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Hakuya leaned against the aisle's exit, sighed, and lifted his notebook. "Do as you wish. If you can, help him save some of his pride a little."
As a man himself, Hakuya understood exactly what Luther was trying to accomplish. He appreciated that Luther could remain so composed and neutral while speaking about it.
The boiling crowd fell silent the moment Luther stepped into the arena. In this environment, even without a microphone, his voice would likely carry across the hall.
Hiroshi had been waiting in the arena for Luther. This gave him a sense of superiority, like a challenger being greeted at the starting line. Today, these small accumulations of confidence and achievement would push him step by step toward greater heights.
If he were still new to this world and surrounded by so many spectators, Luther might have been intimidated, but after everything he had experienced, his mindset had qualitatively changed. He calmly approached his position and stood firm.
The support staff and commentators glanced around, ensuring neither side wanted to speak further, and then the rules of the battle were announced.
Six-on-six, full-team battle, unlimited substitutions. Hiroshi goes first.
Luther had allowed the first move and let Hiroshi decide all the rules; he didn't care about these minor advantages.
Hakuya, hearing that the rules were unlimited, silently mourned for Hiroshi. He really wished Hiroshi could have seen the four-on-four match between him and Luther.
At that time, Luther, still mastering rhythm, had absorbed lessons from their sparring incredibly quickly. From that moment on, he was no longer a rookie Pokémon Trainer.
Luther, whose weaknesses had been noted and addressed by Bertha, had already reached Hakuya's level. Now, the only remaining obstacle was when Luther could fully integrate everything he had learned.
"Have all your Pokémon recovered?" Luther asked, tossing a Poké Ball.
"They're ready to win."
Hiroshi's confidence drew cheers from the crowd, breaking the pre-battle silence with an unending wave of encouragement.
Luther sent out his Pokémon first. As in training, Espurr took the lead.
Unfamiliar with the Kalos Region, Hiroshi quickly checked Espurr's data before deciding how to respond.
A Dark/Ice-type Sneasel appeared on the battlefield.
Type-wise, this was the correct choice.
The referee confirmed both Pokémon were in position and signaled the official start.
Hiroshi struck first: "Sneasel, use Dark Pulse."
"Follow the training plan," Luther's command was simple.
Espurr floated lightly, twisting in the air to dodge the Dark Pulse, retreating to a safe position. Then, channeling all its energy, it launched a dazzling ball of light into the air.
The light exploded, bathing the entire battlefield in blazing brilliance.
"This is Blazing Sun! Luther has immediately chosen to control the battlefield's weather, but this move is a bit reckless!"
The commentator's words echoed Hiroshi's intended mockery of Luther.
Controlling the weather is useful, but the consequence of expending so much energy this early is that the Pokémon becomes vulnerable and cannot recover stamina.
A rookie who doesn't understand battle would open so naively.
"No breathing room for you, use Taunt."
Sneasel's Taunt successfully hit Espurr. Espurr glared with obvious displeasure, making Sneasel uneasy.
A clever counter: using Taunt temporarily prevented Espurr from using defensive moves during the fatigue period following Blazing Sun. However…
Espurr showed no signs of fatigue. Sneasel's Dark Pulse was countered by Disarming Voice. That incredibly cute cry made the world spin for Sneasel.
Before Sneasel could regain focus, Espurr's Thunderbolt struck.
Painfully, Sneasel knelt on the ground. Hiroshi was baffled. According to academy teachings, after using a weather-altering move, a Pokémon should experience fatigue.
Why was this Espurr still energetic and floating around?
Unable to tolerate this outcome, Hiroshi opted for a direct attack.
"Dark Pulse. Get close to Espurr before firing."
Hiroshi was certain this was just an illusion. Espurr's stamina had to be critically low; at close range with high accuracy, one strike would finish it.
"We'll use Dark Pulse too."
As Sneasel launched its move, half-floating in the air with a stiff posture, Espurr only slightly shifted and dodged the attack, letting the move land directly on Sneasel's face. Seeing Sneasel's horrified expression, a follow-up Dark Pulse from Espurr sent him flying out of the arena.
The stands supporting Hiroshi fell completely silent.
The referee declared Sneasel unable to continue, and Hiroshi scowled as he recalled it.
"Do you think you can take this round just with a strong Kalos Pokémon?" Hiroshi demanded.
"You're partly right. Espurr is excellent, but you still don't fully understand how strong it really is. You'll have the chance to see soon enough," Luther replied, making no move to switch out. From the start, this wasn't a sparring match for teaching; he wasn't holding back.
Hiroshi, still brimming with confidence, quickly adjusted his mindset and sent out his second Pokémon.
Luther's eyes lit up, he could hardly believe he was seeing a Metang here.
A Steel/Psychic-type, Metang had wide offensive coverage and top-tier durability. Choosing it to counter Espurr was the correct decision.
But hadn't Hiroshi considered anything else?
Metang immediately charged, facing Espurr's Psyshock and countering with Meteor Mash.
No matter how arrogant Hiroshi was, Luther wouldn't deny his Pokémon training skill. Just watching the sheer force of the Meteor Mash and Espurr's expression after being hit, it was clear this was a well-trained Metang.
After using its move, Metang charged forward without dodging or hesitating.
Hiroshi was filled with expectation. As the vanguard of the first battle, he assumed Espurr had surely learned various disruptive status moves, and he eagerly awaited Luther to use them.
But Metang's Clear Body ability would render it completely unaffected by such tactics. If Luther dared to use them, he could be countered effortlessly.
"Come back, Espurr."
Luther's command sent Espurr floating out of the battlefield.
Junna rested her chin on her hands at the judges' table, while Mai fed her fries.
Junna sighed, "Looks like that Metang has Clear Body."
Mai nodded in agreement. Espurr had clearly used moves like Dark Pulse in the first round, so seeing Metang charge recklessly meant either it was acting on impulse or trying to bait Luther into using a weakening move instead.
Hiroshi froze; his plan seemed to have failed.
Luther pressed the Poké Ball to his forehead.
"Long time no see. You suffered a lot over at Cyrus's place, and now I'm dragging you out of rest for this battle, I do feel a little guilty."
Luther tossed the Poké Ball, and the Houndoom appeared on the field, howling to the sky.
After days of care and recovery, Houndoom shook off the fatigue from that snowy night, now full of vitality.
If someone didn't know better, they'd think it was a strong adult Houndoom. Who would guess it was as aged as Cyrus, nearing the end of its life?
"Houndoom, your muscles recovered nicely."
Luther's teasing made Houndoom wag its tail and half-squat, showing off the bulging muscles.
Enough, it's fierce enough already. Luther had seen it; he certainly didn't measure up to Houndoom.
Once Houndoom stood ready, Hiroshi commanded Metang to use Rock Slide. Against a Dark/Fire-type Houndoom, this should have been very effective.
Rock Slide hit accurately, but Houndoom remained unmoved, its eyes brimming with lethal intent.
Luther clapped his hands, signaling Hiroshi to look upward.
"Friendly reminder: today's weather--"
"Blazing Sun."
(End of Chapter)