Dragon Breath raged forth, striking Sceptile's relatively soft and vulnerable abdomen, interrupting its close-range Dragon Claw attack.
But as an experienced Elite Four level Pokémon, Sceptile's reflexes were nothing short of exceptional.
Twist, tail whip, horizontal sweep…
A set of attacks not even considered proper moves, yet they effortlessly knocked Middy's head sideways, forcibly cutting off Dragon Breath as well.
"Hy!"
"Gon…"
But Lefty and Righty had already prepared their attacks. Fire Blast from above and Earth Power from below, completely sealing off Sceptile's escape route.
But this was Sceptile, one of the rare Speed-Offense specialists among Grass-types.
Agility!
With a few lingering afterimages left behind, Sceptile had already returned safely to its designated field area.
RUMBLE… RUMBLE… RUMBLE…
Fire Blast and Earth Power collided at center field, stirring up a massive cloud of dust; but it had no effect whatsoever.
Worse yet, under the cover of the dust, Sceptile launched another unrestrained assault against Hydreigon!
Successive Leaf Blades.
Green light shimmered, spinning and leaping around Hydreigon while slashing with blade after blade of light.
"Hyper Voice."
Sato's command was short, but in his heart he silently began a countdown.
'2'
"""Hy! DREI! GOOOON!""" x3
Lefty, Righty, and Middy all roared simultaneously. Visible sound waves rippled and merged, spreading out uniformly across the entire battlefield!
Sceptile's attack halted instantly, forcefully suppressed by the Hyper Voice and driven back to the battlefield's edge!
"Bullet Seed!"
"Tile!"
Sceptile covered its ears, unable to get close, but opened its mouth and fired off Bullet Seed anyway.
Hyper Voice, after all, was just soundwaves, it had no way of stopping Bullet Seed.
Pup-pup-pup-pup-pup!
Five rapid shots in a row!
Sato's brow furrowed slightly. It was obvious that Sceptile's Bullet Seed had undergone specific training. He didn't believe Sen's luck could be that good.
Fortunately, Grass-type moves weren't particularly effective against Hydreigon. Even taking five consecutive hits, the damage was still bearable.
At the same time, Sato silently counted, '1'.
"Rock Tomb."
"Bullet Seed!"
Lefty and Righty kept roaring fiercely as if nothing had happened, while Middy suddenly lowered its head, eyes flashing red as it channeled its internal energy.
Pup-pup-pup-pup-pup!
Another five direct hits; the power of Bullet Seed now rivaled even powerful moves like Solar Beam.
Clear pain appeared on the faces of Lefty, Righty, and Middy, but they endured it through sheer force of will.
In the next instant, Middy's Rock Tomb activated, and a series of rocky cages suddenly rose across the battlefield.
Target: Sceptile… and Stealth Rock!
Rapid Spin was the best move to "clear hazards," but none of the Pokémon Sato planned to use knew that move.
And Hydreigon was already the one Pokémon in his lineup least affected by dual-layer hazards. So from the very moment it entered the field, clearing the spikes and rocks had been its mission!
Previously, Earth Power had already swept Spikes underground.
Now, Rock Tomb sealed and destroyed all the Stealth Rocks as well.
And best of all, "five" turns had passed -Gravity had dissipated- and Hydreigon was once again airborne!
Sato exhaled a long breath from his chest, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
'This battle… was just getting started!'
"Fire Blast•Heat Wave•Draco Meteor!"
A barrage of commands echoed out, and Lefty, Righty, and Middy each took up a move, launching into a relentless, costless bombardment!
Fire Blast launched first, immediately followed by overlapping Heat Wave, instantly boosting Fire Blast's power by half.
Finally, Draco Meteor was cast into the center of the Fire Blast, wrapping all the flames and rising into the sky!
Fswoooosh~ ...BOOOOOOOM!!!
Draco Meteor exploded, tearing Fire Blast apart. Meteor bombs engulfed in searing flames fell from above, covering the entire battlefield!
Hydreigon's solo combination move: [Meteor Flame Shower]!
In the audience stands, everyone stared blankly at the scene that resembled a natural disaster, unable to believe this had been unleashed by the Hydreigon that was just moments ago being suppressed.
The rumbling never ceased. The dense barrage of flaming meteors nearly filled the entire battlefield, making it impossible to see any trace of Sceptile.
Elite Four Sen's expression was equally grave. Hydreigon's explosive firepower far exceeded his expectations.
This "[Meteor Flame Shower]" had never been revealed before, so even he wasn't sure whether Sceptile could withstand it.
The explosions continued for a full two minutes before finally subsiding. Amid the thick smoke, there was still no movement.
Hydreigon didn't hold back either. It used Heat Wave once more to blow the smoke away with a loud whoosh.
On the battlefield, now riddled with craters, Sceptile was half-kneeling beside a pit, seemingly just having crawled out of it.
Its breathing was heavy, red and black patches covered its body; clear signs of damage caused by [Meteor Flame Shower].
But Sceptile had survived!
At the moment the meteor shower descended, Sceptile had taken the initiative to use Detect, and with its terrifying speed and explosive power, it dodged the majority of the direct impact.
Unfortunately, the shockwaves and scorching temperatures from the explosion still tormented its Grass-type body. Even with Detect, it couldn't avoid that kind of damage.
In the next moment, Sceptile moved again!
The same Agility opening. Its explosive power was so immense that even when facing the airborne Hydreigon, it showed no fear.
With a powerful push from its legs, Sceptile leapt, arriving right in front of Hydreigon in an instant.
Suddenly, a faint green light shimmered over Sceptile's entire body; the Ability Overgrow had activated!
"Frenzy Plant!"
'No way to dodge…'
Sato calculated silently. He knew [Meteor Flame Shower] had drained a massive amount of Hydreigon's stamina and focus.
And this was already the third time Sceptile used Agility, evading was completely out of the question.
Hydreigon realized it too. Without hesitation, the three heads chose to face it head-on!
Dragon Rush!
Bluish-purple energy engulfed Hydreigon's entire body. Lefty, Righty, and Middy were of one mind, charging forward without hesitation toward Sceptile.
Frenzy Plant extended outward from Sceptile's massive tail, surging all at once toward Hydreigon.
To the spectators, it looked as though Sceptile's tail had bloomed, then twisted back, wrapping itself and Hydreigon in one massive tangle.
Intense energy waves faintly radiated from the gaps, but they never managed to break through Frenzy Plant's bindings.
At last, the critical point was reached. The expected explosion never came; instead, Frenzy Plant snapped apart piece by piece, then vanished without a trace.
Two dull thuds echoed across the field as both Hydreigon and Sceptile crashed heavily to the ground, no longer moving.
"Hydreigon and Sceptile are both unable to battle. Both Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Mutual elimination!
Unexpected.
Yet somehow perfectly fitting.
But when the audience looked up at the screen, they suddenly realized. Elite Four Sato had only lost two Pokémon.
While Elite Four Sen… had already lost more than half!