The situation had become interesting.
Vigoroth's evolution into Slaking had granted it tremendous explosive power and overwhelming strength.
Previously, Kirlia's Psychic power had found it difficult to seriously injure Slaking, requiring damage to be accumulated little by little over time.
But now, Kirlia had evolved as well.
Just like last time, she still hated that feeling of helplessness.
Ever since evolving into Kirlia, as Luther's team expanded and grew stronger, she had not tasted that feeling for a very long time.
"Psychic."
If Kirlia wasn't enough, then what about Gardevoir?
Slaking, still rooted in place due to the aftereffects of Giga Impact, was enveloped by Psychic energy.
Like an invisible tidal wave, the force battered Slaking's body, squeezing and compressing him from all sides.
As Gardevoir slowly raised her hand, the Slaking that had been standing firmly on the ground began to levitate slightly.
The laziness in Slaking's eyes disappeared.
Having finished building up his 'Bulk Up' energy, he pounded his chest, producing a series of deep thump-thump-thump sounds. He forcibly broke free of the restraint and landed back on the ground.
"Don't panic. Use Facade again," Dakota instructed.
The menacing Slaking swung his arm once more, unleashing terrifying power as he smashed toward Gardevoir.
"Protect."
Slaking's arm struck the barrier.
This time, only a few cracks appeared on its surface before it stabilized, showing no further signs of breaking.
After using 'Facade', Slaking staggered back two steps. The rebounding force left his arm aching.
Luther now had a clear understanding of the situation.
Even after evolving, the battle dynamic between the two Pokémon remained largely the same as before.
Gardevoir absolutely could not recklessly attack during the periods when Slaking's power was at its peak. A single hit from that strength would be enough to finish off the already-injured Gardevoir.
Meanwhile, Slaking was doing everything he could to resist Gardevoir's Psychic attacks, even delaying the completion of his Bulk Up buildup in order to defend himself.
In terms of stamina, Gardevoir was at a disadvantage. Alternating between Psychic and Protect was taxing. Although the excitement of evolution had temporarily allowed Gardevoir to forget her fatigue, it was only a matter of time before exhaustion caught up with her.
Slaking's tough body had suffered some backlash once already, but it would still require a burst of heavy damage to finally bring him down.
Luther pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I want to try something big… Gardevoir, Calm Mind."
Seeing Gardevoir stand still and begin using Calm Mind, Slaking started moving toward her.
Luther wasn't watching Gardevoir.
Instead, he looked at Dakota with a smile.
Dakota hesitated.
This was Gardevoir's second Calm Mind. Compared to the first one, this represented another qualitative leap in power.
'Should he have Slaking abandon the power he had been building up and casually use a weaker move to interrupt her…'
'Or should he wait until Bulk Up was fully charged and use Facade to wear down Gardevoir's stamina?'
As he watched Slaking draw closer to Gardevoir, who remained completely fearless and continued her Calm Mind in silence, Dakota's uneasiness grew.
At this distance, even without a fully charged attack, any random move would be enough to seriously wound Gardevoir.
And Luther's response was… To let Gardevoir continue using Calm Mind?
And Gardevoir herself remained perfectly calm, continuing to meditate?
Dakota glanced at Luther, only to find him staring back with a strange smile. A chill ran down Dakota's spine.
He recalled everything that had happened throughout the match:
The forced move changes.
Jumpluff's constant chatter.
Those inexplicably effective powder-based moves.
And...
Before Kirlia evolved, that incomprehensible technique that had disrupted Giga Impact and injured Slaking.
It was as if Slaking's own power had been turned against him.
Luther's strange tactics appeared one after another. Every time Dakota thought he had found an opening, it turned out he simply hadn't understood the situation and ended up suffering for it.
Luther had probably long since memorized exactly how much time Slaking needed to build up his power.
At this distance, with Slaking's reaction speed and explosive strength, Gardevoir wouldn't even have enough time to activate Protect.
So where was Luther getting all this confidence from?
Was it that bizarre fighting style from earlier, the one that could somehow neutralize Slaking's power?
Was this yet another one of Luther's "trump cards"?
Of course it was. His hidden trump cards had always been effective. He had concealed them all the way until the semifinals, only revealing them one after another to deal with Dakota.
And it was precisely those trump cards that had gradually dragged Dakota into his current predicament.
Setting aside Chansey, who had been frozen, this was the deciding game.
If Luther dared to play like this in the deciding game, he had to have a backup plan!
Dakota's internal struggle continued.
Attack now, or attack later?
He wavered back and forth, unable to decide.
Standing three meters away, Slaking watched as Gardevoir completed her third Calm Mind. Confused, he still hadn't received an order from Dakota to attack.
The sight left everyone stunned.
"Why isn't he attacking? Isn't this the perfect opportunity?" Barry shouted, voicing the thoughts of countless spectators. "Gardevoir isn't defending herself at all, and she's well within Slaking's ideal striking range."
Conway's glasses nearly slipped off his face.
"After analyzing so much battle data, I've honestly never seen anything like this. This is completely beyond my expectations..."
Ash and Etorre were equally dumbfounded.
This wasn't Dakota's style. Luther had exposed such a huge opening, Dakota should have attacked without hesitation.
Hakuya opened his mouth wide before suddenly realizing what was happening.
"Luther really dared to gamble!"
Lucian smiled and adjusted his glasses, explaining to Misaki and the other two Elite Four beside him.
"It's not really a gamble. After suffering hidden losses throughout an entire match, if I were standing there myself, I'd also be wondering whether this was another one of Luther's 'trump cards.'
"Throughout the entire battle, Luther intentionally revealed small openings and large openings alike. Every time Dakota took advantage of one, he ended up suffering an even greater loss himself.
"Mixing truth with deception, Luther ultimately chose the truth. But he wanted Dakota to believe it was a trap."
Gardevoir firmly believed that Luther's instructions could not be wrong.
Even though she could sense Slaking nearby, capable of attacking at any moment, she remained calm and composed.
Luther was confident in his acting skills.
Back then, he had even managed to fool Evergreen.
Dakota was naturally no exception.
The third Calm Mind ended.
After less than ten seconds of hesitation, Dakota finally came to his senses.
Grinding his teeth, he shouted, "Facade! Don't hold anything back! Even if she uses Protect, break through it!"
Dakota knew he had been deceived. In front of everyone, he had been fooled like an idiot.
The muscles all over Slaking's body bulged.
Following Dakota's command, he unleashed an attack with every ounce of strength he possessed.
"Then let's settle this once and for all. Psychic. Lock down Slaking's body and throw him out. Send him flying!"
Slaking felt as though he had crashed into an invisible wall.
Relying on his explosive burst of power, he managed to force his way forward for a short distance. But Psychic energy surged toward him from every direction like an endless tide.
It grew thicker and heavier.
His movements became stiff.
It felt as though something was dragging him backward.
Only when both feet left the ground did Slaking realize in panic that he had lost control of his body.
The Psychic-type Pokémon outside the battlefield, their Poké Balls already in hand, watched as a vast torrent of psychic power lifted Slaking's enormous body and carried him higher and higher into the air.
Dakota stared at Slaking's massive figure suspended overhead.
His mouth opened slightly, yet no words came out.
The next second, Slaking began to plummet.
Darkrai and Mismagius immediately used psychic power to protect Luther.
The same precautions were taken on Dakota's side.
Slaking crashed into the battlefield.
The impact shook the entire arena.
The referee, who had been standing on the officiating platform, was thrown backward by the tremor.
Even Aegislash trembled from head to toe, emitting waves of metallic buzzing.
Several seconds later, the referee finally climbed back to his feet, muttering curses under his breath as he checked the condition of both Pokémon.
"Slaking is unable to battle. Gardevoir wins. All six of Dakota's Pokémon are unable to battle. Therefore, Trainer Luther advances to the finals of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference."
(End of Chapter)
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