Not everyone is like Diantha and Mai, who are wealthy yet approachable.
Different living environments shape different personalities and temperaments. Hayata was nothing like those two in terms of humility.
Raised in an environment where he was constantly surrounded by praise, Hayata was designated by his family as the representative Pokémon Trainer of his generation. Naturally, he received the greatest share of resources.
He was sent specifically to the Alola region, where he enjoyed a relaxed lifestyle, the finest education, and the best Pokémon training conditions.
Wouldn't it make him look incompetent if someone like him, who had grown up with top-tier resources, were to lose to some random nobody who appeared out of nowhere?
Competition was the best stage. A single battle would make it clear who was superior and who was inferior. Hayata did not believe he was incompetent. Therefore, Luther must be the incompetent one.
When the "incompetent" person defeated Hayata and praised his Pokémon for being well-trained, Hayata could only hear sarcasm and mockery.
Seeing the cold look in Hayata's eyes, Luther knew he had been misinterpreted.
But after thinking about it, he decided it didn't matter. He had only wanted to praise the hardworking Incineroar. If Hayata misunderstood, so be it—as long as Incineroar didn't.
Darkrai had only taken a single Flamethrower in normal combat, which hardly even left a scratch. It was still in perfect condition.
After assessing Darkrai's condition, Hayata released his second Pokémon without hesitation.
"The second Pokémon chosen by Hayata is once again a very distinctive Alola Pokémon! How will Luther respond to the appearance of Mimikyu?"
Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy-type Pokémon with the Disguise Ability, which sacrifices part of its stamina to completely negate one instance of damage. Was Hayata planning to use Disguise to land effective blows on Darkrai and then switch out for the win?
No one believed that Luther would switch. Darkrai was in excellent condition. Many in the audience had originally bought tickets just to watch Dakota's ten-second battle, but now they felt they had gotten their money's worth. Assuming nothing unexpected happened, they would be able to take even more photos of Darkrai.
"Come back, Darkrai."
Darkrai trusted Luther's decision and slipped into his shadow.
Though it wanted to battle a few more opponents and was in great condition, trusting Luther's judgment had become second nature after being on the team for so long.
Luther's action shocked the entire arena.
After witnessing Dakota's Darkrai's team-support performance, everyone naturally assumed that Luther would do the same.
Hayata couldn't help but shout, "Do you think Mimikyu isn't worthy of being Darkrai's opponent?"
Luther did not respond. Instead, he sent out Mismagius.
"Before the match, someone told me that many people said I only had one Marill that could fight."
Luther reached out to stroke Mismagius then gently pinched her cheek. "Then I brought out Darkrai. Now I've brought out Mismagius."
"To say that I don't want praise after coming this far would be a lie. Everyone has desires. Only saints are without wants. But I always prioritize my Pokémon's well-being, so I chose to hold back."
Mismagius giggled as Luther pinched her cheek and rubbed against his hand affectionately.
"Today, however, I've changed my mind," Luther said with a smile. "I don't need praise or applause, but they do."
"When I was a timid kid who couldn't find my way, they were always by my side. I promised I would let them stand on the highest stage, show their strength and charm, enjoy the spotlight, and feel what it's like to be noticed and watched by thousands."
"Now, I'll help them reclaim the cheers, applause, and praise that belong to them. Not in the future, right now."
There was no rise or fall in Luther's voice as he spoke.
But behind every calm sentence was a raging tide. No matter how forceful a voice might be, it could never mimic the surging passion hidden beneath those words.
Hayata clenched his teeth. "You want to use me as a stepping stone? Who do you think you are?"
"Mimikyu, use Shadow Ball!"
"Mismagius, we'll use Shadow Ball, too. Let them see what a real head-on clash looks like."
Sensing their Trainers' fighting spirit, neither Pokémon moved to dodge. They stood still and fired off their Shadow Balls.
It was a complete, unrestrained collision.
Mimikyu's 'Shadow Ball' struck Mismagius first. Yet Mismagius didn't even blink. After taking the hit, she actually smiled.
It was as if she were mocking Mimikyu for not hitting hard enough.
Then, Mismagius's 'Shadow Ball' slammed into Mimikyu. Mimikyu, however, couldn't remain as composed as Mismagius did.
The massive force of the Shadow Ball pressed down on it. Since Hayata hadn't instructed it to trigger Disguise manually, Mimikyu could no longer endure it and activated its Disguise Ability on its own.
A strange layer of energy seemed to shield Mimikyu. The damage from the Shadow Ball was completely absorbed and vanished.
At the same time, Mimikyu's head suddenly flopped backward. At first glance, it looked as if its neck had snapped. The uninformed audience gasped in shock until the commentator explained that this was simply the visual effect of Disguise activating.
"I once heard a friend say that she'd seen a Trainer whose Mimikyu, after long-term training, could trigger Disguise more than twice. Hayata, I wonder if your Mimikyu is that impressive?"
"Mismagius, Mystical Fire."
Despite the considerable time and money Hayata had invested in training, his Mimikyu could only activate Disguise once. He had no idea how those Trainers managed to do it more than twice.
Without a second Disguise to block the attack, Hayata chose to stall with Protect.
But this was merely a slow death. Mismagius unleashed Mystical Fire repeatedly. The moment Protect's effect faded, another wave of Mystical Fire engulfed Mimikyu.
Amid the blazing flames, Mimikyu didn't last long before losing the ability to battle.
It was also the referee's first time encountering a Mimikyu. Acting responsibly, he stepped onto the field to check carefully before announcing the result: "Mimikyu is unable to battle."
"Mimikyu is unable to battle."
Luther's voice echoed across the arena.
"Haruto Kisaragi and Airi aren't inferior to you. They're just not as wealthy."
Everyone present had witnessed Luther effortlessly defeat Haruto Kisaragi and Airi. Most had dismissed them as pushovers. No one expected Luther to step forward now to clear their names.
"Do you think I only made it this far because I'm rich?"
Luther scoffed. "Have you ever met Haruto Kisaragi? Do you even know what kind of person he is?"
"He's a trainer who, after losing, reflects on the reasons, shoulders all responsibility, and quietly comforts his Pokémon. He calmly analyzes the situation, understands his own shortcomings, and works to make up for them."
Haruto Kisaragi is about the same age as you, but he's infinitely more mature. If he had the same resources, he'd definitely be in the main tournament this year!"
Hayata's grip on his Poké Ball tightened, producing cracking sounds.
"He's just an ordinary trainer who couldn't even make it past the first round."
(End of Chapter)
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