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'"Barry really never disappoints when it comes to disappointing people…"
Watching him walk away full of confidence, Dawn's mouth twitched helplessly.
Brock also wore a resigned expression.
"Well, I guess that's one of Barry's strengths. No matter who his opponent is, he's always this fired up. That's pretty impressive in its own way."
Today would determine all the semi-finalists, so Ash and the others had gotten up very early.
After running into Paul and exchanging a few friendly greetings on the way, Ash's group soon encountered an extremely energetic Barry.
"Your match against Luther is the very first one today. Are you ready?"
The moment Dawn asked, she regretted it.
"This is basically the championship match happening ahead of schedule! Luther and I are the two strongest competitors in this tournament! This battle is definitely going to shock the audience! Luther must have studied me for a long time, just like he did with Misaki. Who knows what kind of strategy he'll use?"
"But what a shame, my style is unpredictable! Luther definitely won't be able to figure out my train of thought!"
…
Dawn instantly regretted asking that question.
As Barry rambled on endlessly, everyone could only nod silently.
Only Ash enthusiastically agreed with Barry. When it came to getting carried away in the heat of the moment, the two of them were very similar.
In Brock's opinion, the battle that truly felt like a final was still the one between Luther and Misaki.
In that battle, both Luther and Misaki had revealed all their trump cards.
Despite being at an overwhelming disadvantage, Tyranitar used Dragon Dance to close the distance and dragged Darkrai into a brutal Brick Break slugfest decided purely by willpower.
From seeing Luther abandon rest schedules afterwards in favour of special training focused on Darkrai's Dark Void, Brock could sense his unease.
And Brock's judgment was accurate.
Before the tournament began, Luther had not done much targeted training with Darkrai. He simply hadn't found an opponent capable of forcing Darkrai to give its all.
However, after the battle against Misaki exposed Darkrai's weaknesses, Luther's sense of urgency prompted him to intensify his training.
In the subsequent matches, Luther never displayed that same all-out fighting spirit again.
The later battles were comparatively plain and unremarkable.
The match against Misaki had raised expectations of Luther too early and caused him to overestimate the level of his competitors.
While registering his battle roster early that morning, Luther could practically feel Houndoom's resentment.
His spot had been replaced by Pupitar.
Houndoom wagged his tail as he paced around Luther and circled Pupitar several times, making him feel uncomfortable.
Once the staff had successfully entered the data, Houndoom flicked his tail and curled up beside Chansey to sleep.
Houndoom understood that Luther was trying to nurture Pupitar.
As one of the team's senior members, he naturally had to make room for the younger generation to grow, but understanding it did not mean he could completely let it go.
Luther helplessly glanced at Mai.
She immediately understood, leading Chansey and Houndoom toward the audience stands.
It would now fall to her to comfort this 'old child.'
After sitting in the Competitor's Passage for a while, Luther was suddenly drawn to a series of hurried footsteps.
Turning around, he saw Barry sprinting towards him.
Seeing Barry looking so rushed and anxious, Luther initially thought that something had happened and that Barry needed his help.
However, Barry's first words left Luther stunned.
"Luther, can you already feel the nervousness of battling me?"
'Nervousness...?'
'Where exactly was that coming from?'
Luther had long since overcome his stage fright. It was nothing like when he first transmigrated to this world and was unable to stay calm in crowds.
Now, at most, before a match, if he failed to calm down, he might feel slightly restless.
Looking at Barry's energetic, grinning face, Luther suddenly remembered... This was simply Barry's personality.
"A little, I guess," He decided, going along with it.
The moment Barry heard Luther admit it, he sat down beside him and began explaining that feeling nervous before battling him was only natural. He then launched into a lecture about how to eliminate nervousness altogether.
If Paul were in this situation, he would probably have coldly dumped a bucket of reality on Barry's head before silently walking away.
But Luther merely held back his laughter and watched Barry perform.
Barry was incredibly talkative and good at praising himself. Ever since he sat down, he had been complimenting Luther's strength while simultaneously insisting that he himself was no weaker, constantly elevating the level of both of them.
By the time the tournament was about to begin, Luther felt that, if the referee had not signaled for them to prepare to enter the field, Barry would probably have praised himself up to the level of the regional League Champions.
The random battlefield selection on the electronic screen had already finished.
This match would use a Rock-type battlefield.
Once Luther and Barry were in position, the commentator jokingly remarked that the Rock battlefield probably wouldn't last very long, given Luther's track record of destroying battlefields.
Since Barry had won the first-move advantage, both trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Mismagius versus Skarmory.
The moment Luther saw Barry's Skarmory, he froze slightly.
'Don't tell me he's immediately going for Spikes?'
Up in the stands, Dawn had just finished analyzing Skarmory's data.
"It's Steel- and Flying-type Skarmory against Ghost-type Mismagius! Neither side has a type advantage, so this looks set to be an exciting match!"
After confirming that both trainers were ready, the referee lowered the flag and signaled the start of the battle.
"Skarmory, use Spikes!"
Barry's Skarmory spun through the air, scattering sharp spikes across the battlefield. This meant that if Luther switched Pokémon, the incoming Pokémon would take damage upon entering.
Brock praised Barry's tactical move enthusiastically, but Luther himself looked rather dazed.
Ever since Skarmory appeared, he had felt an intense sense of déjà vu.
Seeing Spikes made that feeling even stronger.
"Mystical Fire!"
Flames burst from Mismagius's mouth and instantly engulfed Skarmory, which had just finished laying Spikes.
After a violent explosion, Skarmory fell from the sky.
"Skarmory is unable to battle. Mismagius wins."
Hearing the referee's announcement, Luther covered his forehead.
When he was younger and used to watch the anime, he had never understood why Skarmory could not even survive a single Flamethrower. Had Magmortar's attack power really been that high?
Now he understood.
Without the Sturdy Ability, and most likely with the Keen Eye Ability, Barry's Skarmory was exactly what Luther had suspected:
A glass cannon bird.
After recalling Skarmory and offering it a few comforting words, Barry had only just sent Staraptor onto the field when Luther immediately switched Pokémon.
"Hey, hey, hey! I set up Spikes already!"
Barry stared dumbfounded as Luther casually sent out his second Pokémon.
The moment Pupitar entered the field, it was hit by the hidden spikes.
Yet Pupitar looked eager to fight.
Its appearance visibly caught Barry off guard.
If he remembered correctly, Luther had had a Larvitar before.
So had it just evolved?
And he's already using it in a quarterfinal match right after evolving?
Barry immediately recalled Staraptor.
"If I'm dealing with Pupitar, then I should use a Grass-type! Go, Roserade!"
As expected, Barry was the type who relied heavily on type matchups.
But that worked perfectly for Luther as well.
He wanted to see just how well Pupitar could perform against an opponent with a type advantage.
(End of Chapter)