The first exchange had mixed results. Mega Metagross had shown off the raw physical might of a pseudo-legendary; its four steel arms were like an upgraded version of living weapons.
But Mega Absol's attack power stunned the crowd as well. Every strike it delivered with its crescent blade carried intense slicing force.
If not for Mega Metagross's Steel typing, that Night Slash earlier would've made it suffer for sure.
After probing each other's strength, the two clashed again. But this time, neither rushed in blindly.
"Metagross, Gravity!" "Absol, Swords Dance."
The commands were issued simultaneously. Mega Absol reacted faster, its whole body flashing red as it began buffing itself.
Mega Metagross was a beat slower, but Gravity took very little time to activate. As soon as it took effect, Mega Absol's body visibly sank under the added force.
Sato furrowed his brows…
Something was off!
Sure enough, as soon as Mega Metagross activated Gravity, it launched its attack.
Hammer Arm… Quad Combo!
Compared to the basic Bullet Punch, Hammer Arm was undoubtedly more powerful, but it had the drawback of reducing the user's speed, which made it much less practical.
But now, with Mega Absol suppressed under Gravity, the biggest problem wasn't speed; it was reaction time!
Seeing Hammer Arm slam toward it, Mega Absol realized it needed to dodge, but its body clearly lagged behind.
"Iron Tail, defend."
At the crucial moment, Sato offered another solution!
In a flash of silver, Hammer Arm collided violently with Iron Tail. The rushed Iron Tail wasn't as strong, but Mega Absol used the recoil to pull away!
"Metagross, Hammer Arm again!"
"Dark Pulse, create distance."
Close combat required lightning-fast reactions, and under Gravity, Mega Absol was clearly at a disadvantage.
If that's the case, then adjust to the Gravity first.
Dark Pulse spread wide across the field, successfully holding back the aggressive Mega Metagross.
Perhaps out of frustration, Mega Metagross slammed a Hammer Arm into the ground even though it couldn't reach Mega Absol.
'Was it really frustration…?'
Sato's mind raced, trying to guess what Masaki was planning.
On the other side, Mega Metagross continued hammering with Hammer Arm, even though it kept getting slower!
That's it! 'Mega Metagross wanted to slow itself down!'
"Absol, Night Slash."
"Sol!"
Mega Absol, who had been forced into defense the entire time, suddenly launched a counterattack. With Mega Metagross now slowed, it couldn't dodge in time.
But neither Masaki nor Mega Metagross looked panicked, in fact, they seemed a little excited.
Zzzzt!
"Meta-AH!"
Night Slash struck Mega Metagross hard. The Dark-type energy brought searing pain, making it cry out involuntarily.
Clearly, the damage wasn't low!
"Hang in there! USE GYRO BALL!"
With Masaki's command, the full strategy was finally revealed.
First, restrict the opponent with Gravity. Then, apply heavy pressure with Hammer Arm so the opponent has no choice but to evade.
If Hammer Arm hit, great. If not, it still served to slow Mega Metagross down.
Because Mega Metagross's true finishing move was never Hammer Arm!
It was…
Gyro Ball! The slower the user compared to its target, the greater its power. At max strength, it could rival Giga Impact.
Moreover, Mega Metagross was using all four of its steel arms to execute Hammer Arm, so it slowed down even faster than Pokémon with only two.
But once Sato understood Masaki's tactic, he actually relaxed.
The moment Masaki shouted the command "Gyro Ball," Sato gave a command at the same time: "Absol, Psych Up."
Psych Up: strongly "convinces" oneself and copies the target's stat changes.
Whatever speed Mega Metagross lost… Mega Absol copied the same drop.
True Dimensional Suppression!
By now, Mega Metagross had transformed into a giant blue gyro with silver trim, spinning violently toward Mega Absol.
Gyro Ball wasn't slow at all when launched, but as Psych Up gradually took effect, the speed of Mega Metagross's Gyro Ball visibly decreased.
In the end, when Mega Metagross reached Mega Absol, it could barely keep spinning…
"Again. Night Slash."
Sato gave the command calmly, and Mega Absol attacked just as calmly.
Night Slash struck cleanly once again. Mega Metagross staggered backward in pain, and even its high IQ couldn't process what had just happened!
Masaki… was no different.
Still, Mega Metagross was a pseudo-legendary. Even after being hit hard by Night Slash twice, it still didn't fall.
Masaki gritted his teeth. After all that setup, to have his strategy so easily countered… it was hard for anyone to accept.
But his "greatest" strength was his ability to regulate his emotions. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be battling after a 5-0 score.
That plan failed, so Masaki quickly came up with another way to turn things around.
"Metagross, use Miracle Eye!"
Sato: Haah…
'So… people still don't know that Mega Absol's Ability is Magic Bounce?'
Magic Bounce makes the user immune to status moves from the opponent and reflects them instead, and Miracle Eye is a status move.
The dazzling rainbow light of Miracle Eye hit Mega Absol's body… only to bounce back effortlessly off a mirror-like barrier.
The blinding light forced Mega Metagross to squint, and in that daze, it heard another command from the opposing Trainer…
"Night Slash."
Masaki didn't even need to say anything. Mega Metagross instinctively used Psychic…
In its mind, once Miracle Eye landed, Dark-types could no longer resist Psychic attacks!
A wave of deep purple Psychic energy surged forward, but Mega Absol didn't dodge. Using the wings it gained through Mega Evolution, it accelerated straight at Mega Metagross.
The third Night Slash… landed again!
Shnk…~
"Metagross lost the ability to battle. Absol wins! Since all six of Trainer Masaki's Pokémon have been defeated, the winner of this battle is… Yuga, SATO!"
The battle ended. Absol ran back excitedly, even showing a rare gesture of wanting to be praised!
Sato chuckled, seizing the chance to vigorously rub its head…
"Well done~"
Feeling the warmth from Sato's palm, Absol suddenly came back to its senses!
It quickly shook his hand off, held its head high, and stood to the side with an expression that said… 'Just because I won doesn't mean you can pet me… hn.'
Smiling silently, Sato looked around at the cheering, applauding crowd, then nodded slightly in response.
And with that one simple gesture… the audience erupted into even louder cheers and roars!
At that moment, a single thought seemed to echo in everyone's hearts…
'The "Dark King" of Sinnoh, Sato… is truly back!'