Marill's head seemed to be made of iron.
After taking a fierce blow to the head, she charged straight into Cacturne's arms. At an impossible-to-dodge range, she unleashed two more Ice Punches.
Haruto Kisaragi desperately wanted Cacturne to endure it. But as he watched Cacturne gradually freeze, he realized...
No matter what he shouted, it wouldn't matter anymore.
"Cacturne has lost the ability to battle."
This time, the battle didn't last more than ten seconds.
There was no more applause for Luther. Those who had booed Haruto Kisaragi earlier were now cheering him on.
Unlike the previous matches, there was still a difference in strength, but it wasn't as despair-inducing.
Candice let out a sigh. Haruto hadn't made a single wrong decision. Whether he was countering Marill, using abilities to block the weather, or using moves to break through 'Trick Room' and strike first, everything was correct.
But Marill was beyond the standard. Its strength far surpassed that of Haruto Kisaragi's Pokémon. In fact, one could say they weren't even on the same level.
After Luther compensated for Marill's one weakness, her speed, through teamwork, she became unstoppable. She didn't need to think about strategy anymore.
She only needed to think about attacking.
At this point, Haruto Kisaragi wasn't nervous anymore. He took out Arcanine's Poké Ball and gently rubbed it.
"Just enjoy the match. Next year, we'll work harder."
Whether his words reached Arcanine or its willpower was simply strong enough, at the moment it emerged from the Poké Ball... it actually woke up.
"Show Marill your strength... Reversal!"
Reversal, a move that grows stronger as the user's stamina decreases, was Haruto Kisaragi's final trump card.
"Superpower."
Haruto Kisaragi wanted a head-on collision, which also stirred a bit of fighting spirit in Luther.
Then let's clash head-on.
'Trick Room' was still in effect, yet Marill's Superpower, boosted by her speed, was slower than Reversal. No one knew what allowed Arcanine to break through the field's suppression at that moment.
A rapid chain of attacks, head strikes, and kicks hammered Marill in a dense barrage. With Arcanine's stamina already weak, the Reversal it unleashed was unbelievably powerful.
After being hit first, Marill staggered and nearly collapsed.
Just as Haruto Kisaragi clenched his fists, ready to cheer for Arcanine... Marill's tail propped up her falling body.
She stood upright again.
She grabbed Arcanine's front paws, hoisted it onto her body with an over-the-shoulder motion, and sprang upward as her tail stretched like a spring.
Before Arcanine could struggle, Marill performed a throwing motion in midair, smashing Arcanine violently into the ground.
Then, with an agile movement, she landed directly on top of the unconscious Arcanine.
"Arcanine has lost the ability to battle." All three of Player Haruto Kisaragi's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle. Therefore, Luther from Sandgem Town wins this match!"
(End of Chapter)