Once one side loses three Pokémon, a full battle officially enters the second half, with a 10-minute break in between.
Sato and Sen returned to their respective resting room, quietly contemplating tactics for the second half of the match.
The 10 minutes passed in a flash; many spectators didn't even have time to use the restroom before the battle resumed.
Sato and Sen returned to the stage. The fighting spirit in their eyes had not diminished; if anything, it had grown stronger.
"Both Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
As the referee swung down both flags, Sato and Sen each threw out two Poké Balls.
Red light flashed, and two small, delicate Pokémon appeared on the newly expanded battlefield.
Completely black, with softly glowing yellow rings across its body. The beautiful and aloof Umbreon.
Pure white, with a green mohawk-like tuft and large white ears resembling wings. Petite, yet strikingly cool…
Shaymin Sky Form!
"…A Mythical Pokémon?"
Sato raised an eyebrow, inwardly astonished. While Shaymin was one of the most commonly sighted Mythical Pokémon, it was still a Mythical Pokémon all the same.
Let alone the fact that this one was in Sky Form!
◓---
In Blackthorn City, Lance and Clair were watching the live broadcast of the Elite Four Tournament match between Sato and Sen with intense focus.
"Shaymin… isn't that a Mythical Pokémon from the Sinnoh region? Pretty impressive of Elite Four Sen to have caught one," Clair remarked with a bit of admiration.
Lance, on the other hand, spoke calmly: "They're called Mythical Pokémon because of their unique abilities, not their combat power.
A weak Mythical… couldn't even beat a Ratta..."
The next second, Lance fell silent, stunned as he watched Shaymin on screen launch a ferocious assault on Umbreon.
"Glup… this Shaymin's… got something going on!" Lance gulped quietly, already pondering how he'd counter Sen if they were to battle.
---◓
Back on the battlefield, the black-yellow and white-green Pokémon were clashing intensely. But from start to finish, it was Umbreon being driven back!
"Shaymin, Seed Flare!"
"Shay~!"
A cute voice rang out, but it was followed by a powerful Seed Flare!
Umbreon was fast, but still no match for Sky Form Shaymin.
And Seed Flare was an area-effect move; once the flash went off, the only difference was in how much damage it caused and how blinding it was.
Unfortunately, for the nocturnal Umbreon, such light was instinctively repulsive.
{-Toxic.-}
"Umbreee!"
Hit again by Seed Flare, Umbreon resisted as best it could but still heard Sato's command. At the same time, Shaymin's position appeared in its mind.
An advanced version of synchronized resonance. No longer limited to simple move instructions, but now capable of transmitting thoughts and awareness.
Without a second thought, Umbreon arched its body, and Toxic needles hidden within its back fur shot out wildly!
"SH-SHAAAAY!"
A sharp cry rang out. Toxic had landed a direct hit on Shaymin, finally forcing its offensive to slow.
"Safeguard!" "Taunt."
The next second, Sen and Sato's commands rang out simultaneously!
But it was Sato who had made the successful prediction.
Just as the golden-green Safeguard lit up around Shaymin, Umbreon launched a Taunt.
Safeguard's glow instantly dissipated, and Shaymin, once again wracked by Toxic's pain, grew both anxious and furious!
"In that case, use Facade!"
"Substitute!"
On the other side, Sato cautiously deployed a Toxic•Protect•Substitute tactic, aiming to find an opportunity to use Wish.
The blazing-red Shaymin smashed through the Substitute in front of Umbreon.
Toxic took effect!
A flicker of pain flashed across Shaymin's face, but it immediately charged at Umbreon again!
"Protect!" "Wrap it up, Giga Drain!"
"Umbre!"
Umbreon calmly raised a Protect energy shield, only to be immediately wrapped in several green energy tendrils!
However, the tendrils didn't attack further, they merely maintained their grip, waiting for the Protect barrier to vanish!
Sato thought to himself, 'As expected, Toxic•Protect•Substitute strategies were far too easy to see through and counter in Elite Four matches!'
Once the impenetrable Protect energy shield faded, the coiled energy tendrils struck all at once, binding Umbreon tightly.
Giga Drain!
A sense of weakness crept in relentlessly. Umbreon could feel its internal energy being drained rapidly.
"Payback!"
"Umbreee~!"
Even as Giga Drain continued, Umbreon refused to back down, turning its pent-up frustration from being attacked into a powerful counterstrike!
Payback struck Shaymin, and at the same time, Toxic's torment flared up once more.
For a Mythical Pokémon -one favored by the world and rarely ever hurt- the pain brought another sharp cry.
Yet even then, Giga Drain didn't stop. Shaymin's resolve was surprisingly strong.
"Facade!"
"Sha!"
"Payback."
"Umbre!"
Both sides struck again simultaneously, and this time, neither Umbreon nor Shaymin could hold on.
Ultimately, Shaymin's higher offensive power caused Umbreon to fall first.
But just as Shaymin collapsed, it instinctively recalled the tactics Sen had assigned it.
By then, Taunt had already worn off.
A warm pink glow lit up on Shaymin's body, then transformed into a luminous orb.
The orb floated gently over the battlefield. Warm and radiant.
"Umbreon and Shaymin are both unable to battle. Both Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!"
In the audience stands…
◓---
"Another mutual knockout!"
"This is intense… but what was that glowing orb at the end?"
"Elite Four Sen and Elite Four Sato are both so cool~ Ugh, how do I choose which one to marry?"
"You're thinking about peaches!"
"…"
Joseph silently watched the bizarre scene on the field, a theory already forming in his mind.
"Joseph, just now… was that…?" Sina couldn't help but ask.
"The strongest healing move… Healing Wish," Joseph said in a low voice.
---◓
"…Healing Wish? That's tough to deal with," Sato murmured, pressing his lips together as he recalled Umbreon into its Poké Ball.
"Sato, looks like your advantage ends here!" Elite Four Sen said with a smile, then took the initiative to send out his next Pokémon.
Red light flashed! The Ferrothorn that had been one-shot by Fire Blast earlier was back on the field.
At the moment, Ferrothorn had only just barely regained consciousness through its natural healing ability.
But in the next second, the pink orb left behind by Shaymin suddenly flew into Ferrothorn's body.
Bathed in light, Ferrothorn's wounds healed rapidly before everyone's eyes.
In just a moment, a fully refreshed, seemingly untouched Ferrothorn stood before them once more!
"Healing Wish… sacrificing oneself to fully restore the next Pokémon's stamina and cure all status conditions!"