Upon seeing the Swellow with its ink blue wings and vermilion pattern, Luke had already prepared words of comfort for Gastly. Phrases like "Thank you, Gastly" or "It's not that we're weak, but the opponent is cunning" came to his mind.
This Swellow had a maneuver panel that was simply luxurious, fully deserving of its nickname, the "Bug Swallow".
[Swellow Normal + Flying
Characteristic Trait: Perseverance
Moves: Growl, Focus Energy, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace, Wing Attack, Agility]
It was evident that this Swellow was a physical attacker with exceptional mobility.
Unfurling its ink blue wings, Swellow soared into the air, its form resembling an arrow being released from a bow, diving straight downwards.
"The battle has begun!" the commentator announced enthusiastically. "Swellow takes the initiative with an Aerial Ace!"
With a commanding presence, Swellow executed the Aerial Ace move, its dual wings and elongated beak radiating sharp white light.
"pu——"
Like the sound of a balloon popping, Swellow's sharp claw effortlessly tore through Gastly's Substitute, shattering it instantly.
Sitting on the judges' panel, Song Pengcheng, the city association chairman, commented casually, "I thought one round would determine the victor, but I didn't expect Gastly to react like this."
Psychic Type Gym Leader Tang Hui nodded in agreement, "The decision to use Substitute was made in an instant. This Gastly's battle awareness is quite impressive."
After missing its target, Gastly drifted to a position beneath Swellow's abdomen. Jiang Yun commanded, "Continue with Aerial Ace!"
Swellow swiftly turned around and aimed its beak at Gastly, its wings unfolding with imposing force as it dove down like a drill.
"Protect!" Luke squinted, cautioning, "Beware of its wings!"
In response to Swellow's dive, Gastly immediately condensed into a tangible fog shield, resisting the sharp strike as sparks flew.
Although the Aerial Ace missed its mark, Swellow wasn't deterred. It flapped its dual wings forcefully, attempting to slash at Gastly with its wing blades!
The commentator exclaimed, "A powerful finishing move, Swellow's Wing Attack!"
However, the supposedly accurate attack unexpectedly missed. Thanks to Luke's earlier warning, Gastly moved at an astonishing speed, avoiding the attack and creating a distance of over three meters between them.
"Did something go wrong?"
Song Pengcheng mused, "Was Gastly faster than Swellow in that moment?"
Tang Hui pondered and added, "This young Trainer named Luke must have trained Gastly for speed."
"In terms of potential distribution, the explosive speed displayed by Gastly now rivals that of Swellow!"
Every Pokémon has its limitations. Hence, understanding how to allocate a Pokémon's potential effectively is a crucial aspect of Pokémon training.
In terms of game mechanics, Luke's Gastly had been trained for extreme speed.
Although Swellow had a higher Speed Stat than Gastly, Luke's training had given Gastly an edge in this aspect.
Jiang Yun seemed to grasp this reality as well, as his expression shifted slightly. "Swellow, use Agility!"
Gastly lacked any moves that could threaten Swellow. Though risky, as long as Gastly could evade Swellow, victory would be all but assured.
"Agility!" Luke sighed.
"You really are quite greedy!"
There was no need for Luke's explicit command; Gastly seemed to understand the situation perfectly.
Audible gasps of surprise swept through the audience.
"Why did Swellow suddenly descend?"
"Does this Gastly possess the Hypnosis move?"
Hovering in midair, Swellow found itself targeted by a haze-like beam from Gastly's eyes.
Hypnosis hit its mark!
With a hiss, Swellow plummeted to the ground, emitting a cry as its eyelids drooped shut.
This unexpected turn of events left everyone in shock.
Swellow had been maintaining the upper hand against Gastly until now. So why had the tables suddenly turned?
"This kid still had Hypnosis up his sleeve!" Song Pengcheng's eyes widened in amazement.
"He hadn't used it before the quarterfinals," Tang Hui noted with a touch of admiration.
"Young trainers nowadays are becoming more adept at using tactics!"
Though Gastly had successfully landed Hypnosis, time was running out.
Gastly turned to Luke, its head tilted questioningly, a hint of anticipation in its eyes.
"You can use it if you want," Luke conceded.
"After all, you don't have any other tricks left."
"jie jie~!" Gastly's eyes sparkled with excitement.
This marked the first time Gastly had employed the Toxic move since its training.
With puffed-up cheeks, Gastly took a deep breath, widened its eyes, and exhaled a thick green mist from its mouth.
"This is... Toxic?"
Seated on the judges' bench, Song Pengcheng murmured, "It looks rather insidious."
Tang Hui also displayed a faint hint of amusement in his smile.
"Perhaps, Luke actually has a chance of winning!"
Swellow, enveloped in the toxic mist, turned a shade of blue.
However, in the next instant, Swellow's eyes snapped open.
There seemed to be a burning determination reflected in its gaze.
Its Guts Ability had been activated!
"That's it, Swellow!" Jiang Yun clenched his fist tightly and shouted, "Execute Aerial Ace!"
A hiss echoed through the crowd as the atmosphere seemed to ignite. Swellow charged forward toward Gastly, its dual wings gleaming with a sharp cold light.
Luke looked on in bewilderment.
It was clear that he was in the disadvantaged position!
"Gastly, use Protect!"
Swellow crashed into the impervious, unyielding fog shield with a resounding impact.
Collective gasps resounded through the audience, almost as if the sound of Swellow's wing being damaged was audible.
"Continue with Hypnosis!"
Swellow fell into a state of hypnosis again just as it regained consciousness.
In a strategy of not getting hypnotized, employing Protect to stall for time, and then returning to Hypnosis, Swellow was left disoriented, its eyes glazed over and its mouth foaming.
Beside it, Gastly's eerie smile seemed to suggest that it was contemplating delivering a knockout blow to Swellow as soon as it awoke.
Even the referee couldn't bear it any longer and preemptively blew the whistle.
"The winner is... Lu... Luke!"
An eerie silence filled the stadium, and the expressions on the faces of the spectators were a mixture of confusion and surprise.
Had they paid to witness a brutal Pokémon battle?
Though Swellow's performance had been undeniably energetic... What on earth was happening with Gastly?
How could they be subjecting each other to such torment!
"This is so underhanded!"
"I want a refund! This is just too much!"
"Teacher Luke is amazing!"
Amidst the uncertainty and disapproval from the crowd, Sally Han, who had also advanced to the semi-finals, was cheering wildly for Luke.
Angela Shen, who had watched the entire match, appeared to be sporting a plethora of question marks above her head.
Was this sort of maneuver even possible?
Even Song Pengcheng, the Association Chairman, and Gym Leader Tang Hui exchanged puzzled glances.
Though the strategy appeared to be somewhat unsavory...
There was no denying that it was incredibly effective!
"Is he really from the finance department?" Song Pengcheng's expression turned quizzical. "I can't help but feel like he's more akin to a seasoned professional trainer with five or six years of competition experience."
"I'm not sure," Tang Hui replied, shaking her head.
"I only know that he has set a new historical record."
With Gastly's unconventional tactics, Luke managed to reverse the situation and defeat Jiang Yun from the Magic City University of Communications, despite being at a disadvantage.
In the history of the Piplup Cup, Luke became the first non-Battle Department participant to reach the semi-finals, once again establishing a groundbreaking historical achievement!