Luther's third Pokémon was an Azumarill. After it took damage from the Spikes, Barry immediately recalled Empoleon and sent out Staraptor instead.
A smile curled across Luther's lips. Was Barry trying to recreate Misaki's strategy of stalling Azumarill with aerial superiority?
"Strike first... fly higher and use Tailwind."
A strange wind swept across the battlefield. Facing Barry's side, Azumarill suddenly realized that Staraptor had become much faster.
With the power of 'Tailwind', Staraptor moved around the battlefield with incredible agility.
This strategy... 'Tailwind' was boosting the entire team's speed. Did Barry have another Pokémon ready to take control later?
"Ice Beam! Aim carefully before firing. Don't let Staraptor get too comfortable using its moves... restrict it."
After easily dodging the Ice Beam, Staraptor retreated to a relatively safe position and used Work Up to increase its Attack and Special Attack.
"Hehe, your Azumarill may be strong, but there's nothing it can do against a nimble Staraptor, right?"
Barry looked extremely pleased with himself. If Luther refused to switch now, his only options would be to destroy the battlefield or use Blizzard to cover the field and remove the Spikes.
Either way, Barry would gain the advantage.
"Azumarill, come back."
As Luther recalled Azumarill, Barry revealed a sly grin.
Darkrai entered the battlefield, taking damage from the Spikes in the process, causing Barry to clench his fist in excitement.
He had guessed correctly.
"Close Combat!"
Without hesitation, he ordered Staraptor to charge at Darkrai with a fierce assault.
Although Darkrai raised its hand and severely injured Staraptor with an Ice Beam, the tenacious Pokémon still managed to slash Darkrai several times with its claws.
The boosted Close Combat attack dealt significant damage to Darkrai, preventing it from launching a second attack against Staraptor.
Barry switched Pokémon decisively, sending out Heracross.
"Go, Heracross! Use Mega Horn and finish Darkrai off!"
Barry's passionate roar filled the newly entered Heracross with power.
Boosted by 'Tailwind', Heracross moved at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Darkrai's vision was filled with a massive horn.
The violent collision kicked up dust across the battlefield. The commentator's cries, the audience's cheers, and Barry's shouts filled the arena.
However, no one heard Luther rapidly utter a command at the fastest possible speed.
Only the fully focused Darkrai could hear it.
"How about that? This is the strategy I'm most proud of! By forcing your Darkrai to use Black Mist with stat boosts, then boosting its speed with Tailwind and coordinating two Pokémon, I can take down Darkrai in one go!"
"No matter how strong your Darkrai is, it won't survive two massively powerful super-effective moves head-on!"
Now that his scheme had succeeded, Barry eagerly explained everything, eager for everyone to appreciate just how brilliant he was.
The sense of accomplishment from taking down a Legendary Pokémon was incomparable.
"So, Luther, now you know just how amazing my..."
Barry wanted to continue bragging, but his words suddenly stopped, and it was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. He was left speechless by the shock.
Luther gestured for him to carry on if he wanted to. He had plenty of time to finish his sentence, and Luther didn't mind.
If Darkrai had truly taken both Close Combat and Mega Horn head-on, even Dakota's Darkrai would have been defeated.
But Luther's Darkrai had never actually been hit.
At the very moment that Heracross's Mega Horn was about to connect, Luther ordered Darkrai to use Brick Break.
Although he hadn't specified how to use it or where to strike, Luther had already taught Darkrai how to respond to sudden, close-range assaults like this during training.
Darkrai turned its body slightly and struck the tip of Heracross's horn with Brick Break. Despite the risk of being thrown off balance by the enormous horn, Darkrai skillfully redirected the attack, embedding Heracross's horn in the battlefield floor.
Suppressing Heracross's horn and preventing it from standing back up, Darkrai waited quietly for the next command.
"Dark Void."
Heracross had nowhere to dodge. Its limbs weakened as it struggled to rise, and it instantly fell into a deep sleep.
"Sleep Talk!"
Barry clearly had a backup plan, but Darkrai was even faster. Dream Eater and Nightmare activated simultaneously, instantly defeating Heracross and crushing Barry's chances of turning the battle around while also restoring Darkrai's stamina.
The audience loved these kinds of constant reversals, and cheers erupted throughout the arena.
In the stands, Ash and Etorre both fell into deep thought.
Ash had imagined many times how he would face Dakota and Luther, carefully planning possible team line-ups and battle styles. Heracross had always been part of those plans.
He had refined the strategy of using Mega Horn alongside the damage caused by other Pokémon to directly eliminate Darkrai over and over again.
Yet Luther and Barry's battle had just demonstrated the flaw in that strategy through actual combat.
Barry stood frozen for quite a while before finally recalling Heracross. After softly comforting it, he hesitantly sent out Hitmonlee.
Empoleon, Roserade, Staraptor, Heracross, Skarmory, and now Hitmonlee...
If Luther remembered correctly, these were all Pokémon that Barry frequently used.
Luther narrowed his eyes slightly. While Barry's lineup certainly had elements specifically targeting Darkrai, it felt more like he had simply brought out the team he was most familiar with.
This battle style was very similar to Ash's, suddenly becoming recklessly aggressive.
Had Luther not battled Misaki before, that point-blank Mega Horn could really have put Darkrai in serious danger.
Fortunately for Luther, Darkrai had undergone a great deal of special training recently. Mai's Pokémon had surrounded him and acted as sparring partners, giving him the experience of being the "big brother" of the team.
As a result, he had grown incredibly quickly.
"It seems contestant Luther has no intention of switching Pokémon! Facing Barry's Hitmonlee, can Darkrai continue to dominate the match?"
Hearing the commentator's words, Darkrai snorted disdainfully.
"Hmph."
"Tailwind is still active, and Darkrai only has a little stamina left! Let everyone witness your strength... High Jump Kick!"
Hitmonlee's legs were like springs. Despite being several meters away, the moment it leapt into the air, its leg reached right in front of Darkrai.
Even Darkrai could not help but feel slightly stunned looking at that spring-like leg.
"Don't be fooled by its leg. Its body is suspended in mid-air, so it can't move freely. Aim Dark Void at its body."
After Luther's reminder, Darkrai raised its head, took aim, and unleashed the final move of the battle.
Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick was far harder to dodge than expected. The moment it kicked out, its spring-like leg twisted continuously through the air, sweeping in deceptive arcs and making the final angle of attack impossible to predict.
Luther realized that dodging would be the worst possible option, as it could easily result in a free hit. Instead, he chose to exchange blows directly.
The instant Darkrai released Dark Void, Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick struck Darkrai from a vicious angle.
It truly was a devastating attack. Even the stamina Darkrai had regained through Dream Eater was not enough to endure it. The force of the High Jump Kick sent Darkrai crashing through two large rocks before collapsing onto the ground.
At the same time, Hitmonlee also fell to the ground.
Dark Void had taken effect.
(End of Chapter)
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