In their initial clash, both sides traded blows evenly; it was a well-matched start.
But as Surf swept across the field, the effects of Cacturne's Cotton Spore were greatly reduced, and the opponents weren't significantly affected.
At that moment, Noa issued another set of commands to Poliwrath and Ampharos. His relentless battle rhythm got the small audience worked up.
Hydro Pump and Thunder roared forward, and even merged mid-flight. Hydro Pump formed the core, wrapped in a golden layer of electricity. Clearly, this wasn't just a simple 1+1 combo.
Sato get serious. Such powerful move-combination techniques, rarely seen in normal battles, were now appearing repeatedly, even in the preliminaries.
It was clear these veteran Trainers who had reached the Ace level had real skill.
'But I'm no slouch either…'
With that in mind, Sato issued commands to Cacturne and Ariados.
"Rototiller! Combine with Sticky Web."
"CAAAAAC!"
Cacturne roared, then stomped its feet hard into the ground, digging in deep.
The next moment, a golden wave of energy burst outward from Cacturne, spreading rapidly in all directions.
Wherever it passed, the ground turned fluid-like, rising into wave after wave of earth and soil that surged toward the oncoming Hydro Pump + Thunder combo.
Rototiller: normally a non-damaging move that till the soil to help plants grow, raising the Attack of Grass-types.
It wasn't meant to deal damage!
However, as the earth waves created by Rototiller collided with the combo attack, the electricity was drawn into the ground, and most of the water was instantly absorbed!
By the time the second and third waves hit, what had seemed like a powerful combination move was completely absorbed by the terrain!
At the same time, Ariados had completed its Sticky Web setup. Dozens of shimmering webs layered over each other, falling from the sky.
"Ampharos, burn the web with Fire Punch! Poliwrath, use Hidden Power!"
Noa's counterattack came fast, and both of his Pokémon reacted quickly, clearly used to this pace of battle.
Ampharos raised its blazing fist toward the sky. Even though it wasn't a Physical attacker, it still created massive flames to burn through the webbing.
But Poliwrath's response was even more effective… its Hidden Power type was Fire!
One by one, the Sticky Webs were incinerated. While Ampharos and Ariados handled each other evenly, Sato's goal had already been achieved.
"Toxic, Seed Bomb."
Without any need for cover, Sato gave the next command. And Ariados and Cacturne, now free to act, launched a fresh assault.
In the sky, the colorful webs weren't just for restricting movement.
And on the ground, Ariados and Cacturne were watching hungrily for an opening!
With the sudden change, Poliwrath and Ampharos were caught off guard, they didn't even know who to defend against.
As for Noa… he couldn't do anything in that moment. Even if he gave the perfect command, it was too late!
Splat~
BOOOM!
Toxic landed cleanly on Ampharos, and Seed Bomb blasted Poliwrath off its feet. At the same time, the Sticky Webs rained down, pinning them both tightly.
The battle was over!
A few minutes later, Ampharos and Poliwrath both collapsed. Meanwhile, Ariados and Cacturne, though they'd used up a lot of energy, were barely injured.
Sato's second Group E round-robin match…
Victory!
A smattering of applause rose from the crowd. Ever since the Hydro Pump and Thunder combo was broken by Rototiller, the momentum had steadily shifted in Sato's favor.
Not to mention, Ariados and Cacturne had battled together before, and their synergy allowed them to seize the moment and completely overwhelm their opponents at every opportunity.
With the battle over, Sato had now won two nearly flawless matches, firmly establishing himself as a serious threat in the minds of the other contestants.
Even more importantly: Sato was still so young.
Being surpassed by someone from a "younger generation" was an especially bitter pill to swallow.
Just like in the morning, Sato remained at the arena to watch the rest of the matches, gathering intel on his opponents and cross-checking his own performance.
Fully focused, time flew by. By the time all ten afternoon matches concluded, Sato still found himself wanting more.
But once he came back to his senses, he realized he was mentally fatigued.
"Time to rest… no idea who I'll face tomorrow…" Sato muttered to himself as he quietly left the arena, carrying a sleeping Pikachu in his arms.
---
The second day… third… all the way to the fourth. Sato didn't face any particularly strong opponents and maintained a perfect win record.
Over those few days, he only used four Pokémon in various combinations: Ariados, Cacturne, Weavile, and Krookodile. The consistent victories had earned him growing fame, drawing more spectators to Arena 3.
Sato hadn't gone out of his way to learn about the others, but the performances of Trainers like Flint, Wallace, Phoebe, and Koga were so outstanding that he couldn't ignore them even if he wanted to.
When the Group E round-robin reached the fifth day, Sato finally faced the only other contestant in his group with an undefeated record: Caitlin, a fellow "genius" in everyone's eyes.
Her wavy, blonde hair reached down to her lower back. Dressed in a white princess gown and with a face like an "angel", Caitlin had gained a huge following -simps- over the past few days just based on her visuals.
"Lowly mortal… surrender before you incur the true wrath of Lady Caitlin! You can't even fathom the power, I, wield!"
"…"
Sure enough, the moment that "angelic" face opened her mouth, she instantly exposed her incurable chūnibyō syndrome… killing any competitiveness Sato might've felt.
He turned to the referee and said, "Let's just get started."
"You foolish mortal! How dare you ignore a command from your LADY-"
"The Pokémon League Ace Tournament, Group E round-robin match…"
The referee didn't even acknowledge Caitlin's rambling and began the announcement with a straight face. After several days, he was well used to this scene.
As for waiting for Caitlin to quiet down on her own… yeah, not happening.
"…Both contestants, send out your Pokémon!"
Boom! Boom…
Red light flashed as four Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. On Sato's side stood Umbreon and Sharpedo, while Caitlin sent out her all-black Gothitelle and her intricately patterned, mysterious Sigilyph.
Seeing Caitlin's lineup, Sato was a bit surprised. At this point in the tournament, it was well known that Sato specialized in Dark-type Pokémon, yet Caitlin had still sent out two Psychic-types.
"Hmph! A Lady like me would never fear some mortal dabbling in demonic power! The power of Psychic-types… is beyond your imagination!"
Apparently noticing Sato's confusion, Caitlin raised her chin and explained proudly -and dramatically-.
"…"