Two undefeated contestants were finally facing off.
A highly anticipated showdown!
If not for the fact that everyone had their own battles, no one would have wanted to miss this match between Sato and Lucian!
Coincidentally -or perhaps not- their battle had been assigned to Arena A-5, the central battlefield within the indoor stadium!
After confirming the match details, Lucian -dressed in a red suit- brushed back his silky purple hair and stepped into the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Sato walked forward while recalling everything he knew about Lucian.
Not only was Lucian a future member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, but he was also the cousin of Will. A fact that demanded Sato's full attention!
Will had already broken through to Pseudo-Elite Four level; there was no way his cousin was any weaker!
A Pseudo-Elite Four Psychic-type Pokémon?
Sato felt a surge of excitement!
"This will be a 4v4 Double Battle Rotation Match. The battle ends when all four Pokémon on one side are unable to continue battling or if a Trainer forfeits!"
The strongest opponent and the most difficult battle format!
"Both Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four flashes of blue light appeared simultaneously.
Sato's Pokémon: Zoroark and Umbreon!Lucian's Pokémon: Bronzong and Medicham!
Notably, both Bronzong and Medicham were Peak Elite level!
"Battle, begin!"
"Medicham, Calm Mind! Bronzong, Earthquake!"
Lucian took the first move. Bronzong slammed into the ground, generating a massive shockwave that spread across the battlefield!
At the same time, Medicham's Calm Mind allowed it to hover in mid-air, avoiding Earthquake entirely!
With just two moves, Lucian's battle instincts were already on full display!
"Zoroark, Agility! Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"
Sato's command was simple, but Zoroark understood immediately.
It grabbed Umbreon, tucked it under its arm, and sprinted across the battlefield at high speed!
The Earthquake tremors spread out, but Zoroark's movement was too fast, allowing it to minimize the impact!
Meanwhile, Umbreon's Confuse Ray was launched without hesitation. Both Bronzong and Medicham were hit!
However, as Psychic-type Pokémon, they could sense their surroundings without needing to rely on vision!
"Bronzong, Trick Room!"
Lucian smirked upon seeing Zoroark's movement!
Buzz!
A colorful, cube-shaped energy field covered the battlefield. At first glance, nothing seemed different, yet everything had changed!
"Bronzong, Gyro Ball! Medicham, Drain Punch!"
"Zoroark, block it! Umbreon, Dark Pulse!"
Inside Trick Room, the slower the Pokémon, the faster they moved!
Among the four Pokémon, their speed ranking before Trick Room was: Zoroark -fastest-, Medicham, Umbreon, Bronzong -slowest-.
Now, under Trick Room, Bronzong became the fastest Pokémon on the field!
Its Gyro Ball shot forward at an impossible speed, targeting Zoroark!
Yet, Zoroark didn't use any moves; it spread its arms wide and took the attack head-on!
Since it didn't use a move, it wasn't affected by Trick Room!
Meanwhile, Umbreon's Dark Pulse struck Medicham, forcing it to dodge mid-air… but it barely managed to evade!
"Umbree!"
Umbreon growled, and its Dark Pulse suddenly expanded, doubling in size within Trick Room!
Medicham could no longer dodge! The attack landed!
"Zoroark!"
At the same time, Zoroark gritted its teeth, forcibly stopping Gyro Ball with its bare hands!
Sparks flew as its claws scraped against Bronzong's steel body, producing an ear-piercing screech, yet Gyro Ball eventually came to a halt!
"Zoroark, Darkest Lariat! Umbreon, another Dark Pulse!"
With Bronzong immobilized, Zoroark grabbed both of its arms and slammed it into the ground!
"Bronzong, Flash Cannon! Break free!"
Bronzong tried to launch Flash Cannon, but Zoroark pinned it down, forcing its muzzle into the ground!
With its attack direction completely blocked, Flash Cannon failed to launch!
Moments later, Darkest Lariat erupted; its energy surged through Bronzong's body from the inside!
Boom-
A low, muffled explosion echoed from inside Bronzong, causing the ground to shake violently!
A few seconds later, as the battlefield settled, Zoroark loosened its grip on Bronzong's arms; the Steel-type stood motionless, completely unresponsive!
"Bronzong is unable to battle! Trainer, send out your next Pokémon!"
Sato's brutal strategy had finally shaken Lucian's composed demeanor!
Zoroark had refused to use a move, forcibly stopping Gyro Ball, completely negating Trick Room's effects, and sacrificing its own health to take down Bronzong first!
And the most terrifying part… Sato had executed it without a moment of hesitation, as if he had already planned this outcome from the start!
For someone in the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament, this level of ruthlessness was truly astounding!
"Zoroark, Umbreon-Dark Pulse!"
Since this was a 4v4 Double Battle Rotation Match, even though the referee confirmed Bronzong's defeat, Sato could still attack!
"Medicham, Calm Mind! Slowbro, Amnesia!"
Lucian acted instantly; as he recalled Bronzong, he immediately sent out Slowbro, another extremely slow Pokémon!
He then threw Slowbro directly in front of Medicham!
With Amnesia activated, Slowbro's expression remained unchanged, taking both Dark Pulse attacks head-on!
Meanwhile, Medicham's offensive power increased once more!
"Slowbro, Flamethrower on Umbreon! Medicham, Drain Punch on Zoroark!"
This sudden switch-up targeted both of Sato's Pokémon, ensuring that the Trick Room effect meant Lucian's Pokémon would attack first!
Lucian was now playing a real-life strategy: Sacrificing one Pokémon to boost another!
"Zoroark, Protect! Umbreon, Payback!"
Even under Trick Room, priority still mattered!
Zoroark had already taken considerable damage from stopping Gyro Ball, so blocking Medicham's buffed-up Drain Punch with Protect was the safest move!
Meanwhile, Umbreon relied on its high defenses to endure Flamethrower, then immediately counterattacked with Payback!
Since Payback's power doubled when moving second, Slowbro was sent flying across the battlefield!
However, due to Umbreon's lower offensive power, it wasn't enough to knock Slowbro out!
"Medicham, Force Palm! Slowbro, Surf!"
Before Umbreon could press the advantage, Lucian changed tactics again.
A massive tidal wave surged forward, crashing toward both of Sato's Pokémon!
Hidden behind the waves, Medicham locked onto Zoroark, waiting for the perfect moment to strike!
"Umbreon, Moonlight! Zoroark, Darkest Lariat. Block the wave!"
The giant wave crashed down, completely engulfing Zoroark and Umbreon!
However, within the blue torrent, Umbreon's golden rings shone brightly, rapidly healing itself.
A yellow gemstone glowing amidst the water!
Meanwhile, Zoroark unleashed Darkest Lariat, forcibly dispersing the water, while repelling Medicham's sneak attack!
Finally, Trick Room's effect faded!