"FLARE~"

Compared to Gengar, Flareon looked much smaller, and its cry wasn't intimidating in the slightest. But it was, undeniably, a proper Roar…

A flash of red light sent Gengar back into its Poké Ball.

Sato suddenly remembered. Gengar had been hiding in his shadow for so long, it hadn't entered a Poké Ball in ages.

Now that it had been "scared" back in by Flareon, he wondered what it must be thinking inside.

In the stands, the audience was left speechless by Flint's "strategy", unsure whether to be impressed or concerned.

After all, Roar was only a temporary measure. Gengar would eventually return to the field. Then what?

"Krookodile, it's your turn."

According to League regulations, if a Pokémon is forced off the field by moves like Roar or Whirlwind, its Trainer cannot immediately send it back out. They must switch in at least one other Pokémon first.

At the same time, Trainers are not allowed to use Roar or Whirlwind on the same Pokémon more than once consecutively.

And since Flareon was a Fire-type, Sato had no reason to stubbornly force Gengar to beat it.

Krookodile was also a strong counter to Fire-types, so Sato sent it out without hesitation.

"Battle continues!"

"Flareon, Flamethrower!"

"Sandstorm, Sand Tomb."

Flareon may have looked small, but it housed immense power. The flame it unleashed was no weaker than Magmortar's earlier blasts.

On the other side, Sato had Krookodile launch both moves at once. Sandstorm raged above while Sand Tomb churned below; within moments, the entire battlefield was engulfed.

The Sunny Day previously set up by Magmortar was instantly wiped away by the raging Sandstorm.

"Flaaare!"

Flareon cried out from within the sandstorm. Being so small, it was easily caught by the swirling sands and trapped within the Sand Tomb, unable to break free.

"USE FLAME WHEEL TO BREAK OUT!"

Flint immediately countered. Although surprised by Krookodile's double move execution, he wasn't going to just sit back and lose.

Soon, a blazing blur could be seen rushing through the sandstorm. No doubt Flareon, wrapped in a spinning Flame Wheel.

Compared to Flame Charge, Flame Wheel had slightly less power and didn't boost Speed, but that didn't mean it lacked value.

As the name implied, the move turned the user into a fiery spinning wheel.

That rotating fire created a natural barrier, granting not only some defensive power, but also drastically enhancing Flareon's mobility.

"Krookodile, Dig."

Seeing Flareon darting all over the field, Sato knew Krookodile would struggle to catch it with pure reaction speed, so he had it hide and wear the opponent down.

"Flareon, use Smog!"

Smog: a Poison-type move with almost no power, but a high chance1 of Poisoning the target upon hit.

Though Krookodile had burrowed underground, the wild Sandstorm helped spread the Smog quickly across the entire field, even into the underground space.

Sato glanced at the fired-up Flint, realizing that this version of Flint was the hardest to deal with.

To avoid being ambushed, Flareon didn't stop using Flame Wheel, but even while maintaining the move, it could still skillfully release Smog.

The purple haze quickly merged with the Sandstorm, and the swirling air currents rapidly carried it below ground.

But Krookodile was still waiting for an opportunity. Even after being engulfed by the Smog, it hadn't made a move to surface.

Now was definitely not the time for Sato to interrupt either, he had to let Krookodile find an opening on its own.

Krookodile might already be poisoned, but Flareon wasn't faring much better. The constant battering from the Sandstorm and the exhaustion from dealing with the random pits of Sand Tomb were clearly taking a toll.

In a "war of attrition", Sato had complete faith in Krookodile… but Krookodile itself didn't want to win that way.

With its Moxie ability, it was proud!

Crash~

The ground in front of Flareon suddenly split open, and Krookodile emerged with jaws wide open, waiting for Flareon to walk right in.

The sudden eruption startled Flareon, sending it into a panic. It instinctively tried to halt its Flame Wheel, but the sand-covered ground made it impossible to stop in time.

"FLAREON, LAST RESORT!"

Sato's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly remembered that Flareon had already used Flamethrower, Flame Wheel, and Smog… exactly three moves, just enough to activate Last Resort1!

Last Resort… no side effects, but its power rivaled Giga Impact!

And in the hands of skilled Trainers, a Pokémon could be trained to only use three moves, unlocking Last Resort as a hidden last move.

"Krookodile, Outrage!" Sato's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he gave the order without hesitation.

Krookodile also sensed the terrifying surge of energy from Flareon.

There was no time to think. It instinctively obeyed Sato's command, launching into a rampage with the indiscriminate fury of Outrage!

Just a moment ago, Flareon had been focused on evading surprise attacks while Krookodile lay dormant underground.

Now, both had revealed their final moves in a clash of pure power.

Last Resort vs Outrage!

Flareon's body glowed golden, a massive star forming above its head as it charged headlong at Krookodile.

Across from it, Krookodile's black pupils turned blood-red, a faint purple aura enveloping its body, radiating the menacing air of a savage beast.

---

"…Why do all of Sato's Pokémon look like villains…?" Mark mumbled to himself, earning a sharp glare from Joseph, who nearly slapped him.

"FOCUS ON THE MATCH!"

----

BOOOOOOM!

Just as Joseph finished, the entire arena fell eerily silent. Before the crowd could even react, a deafening explosion tore through the air again.

Dozens of green Protect barriers flared up across the stands as Pokémon instinctively shielded themselves and their Trainers.

As the explosion faded, many rubbed their ears, faces full of anxious anticipation as they looked toward the stage.

Who won?

The Sandstorm had been ripped apart, and the smoke was slowly clearing. Two red figures lay motionless on the ground, one on each side.

The referee, accompanied by a Wormadam, stepped onto the field to check the condition of both Pokémon.

"Flareon and Krookodile are both unable to battle. Since Trainer Flint has already lost three Pokémon, we will now take a ten-minute intermission."

WOOOOAH!

The audience erupted in surprise. No one expected the battle to be this brutal… but after getting their eardrums nearly blasted, it didn't seem all that surprising.

Sato and Flint silently recalled their Pokémon, then slowly walked back to their respective rest areas, both closing their eyes in deep thought.

40%

Not canon…

Reality.