Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Dawn noticed that she had hardly seen Luther and Dakota at all during this time.
As they were adjusting to their situation, they left early and returned late every day. Ash and Etorre tactfully chose not to disturb them.
Everything was normal on the day of the semi-finals. Luther and Dakota's match was scheduled for midday. It was cloudy on Lily of the Valley Island that day, and the cool weather greatly improved the audience's viewing experience.
At the entrance to the Competitor's Passage, Etorre bumped fists with Luther.
"Don't lose."
After saying that, he headed towards the spectator stands with Mao.
Before leaving, Mai looked at Luther as if she wanted to say something, but then hesitated. She had prepared many words of encouragement beforehand, but in the end, all she could say was:
"Good luck."
Standing in front of the Competitor's Passage, Luther did not hurry into the arena. There was still some time before the match began.
After looking around and failing to find the Team Rocket trio, he had no choice but to buy a drink from a shop outside the venue and finish it slowly while sitting on a bench.
As he drank, he once again caught sight of that somewhat familiar boy out of the corner of his eye. Just like last time, the boy was watching him from afar, but he hesitated and ran away when he noticed him.
Luther vaguely remembered him. At first, he could not recall who he was, but he later realized that the boy had been one of his opponents during the Ranking Tournament.
He could not even remember his name; after all, the Ranking Tournament had been extremely fast-paced.
The timing was perfect when Luther returned to the Battle Arena. The Pokémon League officials had already started to register Pokémon data.
The atmosphere at the venue was incredibly heated. The commentator continuously made jokes about Luther and shared statistics about Dakota, triggering wave after wave of applause and cheers from the audience.
Ever since the draw results were announced, there has been non-stop discussion about this match.
Aside from the usual predictions about who would win or lose, people were also speculating about the final team line-ups on both sides.
The Pokémon League joined in the fun too, announcing that they would select ten audience members whose predictions were closest to the final line-ups and reward them with commemorative souvenirs from the Lily of the Valley Conference.
The moment Luther and Dakota entered the field holding their Poké Balls, the Battle Arena selection list began to scroll on the electronic screen.
The Pokémon League officials felt that this segment could honestly be skipped altogether. In their opinion, whenever these two fought, the battlefield would end up in ruins anyway, so they might as well just throw them onto standard terrain and let them wreak havoc.
"The first semifinal match of the Sinnoh League Lily of the Valley Conference: Competitor Luther versus Competitor Dakota. The battlefield has been decided; it will be Grassy Terrain."
"Competitor Dakota only used Darkrai in every match before encountering Conway in the Main Tournament. He swept through his opponents with unstoppable momentum, making him extremely popular in this tournament."
"Competitor Luther also possesses a Darkrai, and despite what many considered to be a weak line-up, he fought his way into the semi-finals."
"Both competitors are now in position, and we are only waiting for the referee's final confirmation."
After receiving replies from both Luther and Dakota, the referee signalled for the two competitors to send out the Pokémon they would be using in the first match.
When two black shadows rose from the battlefield, the audience was briefly stunned.
Then the stadium erupted into earth-shattering screams and cheers.
Dakota revealed a shocked expression.
From the outset, it was Darkrai versus Darkrai.
This was completely different from the Luther Dakota remembered.
In Luther's usual style of battle, the first Pokémon he sent out was always a utility Pokémon, used to gain the upper hand and set the pace for the battles that followed.
Pokémon such as Azumarill, Darkrai, and Mismagius... his three main powerhouses would only appear once the other Pokémon had created optimal battlefield conditions.
Whenever Luther faced an opponent he considered troublesome, he always started battles this way.
Yet when facing Dakota, things were different.
"The first move belongs to Competitor Luther. The battle begins!"
"Brick Break."
Having undergone intensive training to improve the speed of move execution, Luther's Darkrai seized the initiative immediately, delivering Dakota a powerful opening strike.
"Are you trying to seize the close combat advantage?" Dakota realized immediately.
In a Darkrai mirror match, Dark-type STAB moves dealt almost negligible damage. The Dark Void plus Dream Eater combo was also ineffective. The best damaging moves for both sides were therefore considered to be the Fighting-type moves Brick Break and Drain Punch, along with the Bug-type move X-Scissor.
"Then we'll use X-Scissor."
Dakota's Darkrai stiffened slightly. After a brief Bulk Up, it crossed its arms and slashed, sending Luther's Darkrai flying backwards.
Taking advantage of the moment while Luther's Darkrai adjusted its posture, Dakota ordered:
"Swords Dance."
Since they were going to fight at close range, Dakota was happy to oblige. There weren't many effective strategies in a Darkrai mirror match to begin with, and Dakota was convinced that Luther's Darkrai was inferior to his own.
"Psych Up!"
Luther smiled.
His Darkrai copied the effects of Swords Dance, gave his opponent a sly grin, and charged forward in a deadly attack.
"Use Shadow Claw with both hands."
This command left every experienced Pokémon trainer dumbfounded.
In a Dark-type mirror match, Brick Break and X-Scissor would normally be the fastest moves to execute. Judging by the earlier clash, the battle was still evenly matched, and Luther's Darkrai had not been at a disadvantage during the exchange.
Although Shadow Claw had a higher chance of landing a critical hit than other moves, was there really any need to take a risk in a situation like this?
"What is Luther doing? Isn't he just randomly throwing out moves? Ash's style won't work against Dakota!"
Barry was so anxious that he nearly stepped onto his chair. If Dawn and Mai had not stopped him, he probably would have jumped up by now.
Dakota could not understand Luther's strategy. In his eyes, Luther was gambling.
Still, Luther's impatience was understandable. After all, he had chosen an all-out offensive strategy from the outset and was eager to see results quickly.
Although Dakota remained cautious, when he saw Darkrai charging forward with its Shadow Claw raised, leaving its chest completely exposed, he chose to attack.
Backing down now would not be like him.
"Aim for his chest! X-Scissor - full power!"
Dakota's Darkrai unleashed an incredibly powerful strike. As the X-Scissor sliced forward, Luther, who was standing far away in the competitor area, could even feel the terrifying sharpness radiating from it.
No matter how much damage the two Shadow Claws dealt, it would not have too great an effect on Dakota's Darkrai. This was precisely why Dakota was willing to trade blows.
But suddenly, Dakota felt uneasy. An inexplicable impulse made him look towards Luther, who was standing on the other side of the field.
Luther was smiling.
He had not expected things to go this smoothly. This was probably the first time Dakota had fallen for a trick like this, even for him.
"Switch!"
Luther shouted.
It wasn't the name of a move. Not even a detailed command.
Just a single, simple word.
No one could understand it. Some even thought that Luther had called out the wrong move and had stumbled over his words.
In the VIP seats, Cynthia began applauding before anyone else.
Using this technique required courage and, even more importantly, extraordinary mastery. Since Luther dared to use it, Darkrai must already be highly proficient with it.
The X-Scissor landed squarely on Darkrai's chest. The tremendous force sent it skidding across the grassy field for quite a distance before it finally stopped.
No one paid attention to how miserable the scene was.
The entire audience was staring at Dakota's Darkrai instead.
At that moment, its body was smashed heavily into the grassy terrain, and it had still not managed to stand back up.
(End of Chapter)
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