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These words stirred up public anger. Most of the Pokémon Trainers who had been lingering here either believed their own Strength was decent but blamed their failure on incompetent teammates, or they knew they were a bit lacking and had some self-awareness, yet still pretended they didn't care about being weak.
That single sentence from the girl tore off everyone's disguise. The words "not enough qualifications" slapped them all hard across the face.
Some people immediately turned hostile toward Luther, believing that he lacked that qualification as well. But more of them wanted to fight back to prove themselves.
"Whether or not I have the qualification, we'll know after a battle."
Finally, someone couldn't hold back and issued a challenge. The situation was starting to get out of control. Luther stood up, intending to speak on the girl's behalf.
The girl smiled cheerfully at Luther. "No need to help. I'll handle it myself."
"How do you want to fight?"
Her casual attitude made Luther relax, and he sat back down.
After all, anyone who could bring out three Pokémon that looked this battle-capable clearly wasn't a fraud.
As expected, the rules followed the Pokémon League format: New Limit Four (four-move limit), three-on-three. Luther took this opportunity to see what level the girl who had approached him about teaming up was really at.
Her first Pokémon was a Scizor, while her opponent sent out a Magcargo.
A massive type disadvantage. A Bug/Steel-type Scizor would be in serious trouble if it took even one Fire-type move, but the girl showed no intention of switching Pokémon.
A match like this didn't require a referee. With so many people watching, losing and refusing to accept it would be humiliating.
As soon as the battle began, Magcargo used Flamethrower.
Luther froze for a moment, then sprang to his feet in shock before the Flamethrower even hit Scizor.
Luther's Pokémon sensed something, too as they they were looking in the same direction as Luther.
Suddenly, Scizor appeared behind Magcargo. Its metallic claws slammed into Magcargo, sending it flying backward. If the opposing Pokémon Trainer hadn't had another Pokémon step in to block, Magcargo would've slid even farther.
After just one exchange, Luther could tell that the opposing trainer's Magcargo wasn't very strong. His own Pokémon could have done the same.
What truly shocked him, though, was Scizor's speed.
It was so fast that it could only be described as lightning-like.
This Scizor was clearly trained with speed as its core focus. Was the girl's entire team like this, with each Pokémon pushing a different stat or ability to the extreme?
"Still want to fight?"
Those words were essentially the girl giving the Pokémon Trainer an out. After seeing the Scizor display that level of power, anyone with a functioning brain would have taken the hint and backed down.
But the trainer was either stubborn or refused to believe it and insisted on continuing the battle.
Knowing when to advance and when to retreat is important. Backing down at a time like this isn't shameful. Why insist?
Scizor used just two more moves to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokémon, making it a clean and decisive victory. The entire battle lasted less than two minutes.
The Pokémon Trainer, with his escape route shattered, left in disgrace with his Pokémon.
The surrounding Pokémon Trainers now looked at the girl very differently. This battle was clearly not on the same level as the ones they usually fought.
As soon as the battle ended, someone timidly asked the girl to join her team. However, her attitude was firm. She walked straight up to Luther and extended her hand.
"Team up?" The girl asked.
Luther had no reason to refuse, though a subtle sense of bewilderment spread through his mind.
She was clearly an experienced battler, yet she was strangely unfamiliar with the rules of battle, which left Luther a bit confused.
A Pokémon Trainer at this level shouldn't be common, even in Sinnoh.
"Sandgem Town. Luther."
"Mira."
Mira's introduction was extremely simple. Seeing that Luther was spacing out, she thought he might still have questions. She gestured for him to speak while they lined up to register.
Luther registered his information at the gym's front desk. However, Mira seemed to run into some trouble. Her records had expired, so she needed to re-register, which took quite a bit of time.
Luther was surprised when he saw that Mira was just now receiving a Badge Case.
One could only officially begin their Gym challenge journey after obtaining a Badge Case. Which meant...was Mira a pure rookie?
Otherwise, she was a Pokémon Trainer from another region who had come to Sinnoh to challenge the gyms.
"My journey was interrupted for special reasons back then. I'll have time for my own things again soon, so I thought I'd experience a Gym Battle today."
Luther grew even more confused. 'Experience a Gym Battle?'
The display with Scizor earlier was definitely not casual.
"You're from Sun Heart City?" Luther asked.
Mira waved her hands. "No, no. I'm just a local from Sinnoh. For some reason, I rushed over here overnight from another city. Honestly, it didn't really matter whether I came or not, either way, I was already late. I'm just going through the motions."
Mira's words left Luther dizzy. He couldn't quite make sense of them.
"I'm curious. Why are you so determined to team up with me? I haven't even shown you my battle level yet. How can you be so sure I'm a qualified doubles partner?"
This was something he had to clarify. In a double battle, being willing to hand over the main offensive role was a clear sign of trust. Yet, Luther couldn't figure out why Mira trusted him so much.
Mira held a mirror and a strand of hair between her lips while she tied a hairband. When she heard Luther's question, she let go of her hair and smiled.
"I have a lot of confidence in you. I've heard your name more than once."
'So he was already somewhat famous?'
This shocked Luther. When? Where had it spread from? As soon as Luther pressed for details, Mira merely chuckled and said it was a secret.
This left Luther even more confused. He felt as though Mira could see right through him.
"Next challengers... Luther and Mira. Please enter the arena."
There was no time to ask more questions. Luther and Mira entered the battlefield together.
Above the arena, the large screen rapidly cycled through different terrain types. Once Luther and Mira took their positions, the screen finally stopped on a grass-type battlefield.
The Sun Heart Gym Leaders were a married couple: Kenichi and Risa.
Since challengers were required to battle in pairs, the Pokémon League considered this a means of fostering cooperation between Pokémon trainers.
However, Cynthia had explained to Luther that when facing powerful Trainers, they might be capable of soloing the Gym, so the League deliberately threw the difficult problem of teamwork at the challengers right from the start.
Kenichi, who had a bit of stubble and was wearing a black shirt, looked energetic. Seeing Luther and Mira enter, he asked with interest, "Are you two a couple?"
It seemed to be exactly what his wife, Risa, wanted to ask as well. Luther saw her cover her mouth and laugh quietly.
"Gym rules. Temporary team," Luther replied.
Kenichi responded with an "Oh," then continued, "I assume you already know that Sun Heart Gym isn't a core gym. We don't have a flexible team lineup, we'll be going all out."
"And Luther, you already have six Badges, including several from core Gyms. I hope the young lady beside you, Miss Mira, is prepared."
Mira remained unfazed. "Of course. I definitely won't cause any trouble for Luther."
After speaking, Kenichi signaled to the arena staff to raise the Grass-type battle field.
Sun Heart City was a major city after all. Even though Cynthia liked to tease the strength of Sun Heart Gym's leaders, their resources were still far better than those of many small Gyms.
Luther hadn't seen many Gyms capable of swapping out battlefields like this along the way; most had to repair the field after every match.
"No wonder Candice said Gyms closer to the south live better lives. That really must've been hard on her."
The Sun Heart City Gym battle rules were unrestricted two-on-two, just as Luther had learned beforehand. The lazy look on Mira's face vanished instantly. Staring at the raised Grass-type field, her eyes shone brightly.
"My excellent main attacker, it's your turn to choose who'll act as my support."
Mira handed three Poké Balls to Luther.
Luther glanced at her. Mira truly didn't look bothered at all, her attitude was completely casual.
"I'll be using Marill on my side. You'll use Gengar to coordinate with me. No problem, right?"
(End of Chapter)
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