Mira took out Gengar's Poké Ball and glanced at Luther. "From a coordination standpoint, I think Espurr and Kirlia might be a bit better. But since you said so, I'll do it your way."
"For the first turn, you go on the offensive. After that, we'll coordinate based on the situation. No problem, right?"
Mira froze for a moment. What Luther meant was that he wouldn't attack on the first turn?
Gym Battle rules require both sides to send out their Pokémon and act simultaneously. No one had even released their Pokémon yet, and Luther was already reading the situation.
"Release your Pokémon!" The referee at the side raised the flag.
Luther and Mira released Marill and Gengar, respectively. Kenichi and Risa sent out Xatu and Umbreon.
The moment this team lineup appeared, the trainers in the stands let out gasps. This was a combination the Gym Leader rarely used; almost no one had seen these two Pokémon fighting together on the same field.
Umbreon wasn't unfamiliar to Luther at all, but Xatu made him instinctively pull up the Pokédex.
"It stands motionless, staring at the sun all day. People believe it has the power to see into the future, and some even worship it as a sacred Pokémon."
Just from the description, it gave off a strong mystical vibe. Still, Luther had indeed heard that sufficiently powerful Xatu could achieve what the Pokédex described.
Seeing this opening combination, Luther felt that his pre-battle prediction was very likely to come true.
"Plan unchanged. Remember, don't use any moves that might inflict status conditions," Luther added.
"Now I get what you mean. Easy enough," Mira replied.
Marill and Gengar exchanged a look and slapped hands before the battle began.
Luther and Mira also bumped fists.
"Battle starts!"
"Gengar, circle around Umbreon and use Shadow Ball on Xatu!"
Even though he was mentally prepared, Luther was still shocked by the speed of Mira's Gengar. He couldn't capture its movement at all, at the instant the command was given, Gengar vanished from Luther's sight.
When it reappeared, Gengar was already right in front of Xatu, firing off Shadow Ball without the slightest hesitation.
"Xatu, Light Screen!"
"Umbreon, Reflect!"
Although Xatu was struck head-on by Shadow Ball, it stood firm, expressionless, and calmly completed the setup of Light Screen.
Umbreon leapt directly in front of Xatu to protect it, releasing Reflect at the same time.
The two layers of light overlapped, sharply reducing both physical and special damage.
Mira turned her head toward Luther. "You read us perfectly."
Right at the start, while Gengar was pressing the attack, Marill had successfully used Work Up. This move boosted both its Attack and Special Attack, and it was something Luther had helped Marill gradually master during his recent sparring sessions with Cynthia.
"If you go straight for Brick Break, there's a high chance you'll get focused down," Mira said lightly.
"You're the wingman. You're supposed to help the main attacker find a way," Luther replied.
"Got it. Gengar, use Dark Pulse on Xatu!"
Gengar's incredible speed once again stunned the entire arena. Luther was certain it wasn't just his eyesight, everyone probably felt that Mira's Gengar was absurdly fast.
Scizor was fast. Gengar was fast too. Mira's Pokémon likely all focused heavily on Speed.
Kenichi and Risa looked grim. They had checked the challenger's data beforehand, seeing Luther's badges and record, they had immediately chosen Umbreon and Xatu, the duo with which they had the best coordination.
This was almost the highest form of respect they could show toward Luther's core badges and the White Wind Badge. They knew Luther was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be this strong.
The first exchange made it very clear that Mira was acting under Luther's command. He had already predicted that they would likely go for the double-screen setup, so he chose to boost in advance, throw the pressure onto them, and then have Gengar apply offensive suppression, trying to disrupt their rhythm.
This Gengar, because it focused heavily on Speed, didn't have particularly outstanding damage output. But it still had a type advantage over Xatu, and with that kind of speed, it could easily bypass Umbreon's frontal defense and score a successful ambush.
It had to be stopped!
Kenichi and Risa exchanged a glance and moved at the same time.
"Xatu, Trick Room!"
"Umbreon, use Dark Pulse on Gengar!"
With Trick Room granting it the speed advantage, Umbreon instantly rushed up beside the retreating Gengar, Dark Pulse already gathering power.
The fastest Pokémon on the field, Gengar, had now become the slowest one. Kenichi and Risa's goal was to first eliminate this Gengar that could slip past their front line.
But the Dark Pulse gathering in Umbreon's open mouth suddenly dissipated, its jaws snapping shut as if struck.
Umbreon cried out and was knocked flying backward, only to be caught by the Xatu flying in from behind. Xatu quickly positioned itself in front of Umbreon, blocking Gengar from making a follow-up charge.
The entire arena fell silent, followed by a collective intake of breath.
"So, how was my support?" Mira asked, extending her fist again to bump it against Luther's.
"All I can say is… they were a little too easy to fool," Luther replied.
No matter how slow they might be, Risa and Kenichi understood that they had been baited into using their move by Mira's Gengar. Gengar had repeatedly showcased its terrifying speed, and by targeting Xatu twice in a row, it was deliberately instilling fear of that speed in Risa and Kenichi.
As Gym Leaders, if they didn't try to seize the speed advantage in such a situation, that would be truly terrible.
And so, in order to slow Gengar down, Trick Room appeared.
Indeed, this move made Xatu and Umbreon, both slower than Gengar, faster than it. However, the slowest Pokémon on the field from start to finish had always been Marill.
The damage from Brick Break itself wasn't the most important part, the Light Screen and Reflect layered onto Umbreon were shattered outright.
"Follow up, use Brick Break on Xatu."
Failing to press the attack now would be a waste of the Gym Leader's generous Trick Room "gift package."
For the first time, Marill experienced speed like the wind. Its mind could barely keep up with its body, before it could even blink, it was already right in front of Xatu. Brick Break was about to come down when Umbreon arrived at the very last moment, placing itself in front of Xatu and using Yawn on Marill.
This move induced drowsiness in the target, gradually putting it to sleep.
At this distance, neither side could dodge. Kenichi and Risa had made the optimal play: as long as Marill fell asleep, their two high-speed Pokémon could focus it down and seize the advantage.
Just as the trainers were about to applaud the Gym Leader's brilliant maneuver, a shocking scene unfolded. Gengar slowly emerged from Marill's shadow, positioning itself in front of Marill. The Yawn failed to hit Marill and instead… landed on Gengar.
Marill's Brick Break passed straight through Gengar's body, striking Umbreon, who was shielding Xatu first, and then slamming into Xatu's chest.
Xatu's dual screens still couldn't be preserved. The only thing Risa could be grateful for was that Xatu had used Calm Mind at the moment Umbreon used Yawn, managing to snatch a round of stat boosting.
Kenichi looked at Luther and Mira with a bitter smile.
At this point… which side was actually the Gym Leader?
(End of Chapter)
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