"Torkoal is unable to battle. Pikachu wins."
Looking at the completely charred Torkoal on the battlefield, which could no longer get back to its feet, Flannery took a deep breath and loudly announced the result.
"Pika Pika! Cough, cough, cough~"
Hearing Flannery declare his victory, Pikachu, who was hovering in midair, immediately cried out in delight. However, his throat was so dry that he broke into a fit of coughing. He quickly flew back to Sato's side to beg for some water.
"You did great, Pikachu. We won thanks to your perseverance."
Sato was equally delighted. He rubbed Pikachu's little head in praise and handed him a bottle of mineral water.
To be honest, Mr. Moore wasn't holding back in the slightest, and the pressure he exerted on Sato had been enormous. The fact that Sato had managed to defeat one of the Pokémon personally trained by the Fire-type Elite filled him with excitement and satisfaction.
Only one battle remained.
He was now just one step away from defeating a Fire-type Elite who had temporarily lowered his strength to Sato's level.
"I have to admit, that was a beautiful victory. To think you'd discover such a tiny opening."
"If you considered Kadabra's victory over Talonflame to be a stroke of luck, then this time you can proudly say that you defeated Torkoal through pure skill."
Mr. Moore finally raised his head and looked directly at the delighted Sato.
For the first time, he nodded approvingly and offered his praise without reservation.
Then he recalled the fallen Torkoal and immediately threw another PokeBall, continuing to smile as he looked at Sato.
The next second, an exceptionally muscular Blaziken appeared on the battlefield.
The smile on Mr. Moore' face made Sato feel uncomfortable.
He quickly shifted his gaze toward the battle-ready Blaziken. A blue glow flashed in his eyes as he instantly obtained its data.
"A Blaziken with Speed Boost..."
"While its aptitude isn't at the absolute top tier, that Ability alone is enough to put it on par with Pokémon that are."
Then the joy on his face gradually faded and turned grim.
"Seriously? Would it kill him to go easy on me?"
"Just because I'm a Psychic? Is this really necessary?"
"This old guy must've been beaten up by Psychics plenty of times in the past. This is obviously personal revenge disguised as training."
Mr. Moore' Pokémon were getting stronger and stronger.
The first Talonflame had been only Level 47.
Torkoal had been Level 50.
And now the final Blaziken was Level 62.
This was practically impossible. It was obvious that Mr. Moore had no intention of letting him win.
Kadabra and Pikachu had both defeated their opponents, but they were heavily injured and had little fighting strength left.
Among the Pokémon Sato currently had available, aside from Swampert, the highest-level one was Kecleon at Level 52.
But under these scorching conditions, a Level 52 Kecleon defeating a Level 62 Blaziken—especially one with Speed Boost—was nearly impossible.
'You forced my hand. You don't want me to win? Not happening.'
'This old man probably doesn't know I have Swampert. Perfect. Swampert has been lacking a chance for a spectacular entrance. Today I'll make sure you lose fair and square.'
With no other choice, Sato secretly resolved to win this battle. He took out Swampert's PokeBall and smiled to himself.
The next moment, he pressed the button.
A beam of white light shot out.
A towering figure, as imposing as a small mountain, appeared on the battlefield.
At the same time, a blue glow flashed through Sato's eyes as he used telepathy to instruct Swampert to conceal part of his aura.
"SWAMP!!!"
Upon entering the battlefield, Swampert paused briefly.
Then he slammed a fist into the ground beneath him and released a deafening roar.
The entire battlefield immediately trembled violently. Everyone's ears buzzed from the shockwave.
Meanwhile, Blaziken's heart sank.
Looking at the massive Swampert before him felt like facing an ancient prehistoric monster.
At the same time, the sky itself began to darken.
"So the kid was hiding a Pokémon this powerful."
"His aura still falls somewhat short of Elite-Four level, but judging by his spirit and bearing, this Pokémon has clearly survived countless battles."
"If Blaziken wants to overcome the type disadvantage and beat him, that's going to be difficult."
As Mr. Moore watched Swampert's overwhelming presence, his own heart gradually sank.
He had originally intended to humble Sato a little. But now, it seemed overwhelmingly likely that he was about to suffer a complete defeat.
Following Flannery's announcement as temporary referee, the battle officially began.
By this point, Swampert's Drizzle Ability, which had activated the moment he entered the field, finally began to show its effects.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
After a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder echoed through the sky, a light rain began to fall.
As time passed, the rainfall steadily intensified.
"What?!"
"When did that Swampert use Rain Dance?"
"How did it happen without any preparation time? Torkoal's Drought had completely cleared the sky earlier—there wasn't a single cloud overhead!"
"And the surrounding concentration of Water-type energy was practically nonexistent!"
"How did he summon rain clouds of this scale so quickly? That's unbelievable!"
Watching the rain suddenly descend, Mr. Moore' heart finally sank completely.
He stared in disbelief at the torrential downpour.
He had been watching carefully.
Less than a minute after Swampert appeared—and without seemingly doing anything at all—the sky had filled with storm clouds.
Then, almost as though responding to Flannery's signal, the rain began falling the moment the battle started.
"Since fire won't win this battle, show him the determination of a Fighting-type Pokémon!"
"Charge in and use High Jump Kick!"
Mr. Moore was still Mr. Moore—the Fire-type Elite whose fighting spirit had never faded.
He quickly adjusted his emotions and ordered Blaziken to strike first.
However, just as the command was given, the geysers around the battlefield erupted again.
This time, they all erupted simultaneously.
White steam once again blanketed the area. Yet under the heavy rainfall, the steam rapidly dispersed.
By then, Blaziken had already rushed to within striking distance of the motionless Swampert.
A dazzling light erupted from his right knee as he launched a vicious High Jump Kick directly toward Swampert's chest.
"Your courage is admirable."
"Meet it head-on with Hammer Arm."
A cold smile appeared on Sato's face as he immediately ordered a frontal counterattack.
At his command, white light enveloped Swampert's right arm. Then he threw a powerful punch directly at Blaziken's incoming knee.
The next second, the evenly matched clash everyone expected never occurred. Instead, the outcome was completely one-sided.
A horrifying crack of breaking bones echoed through the battlefield. Then a red figure shot backward at incredible speed.
After smashing through three stone pillars on the battlefield, Blaziken finally crashed heavily into the wall outside the arena.
For a moment—
Everyone present except Sato was completely stunned.