"Fire Blast!"
Taking advantage of the boost from Sunny Day, Shōhei unleashed his Numel's most powerful move.
'Fire Blast' ignited a fiery path as it sped toward Abomasnow.
In terms of raw power, Numel's attack was much stronger than Makuhita's, but unfortunately...
"Hold it."
The fiery blast collided with the barrier formed by Abomasnow's defensive stance, causing no damage at all.
Numel was panting heavily, clearly exhausted.
The battle had barely lasted a minute, with only a few exchanges of moves. It didn't make sense for it to have drained so much of Numel's stamina.
Shōhei didn't understand what was going wrong. He gritted his teeth and called for Numel to use 'Toxic'.
He noticed that Numel's condition was worsening. While he didn't know the cause, 'Toxic' was a versatile move that could still be useful.
Numel shook its head and prepared to use 'Toxic', but in that strange moment, it froze as it adjusted its stance.
"Hyper Beam."
No matter how much Shōhei shouted at Numel, it remained frozen in that awkward position, giving Abomasnow the perfect chance to charge up its Hyper Beam right in front of the helpless Numel.
It wasn't until after Abomasnow had finished charging that Numel finally moved... but it just collapsed to the ground.
Abomasnow's Hyper Beam hit the stationary Numel without resistance, sending it crashing into the ground in a cloud of dust.
When the referee declared that Numel was unable to continue, Shōhei stood still, his gaze unfocused. The stands fell silent, the only sound the soft shuffle of movement, as if they were in a library.
"Golbat, use Wing Attack!" Shōhei quickly released his next Pokémon and immediately began the attack.
Luther responded swiftly, recalling Abomasnow and sending out Jumpluff instead.
Under the sunny weather, Jumpluff faced the incoming Golbat and unleashed 'Solar Beam'.
Golbat's 'Wing Attack' required it to get close, which meant Jumpluff had no trouble aiming, and the powerful 'Solar Beam' shot out at point-blank range.
The 'Solar Beam' lasted nearly ten seconds, making it a relentless attack. Golbat couldn't recover in time and was hit squarely.
The referee raised the flag to announce Shōhei's defeat.
"Twice."
Luther could sense what Shōhei was implying: asking the referee not to stop him.
"Numel and Makuhita were both stiff when dodging; what did you do to them?"
"It can't just be luck; you managed to hit the timing every single time. You must've done something to make them unable to move. You're cheating!"
Luther picked up Jumpluff and smiled. "Can't handle a loss?"
"You're the Gym Leader now. It's part of the job to explain and point out a Trainer's mistakes. Why are you so afraid to say what really happened?"
Shōhei's angry shout echoed through the stands, which quickly erupted into a noisy debate, much like a marketplace. People were eager for Luther to clarify what had just happened.
The crowd had also noticed those two strange moments where his Pokémon froze, and they couldn't help but agree with Shōhei's accusation. Luther's Pokémon had defeated him with a single move each time, and the timing seemed too perfect.
"Now you admit I'm the Gym Leader? Weren't you mocking my damage output earlier?"
"You're too scared to speak because you're guilty!"
Luther glanced at the furious Shōhei and decided to offer him an escape route.
"Are you sure you want me to explain?"
The Trainers watching, eager for drama, urged Luther to explain.
"Alright, I'll explain it to you." Luther turned to Shōhei and shouted, "Run!"
Shōhei blinked, taken aback by the sudden order. His body instinctively moved, taking two steps forward as he looked at Luther in confusion.
"Wasn't I clear enough? Run! As fast as you can!"
Shōhei had no idea why he was listening to Luther, but for some reason, he began running around the battlefield, reaching Luther's side before turning back.
"Ten push-ups."
Shōhei gasped for air, his body already feeling the strain. He dropped down and completed ten push-ups, his sore legs and exhausted arms making it harder than expected.
"Bunny hops."
Shōhei didn't understand why he was following Luther's bizarre orders to exercise. The bunny hops nearly took everything out of him.
The most embarrassing part? The Pokémon Trainers who had come to challenge the Gym found the whole situation hilarious, cheering and even taking pictures of Shōhei's humiliating workout.
"Stand up and do squats."
Shōhei didn't respond. He rarely exercised, and after the bunny hops, every part of his body felt sore. He simply collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air.
Luther walked over to Shōhei. "Do you understand now?"
"What exactly... do you want me... to understand?"
"Is it tiring?"
"Tiring."
"Do you know why, even in high-level tournaments, most Pokémon Trainers don't overuse their Pokémon's moves and only rely on the basics to counter their opponents?"
Shōhei shook his head.
"The reason you mentioned is exactly why: it's tiring. Pokémon get tired too."
Luther turned to the stands. "The moves Pokémon use consume varying amounts of stamina and energy depending on their strength."
"Take Numel's 'Flamethrower', 'Sunny Day', and 'Fire Blast'. The most energy-draining move is 'Sunny Day'. So, after Numel uses 'Sunny Day' and then 'Fire Blast', it's essentially out of stamina. The power of any subsequent moves will gradually diminish."
"What about Makuhita?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"Shōhei overused his moves. It's clear he's trained his Pokémon to use a variety of moves, but no one told him that using too many moves makes it harder for his Pokémon to adapt to battle."
"Pokémon are like people. When you treat moves like exercises, the more fluid and consistent the routine, the easier it is to perform. Even if you do the same exercise for a while, it won't feel too tiring. But when you mix up different exercises, it becomes much harder."
"Each time a Pokémon releases a move, it requires different parts of its body to prepare. You give the commands, but the Pokémon has to adjust its stance on the battlefield. The more disjointed the move combinations, especially across different types, the harder it is for your Pokémon to regain its battle stance."
Luther squatted down, looking at Shōhei, who was slowly recovering. He asked, "Do you understand now? A Limit Four strategy, supported by a banned move list, would suit you better. Unlimited battles demand a deeper understanding of moves. You can't underestimate your Pokémon's stamina. In fact, there aren't many Trainers who would recklessly use moves like you do in these kinds of tournaments."
"I know that outside, people are spreading rumors that my Ralts has been practicing Psychic powers and is weak, but that's exactly what I want. The coherence needed for moves means mastering each one. Trying to take on more than you can handle is the lesson I'm trying to teach you."
"If I weren't the acting Gym Leader, I would've made you suffer even more and wouldn't have shared these insights with you."
"Shōhei, Ralts was the first Pokémon I ever caught. She's still weak, just like I once was, needing confidence and courage. Her weakness is in comparison to the Pokémon you've trained for a long time. But in my eyes, she's worked hard enough and is strong enough. I don't mind you being sarcastic toward me, but she doesn't deserve that. Don't you owe my Ralts an apology?"
(End of Chapter)
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