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After saying that, Hayata sent out his third Pokémon.
It was a Dragon/Poison-type Dragalge, and once again, it was shiny. This Dragalge had a greenish head and a dark purple body.
Only the wealthy could probably achieve this. Rare shiny Pokémon like this could be obtained relatively easily as long as you had the resources to search for them.
Without Luther saying a word, Mismagius quietly retreated behind him, leaving the stage for the next Pokémon.
"They say you just have good luck with matchups. When they mention you, they only call you cute, not strong..."
Before Luther could finish, Marill jumped down from his shoulder and nimbly entered the battlefield.
Hayata sneered. "You don't seriously think Marill can defeat Dragalge, do you?"
"Dragalge, fly up!"
Hayata's shiny Dragalge immediately ascended to a height far beyond Marill's reach. It looked down at the tiny Pokémon from above.
"Marill's Ice-type moves are powerful, but what good are they if they can't hit you?" Hayata laughed as he gave the next command. "Use 'Gunk Shot' on Marill!"
Clumps of sticky purple sludge rained down from the sky, spreading a foul stench even before hitting the ground.
Marill dodged left and right, using its small size to its advantage to avoid every attack raining down from above.
"Hail."
Marill's small body lit up. A sphere of light, even larger than Marill itself, shot straight toward the stadium's ceiling.
The moment the orb exploded, a bone-chilling cold seemed to condense into liquid and transform into several cascading "waterfalls" that poured down across the battlefield.
Hailstones the size of fingertips began to fall. Dragalge glided through the air, but biting winds constantly buffeted it, and hail relentlessly danced across its back.
Hayata considered changing the weather. However, if he switched to rain, Marill would be even more in his element. Gritting his teeth, he ordered Dragalge to lower its altitude to improve accuracy, hoping to quickly eliminate Marill before altering the weather.
Dragalge dove downward. With a Sludge Bomb clutched in its mouth, it struck Marill at close range. Then, it lifted its head and soared back into the air.
It was a highly reliable strategy. Marill's attack range was limited, and Dragalge was undeniably fast. Unless Marill could fly, Dragalge could repeat the same tactic endlessly and batter it.
After Marill took another Sludge Bomb, even Diantha thought Luther should switch Pokémon instead of stubbornly persisting.
A moment of pride meant nothing. Advancing in the tournament was what truly mattered.
This time, Dragalge changed its move. It decided to use Toxic. As long as Marill was poisoned, Dragalge could comfortably attack from above without ever coming down.
Once more, Dragalge dived. Once more, it accelerated toward Marill. The glowing orb of Toxic easily struck its target, just as the previous two attacks had.
Hayata barely had time to feel smug before the commentator's shocked voice brought him back to reality.
"Marill used its tail as a springboard and latched onto Dragalge's tail!"
Dragalge quickly noticed the unexpected passenger clinging to its tail. It thrashed its tail repeatedly to prevent Marill from using Ice Punch.
"Ice Beam."
Blizzard was slower, this move was safer.
The moment Luther finished speaking, a beam of icy light shot straight at Dragalge's neck.
Despite Dragalge's advance preparation and attempt to dodge under Hayata's command, frost still formed around its neck. The sudden disruption threw Dragalge off balance. It plummeted straight down from the sky.
Dragalge slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash. Marill was flung off upon impact and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
"Get up! Ignore the hail damage... fly higher!" Hayata shouted urgently.
Dragalge shook its head, struggling to stay conscious, and began flapping its wings in an attempt to take off again.
However, no matter how hard it tried, its lower body wouldn't move.
"This is unbelievable! What kind of Machamp is that?! Marill grabbed Dragalge's tail and was dragging it to the ground. Dragalge can't return to the sky!"
Luther chuckled. "None of my team can fly, so don't even think about it today!"
Marill tightened its grip and gave Dragalge's tail a powerful yank. Losing its center of gravity, Dragalge slammed into the ground yet again.
Hayata panicked and roared, "Draco Meteor!"
Hayata didn't want the direct hit but rather the splash damage from the explosion of the Draco Meteor. Only that could force Marill to let go and allow Dragalge to return to the air.
"Ice Punch, hit his face!"
Suddenly, Marill swung Dragalge's tail downward, smashing it against the ground. Then, Marill stepped on Dragalge's back and leaped upward.
Dragalge's Draco Meteor was already at the point of release. But Marill's round blue body was rapidly growing larger in its field of vision.
Ice Punch slammed into Dragalge's cheek. The Draco Meteor aimed at Marill abruptly shifted direction, shooting into the sky instead.
Like a firework, the Draco Meteor split apart in midair, transforming into countless meteors that rained down across the battle arena.
After a barrage of deafening explosions, a thick dust cloud blanketed the field.
If Dragalge's Draco Meteor had hit, Marill would likely have been finished. However, Dragalge, having taken an Ice Punch to the face, was equally on the brink.
The audience wished they could wave away the annoying dust cloud with fans to see the outcome sooner. The dust was simply too obstructive.
As the dust slowly cleared, everyone froze.
Dragalge was lying in the center of the arena, unable to battle. But Marill was nowhere to be seen.
After announcing that Dragalge had lost the ability to battle, the referee looked around curiously for Marill.
Suddenly, Dragalge's body shifted slightly. The chubby Marill pushed against its side and crawled out from underneath.
The instant Draco Meteor blanketed the field, Marill hid beneath the unconscious Dragalge, using its body as a shield to avoid the one-for-one trade.
"Luther's Marill has once again demonstrated its terrifying battle capability! Meanwhile, Hayata has already lost three Pokémon. Can his remaining three Pokémon turn the tide?"
Because Marill had been poisoned earlier, Luther immediately recalled it into its Poké Ball.
There was no need to speculate now. The audience, and even the commentator, knew that Luther's next Pokémon would be one that hadn't appeared yet.
It had been spectacular. Absolutely thrilling! Each of the Pokémon Luther had sent out so far displayed overwhelming strength and power.
Everyone praised the individual power of Luther's Pokémon. However, only a few insiders knew that what truly made Luther terrifying was the coordinated combat ability of all six of his Pokémon working together.
And Luther hadn't even used that system yet.
That was the most chilling part.
He was winning this match purely with one-on-one strength. This was far more shocking than relying on Darkrai for team support and far more visually explosive than airtight, coordinated tactics.
"Winning the battle and breaking the opponent's spirit at the same time..." Cynthia murmured. From the moment Mismagius took the field, she understood Luther's intention.
Luther was right, he won applause and cheers for his Pokémon. But he was also establishing his authority.
Whether this situation was prompted by Kukui Tetsu or orchestrated by someone else, after Luther displayed this level of strength, no one would dare to underestimate him again.
Right after the third battle ended, a new discussion thread appeared in the Pokémon League's official forum.
With one punch from Marill, Luther earned a thread dedicated to him.
Candice, holding her Spheal, watched Marill bask in the arena's deafening cheers. She suddenly recalled the battle in which her Pokémon had abruptly fainted in its sleep.
Spheal began trembling uncontrollably.
(End of Chapter)