Sato's commands were quite standard. Weavile moved to the rear and used Swords Dance to boost its attack power.
Sharpedo charged forward, raising a towering wave, while Ariados's Toxic mixed into the Surf and surged directly toward the three opposing Pokémon.
The combination of Toxic and Surf could barely count as a combo move. Not only could it strike all enemy Pokémon, but it also blocked their line of sight, shielding Weavile; a decent opening tactic.
The other side, however, was completely different. Electrode and Golem turned into two rolling spheres, rapidly heading straight for Sharpedo's group.
Then Venusaur made its move. It extended two thick Vine Whips; not to attack the enemy, but to lash at Golem and Electrode.
Pa!
Pa!
Two crisp whipping sounds rang out. Sato stared wide-eyed as the two spheres were sent flying.
It wasn't surprising for Electrode to be knocked airborne, but Golem weighed over 300 kilograms. And yet, just like that, it flew.
No respect for Groudon at all!¹
Also, even though Vine Whip wasn't a strong move, Golem had a quadruple weakness to Grass. Just one hit might have already left it half-dead.
'Half-dead?'
Sato's eyes flashed with a trace of calculation as he watched Golem fly past the wave of Toxic and Surf.
The Toxic and Surf attack struck Venusaur, but Water-type moves were only normally effective against it, and Ariados's Toxic did nothing to Venusaur.
On the other side, Golem and Electrode had already broken into Sato's team formation; Electrode going after Sharpedo, Golem charging toward Weavile.
"Ariados, Sticky Web to intercept Golem- Weavile, Ice Shard on Electrode- Sharpedo, prepare Skull Bash!"
"Venusaur, Petal Blizzard on Sharpedo!"
All the Pokémon sprang into action. Weavile, the fastest, jumped aside from Golem and turned to attack Electrode instead.
However, Electrode's Rollout suddenly swerved, colliding directly with Weavile's Ice Shard. Despite taking significant damage, it still barreled hard into Weavile.
At the same time, Sharpedo launched into the air, both dodging potential follow-up attacks and preparing Skull Bash.
Ariados had already cast Sticky Web, draping it repeatedly over Golem, slowing it down bit by bit.
Whether by coincidence or not, Golem seemed enraged by Ariados and gave up on the already-out-of-reach Weavile, rolling toward Ariados instead.
Its massive bulk made Ariados's tough webs snap like twigs with loud cracks.
Electrode was no slower than Weavile. Its Rollout slammed hard into Weavile.
Even though Weavile reduced the damage with a block, it was still knocked flying straight in the direction of Ariados.
At that moment, Venusaur's Petal Blizzard arrived. A shower of petals crossed most of the battlefield and engulfed the area around Ariados, completely obscuring everyone's vision.
Just before that, Golem and Weavile had nearly reached Ariados's side, but now, nothing could be seen.
The next commands from both Trainers rang out simultaneously.
"EXPLOSION!"
"PROTECT!"
BOOOOM!
The terrifying blast made the ground tremble slightly beneath the spectators' feet, and the explosion echoed deafeningly around the circular arena.
There it was… Abell's Explosion strategy!
Outside the arena, many spectators hadn't heard Sato's command. The moment the explosion happened, they were already cheering.
To them, Weavile and Ariados were guaranteed to lose; whether they could even leave the stage in one piece was uncertain.
Mark clutched Joseph's arm tightly, his face pale, completely speechless.
"Calm down. Look at Sato's reaction, he's not panicked at all," Joseph said firmly, shaking Mark, who was clearly overwhelmed by worry.
In terms of tactical thinking, Joseph had never seen anyone better than Sato.
Amid the noisy crowd, a dark shadow and a poisoned web suddenly burst out from the explosion smoke.
It was Weavile!
The Sticky Web instantly trapped the unprepared Electrode, and the shadow flashed straight to Venusaur's side.
Ice Punch!
The massive Venusaur was knocked flat to the ground with a single Ice Punch.
Weavile's Ice Punch was boosted by Swords Dance, and its attack power was through the roof.
Meanwhile, Sharpedo had long since finished charging. Like a missile, it rocketed down from the sky.
Because of its incredible speed, Sharpedo's Skull Bash even gave off faint sparks as it flew.
Its target: Venusaur's weak spot.
The giant flower on its back.
BOOM!
The first wave of smoke hadn't even cleared before Venusaur was once again engulfed in clouds.
The spectators, now catching on, realized Golem's Explosion hadn't hit Weavile or Ariados at all.
Instead, Sato had completely caught Abell off guard.
In a "real" battle, there's no room for mercy. If a move like Explosion -explicitly banned in official matches- was allowed here, then Sato had no reason to hold back.
On the other side, no matter how fast Electrode was, there was no escaping Ariados's poisoned Sticky Web, unless it had Golem's mass.
Pfft!
The Toxic kicked in. Already poisoned, Electrode's condition worsened visibly as its body became covered in spreading blotches.
When the battlefield smoke finally cleared, all three of Abell's Pokémon had lost the ability to fight.
Golem had self-destructed with Explosion, lying in a giant crater, leaving behind a pitch-black stone orb.
Venusaur's flower had been completely broken off by Skull Bash; now a true withered and shattered blossom.
Even with Grass-type Pokémon's strong recovery abilities, such terrifying injuries wouldn't heal anytime soon. And this was out at sea, the medical conditions here couldn't compare to a Pokémon Center.
Electrode lay in the pool of poison, still occasionally twitching despite being knocked out; the toxins were still ravaging its body.
In the blink of an eye, Abell's three Pokémon had all been defeated, each in a more horrific state than the last, causing many in the crowd to gulp nervously.
'Oh my god, I want to go home. This guy's too brutal!'
After the referee declared the match over, Sato tossed a vial of Antidote to the pale-faced Abell, recalled Sharpedo and the others back into their Poké Balls, and left the field without fanfare.
Only then did the spectator stands erupt in thunderous applause and shouting. They still didn't know Sato's name, so their chant was unified:
"Sixty-six! 666! Sixty-six! 666..."
Sato pursed his lips.
'What a terrible line!'
Outside the arena, Mark and Joseph remained silent. Perhaps because they'd been with Sato for so long, they'd come to see him as cold but kind-hearted and fiercely loyal to his companions.
…But after what he did today, the two of them were reminded once again of the stories Sato had once told them… the ones about what he had been through.
.
.
.
¹.Can't Fly…