With the referee's command, Rapidash and Sharpedo sprang into action at the same time, and both Sato and Flint issued their orders without hesitation.
Rapidash stomped the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust to obscure itself. When it dashed out again, its entire body was wrapped in crimson flames, charging at Sharpedo with fierce momentum.
Sharpedo's move was much more straightforward. Without the slightest pause, it was instantly engulfed in a torrent of water, accelerating sharply as it rushed head-on to meet Rapidash.
Red and blue clashed in the center of the field, and the collision of heat and water generated a burst of thick white steam, making the entire arena hot and humid.
What looked like a simple clash was shockingly intense!
After all, both were Ace level Pokémon; this was a different level than the previous Elite battles.
"AGAIN! FLAME CHARGE!" Flint, fully engaged in battle mode, shouted with excitement, seemingly ready to charge all the way through.
But the trick was… he'd chosen Flame Charge, which increased Speed with each use, nearly eliminating Sharpedo's Speed Boost Ability advantage.
Clearly, despite his wild appearance, Flint had done his homework on Sato's past battles and had most likely predicted he would lead with Sharpedo.
"I won't let you control the tempo…" Sato murmured, then shouted, "Hydro Pump, intercept it!"
Sharpedo opened its massive jaws, unleashing a rapidly spiraling Hydro Pump; within the blink of an eye, it was already right in front of Rapidash.
With Hydro Pump about to hit, there wasn't a trace of panic in Rapidash's eyes. Relying on its battle experience, it adjusted the pressure on its hooves, narrowly dodging the move by a hair's breadth.
"RAPIDASH, CHARGE!" Flint shouted with excitement, and Rapidash responded in perfect sync. Its flames flared fiercely, and without slowing down, it kept charging toward Sharpedo.
The battlefield was small to begin with, and Rapidash was blazingly fast, so in a moment, the two were face to face again.
This time the roles reversed. Hydro Pump had missed, and Sharpedo had to face another Flame Charge head-on.
But this time, Sharpedo showed off its exceptional evasion skills.
Just as Rapidash was about to slam into it, Sharpedo let go of its self-control and flowed with the surrounding water's inertia, dodging cleanly without a scratch.
"NOW! USE INFERNO!¹1"
Flint's command came right on time. At that moment, Rapidash and Sharpedo were still close, greatly increasing Inferno's hit rate.
It was a chance for Rapidash, but also a chance for Sharpedo!
"Sharpedo, Super Fang."
Chains of purplish-red flames formed around Rapidash, then scattered in every direction. At the center, Rapidash looked less like a fire unicorn and more like a nightmare steed from hell.
The entire field became scorching hot, proof of Inferno's blazing temperature, and the guarantee of Burned status wasn't just for show.
But Sharpedo showed no fear. Every one of its sharp fangs became coated in a layer of pure white energy.
To it, every fang was a Super Fang…
Sharpedo began spinning again. To the naked eye, the energy radiating from Super Fang perfectly wrapped around the entire front half of its body.
At that moment, it looked just like a white drill, charging straight into the Inferno, catching Rapidash completely off guard.
Super Fang: ignores defense1 and forcibly removes half of the opponent's health/stamina.
Up to that point, Rapidash hadn't taken a single hit, so this Super Fang achieved maximum effectiveness.
In the next instant, the white drill shifted slightly and flew straight out from the other side of the Inferno without the slightest pause.
"BOOOOSS, THAT WAS INSANE!" Mark couldn't help but stand up in the audience stands, shouting at the top of his lungs.
He often wondered why the boss's Pokémon always managed to learn moves he'd never seen… sometimes never even heard of before.
Yet those moves always seemed to shine the brightest in very specific moments.
But Volkner, standing next to him, wasn't in such high spirits. Ever since being defeated by Sato last time, he realized he was no longer a match for Flint at all.
Now, several months later, that fact hadn't changed.
…But Sato could now go toe-to-toe with Flint, even gaining a slight advantage.
Given the same amount of time, his growth was nowhere near Sato's. Volkner couldn't help but start doubting himself.
'What kind of "genius" was I, really…?'
If Mark had known what Volkner was thinking, he would've chimed in with the wisdom of someone who's been there:
"Our boss isn't a genius… HE'S A MONSTER!
Comparing yourself to him? You're just setting yourself up for a big L. Maybe your goal is Elite Four, or the top Champion… but his goal is above the top of the mountain!
You wanna know what's above the top…?
Haaa~ How should I know? That's just what he says… and anything he says always sounds way stronger than us…"
The battle continued.
Rapidash had been hit by Super Fang and lost half its health/stamina, while Sharpedo used its spinning momentum to completely nullify Inferno.
Without a doubt, Sato had gained a noticeable advantage, but finishing things just like that clearly wasn't going to happen.
"Rapidash, Flame Charge!"
Sato frowned slightly. 'Why start with Flame Charge again? Didn't Flint know that even if he used it now, there was no way to match Sharpedo's Speed?'
Speed gained through moves couldn't possibly outpace Sharpedo's Speed Boost, which triggered constantly with each passing "turn".
Sharpedo's combat power had already reached its peak. Even if the opponent had some surprise strategy, Sato wasn't worried at all.
A wave rose out of nowhere within the battlefield: massive and overwhelming. It was as if Sharpedo were truly swimming in the sea.
And under that massive wave, Rapidash looked incredibly small.
"Rapidash… RIDE THE WAVES!"
Flint's voice echoed across the arena, instantly causing an uproar.
Sato blinked, wondering if he'd just misheard something…
But in the next moment, Rapidash was already galloping atop the wave, almost vertically, as it charged toward Sharpedo.
"RAPIDASH, WILD CHARGE!"
Sato froze for a moment, immediately realizing this was probably Flint's hidden trump card. If Inferno didn't work, then switch to Wild Charge?
Rapidash continued forward on the wave. Suddenly, sparks appeared within its surrounding flames, and then the fire quickly faded, replaced by crackling electricity.
A seamless move swap!
Sato couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He'd seen plenty of Pokémon with superb control, able to cancel attacks mid-move without issue.
But two entirely different types of moves being swapped mid-execution, without interruption…? Now that was something else.
Ace level + STAB = Mid OP level.
Except for Protect and Detect