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Conway wasn't entirely confident either. Luther was a very strange Pokémon Trainer. Among the 133 trainers who had entered the Ranking Tournament, he was the one Conway found the hardest to understand.
Luther's team lineup was quite thin.
At the very least, trainers who made it into the tournament usually had two full rotating lineups. Luther barely had one and a half. Even if some Pokémon were left elsewhere and hadn't been transferred, they should have shown up by the Ranking Tournament, right?
After watching Luther's battle with Hayata, however, Conway realized that Luther's Pokémon were trained to an exceptional level. They could unleash power that ordinary people couldn't even imagine, let alone predict.
Even so, under a carefully planned, all-around targeted strategy, even Marill, Luther's main frontline fighter who appeared most frequently, could only retreat in frustration.
This only strengthened Conway's suspicions.
"So that's how it is…" Conway recalled his Gengar. A frozen Gengar was no different from one that had lost its ability to battle.
Just as Luther took out a Poké Ball, he heard Conway speak and turned his gaze toward him.
"The reason you keep sending Marill out first… is different from Dakota's," Conway adjusted his glasses. "Dakota does it out of arrogance; he believes he doesn't need to…"
"But you do it to preserve the condition of your other Pokémon. Because you don't even have a proper rotation. You're afraid that if your other Pokémon's condition drops, it will affect the Main Tournament."
"People on the forum say that your current lineup, along with a few baby Pokémon, is just a smokescreen, that you still have stronger trump cards."
"But… you don't anymore, do you?"
Luther smiled but didn't answer.
"The reason you used your full lineup against Hayata, besides settling your grudge, was to send a false signal to other competitors."
"To make them think you still have stronger Pokémon that haven't appeared yet."
Conway stared directly at Luther, stating his judgment with confidence.
It had to be said, Conway's information gathering and analytical ability were truly impressive. He had guessed most of it correctly. However, in the battle against Hayata, Luther really hadn't thought that much. He had just been provoked by Lucian and got carried away. It wasn't nearly as deep as Conway imagined.
What was that saying again? Overthinking can be deadly.
Conway's second Pokémon was Ludicolo. The moment it appeared, it started dancing strangely on the spot. Combined with its somewhat goofy face, it was downright hilarious.
Luther's second Pokémon was Mismagius.
This made Conway freeze for a moment. He had already predicted that Luther wouldn't send Darkrai out again, as it was clearly to preserve its condition.
But in Conway's prediction, Kirlia and Espurr had a higher chance of appearing.
Although Mismagius had performed brilliantly in the previous battle, that was largely because Hayata's Mimikyu lacked real combat experience.
Luther himself was puzzled too. Was Ludicolo specifically brought out to counter his Houndoom?
As both sides speculated about each other's intentions, the match began.
Right at the start, Conway had Ludicolo use Rain Dance.
Luther smiled faintly. "Ability Swap."
Conway froze, staring in shock as a strange white light began to glow around Ludicolo.
Ludicolo looked at itself in confusion, as if trying to get used to its new state.
Meanwhile, Mismagius twisted its body, testing its movement, and suddenly realized it had become exceptionally light and swift.
The Grass-and-Water-type Ludicolo had gained Mismagius's Levitate ability, making it immune to Ground-type moves, which were already not very effective against it. Completely useless.
On the other hand, Mismagius, already incredibly fast, now moved like it had boosters installed, its figure in the air reduced to mere afterimages. The plan had been solid: activate Swift Swim first, gain speed in rainy weather, then fight Mismagius on equal footing.
But Conway had overlooked one thing: Mismagius could swap abilities.
Shadow Ball struck Ludicolo repeatedly. Conway tried to use Hydro Pump for wide-area damage, but before the attack could even sweep across, Mismagius had already darted far away.
At this rate, the battle was unwinnable.
"Hail."
Out of respect for Houndoom from the previous match, and to avoid having Water-type moves completely nullified, Conway abandoned Sunny Day and chose Hail instead.
Right at the start, three moves had already been used up, and two of them were weather moves… all because of a single oversight. Conway felt a sharp pang of regret.
After consecutively using two weather-changing moves, Ludicolo's stamina had dropped significantly.
Even Luther hadn't expected the match to develop like this. Naturally, he gladly accepted Conway's mistake. Much like how Gengar had dominated Marill in the first match, Mismagius continued bombarding Ludicolo with Shadow Ball.
When Ludicolo's stamina was nearly depleted, Conway finally seized an opportunity to use Giga Drain, siphoning some of Mismagius's energy and giving Ludicolo a brief recovery.
"Ludicolo, return!"
With no intention of dragging the fight on, Conway immediately recalled Ludicolo after it recovered slightly.
"Then we'll decide this with speed."
With that, Conway threw out his final Pokémon.
Amid the Hail, Weavile sharpened its claws and made a taunting gesture toward Mismagius.
The silly grin on Mismagius's face instantly disappeared.
With Marill, the only Pokémon in Luther's team capable of fighting effectively in Hail, already out of the battle, Conway had far fewer concerns now. With type advantage and the weather effect, this was a direct counter against Mismagius.
Without hesitation, Conway launched an aggressive attack:
"Ice Punch!"
With the Hail in effect, the power of this strike would be devastating.
Weavile's incredible speed seemed to leave Luther no time to react. As far as Conway could see, Weavile was already about to reach Mismagius…
Yet Mismagius remained completely unmoved.
As Weavile raised its claws, about to strike, Luther finally confirmed that this was the exact moment he had been waiting for.
"Dark Void."
Conway froze, his mind short-circuiting for a second. He had read about this move before. According to records, it was a move only Darkrai could learn, capable of putting the opponent into a deep sleep.
"Contestant Luther has issued the command Dark Void! Is he too nervous? Did he confuse it with a move from his Darkrai? A command like this, Mismagius simply can't…"
Before the commentator could even say "execute," Weavile was suddenly enveloped in a mass of black light. Its body went limp, and it collapsed right beneath Mismagius, fast asleep.
The commentator was completely dumbfounded and turned to his partner beside him.
But the other commentator was staring back at him with the same stunned expression…
They had commented on countless battles before, seen all kinds of situations.
But… a Mismagius using Dark Void? That was something they had never seen.
More importantly, it actually worked.
The commentator was convinced that Luther was out to get them fired. Ever since this match began, every time they commented on Luther's battles, they ended up being proven wrong.
It was the same with those familiar names, Ash, Etorre, before they could even finish their sentences, the situation would flip right in front of them.
The crowd, however, remained as passionate as ever, cheering for their respective favorites.
They simply couldn't comprehend what it meant for Mismagius to use Dark Void.
At the sidelines, in the waiting room, the other contestants watching the match were already stunned, cold sweat dripping down their backs, especially the remaining seventeen participants in Group D alongside Luther.
This was… cheating, right?
Fine, they could accept that he had a Darkrai. Everyone had quietly prepared counter-strategies for it. Whether they could win or not was another matter, but at least it gave them some confidence.
After the last match, they thought Hayata's Mimikyu was just too weak.
But now it was clear that wasn't the case at all.
This Mismagius was clearly a monster, too!
Ash and the others were completely shocked. After spending so much time with Luther, they had no idea he was hiding something like this. He had concealed it too well.
Mai and Candice, seeing the tide turn in Luther's favor, cheered loudly for him.
It didn't matter what move Mismagius used, as long as Luther had the advantage, that was enough.
Conway's mind was in complete chaos.
If Ludicolo's collapse due to Ability Swap was his own mistake, his lack of foresight… Then Weavile, under Hail, using its high speed to break through with Sucker Punch… that should have been a solid play, right? Everything had been perfectly normal…
The only abnormal factor was that sudden Dark Void.
No matter how many times he reconsidered it, Conway simply couldn't imagine a Mismagius using Dark Void. It was beyond his understanding and common sense.
"Calm Mind."
Unrestrained, completely unrestrained.
Mismagius floated above the sleeping Weavile, calmly using Calm Mind as if no one else was there.
Conway desperately searched for any remaining chance of victory.
"Switch to Ludicolo… and use Haze?"
He almost made the call, but then realized: Ludicolo had already used Hail, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, and Giga Drain. Using Haze now would be illegal.
Gengar still had move slots left…
But right now, it was essentially a frozen Gengar.
Who would've thought that Marill's final Blizzard before fainting would become such a crucial setup?
Betting on Gengar thawing out… might as well bet on Sleep Talk!
"Sleep Talk!"
Weavile got up. Without needing to aim, its body instinctively fired a Dark Pulse upward at Mismagius. It randomly selected a super-effective move and landed a hit. Even the commentator thought Conway had found a chance to turn things around. But Mismagius didn't move at all, as if it hadn't taken any damage, and continued with a second Calm Mind.
The boosts to Special Attack and Special Defense were already becoming apparent.
The second Sleep Talk rolled Ice Punch, reigniting hope in Conway's eyes.
"Freeze it!"
Ice Punch dealt far more damage than Dark Pulse. Mismagius was knocked flying, squinting in pain.
Conway's Sleep Talk luck exploded; he got Ice Punch again.
However, Mismagius opened its eyes. Luther snapped his fingers:
"Shadow Ball."
Watching Weavile, which was beginning to regain consciousness and rushing toward it, Mismagius let out a soft chuckle. A massive Shadow Ball, larger than Weavile itself, formed before her and was pushed forward.
Weavile seemed to sense the incoming danger. Even in its half-conscious state under Sleep Talk, it tried to twist its body to dodge.
But the Shadow Ball was simply too powerful.
Even a slight graze dragged Weavile into it, sending it flying along with the attack.
Boom.
After a dull, heavy crash, Weavile slammed into the arena wall and completely lost its ability to battle.
Conway stared at Weavile for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh. He recalled it and sent out Ludicolo. Ludicolo's Hydro Pump hadn't even reached Mismagius before Mismagius's Shadow Ball pushed it back and struck Ludicolo directly.
In less than ten seconds after entering the field, Ludicolo was taken down.
This had already turned into a complete team sweep. Conway knew it well. With a bitter smile, he threw out Gengar.
The frozen Gengar could perceive Mismagius and the Shadow Ball she was about to unleash, but it couldn't move at all. It could only watch helplessly as the Shadow Ball grew larger and slammed into it.
This time, the commentator could finally make a confident call, no more unexpected twists.
"Group D Ranking Tournament, Round 1, victory goes to Luther!"
Watching Mismagius pounce onto Luther and act spoiled the moment the match ended, Conway let out a long breath.
"After one match, I feel like I've learned a lot of… very strange knowledge. Thanks to you, my chances against the others will probably be much higher now."
(End of Chapter)