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Barry hoped that Luther would continue to switch Pokémon, allowing the Spikes laid down by Skarmory to have their full effect.
Roserade's type advantage was obvious. It was highly unlikely that Luther would stubbornly keep Pupitar in the battle. Switching out was the obvious choice here.
"Pupitar, Dragon Dance!"
Barry was completely baffled. Not only was he not switching out, but he was using a boosting move as his very first move!
Even the commentator had never seen a battle style like this before. Was this really Luther, known for his careful and methodical tactics?
"Roserade, use Energy Ball and show him your power!"
Roserade's Energy Ball struck the freshly boosted Pupitar head-on. The effect was devastating. Pupitar was blasted away and crashed onto the ground, making it seem as though it had been instantly defeated.
However, Pupitar suddenly bounced back up. Using the speed boost from Dragon Dance, it launched itself straight towards Roserade.
"Iron Head!"
The wounds covering Pupitar's body were real, as was the slight narrowing of its eyes. Energy Ball had undoubtedly dealt it massive damage.
But Pupitar moved as if it were in perfect condition. In an instant, it closed the distance to Roserade. Before either Roserade or Barry could react, Pupitar slammed its head directly into Roserade's face.
While the Energy Ball had allowed the audience to feel Pupitar's pain, this collision made everyone sense its fury unmistakably.
Even without Dragon Dance, Pupitar's Iron Head was incredibly powerful. Now it was attacking in a rage.
"Giga Drain!"
Roserade gritted its teeth, forcing itself back up to absorb Pupitar's stamina.
Yet Luther's command was simple and brutal:
"Keep using Iron Head continuously."
At such close range, Pupitar charged at Roserade again, rapidly delivering another Iron Head.
Watching Roserade flinch from the impact, while Pupitar relentlessly continued attacking with Iron Head, Ash seemed to recall something from the stands.
"Hey! Hey! Isn't this the same fighting style that Misaki's Tyranitar used to pin down Darkrai?" Ash exclaimed.
Brock nodded.
"It's exactly the same strategy Misaki used: using fast-executing moves to force close combat, then chaining attacks continuously to drag the opponent into a high-speed exchange of moves."
Barry shouted several times for Roserade to dodge. Relying on its own judgement, Roserade managed to avoid a few attacks.
However, Pupitar showed absolutely no fear. Initially, it twisted its body and used feints before attacking with Iron Head, preventing Roserade from intercepting it in mid-air. But once Roserade stopped counterattacking, Pupitar became completely reckless.
Roserade realized that Pupitar was growing increasingly agitated and furious.
The commentator also noticed the change in Pupitar's emotions, but Luther only smiled in satisfaction.
"Roserade, face Pupitar head-on and use Bullet Seed!"
Barry also realized that dodging was useless. At this distance, Pupitar only needed a single burst of acceleration to crash into Roserade. Randomly dodging would only increase the chances of Roserade being taken down.
As long as Roserade used Bullet Seed, Pupitar wouldn't dare to recklessly charge in with Iron Head anymore.
'Now Pupitar should finally back off, shouldn't it?'
Barry smirked confidently.
"Let's decide the winner. Continue using Iron Head."
Barry's eyes widened. All he could see was Pupitar roaring furiously as it charged straight into the first Bullet Seed fired by Roserade.
After being hit, Pupitar showed no fear whatsoever. It slammed its head directly into Roserade's hands as it released the move, stopping the Bullet Seed and driving Roserade straight into a nearby rock.
Amid the dust cloud, Pupitar bounced around beside the fallen Roserade, looking like it was dancing on someone's grave.
"Roserade is unable to battle. Pupitar wins!"
Seeing Pupitar still proudly showing off its victory, Luther applauded and praised it.
'Dragon Dance' combined with close-range skirmishing was something Luther had learned from battling Misaki.
Having raised a Tyranitar for many years, her experience with the evolutionary line was undoubtedly extraordinary.
Having absorbed Misaki's battle style, Luther made a few adjustments of his own, mainly because his Pupitar was somewhat different.
During the battle against Aggron, Luther discovered that the longer Pupitar fought, the more irritable it became and the greater its power.
This was related to how much Pupitar disliked its current form. It saw this body as a restriction on its abilities, preventing it from unleashing its full strength, and so it vented its frustration through battle.
Moreover, after sustaining heavy damage, Pupitar entered an extremely vicious offensive state. As Mai put it, it had an incredibly strong sense of vengeance. If used properly, opponents would often be overwhelmed by Pupitar's terrifying momentum.
During training, Aggron would constantly overpower Pupitar in battle, yet Pupitar would tirelessly counterattack until finally breaking through Aggron's defenses. Only then would it collapse from exhaustion.
Luther also used Azumarill to test Pupitar's resistance against disadvantageous types. After taking a hit from Aqua Tail, Pupitar could barely stay on its feet, which gave Luther an idea of its endurance.
This is also why Luther was confident enough to open with 'Dragon Dance', completely ignoring the threat of Roserade.
Luther trusted Azumarill's strength.
Luther picked up the Poké Ball, intending to let the impressive Pupitar rest. However, Pupitar spun, jumped, and whirled around like a top, making it clear that it had no intention of leaving the arena.
Considering the Pokémon that Barry might send out next, Luther thought that Pupitar needed to experience the harsh reality of battle.
Barry sent out Empoleon, exactly as Luther had expected.
The fearless Pupitar continued to bounce around, even provoking Empoleon.
Empoleon gave a disdainful snort, which only made Pupitar jump even higher.
"The battle begins!"
The moment the referee's voice rang out, Luther ordered Pupitar to dig underground to avoid Empoleon's attack.
However, Barry remained calm and instructed Empoleon to sense the vibrations in the ground around it carefully.
"Use Hydro Pump beneath your feet!"
The instant Empoleon detected Pupitar's movement underground, Barry responded immediately.
The immensely powerful Hydro Pump blasted straight into the ground. Unable to hear Luther's commands underground and unaware of the danger, Pupitar burst out of the earth headfirst.
The torrent instantly swallowed Pupitar whole. Its instinct to counterattack after taking heavy damage was completely useless here. Empoleon increased the output of the Hydro Pump, forcibly blasting Pupitar out of the tunnel.
Completely drenched from head to toe, Pupitar stared blankly at the sky before finally losing consciousness.
"Looks like I'll still need to teach him not to let his emotions control him during battles."
Holding back his laughter, Luther recalled Pupitar into its Poké Ball.
(End of Chapter)