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Espurr launched a fierce offensive. Luther knew that Hakuya had completely suppressed him in terms of rhythm control. This meant that his only chance to break the stalemate was to defeat Ursaring.
The terrain had no effect on Espurr, who was floating in midair. The downside of shaping the battlefield beforehand was that ground-based Pokémon could easily struggle with the terrain.
Ursaring's thick paws sank into the rubble, and he clearly had trouble finding stable footing. He had to choose each step with extreme caution, which gave Espurr the opportunity to circle around and attack relentlessly.
Luther let Espurr fire off 'Psychic' and 'Psyshock' one after another, abandoning any thought of conserving her stamina.
This was practically the only exploitable weakness left to him after Hakuya seized control of the rhythm. It would be foolish not to use it.
But the moment this weakness appeared, Hakuya responded.
Ursaring was recalled. In its place, Noctowl entered the field, already bearing poison and paralysis.
To Hakuya, Ursaring, unaffected by status conditions, was still his main force, despite the damage he had taken. That was why he chose to preserve him.
"Planning to force a swap?"
Luther immediately grasped Hakuya's thinking.
The only Pokémon on his team unaffected by the battlefield was Espurr. He had guessed as much from the way the match was going.
This meant that Noctowl's job was simple: bring Espurr down. If Espurr fell, Luther's remaining Pokémon would be left stumbling and struggling on terrain unsuited for them.
Even if Noctowl couldn't finish Espurr off, she would become an easy target soon after, already exhausted.
The match had reached its most critical turning point.
If Luther could protect Espurr, he still had a chance. But if she was knocked out here, it was practically over. Given Hakuya's battling style, he would rotate his team relentlessly, eliminating every possibility of Luther's victory.
Espurr, however, was unaware of any of this. To her, this battle was no different from the previous ones.
Luther wanted to cheer her on, but then he stopped.
"Your old enemy, Jumpluff, is here. Go beat him up!"
Too much urgency or heavy words might make Espurr nervous and alert her too soon to the true weight of this match.
Only by keeping a calm mindset could she maintain her posture and rhythm during the battle.
Luther's lighthearted tone worked. Espurr nodded and squared off against the circling Noctowl.
The poison coursing through her body made her shiver from time to time. Noticing this, Luther told Espurr to observe Noctowl's rhythm carefully instead.
Hakuya knew that stalling would not favor Noctowl, so he commanded him to dive low—close enough to increase accuracy, and attack Espurr directly with 'Air Slash'.
Espurr didn't dodge. Instead, she countered head-on with Psyshock.
The instant the two attacks clashed, both trainers shouted new commands.
Noctowl beat his wings and unleashed Hurricane.
This move had the power to confuse its victims, and on a battlefield littered with rubble, its effect was terrifying.
Stones were sucked up into the roaring winds and whirled around violently. Even if Espurr avoided the vortex, she would still be pelted mercilessly by shards of rock.
Noctowl was struck by debris himself, but quickly climbed higher to escape the storm he had created.
Luther gave Espurr an unusual command: maintain the Hurricane; don't let it disperse.
She didn't understand why, but her trust in Luther was absolute.
Using her psychic power, she carefully edged closer to the swirling storm and gradually seeped her energy into it.
When she succeeded, Espurr finally understood what Luther wanted her to do.
Without waiting for orders, she guided the hurricane itself, bending it into a sweeping circle around the battlefield.
Luther froze in surprise, then burst out laughing.
Was this what they called a "bond of hearts"?
Espurr understood his idea ahead of time.
The hurricane was the perfect opportunity to clear the rubble scattered across the battlefield. Noctowl had withdrawn from the storm to avoid flying debris, creating an opportunity for Luther to overcome his terrain disadvantage.
Espurr pushed the hurricane toward Noctowl's half of the field, then released her psychic hold. A rain of stones came crashing down, piling up in front of Hakuya.
The area that Luther had cleared was still uneven, but there were far fewer sharp stones left to hurt his Pokémon's footing. Since he had managed to clean the field without interruption, it was a huge gain.
Hakuya regarded Luther with respect; then, his expression hardened. He raised his harmonica, commanding Noctowl to cut through the pile of rubble with Air Slash.
"Not so fast! Use Psychic to lift those rocks, then hurl them at Noctowl!"
Luther's mind flashed to Lucian's battle against Cynthia and how he used the environment to attack Spiritomb.
If you don't have a type advantage, then create one! With all these stones lying around, why let them go to waste?
Espurr darted ahead of the rubble pile. Just as Noctowl prepared to unleash Air Slash, his body suddenly spasmed in midair. He writhed in pain.
Paralysis seized his wings at the same time poison coursed through his body, nearly sending him plummeting to the ground. He barely managed to steady himself.
But his luck ran out. Espurr, who was now holding the rubble aloft with her psychic power, gave a sly smile.
The rocks shot forward under her mental command and struck the struggling Noctowl one after another. With his height reduced by his faltering posture, he had no time to dodge.
"Jump onto Noctowl's back!"
The sharp note of Hakuya's harmonica cut the air again. Despite the pain, Noctowl tried desperately to climb higher.
At the last moment, Espurr's tiny hands grasped his feathers and pulled her upward.
Sensing the intruder on his back and remembering Hakuya's warning, Noctowl twisted violently in midair, trying to shake her off.
But Espurr, having secured her grip, closed her eyes.
"Psychic!"
A massive surge of mental force burst forth at once.
It was as if a mountain had been dropped on his back. The crushing weight made him gasp for breath.
The air around him turned savage and turbulent. His wings flapped desperately, but they could no longer support flight.
Espurr tightened her psychic grip, suppressing Noctowl's body, and then added a Psyshock aimed straight at his wings.
The moment she finished, Espurr quickly let go and covered her ears.
The Psyshock aftershock collided with the surrounding Psychic energy, triggering a chain reaction. The two moves combined to create an explosion. Espurr was blown away before she could escape its range.
At the center of the blast, Noctowl screamed and crashed into the ground.
Luther and Hakuya rushed forward to check on their Pokémon.
Espurr was battered but fine, tired and dizzy, but otherwise unharmed.
Noctowl's injuries weren't severe either, though some feathers were missing from her left wing.
The sudden blast had engulfed her, knocking her out cold.
The referee stepped in and declared Noctowl unable to battle.
Luther exhaled in relief and hurriedly gathered Espurr into his arms.
He had regained some momentum, just a little, but enough. As long as Hakuya didn't control everything, there was still hope.
(End of chapter.)