The outcome of the battle seemed all but certain. Within five minutes, half of Sato and Cynthia's Pokémon were already down.
But regardless of the result, they would undoubtedly fight until the very end.
"Night Daze, Guard Swap!"
"Dragon Rush, Close Combat, Memento!"
Seeing that the power of individual Pokémon was becoming nearly negligible in this battle, Sato and Cynthia didn't hesitate to opt for sacrificial strategies.
Guard Swap: Umbreon exchanged its superior defensive stats with Zoroark, instantly patching up Zoroark's fragility.
Meanwhile, Spiritomb locked onto Froslass, who had been spamming Blizzard as a basic attack, and sacrificed itself to greatly reduce its attack power!
The sacrifice paid off.
Froslass's Blizzard visibly shrank in size.
At the same time, taking advantage of the weakened Blizzard, Zoroark's Night Daze forced its way through and cover both Serperior and Froslass in the blast.
On the other side, Garchomp, with unyielding determination, launched a Dragon Rush straight into Serperior, drawing most of its attention.
But Weavile, now unguarded, took the opportunity to easily finish off the now-defenseless Umbreon.
Then it turned toward Lucario… Brick Break was about to hit!
Wham~
At that critical moment, Sharpedo -having completed four Speed Boosts- flashed past and slammed into Weavile, sending it flying before it could land the blow.
The fastest on the field, Weavile, had just been hit by Sharpedo!
In the next instant, Zoroark's illusion, channeled through Night Daze, succeeded. Serperior and Froslass were forcefully dragged into an alternate battlefield. Even the environment itself seemed to shift!
Garchomp, as an ally, felt nothing. But in Serperior and Froslass's perception, they were now in a place of complete darkness, devoid of even the faintest light.
They couldn't even sense each other…
Without a doubt, this was a further upgraded version of Zoroark's illusion tactics.
[Illusion: Eternal Night]!
Simulating the absolute darkness of Shadownight Town at night, it forcibly dulled the enemy's five senses.
For a moment, Froslass and Serperior could only stand still in caution and confusion, nervously bracing for an unseen attack.
Without needing any orders from Sato or Cynthia, Garchomp and Zoroark fearlessly charged straight at them.
Fire Fang…
Night Slash…
Both hit their marks!
Serperior and Froslass let out low growls. This was the first time they had taken a direct hit in the battle…
"Hohooh~ Not bad… Serperior, Grassy Terrain."
Finally, Fujin -who had given no commands up to this point- spoke softly.
But that single light command was enough to instantly wipe away the advantage Sato had worked so hard to create.
A fragile sprig of grass suddenly appeared in the illusion of [Eternal Night], bringing a hint of green light into the pitch-black darkness.
In the next moment, countless blades of grass spread outward with a rustle, fully illuminating the night.
[Illusion: Eternal Night]… shattered!
"Fros… Lalalala~"
With the illusion broken, Froslass seemed to get serious for the first time. It activated its Ghost-type unique Invisibility ability and vanished from sight.
When it reappeared, it was already behind Lucario.
"Lucario, Extreme Speed!"
Cynthia's command came urgently, but against Froslass's speed, it was already too late.
Blizzard… unleashed at point-blank range!
Lucario didn't even have time to cry out before being instantly frozen into a block of ice.
Lucario • Defeated!
"Sharpedo, Mega Evolve!"
"GARCHOMP, MEGA EVOLVE!"
With only three Pokémon remaining on the field, Sato and Cynthia still hadn't given up.
And knowing that Lucario couldn't battle anymore, Cynthia firmly looked away and immediately triggered Mega Evolution.
On the other side, Sharpedo finally completed six "turns" of Speed Boosts, and Sato activated Mega Evolution without hesitation.
Brilliant multicolored lights of evolution illuminated the field. Serperior and the others who were just about to strike all halted their attacks at once.
Evolution?
One of the most sacred moments in a Pokémon's life. No one would interrupt it unless facing a life-or-death enemy.
Though Fujin was a Champion Trainer, due to the era he came from, he truly didn't know about Mega Evolution… this was his first time witnessing it in old age.
Finally, the glow faded, revealing a High Elite Four level Garchomp and a Mid Elite Four Sharpedo before everyone.
'Wait… Mid Elite Four?'
Sharpedo had broken through!
Sato was overjoyed. Mega Evolution's boost often hit a wall at the Ace level.
But if Sharpedo had reached Mid Elite Four post-boost, that meant its own level had just officially advanced to Low Elite Four during the Mega Evolution!
And now, this Mega Sharpedo -after six Speed Boosts, with the Strong Jaw ability- was a terrifying shark of death!
"Crunch! Snarl!"
"Garchomp, Aerial Ace!"
Sharpedo had already turned into a blur, slicing toward Froslass with deadly precision.
With Zoroark's illusion now ineffective, it willingly became a support unit, blocking Weavile who tried to assist Froslass.
Cynthia, just as in sync, ordered Garchomp to block Serperior, keeping it in a passive, non-interfering state.
Thus, the final showdown was left to Sharpedo and Froslass!
"SHAAAR!"
Crunch came crashing down. Froslass, shocked by the speed, instinctively tried to vanish-!
But Sharpedo was faster, even outpacing its Invisibility…
RRRIP~
Crunch landed!
"FROSSS~LAAH!"
A scream rang out as Sharpedo had already circled behind it, launching a backward-spinning attack once again.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
RIP…
BOOOM!
Crunch hit.
Will-O-Wisp also connected at close range!
It was Fujin's second command of the entire battle, and it instantly halved Sharpedo's Attack, slashing its threat level dramatically.
But this was the time to go all in. Sato didn't hesitate and gave the next command.
"AGAIN, Crunch!"
"SHAR!"
"Awaken…"
RIP!
This time, Fujin didn't even get the chance to give a command. Froslass was struck again.
Even though it was a Champion Pokémon, after taking so many consecutive super-effective hits, it finally couldn't hold on.
Froslass… fell.
But then, two red rings suddenly flew from the circling pattern in its eyes, drilling precisely into Sharpedo's.
Thud…
Sharpedo collapsed.
Move: Destiny Bond!
Seeing that Froslass really did drag Sharpedo down with it, Serperior stopped idling and swiftly took out Garchomp with a single Dragon Tail.
Zoroark, despite having Umbreon's enhanced defenses, was still too far from matching a Pokémon like Weavile with a similar style.
And with that, the battle ended!
Sato and Cynthia: wiped out.
Fujin: lost only Froslass.
But the MVP of the match was undeniably the one who went down with Froslass…
Sharpedo!