Galen had practically handed Aaron a free shot.
Turning down an offer that generous would almost be rude.
"Gren..."
Greninja's normally half-lidded eyes sharpened.
Dark markings spread around their corners as its pupils narrowed into thin horizontal slits.
A pale glow enveloped its body.
Natural energy flowed toward Greninja from every direction, blending with its own power until its presence seemed to merge with the battlefield itself.
Sage Mode.
Sage Greninja.
"Grenin..."
Greninja gave a low cry.
A fierce wind suddenly whipped around its body.
The difference was immediate.
Its entire presence had changed.
BZZZZZZ—
Greninja calmly raised one hand toward the sky.
White-and-cyan energy began gathering above its palm.
More.
And more.
The piercing hum grew louder as the mass rapidly expanded.
Within seconds, a huge sphere of condensed energy had formed overhead.
Two enormous blades extended from either side.
They spun faster and faster, transforming the sphere into a gigantic shuriken of compressed wind.
Rasenshuriken.
The air around it screamed beneath the pressure.
Thin ripples appeared wherever the spinning blades passed, while loose stones began lifting from the ground and spiraling toward the technique.
...
The smile vanished from Galen's face.
Cold sweat immediately broke across his forehead.
What the hell?!
Wasn't this a little excessive?!
I gave you one free hit!
Why are you pulling out something like that?!
Are you trying to blow up the entire arena?!
In his head, Galen cursed Aaron, Greninja, and every terrible decision that had led him to this moment.
"Prrr...?"
Copperajah slowly turned its head toward him.
Its trunk lowered.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in its enormous eyes.
The look on its face practically screamed:
You seriously want me to stand here and take that?
If you want me dead, just say so.
This was not how you treated a Copperajah.
"Copperajah! What are you waiting for?!"
"Protect!"
Whatever pride Galen had left disappeared instantly.
"PRAAAH!"
Copperajah raised its trunk and trumpeted.
A brilliant barrier of energy formed around its massive body.
"Nin!"
Greninja moved.
It shot forward with the Rasenshuriken held above one hand, its body turning into a streak of black lightning.
"Grenin!"
Its eyes locked onto Copperajah.
Then Greninja drove the Rasenshuriken straight into Protect.
The result was immediate.
KRRRRK!
Cracks exploded across the barrier.
Copperajah's Protect held for less than a second.
Then—
CRASH!
The barrier shattered.
Fragments of light burst outward like broken glass.
Under the stunned eyes of everyone in the arena, Sage Art: Wind Release — Rasenshuriken tore straight through Protect.
And slammed into Copperajah.
"PRRRAAAH?!"
Copperajah's eyes widened in panic.
There was nowhere to run.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion shook the entire arena.
A massive blast of wind and compressed energy erupted from the point of impact.
The battlefield disappeared beneath a wall of dust.
Hurricane-force winds tore across the arena, ripping loose stones from the ground and hurling debris high into the air.
WHOooooSH!
Dust and sand spiraled upward into a violent vortex.
"Cough! Cough!"
Above the battlefield, Kenny covered his mouth with one arm while struggling to keep his balance on Pidgeot.
"Turn on the arena dust extractors!"
VRRRRRRRM!
The four industrial extractors around the stadium roared to life.
Thick smoke and dust were rapidly pulled out of the arena.
Slowly, the battlefield came back into view.
A collective gasp swept through the stands.
At the center of the field was a crater nearly three meters deep.
Copperajah lay at the bottom.
Its enormous body had collapsed against the shattered ground, its bronze hide covered in cuts and scorch marks.
Its eyes had already turned into spirals.
It was unable to battle.
Even with its Defense raised all the way to +6...
Copperajah had still gone down in a single attack.
Greninja had defeated four Pokémon by itself.
Galen had only two left.
For several seconds, no one in the arena said a word.
Everyone could only stare at Greninja.