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In the anime, the fight between Candice and Ash was a genuine mess, it felt like the writers were just trying to clear the deck for the big showdown with Brandon and the Lake Acuity trio. The whole thing was rushed, forgettable, and left a nasty impression: that Candice wasn't all that. After all, she was barely ten years old. How much real battle experience could she possibly have? Most people who watched probably thought, I could do better than that.
Luther, however, had learned a harsh truth from Gardenia: the "core" Gym Leaders, the ones holding down the essential badges, were terrifying. When they decided to fight seriously, over eighty percent of Trainers had no hope of earning the badge.
He knew exactly what kind of battle he was walking into. This wasn't just a challenge; it was the moment he had to break through.
He remembered facing Gardenia's Exeggutor, a fight where he hadn't even gotten a punch in before being utterly flattened.
But months had passed since then. Through structured, almost grueling training and a mountain of experience, Luther had grown. What he was looking for now wasn't just a win, but an answer, a confirmation for himself and his Pokémon that the path they had chosen was the right one.
The spectator seats were crammed. Students from the Pokémon Trainer Academy filled every available space. Some were children barely old enough to hold a Poké Ball, others were veterans with graying hair.
For most in the audience, the journey to become a Trainer hadn't worked out. They had given up their travels for a career, only to find themselves, years later, drawn back to the academy for a new reason.
These "older" Trainers were as common as the rookies. They had solid theoretical knowledge, but their real-world battle experience was almost nonexistent.
That was precisely why they were all here, quiet and eager. Battles like this were a rare, priceless lesson.
The referee, one of the academy's own instructors, was about to confirm the rules when Candice's voice cut across the ice rink.
"Hey, Luther, how about a Full Battle? Just so you know, I don't just use Ice-types!"
Luther blinked once, then his hand clenched into a tight fist.
"I couldn't ask for more."
Candice had already heard from Hakuya that Luther was looking for a breakthrough. She hadn't fought at full strength herself in a long time, this was a perfect opportunity to truly help him test himself.
The challenge was set: a six-on-six match under the "Limit Four" rule (each Pokémon could only use four different moves). Both sides could switch freely. Luther, however, opted to let Candice make the first move.
"You're just like Hakuya," Candice noted with a wide, warm grin. "When he came here to spar, he never once took the lead, either."
"That's because I learned it from him," Luther replied, a small smile touching his lips.
"Trainers, prepare your Pokémon. Battle begins in ten seconds," the referee reminded them.
Luther and Candice each selected their leads.
"Since we're going all out, you get to start us off," Candice said confidently, tossing her Poké Ball onto the glittering, icy battlefield.
Abomasnow erupted from the ball, and its Snow Warning ability immediately took hold. Tiny shards of ice began to drift down from the arena ceiling.
As the battle progressed, those scattered shards would naturally thicken into a full, punishing hailstorm.
Luther's Espurr appeared next, and the instant she entered the field, she unleashed Sunny Day.
This was the sacrifice Luther made for giving up the first move: his team had no Pokémon with an innate weather-changing ability. If he wanted to control the field's rhythm, he had to dedicate a move slot to weather control.
Still, the benefit was immediate. Espurr's psychic energy pierced the dark, overcast ceiling, and a blazing light flooded the entire battlefield. Luther actually shrugged off his jacket under the sudden, powerful warmth.
"A Kalos Espurr, huh? But if I remember correctly, Espurr can't learn any other Fire-type moves?" Candice asked, waving her hand. "Abomasnow, Icy Wind!"
Abomasnow whipped up a vast gust of freezing wind. Espurr was too slow to dodge and was swallowed by the cold, shivering instantly.
Even under the warmth of Sunny Day, the deep chill had penetrated Espurr's small body, making her tremble.
She retaliated with a Shadow Ball, which slammed into Abomasnow for a solid hit.
Just as Luther began considering how to adjust Espurr's move-set for this matchup, Candice suddenly raised her hand and recalled Abomasnow.
An unfamiliar Pokémon appeared on the ice-covered field.
"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon," Mai murmured, scanning it with her Pokédex. "It's said to come down from the mountains to warn humans of disaster. In ancient times, people mistook it for a bringer of catastrophe."
Mai remembered Candice's promise: she wouldn't be using only Ice-type Pokémon.
The Dark-type Absol was a natural type advantage against Espurr.
However, Candice didn't attack immediately. Instead, she pointed upward toward the ceiling of the Gym and gave her order to Absol.
"Hail."
Luther froze. Right at the start of the battle, he had already found a critical flaw in his entire system.
He had planned for his durable Espurr to establish the weather and maintain that advantage to pass to the next Pokémon. But the truth was, his team couldn't truly be called a Weather Team. Sunny Day was only meant to briefly seize control of the battle's rhythm, nothing more.
A real Weather Team, however, had multiple Pokémon capable of changing the field's conditions.
Candice could simply recall Abomasnow, then send it out again later to re-trigger Snow Warning. It would only cost her a bit of stamina.
By combining that with another Pokémon that knew Hail, she could effortlessly reclaim the weather advantage at any point in the fight.
Casting Sunny Day again would be pointless, Candice could just switch Pokémon and take the weather advantage right back, while Luther's Espurr would only exhaust herself.
"Espurr, Thunderbolt!"
Candice's Absol was momentarily stiff after using Hail, and Espurr seized the small window, firing a Thunderbolt straight at it.
The hit connected, but it didn't seem to do much. Absol only frowned slightly before stepping onto the icy surface and gliding swiftly toward Espurr.
Even though Espurr's speed had been lowered earlier by Abomasnow's Icy Wind, her psychic levitation still made her overall more agile than the Absol.
Absol's Dark Pulse missed its mark, while Espurr's Thunderbolt landed again.
Though Luther had lost the weather war, Espurr's training was showing. Her accuracy and reaction speed in dodging were impressive.
But the real disadvantage of losing the weather soon became clear. Both Absol and Espurr were being pelted by the falling hail, yet Luther knew that Candice's remaining Ice-type Pokémon wouldn't be affected by the hail at all. How was he supposed to deal with that?
Neither side wanted to show their full hand. Both were holding back their move sets, Espurr kept using only Thunderbolt, and Absol stuck to Dark Pulse. It was a perfect game of information control.
Candice could afford to wait. Luther couldn't.
If he let this drag on, the disadvantage would only multiply.
"Espurr, return!"
Espurr hesitated for a moment, then dutifully floated off the field. Waiting nearby, Chansey rushed over, covering Espurr's head with a towel and carefully wiping the ice shards from her fur.
"If you won't reveal your setup," Luther murmured to himself, watching Candice, "then let's see who has the greater need to act."
Then, a sudden, sharp idea struck him, a way to break the gridlock.
"Chansey, it's your turn!"
Chansey blinked in surprise, then quickly clenched her little fists, stuffed a bottle of water into Espurr's arms, and hopped straight into the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)