Low stamina was compensated for by how he used his body. This was a feat only "Shirona's Lucario" could accomplish, with technical mastery too advanced to express in numbers such as base stats or Effort Values.
How many trainers in the world could train a Pokémon to this level? Even ten would probably be a generous estimate. His "strength" came not from overwhelming talent, but from superb observation and well-trained thinking. It was a strength different from Leon's "power," and Leon felt his body, exhausted by the sensation of fighting against everything his opponent had to offer, growing stronger.
"This wonderful time is almost over."
"Yeah! I'll give it everything I've got!"
"I'm counting on you! Oranguru!"
The Pokémon Leon brought out was Gorlander.
Oranguru landed on the field with a furious roar, filling the grassland, which the previous battles had left desolate, with fresh grass.
"So this is the 'Glass Artisan' Ability."
The "Glass Terrain" created by the grass had a healing effect, gradually restoring Pokémon other than Flying-types or those with the "More" Ability. This recovery was significant for the battered Lucario, though Oranguru was still brimming with stamina.
But that was not why Cynthia had called this "tough." The grassy field also increased the power of Grass-type moves. Cynthia's remaining options were Lucario, Garchomp, and Milotic. For the Water-type Milotic, boosted Grass-type power would be quite troublesome. With that in mind, "tough" was an apt description.
But running away was not an option here. That made it crucial to put as much strain on Oranguru as possible.
"Let's go! Oranguru! Swords Dance!"
"You're powering up right away?!"
With Oranguru raising his Attack through Swords Dance, Lucario could not survive a hit with his remaining stamina.
Extreme Speed unleashed a series of blindingly fast attacks on Oranguru. However,