Luther stroked his chin. He was actually considering a switch.
Muk didn't get many chances to fight in major battles, but whenever it did, it always left behind some unforgettable moments, like when it debuted against Bellsprout, or earlier in the Lily of the Valley Conference when it tanked all kinds of close-range attacks and came out completely fine.
Still, Azumarill looked eager to fight, constantly gesturing at Muk. Pulling her back immediately didn't feel right. At the very least, they should test the matchup first.
Aqua Tail came crashing down onto Muk's head. Muk's eyes tilted crookedly from the hit, but it only glanced at the retreating Azumarill and mocked her with complete indifference.
"Heavy Slam."
Since raw strength wasn't getting the job done, Ash decided to try a different approach.
Muk suddenly leaped into the air and threw its massive body toward Azumarill, using what was essentially a Body Slam attack. Seeing the growing shadow overhead, Azumarill quickly fired Hydro Pump after Hydro Pump to slow Muk's descent while retreating step by step.
But Muk wasn't just falling. While airborne, it continuously launched clumps of sludge at Azumarill. The foul-smelling muck did more than deal damage; the disgusting stench made it incredibly difficult for Azumarill to focus.
When Muk prepared to pounce again, Luther immediately recalled Azumarill.
This thing really could just take attacks head-on without caring. You could pile up damage all you wanted, but if Muk and Azumarill kept trading blows directly, Azumarill wouldn't come out ahead.
Only a few minutes had passed since the battle began, yet both sides had already switched Pokémon several times.
Luther's third Pokémon was Gardevoir. He had now personally confirmed Muk's ridiculous resistance to physical attacks. Psychic power and long-range attacks were the best way to deal with it.
"Copy Muk's Stench Ability."
As Gardevoir copied Stench with Trace, Muk immediately hurled a pile of toxic garbage at her. The foul-smelling sludge splattered across Gardevoir, forcing her to stagger backward from the overwhelming odor.
This time, Ash wasn't blindly charging into a type disadvantage. He had carefully studied Luther's battles and noticed that Jumpluff's status effects often ended up changing the outcome of matches. If he could poison one or two of Luther's Pokémon at the right moment, Muk would have more than done its job.
"Keep using Sludge Shot!" Ash pressed the attack.
"You really don't think much of my Gardevoir, do you?" Luther pointed at Muk. "Psychic. Ignore those incoming attacks and lock Muk down."
Ignoring the attacks about to hit her, Gardevoir focused all her psychic power on suppressing Muk, preventing it from using any moves. As the pressure increased, Muk's expression became noticeability more painful.
"Hang in there, Muk! Use Sludge Shot one more time!" Ash shouted.
Luther remained fully focused. He ordered Gardevoir to keep increasing the psychic pressure, even if it cost extra stamina. He had already experienced Ash's ability to turn a battle around through sheer fighting spirit, and he wasn't giving Ash any chance to pull that off here.
As Muk continued to be crushed by the overwhelming psychic force, its body actually began deforming. Ash picked up his Poké Ball, ready to recall it.
Then he noticed something. Muk, squeezed thinner and thinner by the pressure, suddenly looked much slimmer than before.
Ash froze for a moment, and then his eyes lit up. "Minimize!"
Muk immediately understood. Struggling free from part of Psychic's restraint, its body rapidly shrank before everyone's eyes, and the psychic field surrounding it instantly developed a gap.
Before Gardevoir could adjust her control, Muk had already wriggled its way out and rapidly closed the distance. In the blink of an eye, it was right beside Gardevoir.
"Toxic!"
By the time Luther shouted for Gardevoir to dodge, it was already too late. After releasing Toxic, Muk actually jumped straight onto Gardevoir's face, completely blocking her vision. By the time Gardevoir managed to locate Muk again and yank it off with Psychic, Muk had already succeeded in smearing sludge all over her face.
"Muk is unable to battle. Gardevoir wins."
The first knockout of the match between Luther and Ash had finally appeared. Although Gardevoir had won, she was now busy using her psychic powers to wipe the sludge off her face, looking thoroughly miserable.
Luther couldn't help admiring Ash's adaptability. Minimize had created an opening in Gardevoir's Psychic, and Ash had instantly seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, catching him completely off guard.
Still, Muk was out of the battle now. That meant Azumarill could safely return later.
Almost simultaneously, both Trainers sent out their next Pokémon. Ash's fourth Pokémon was Tauros, while Luther chose Chansey.
Darkrai, Azumarill, and Gardevoir had all taken some damage, making this the perfect time for Chansey to come out and stabilize the team's condition.
It was a Normal-type showdown. On one side stood Chansey, who had proven her incredible durability in Luther's battle against Dakota. On the other was one of Ash's most iconic Pokémon, a Tauros known for its speed, power, and overwhelming momentum.
The moment he saw Chansey, Ash clenched his fist. The last time he had battled Luther, Chansey had given him a nightmare. No matter how his Pokémon attacked, Chansey had managed to withstand everything, wasting their stamina and creating openings for Luther's other Pokémon to clean up afterward.
This time, Ash wasn't going to give Chansey that chance. He intended to disrupt the rhythm of Luther's entire battle plan.
"Head Smash!"
Right from the start, he ordered a powerful move that dealt recoil damage to the user.
Tauros charged forward with terrifying momentum. To the audience, it looked like a streak of dust crossing the battlefield in an instant before appearing right in front of Chansey.
Luther immediately saw through Ash's intentions and ordered Chansey to use Protect. The barrier had barely formed when Tauros's head smashed into it. Even Chansey was startled; Tauros was simply too fast. The freshly formed Protect hadn't fully stabilized before Tauros had already broken halfway through it.
"Hyper Beam."
The Protect barrier that should have shielded Chansey had instead limited her movement. Ash instantly seized the opportunity. Based on Chansey's battle experience, she probably still had a chance to dodge, but Luther wanted more than a simple dodge.
Just like Ash, he was greedy. He wanted to gain as much as possible from every exchange. In a split second, he made his decision.
"Stuff an Egg Bomb into Tauros's mouth. Feed him an egg."
Chansey pulled out a Nutrient Egg and forcefully shoved it into Tauros's wide-open mouth just as it prepared to fire Hyper Beam.
The Hyper Beam was just about to launch when the Egg Bomb exploded. Chansey was blown away like a balloon by the blast wave, rolling far across the battlefield. Tauros was blasted flat onto the ground.
But his toughness showed immediately. He got right back up. Rather than stopping him, the explosion only fueled his aggression.
Ash noticed Tauros's eyes turning red. For a brief moment he froze, then delight flashed across his face. Still, he suppressed his excitement.
"Rest."
Before Luther could properly assess Tauros's condition through the settling dust cloud, Ash immediately ordered Tauros to close its eyes and recover.
(End of Chapter)
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