After his journey to the Village of Dragons, Sato had gained a foundational understanding of the Elite Four level. Because of this, Gardevoir was no longer treated as some final "hidden ace" kept locked away…
He began using Gardevoir more and more frequently in normal battles; just as he would with any of his other partners.
But ever since losing the Slumber Domain, it was as if Gardevoir had been completely freed from physical shackles. The years of accumulated potential began pouring back in as feedback.
Now, Gardevoir had astonishingly reached Mid Elite Four level, once again taking the lead in level across Sato's entire team.
And in all of this… Sato's contribution was minimal…
Fortunately, Elite Four had become a visible target for Sato. So when facing Gardevoir, he no longer carried any mental pressure.
Heh, Sato… now possessed enough strength to be Gardevoir's Trainer!!
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The referee had long since called for the battle to continue. But for a moment, Gardevoir -floating midair via Psychic power- and Greninja -arms crossed while standing tall atop a boulder- both remained still.
"Gardevoir, Future Sight."
Telepathy was already active. Sato's command reached Gardevoir's mind instantly.
A purple-red glow burst from Gardevoir's eyes like twin blades tearing through the sky, only to vanish the next moment.
Future Sight…
Successfully cast!
Feeling the surge of energy from its opponent, Greninja acted as well.
With just a single leg push, Greninja had already crossed half the battlefield, appearing right beneath Gardevoir!
"Aerial Ace!"
Siebold's command came just slightly after. But with one more leap, Greninja was already in front of Gardevoir. Its powerful legs turned into a streak of white light and slashed down hard toward her!
'Aerial Ace… used like that?'
The "crowd" was left bewildered!
But that had indeed been Siebold's command, and Greninja didn't look like the type to disobey…
"Double Team."
At the last possible moment, Telepathy's advantage became clear. Gardevoir, almost like a pure reflex tool, executed Sato's command without hesitation.
Though Double Team came after the attack, until the illusion left behind was shattered by Aerial Ace, no one could believe Gardevoir had actually dodged it.
"Hypnosis."
"Garde~"
The next moment, the dozens of Gardevoir clones all unleashed crimson-red flashes from their eyes, utterly indistinguishable from each other. There was no telling which beam was the real Hypnosis!
Even more critically… all of Sato's commands were issued through Telepathy, meaning Siebold had no way of knowing ahead of time what Gardevoir was about to use.
Yet whether by luck or Siebold's own preparation, he had chosen the perfect counter.
At the exact same moment Gardevoir unleashed Hypnosis, Siebold's command was: Mind Reader!
Hypnosis struck Greninja!
But it had already closed its eyes and activated Mind Reader just in time.
Hypnosis failed, and in return, Greninja pinpointed Gardevoir's true location!
"Greninja, Gunk Shot!"
Without hesitation, Siebold called for a powerful Poison-type move!
…If Gardevoir hadn't changed her typing, this would've been devastating.
But Gardevoir now was Psychic/Dark type!
And even if she couldn't dodge, then she'd block.
"Substitute."
"Voir!"
A Substitute identical to Gardevoir but with lifeless eyes appeared in front of her, effortlessly blocking the Gunk Shot.
And at that moment, without any warning, a burst of rainbow light shot down from the sky at incredible speed, blasting straight toward Greninja!
The long-dormant Future Sight had finally activated!
Greninja had just finished using Gunk Shot; its old momentum spent, and new momentum not yet built.
BOOOM!
Future Sight hit!
With its relatively low Defenses, Greninja was instantly slammed into the ground, sending up a massive cloud of dust.
"Moonblast!"
As the rainbow light faded, what followed wasn't sunlight.
…But a sky that suddenly darkened, and a virtual moon that hung high and tilted above.
You can't see the moon during the day; not because it disappears, but because the sunlight overpowers its glow.
That virtual moon flickered slightly. A burst of pink energy gathered and transformed into a shimmering beam, lashing down fiercely toward the fallen Greninja!
"GRENINJA, WATERFALL!"
Siebold's command finally rang out! But it seemed too late. Moonblast had already locked onto Greninja's landing zone for a follow-up strike.
Splat…
'Hmm? That impact sound…' Didn't quite match expectations.
Sato frowned and immediately locked his eyes on Greninja's impact point.
There, the dust had fully cleared; water was gushing out of the ground like a natural spring from where Greninja had fallen.
For fast-paced Pokémon, battle timing is fleeting. Trainers can often only control general patterns; situational adaptation depends entirely on the Pokémon.
And Greninja had executed this flawlessly.
In fact, as it was being slammed by Future Sight, it had already fired a Hydro Pump toward the ground to significantly reduce the fall impact.
The moment it hit the ground, it even used Mud Sport to soften the terrain.
The actual damage Greninja took was far less than what it had appeared.
Sato's decision to unleash a relentless follow-up had come because he'd clearly noticed Greninja's seamless "self-rescue".
So, beyond surprise, there was no hesitation to launch another fierce assault!
"Thunderbolt."
"Voir!"
Gardevoir clasped her hands together, then opened them again. A ball of electricity crackled into form instantly.
The next moment, a powerful Thunderbolt burst forth from the ball, striking down without mercy toward the Greninja below!
At the same time, Greninja, using Waterfall, not only dodged Moonblast's direct hit but also sprang upward from the ground!
But just as it emerged, it saw a sky full of lightning crashing toward it… and the lingering water around it became the perfect conductor.
"MUD SPORT!"
At the critical moment, Siebold's command rang out again. Dazzled by the Thunderbolt, Greninja finally snapped back to awareness; it did, after all, possess the Hidden Ability: Protean!
Zzzzzzzzt!
CRACKLE!
But… it was too late.
The Thunderbolt shot through the water and struck Greninja directly. Under the Paralysis caused by the electric current, Greninja couldn't even move, let alone grit through the pain to activate Mud Sport.
"Moonblast." Sato gave the command coldly, and Gardevoir carried it out with the same unwavering resolve…
The sky darkened once more. The virtual moon reappeared.
And down below, Greninja had only just recovered from paralysis…
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In case you didn't notice, Sato's commands are written in "this way" because they're transmitted telepathically.
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150 PS - CH