Once Zoroark's Illusion tactic was activated, unless the opponent found a way to counter it, locating its true position was nearly impossible, let alone landing a hit.
However, Cynthia wasn't unfamiliar with Sato's Zoroark. She had seen its brilliant performance during the Ace Tournament, so she didn't hesitate to command Garchomp to summon a Sandstorm.
But weather effects had a shared drawback: they couldn't activate instantly!
And that short delay was all Zoroark needed to unleash its most powerful move variant…
[Night Daze: Singularity Sphere]
Hundreds of Zoroarks covered the field, each in a variety of poses, rapidly forming dozens of compressed Odama-… Night Daze spheres.
Then, in unison, they all hurled them at the center of the battlefield. Right where Garchomp stood!
…BOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion came even sooner than expected; Zoroark had launched the real attack first, catching Garchomp completely off guard.
The next moment, the Sandstorm erupted, obscuring the battlefield. With the Sand Veil Ability in effect, Sato could no longer see Garchomp's exact position.
He couldn't even tell whether the [Night Daze: Singularity Sphere] had done any real damage.
"DIG!"
Just then, Cynthia's voice rang out, and Garchomp burst up from the ground almost simultaneously. Its sharp claws aiming straight for the real Zoroark's soft underbelly!
Under the fury of the Sandstorm, the Illusion tactic was full of gaps, and Garchomp had used it to precisely lock onto Zoroark's position.
"Zoro!"
In this crucial moment, the ability for a Pokémon to fight autonomously became critical.
Faced with a sneak attack, the real Zoroark didn't hesitate, it sprang backward in an instant, narrowly avoiding Garchomp's fatal strike thanks to its superb reflexes.
A flash of surprise crossed Garchomp's eyes, but its battle instincts immediately kicked in. It lunged again, slashing its claws in a second strike at Zoroark!
"Foul Play!"
"Zoro!"
As Garchomp came barreling in, Zoroark twisted to evade and, following Sato's command, turned around and struck with Foul Play.
Foul Play uses the opponent's own Attack to retaliate; the higher the opponent's Attack stat, the stronger the result.
And when it came to raw physical offense, Zoroark definitely couldn't match Garchomp.
Zoroark ducked and charged forward, diving straight into Garchomp's chest.
Garchomp was instantly furious. 'If you were a cute girl, maybe… BUT YOU'RE A MALE! Why the hell are you diving into someone's chest!'
Garchomp's claws flared with rings of bluish-purple Dragon-type energy and came slamming down toward the Zoroark in its arms.
But from Cynthia's perspective, it looked like Garchomp suddenly roared and then used Dragon Claw… on itself. Twice!
Her brow furrowed. Something wasn't right… 'The Trainer is built like steel, but the Pokémon is freakishly sassy… this clearly isn't its first time using Foul Play this way.'
Garchomp's painful cries echoed across the field; clearly, this was the first time it had truly felt how terrifying its own power was!
"Dragon Rush!"
Right then, Cynthia issued another fierce command, not just out of trust in Garchomp, but because she knew exactly where her partner's limits were.
Two Dragon Claws from itself? It could handle it!
Soon, a bluish-purple dragon soared up through the Sandstorm; its target unmistakably Zoroark.
Kicking up flying stones and raging wind, Garchomp's Dragon Rush came crashing toward Zoroark once more.
'There was no way to dodge!'
In that instant, both Sato and Zoroark realized it.
Since they couldn't dodge, then… fight back!
"[Night Daze: Singularity Sphere]"
Zoroark withdrew its now-useless Illusion and devoted its full focus to forming a Night Daze Sphere.
And just as Dragon Rush came crashing in, Zoroark launched the compressed Singularity Sphere forward.
At once, a violent shockwave blasted outward. The gust blew both Trainers' clothing into the air and silenced the cliffside completely.
Then, an intense flash erupted, followed by a ringing blast in their ears. For a moment, the two Trainers and their Pokémon felt like the world itself was ending…
---◓---
When everything finally calmed, Sato noticed that Gengar had silently appeared at his side, the green glow of Protect just beginning to fade.
Likewise, beside Cynthia stood a sneering Spiritomb. Apparently having emerged at the last second to shield its Trainer from danger.
In the center of the field, Garchomp was kneeling, breathing heavily, with a clearly visible blast mark across its head.
But Zoroark lay flat on its back, completely motionless. As if the terrifying explosion had knocked it out cold.
No suspense… Garchomp had proven its strength!
Looking back over the entire battle, Garchomp had taken quite a beating, yet it had endured until the very end.
And Zoroark, still just at Peak Ace, fell short of the Elite Four threshold; it simply wasn't enough, and it lost in the end…
'…WAIT!'
Was it just his imagination? Sato suddenly noticed Zoroark's finger twitch slightly.
His hand, which had been about to retrieve it with a Poké Ball, froze in place.
Sure enough, Zoroark's finger twitched again.
Then its entire right hand… then half its body…
When Zoroark pushed itself up to one knee, even Garchomp across the field was visibly stunned.
For a Pokémon like Zoroark -who wasn't built for defense- the only thing that could allow it to stand again after taking such a brutal hit…
WAS SHEER, UNYIELDING DETERMINATION!
In the very next moment, Zoroark's aura surged!
And without pause or resistance, it stabilized at Low Elite Four level…
Zoroark had broken through!
Then its body slumped and collapsed again…
But a pair of hands had already reached it. Sato had rushed to its side, gently catching Zoroark in his arms and softly returning it to its Poké Ball.
"You did great…"
At that moment, Cynthia also recalled Garchomp, walking over slowly with Spiritomb beside her.
"Congratulations."
Sato smiled genuinely, giving Cynthia a nod. "No need for words. Whether it was Tyranitar or Zoroark… it's thanks to you that they broke through so smoothly."
Cynthia gave a small smile and said nothing more. Looking at Sato, truly sincere in his gratitude, she suddenly didn't feel so annoyed anymore…
Maybe it was because he poured everything into getting stronger -mind, body, and soul- that Sato had achieved so much at such a young age.
Looking back, maybe her own heart was the one that had wavered.
Not yet an Elite Four… let alone Champion. Why had she started thinking about romance?
In that moment, Cynthia's ambition was suddenly reignited.
•
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🅿️🅰️✝️🆁 🅴🅾️🅽 / 🅁🄾🄼🄴🄻🄾🄵🄵