"Yes! Ariados didn't go down! That gives Boss a clear advantage now!"
Up in the stands, Mark was so excited he was waving his arms around. Even if the rest of the match was a draw, Ariados's survival alone was enough for Sato to secure the win.
Next to him, Joseph didn't look so optimistic. He shook his head and said, "You didn't look at the pre-match data Sosuke gathered for Sato, did you?"
"I-I… did… maybe?" Mark scratched his head awkwardly. He had been too hyped to sleep last night and ended up gaming until late.
"According to previous match records, Elite Four Sen's two strongest Pokémon haven't come out yet. One is his Starter Pokémon, and the other is his ace finisher," Sina quietly added, pretending not to notice Joseph signaling him to stop talking.
"Yeah, so the rest of the match won't be easy either," Joseph nodded, silently adding in his heart: 'But your aces haven't shown up either… Sato.'
---◓---
On the battlefield, Sen and Sato had simultaneously sent out their fifth Pokémon.
Fire/Dark-type 🔥🌑 Houndoom!
Grass/Poison-type 🌿🟣 Roserade!
A glint of light flashed through Sen's eyes. The opponent he had feared most before the match was Sato's Houndoom; which was why he had developed several counter-strategies specifically for it.
The dual-layer hazard tactic was one such strategy. And Roserade had her own role to play.
On the other side, Sato showed no visible reaction upon seeing Roserade. He had already more or less guessed what Sen's last Pokémon would be.
The threat of the dual-layer hazards had prevented him from sending Houndoom early. Now… it was already a bit late.
After all, whether it was against the Roserade before him or what would come next…
"The match continues!" The referee's voice cut off their thoughts, and both Trainers quickly focused and issued commands.
"Water Sport!"
"Taunt."
Almost simultaneously, Roserade and Houndoom both sprang into action. But on closer observation, it was clear that Roserade had acted on its own even before Sen had finished giving the command.
A spray of water droplets hit the ground, and the entire arena's air became noticeably more humid.
Water Sport: saturate the surroundings to reduce the power of Fire-type attacks by half!
And Houndoom's Taunt was just 0.25 seconds too slow, allowing Water Sport to take effect first.
"Roserade, Weather Ball!"
On the other side, Sen gave the follow-up command, and a Water-type Weather Ball the size of a tire was already fully formed. It was hurled violently forward!
◓---
"A Water-type Weather Ball? How?!" Sina in the audience blurted out. Roserade had only used Water Sport!
Joseph was about to explain but got interrupted by Mark.
"Let me explain! Let me explain! Let me explain!"
Mark cleared his throat dramatically and said with pride, "Roserade. Elite Four Sen's strongest ace on the surface. There's… some Pokémon Professor who claimed that Roserade's talent for sensing energy is comparable to that of Mythical Pokémon!
So even just a bit of Water Sport energy is enough for Roserade to change Weather Ball's type! Right?!"
"…Hmm? How do you know that?" Joseph looked at Mark in surprise.
"Heh-heh~ among us Elite Four candidates, plenty of people want to replace the current Elite Four. I've heard a lot and memorized a bunch by now."
"Then they must have studied the Leader too. What do they say?" Sina grew curious and leaned in to ask.
Mark immediately shook his head furiously, claiming he knew nothing.
…Could he admit he got tricked by a few female Trainers and almost leaked his boss's Pokémon info?
No way. What kind of topknot Trainer would admit to something like that…?
NOT MARK!
"Stop chatting. Sato's starting his counterattack!" Joseph suddenly reminded them, and both Mark and Sina immediately fell silent, turning their eyes back to the battlefield.
---◓
At that moment, Houndoom had already dodged four consecutive Weather Balls from Roserade, and the entire field had become increasingly soaked.
But within the dampness… there was something hot.
"Inferno."
It was the fourth Inferno attack in a row. Houndoom didn't even care if it hit Roserade; instead, it deliberately launched a blast in every direction.
The temperature skyrocketed. Hot and wet!
Roserade's face flushed red, even its breathing became strained. For the first time, it wanted to escape from a water-soaked battlefield.
"Roserade, Sludge Bomb!"
Finally, Sen changed the command, no longer asking Roserade to use "Water-type" moves; he was honestly afraid it might collapse from heatstroke.
On the other side, Houndoom wasn't doing great either. Being in such a humid environment was even worse than swimming for it.
But once it noticed Roserade was also suffering, Houndoom found motivation.
'If I'm uncomfortable, you're not getting off easy either. Let's see who endures longer!'
"Dark Pulse!"
Sato's command rang out, and Houndoom executed without hesitation. The Dark Pulse burst out and clashed with Sludge Bomb midair, cancelling each other and triggering another dense cloud of smoke.
Smoke + Mist. The whole field became hazy, and Houndoom quickly vanished into it.
Seeing this, Roserade felt like it'd just hoisted a rock to smash its own foot.
"Roserade, Cotton Spore!"
"Rose!"
Without hesitation, Roserade flung a massive amount of Cotton Spore into the air around it.
The first wave of Cotton Spore immediately began absorbing the moisture from the air, carrying away much of the heat as well.
"Roooose~Rade!"
Feeling the surrounding temperature drop rapidly, Roserade couldn't help but let out a sound of pure relief.
The remaining floating Cotton Spore lingered in the air, vastly extending Roserade's sensory range, allowing it to preemptively detect any incoming attacks.
Not to mention, Houndoom was still suffering from the oppressive humidity!
With that thought, Roserade even smiled in delight.
"Inferno!"
Suddenly, a purple-red fireball dropped from the sky, landing right where Roserade stood.
A trace of panic flashed in Roserade's eyes.
But in the next moment, it manipulated the soaked Cotton Spore and sent them whooshing toward the incoming Inferno flame.
Soaked Cotton Spore couldn't possibly catch fire. The resulting steam once again disrupted Inferno's spread!
A flicker of pride flashed through Roserade's eyes, but then it caught a glimpse of Houndoom already standing beside it.
'…When?'
"Feint Attack!"
"GRAB IT. GIGA DRAIN!"
This time, Roserade was a half-beat too slow. The Feint Attack, nearly impossible to block or dodge, struck it hard.
The sharp pain made Roserade flinch again. As it turned to unleash Giga Drain's energy vines, Houndoom had already retreated back into the mist.
"Roserade, spread Cotton Spore across the entire field. Let's end this head-on!"
"Rose!"
In the mist, Houndoom's strength clearly outmatched Roserade, who specialized in stealth and ambush.
Elite Four Sen quickly realized this. Even though the water vapor had originally been his tactic, it now had to be dealt with fast!
Having your own ultimate strategy used against you… it really was frustrating!