Waves of water roared past. With its incredibly slow Speed, Probopass had no chance of dodging.
"Protect!"
Without much hesitation, Masaki immediately gave the life-saving command. But upon seeing Protect, Absol's eyes actually lit up with excitement.
Feint… a direct counter to moves like Protect!
Before Probopass's green energy shield could fully form, Absol broke straight through it with Feint.
Thanks to its Speed advantage, Absol made the correct move before Sato even issued a command…
Superpower!
Absol's agile form glowed red, muscles bulging beneath its white fur.
It gathered all its power into its right front paw, then struck Probopass's big red nose with all its might!
Being a Steel/Rock-type, Probopass's body was incredibly solid. But it was precisely that hardness that made it brittle under the right pressure.
And under a quadruple weakness to Fighting-type moves -combined with the overwhelming power of Superpower- even its terrifying physical Defense couldn't hold up.
CLAAAANG!
C-Crack- Crack…
A deafening blow rang through the arena, so loud that nearby spectators covered their ears, faces grimacing in pain.
On the battlefield, cracks spread like spiderwebs across Probopass's red nose, and it collapsed quietly to the ground.
As expected, Probopass was down. Masaki was left with just one Pokémon.
A flash of red light. The heavily damaged Probopass was recalled, and Masaki quickly handed the Poké Ball to the medical staff for immediate treatment.
As he walked back to the command zone from the edge of the battlefield -just a few dozen meters- Masaki had no idea how he got there.
The current Ace Tournament Champion… was being completely crushed by a former champion.
From any perspective, it was headline material.
But by the time Masaki returned to his position, he had already forced himself to adjust his mindset.
'AT THE VERY LEAST…! At the very least… defeat one of his Pokémon!'
"…Metagross, I'm counting on you!"
A flash of red light, and a deep-blue, steel crab-like Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. The aura of a High Ace pseudo-legendary instantly put Absol on full alert.
This one was tough!
Sato raised his eyebrows. He clearly hadn't expected Masaki to hold back such a powerful Pokémon until the end.
But thinking it over, based on the quality of Masaki's previous five Pokémon, he truly didn't seem worthy of the Ace Tournament Champion title…
'This Masaki… was most likely a "1+5" type of Trainer.'
◓---
So-called "1+5" referred to pouring the majority of resources into a single Pokémon, training it into an overwhelming ace. The other five, while not just filler, were relatively average and lacked standout traits.
Later on, such Trainers would build an entire tactical/battle system centered around that ace Pokémon.
In many spectators' eyes, Cynthia was a "1+5" type of Trainer, with Garchomp as her undisputed ace.
But Sato, who knew her well, understood that while Garchomp was Cynthia's strongest Pokémon, every member of her main lineup could easily carry a match on their own.
---◓
Masaki was still "too young" to build a complete tactical system around Metagross.
But without question, this Metagross was no pushover!
And now… Masaki had revealed the Key Stone bracelet on his wrist.
"METAGROSS, MEGA EVOLUTION!"
A burst of multicolored light flared. Both Metagross and Masaki were instantly engulfed by the glow of Mega Evolution.
In just about three seconds, the previously horizontal Metagross stood upright. Its four massive steel claws grew thicker, longer, and more flexible.
Sato frowned as he watched the scene unfold; there was no doubt Metagross's power had already reached the Peak Ace level.
Absol had grown a great deal, but it still wasn't absurd enough to leap across two full levels in just three years.
Still, it's just Mega Evolution. It's not like he didn't have it too…
"Hmm… Absol."
"Sol~SOL!"
Absol responded excitedly, locking eyes with Sato, eyes burning with fighting spirit!
"Mega Evolution!"
Multicolored light burst forth once more; this time enveloping Sato and Absol.
Unlike Metagross's drastic transformation, Absol's Mega Evolution seemed to add just a pair of gliding wings.
Looking closer, the crescent blade on its head had grown larger, and the bangs that used to cover one-third of its face now covered half.
But without question, Mega Evolution had given both Pokémon a huge power-up in a short amount of time.
In and outside the arena, the crowd was just as fired up by the appearance of Mega Evolution.
Even if the outcome was already obvious, it didn't stop them from enjoying an even more spectacular "Mega" battle.
And so, under the excited, eager eyes of the crowd, the battle resumed!
Mega Metagross couldn't wait any longer. The moment the referee's flag came down, it shot toward Mega Absol with bullet-like speed.
Bullet Punch… Quad Combo!
Mega Metagross swung all four of its massive steel claws, slamming down hard on Mega Absol. Its large but agile body pinned Absol beneath it, giving it no chance to escape.
{Me First.}
At the critical moment, Sato's command was instantly transmitted to Mega Absol through their synchronized resonance.
"SOL!"
Sensing Mega Metagross pressing down from above, Mega Absol zeroed in on one of its metal arms and drove its crescent blade directly into it.
Four steel arms were incredibly powerful. But because it had four, Mega Metagross couldn't focus all its power into just one.
And that's exactly where Mega Absol excelled!
One-fourth of Mega Metagross's power versus Mega Absol's full-force blow, amplified by the nature of Me First.
Absol forcefully broke through Metagross's hold and escaped!
"Night Slash."
"Sol!"
Just as it "broke free", Mega Absol didn't even think about retreating. It specialized in physical attacks too.
Mega Absol whipped around sharply. The crescent blade on its head was now coated in dense Dark-type energy as it slashed ferociously at Mega Metagross!
"Meteor Mash, counter it!"
DUANNNG~
Meteor Mash collided with Night Slash head-on. Thanks to type advantage and superior Attack power, Mega Absol forced Mega Metagross into a backward retreat.
But Mega Absol had only one crescent blade… and Mega Metagross had four giant steel arms!
Seeing it couldn't hold the clash, Metagross didn't hesitate; it swung its most convenient arm straight at Absol.
With the weight and hardness of its steel arm, even without a move, it could deal significant damage to Absol.
Helpless, Mega Absol leapt backward to dodge the blow.