Compared to Professor Rowan's composed silence, Luther was visibly excited.
"Your remaining Pokémon must not have many options against Steel types, right?" Professor Rowan eyed the fallen Aggron, his expression unreadable, though inwardly, he was rather pleased.
Regardless of how this battle ended, he was witnessing the rise of a promising new Trainer.
"I don't have many, no," Luther admitted with a wry smile. "That's why, even if Forretress was still in good shape, I couldn't afford to leave Aggron on the field. It's better to go down together."
Professor Rowan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So you're betting that my Aggron was weakened enough to be knocked out, while also wagering that I don't have another Steel-type waiting in reserve."
Luther shrugged. "That's the idea. And if I'm wrong? Well, then I'm just unlucky. But, Professor, your luck has been pretty incredible, getting four fully evolved Pokémon with great type matchups. Surely, it's my turn now, right? If I lose, at least I'll know I played my hand the best I could."
He smirked. "Besides, I've noticed that most of the Pokémon in your Day Care are Grass and Bug types. That's why I'm taking a gamble that your last two Pokémon are the most common types in your research facility."
Professor Rowan let out a hearty laugh, something his researchers had rarely seen. They exchanged glances, surprised by the sheer amusement in his expression.
After a moment, he regained his composure and nodded. "You guessed correctly."
He tossed a Poké Ball onto the battlefield, and an Ariados materialized in a flash of light. As soon as it touched down, the lingering spikes from Forretress took effect, causing the Ariados to flinch from the unexpected damage.
Luther smiled and released his next Pokémon. With a soft glow, Clefairy appeared on the field.
Professor Rowan raised an eyebrow. "So this is your trump card?"
"One of them," Luther corrected. His gaze shifted to Jumpluff, now fully recovered and bouncing excitedly, chirping at Clefairy. Judging by Clefairy's unimpressed expression, Jumpluff was being as persistent as ever.
Given Jumpluff's personality, Luther had a strong hunch it was encouraging Clefairy to give Ariados a proper thrashing.
Rowan, however, wasted no time. "Ariados, use Pin Missile."
Ariados had the type advantage. Switching out Clefairy would mean taking additional hazard damage, and while Rowan could have chosen a different move, he decided on a steady, high-endurance strategy to wear down Luther's team.
Luther, however, didn't counter with an attack. Instead, he called out, "Keep moving, dodge it!"
By all logic, Clefairy should have been the slowest Pokémon in his team. Yet, according to its Pokédex data, this Clefairy possessed an astonishing speed stat. Luther had accounted for that when planning his team's strategy, ensuring it had the perfect support move to capitalize on its mobility. Now, he just needed to find the right opening.
Professor Rowan frowned slightly. Something about this situation wasn't adding up in his favor. Ariados had the type advantage, but its Pin Missile was barely landing any hits. Clefairy wove through the barrage with remarkable agility, slipping past the attacks as though the battlefield were its personal playground.
Luther wasn't issuing counterattacks, he was just letting Clefairy keep moving, maintaining its speed, and frustrating Ariados with every missed shot.
And as Rowan analyzed the situation, a realization dawned on him.
Luther wasn't just dodging.
He was setting up for something.
Professor Rowan couldn't hold back any longer. Ariados focusing on using Pin Missile would undoubtedly drain its energy. He began to suspect that Luther was intentionally tiring out Ariados so he could win without a fight.
A change was necessary!
"Ariados, release Toxic!"
Ariados' barrage of attacks stopped, and purple poison sprayed into the air.
Professor Rowan was baiting Luther. If Luther was wary of the barrage from Pin Missile, then by removing the barrage, Luther would likely try to have Clefairy unleash a move.
"Charge in and use Fire Punch!"
Luther indeed made his first move command since using Clefairy, and Fire Punch was exactly the close-range move Professor Rowan had hoped for.
"Dodge Fire Punch and use String Shot to bind Clefairy."
Ariados nimbly splashed to the side, and Fire Punch barely grazed Ariados' leg. Ariados then released white threads, binding Clefairy.
Gasps erupted from the audience. Clefairy had been skillfully dodging Ariados' attacks, making everyone think it had secured victory. However, at that moment, Clefairy's proud speed was nullified by Ariados.
Professor Rowan didn't hear the cheers from the audience; his heart sank as he heard Luther casually utter the name of the move.
"Use Encore."
Encore prevents the Pokémon hit by the move from changing the move it uses for a certain period.
Ariados had previously used String Shot, and after being hit by Encore, the enraged Ariados continued to wrap Clefairy in white threads.
"Calm down, Ariados! Use Toxic!"
Professor Rowan knew Ariados was done for. He just hoped Ariados could provide some advantage for his remaining Pokémon.
The speed-diminished Clefairy was directly hit by Toxic, but it quietly shook off the sticky white threads binding it and looked at Ariados with a sly expression.
If Clefairy could talk, Luther felt it would be asking Ariados, "What's wrong with you, little buddy?"
Ariados froze for a moment, unable to help but step back, sensing that things were going very wrong.
"Shadow Ball."
Ariados, under Professor Rowan's command, launched Pin Missile, but the Shadow Ball was ready and, with immense destructive power, tore through the barrage of Pin Missile, smashing directly into Ariados's face.
Ariados is sent flying, creating a trench in the battlefield as it went, and the momentum carried it toward the audience. A researcher quickly released their Azumarill to block it before Ariados could fly out of the battle arena.
Sachiko stood in shock for a moment before raising her flag.
"Ariados loses its ability to battle."
At the moment she raised the flag, Jumpluff excitedly called out to Clefairy, who proudly turned its head away, uninterested in Jumpluff's chatter.
Luther's deception had successfully fooled everyone, and the strategy hidden behind the deception had also succeeded.
Originally, Luther's first plan was to have Drifloon come out with Calm Mind and Baton Pass to gamble on luck, trying to pass the rhythm to Clefairy and make Clefairy the team support powerhouse.
However, Professor Rowan's wariness of Spikes made him reconsider taking another gamble when he saw Ariados. Luther believed that Professor Rowan's Ariados wouldn't only have damaging moves, and the Encore equipped to Clefairy would allow him to create a safe environment for buffing against Ariados.
Professor Rowan did not immediately send out another Pokémon.
The doubts from the audience faded away, replaced by intense applause in response to Luther's shocking strategy.
Luther closed his eyes tightly, seemingly savoring the moment.
Professor Rowan held his Poké Ball, a satisfied smile appearing on his serious face. He had witnessed the rise of another Rookie Trainer, and this Rookie Trainer seemed to need more confidence. He didn't want to interrupt Luther's enjoyment of the applause and cheers.
Professor Rowan hoped that he could gather more confidence from these praises and go even further.
(End of Chapter)