Three powerful crys echoed across the field. The solidified sound waves completely covered the space around Hydreigon, leaving no gaps.
Countless Aura Spheres flew toward Hydreigon in unpredictable trajectories, yet all of them were shattered mid-air by the force of the Round before they could get close.
Boom! Boom! Boom…
With Mega Launcher enhancing its power, each Aura Sphere was no weaker than a STAB Hydro Pump from Mega Blastoise.
But not a single one landed!
Still, blocking all those Aura Spheres hadn't come easy for Hydreigon. The Round it released had been fully solidified; while its range extension was greatly reduced, it maintained overwhelming power within a thirty-meter radius.
Since the distance between the two Pokémon had started at over fifty meters, Hydreigon could only focus on defense for the time being.
Explosions rang out continuously, kicking up clouds of yellow dust and smoke, quickly obscuring both Pokémon from view.
But even without seeing each other, neither Mega Blastoise nor Hydreigon dared to halt their attacks.
The moment one side stopped, the other would surely seize the advantage and go all in!
Sato and Siebold silently watched the scene before them. Aside from quietly encouraging their own partners, there was nothing else they could do for now.
Only about ten seconds had passed, yet for both sides it felt like a long, harsh winter night…
At last, the firing rate of Aura Sphere began to slow down, and Hydreigon's Round also began to weaken.
One was a Dragon, the other a Turtle… both known for their exceptional stamina.
If not for that, there was no way they could have traded attacks this recklessly, pushing each other to the brink of exhaustion.
In the end, both Pokémon were left half-dead tired, with little meaningful damage done.¹
"Middy, use Dragon Rush. Lefty, Righty, assist with Bite and Thunder Fang."
In the next instant, Sato was the first to shift tactics. Not only did Hydreigon possess decent Attack, but Mega Blastoise's Burn condition had already halved its own Attack stat; an opportunity worth seizing.
"DREEEE!"
Middy let out a draconic roar and temporarily took over full control of the body, launching a full-force Dragon Rush straight at Blastoise!
Meanwhile, Lefty and Righty lowered their presence as much as possible, each silently charging up Bite and Thunder Fang.
They weren't aiming for massive damage, just a Flinch or Paralysis would be more than enough…
Either outcome would be a win!
On the other side, Mega Blastoise stopped spinning. All four limbs and its head extended from its shell. As it watched Hydreigon's rapid charge, its gaze turned solemn.
It wasn't until Hydreigon got close that Mega Blastoise finally received Siebold's command.
"Dragon Pulse, Ice Punch!"
"BLAAAS!"
With a loud roar, Mega Blastoise's enormous cannon instantly fired a massive blue-purple pulse sphere.
Its arms simultaneously gathered a glowing, bright-blue energy -Ice Punch- charging forward without hesitation to meet Lefty and Righty head-on!
Most critically, Mega Blastoise had already pulled its head back into its shell!
Dragon Pulse and Dragon Rush collided right in front of Blastoise!
As for Lefty and Righty -with their independent thought- they instinctively tilted their heads at the critical moment, narrowly dodging the blind Ice Punch and biting down firmly on Mega Blastoise's arms!
Immediately afterward, Dragon Pulse and Dragon Rush clashed violently, resulting in a massive explosion that sent both Pokémon flying in opposite directions!
BOOOOOOM!
Hydreigon crashed heavily into the ground, sliding backward for quite a distance before finally coming to a stop.
Mega Blastoise suffered the same fate, landing on its shell and struggling for quite a while before it could even attempt to get back up.
At this moment, Hydreigon, with its Levitate Ability, had already risen back into the air. But all three of its heads were gasping for breath, and its chest was riddled with wounds from the blast.
"Hydreigon, Dark Pulse!"
"Hyyy!" "Drei~" "Goooon!"
Strike while it's down; Sato didn't give Mega Blastoise any chance to recover, immediately commanding Hydreigon to attack again.
Dark Pulse 🅞 fused!
Dark with a purple hue, three Dark Pulses quickly merged into one and charged forward without hesitation toward Mega Blastoise!
Mega Blastoise was just about to retract into its shell and use Rapid Spin to escape, when both fire and electricity suddenly surged across its body.
Paralysis + Burn!
Blastoise's movements stopped and the fused Dark Pulse was already upon it…
BOOOOOOM!
A small mushroom cloud rose from Mega Blastoise's position as the Dark Pulse struck the more vulnerable abdominal shell, causing massive damage in an instant!
And after that last Dark Pulse, Hydreigon had also reached its limit, slowly descending to the ground with almost no stamina left.
When the smoke cleared, Blastoise -now reverted from Mega Evolution- was visible once again, clearly having lost the ability to battle…
With this, Sato had secured an overwhelming ⌊2:0⌉ lead!
Siebold was now down to his last Pokémon, which -unless something unexpected happened- should be an Elite Four level…
Greninja!
A red beam struck Blastoise as Siebold, riding atop his Mantine, flew in to retrieve it.
He looked up across the field and saw Sato also recalling his exhausted but still conscious Hydreigon.
As if sensing the gaze from afar, Sato quickly turned his eyes toward Siebold…
Sato remained calm. Siebold was solemn!
But then… a faint, relieved smile crept onto his face.
Yes. Perhaps only someone as monstrously gifted as Sato could earn the genuine loyalty of his proud sixth younger brother. But for this older brother to lose so miserably in front of his younger sibling… 'This Sato really was… sigh~'
Quite the straightforward guy!
At that moment, what Sato was actually thinking was: 'Looks like the 1v3 sweep Drake wanted was a bit too harsh. Splitting it into three clean rounds like this… feels much more gentle. Looks like I, Sato, have once again acted as a kind and handsome guy… sigh…'
Clap! Clap! Clap…
Sato secretly applauded himself in his heart, just in time to see Siebold send out his final Pokémon.
Low Elite Four: Greninja!
Even though it was only Low Elite Four level, the moment Sato saw it, he was 100% certain! This Greninja was far more troublesome than the Mid Elite Four one Mars had used.
Outside the field, Joseph watched as his big brother sent out Greninja, and his mind unexpectedly wandered to thoughts of their father, Mars.
If Mars hadn't so strongly opposed his big brother's dream of becoming a chef…
If he hadn't forcibly ended their match just to elevate Joseph's standing…
Then perhaps, by now, he could've proudly announced that the Narcissus Family he built up had had and could produce not one… but two E4 level Trainers.
But… there were no ifs.
Back in the field, Sato had already released his third Pokémon.
Unsurprisingly, it was his queen: Gardevoir~
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¹. Peak Ace Blastoise with + Mega Evo Vs High Ace Hydreigon