The match had reached its halfway point. On Sato's side, both Sharpedo and Krookodile were down, and Gengar was nearly out of stamina.

But considering the presence of "Destiny Bond", Gengar's threat level was still nearly equal to a fresh Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Flint had already lost three Pokémon: Rapidash, Magmortar, and Flareon. Bringing the match into the intermission.

The atmosphere in the stands wasn't particularly lively either. In fact, there was a subtle heaviness, since most of them were supporting the now disadvantaged Flint.

Ten minutes passed quickly. When the referee blew the whistle again, both Sato and Flint stood up without hesitation and walked to the command platforms.

"I still remember the first time I met you was at the Young Elite Tournament. Back then, beating you wasn't hard," Flint said, not releasing his Pokémon immediately. Instead, he ignored the referee's flag entirely and started speaking on his own.

Referee: …

Sato also paused his throwing motion and looked at him in confusion.

"…Didn't think that after a few years, I'd be the one getting overwhelmed like this," Flint continued, shaking his head with a sigh. "…But I won't forfeit! And neither will my partner!"

Sato: …?

'Why the sudden oath? What am I supposed to say to that? It's just a match… why is this grown man being so emotional?'

After a long pause, all Sato could do was nod mechanically. He didn't respond in any other way.

As someone with the soul of a man in his forties -past and present life- trapped in a young body, Sato really didn't understand what people meant by "youthful passion!" or "never giving up!".

He only knew one thing: if you can't win, admit defeat. Get stronger, then win next time.

The referee seemed to sense Sato's awkwardness and then remembered Flint had just ignored him not once, but twice!

And looking at Sato, who had only ignored him once, he suddenly found him much more agreeable…

'Bless this kid!'

"Intermission is over. Both Trainers, please send out your battling Pokémon!" The referee's voice was like rain falling on parched earth to Sato.

Sato gave Flint a firm look and, without hesitation, threw the Poké Ball he had been holding onto for a long… loooong time.

Flint coughed awkwardly. Sato had completely ignored the script, leaving him looking like some rambling lunatic a moment ago.

He quickly threw out his next Pokémon and started the match; after all, when faced with a opponent that couldn't match his vibe, there was no way to stay hyped.

Two flashes of red light. Murkrow and Lopunny appeared simultaneously on the freshly rotated battlefield.

This time, Flint didn't use a Fire-type, instead choosing a humanoid Pokémon with a rather striking appearance1…

"BATTLE CONTINUES!"

Before Sato could get any read on Lopunny, the ever-impartial referee had already announced the start of the match loudly.

"Lopunny, Bounce!"

"Punny~"

Lopunny's voice had a hint of charm in its cuteness, but its movements were incredibly fast.

Its long legs bent lightly, then sprang into action. In the blink of an eye, Lopunny had soared into the sky, far higher than Murkrow's current altitude.

"Murkrow, Tailwind."

"Krow!"

Murkrow cried out and flapped its relatively small wings rapidly. A strong, invisible wind soon formed around it, aiding its movement.

At the same time, Lopunny began its rapid descent from above. Its long ears, nearly as long as its legs, stretched outward to help it adjust its position mid-air as it dove straight toward Murkrow.

Even with Tailwind, Murkrow felt an unshakable sense of being locked-on. It was deeply unsettling.

"PuuuUUUUUNNY~"

Lopunny's voice grew closer and closer, but Murkrow still couldn't escape that invisible shackle, its heart growing more and more frantic.

"MURKROW!" Sato suddenly shouted. After a one-second pause, he continued, "Aerial Ace."

At the critical moment, Murkrow chose to trust Sato without hesitation. It suddenly dove downward, spreading its wings just before hitting the ground, then rapidly soared back up!

By the time Murkrow returned to high altitude, it realized Lopunny was already directly below it, plummeting straight toward the ground.

"Krow~!"

Murkrow let out a cry, sounding vaguely excited. It seemed to be imagining the brutal sight of Lopunny crashing into the ground.

But just then, Flint spoke in a firm voice: "Jump Kick!"

"Lopuuu!"

Just as Lopunny was about to hit the ground, it suddenly twisted its body and landed stably on both feet.

The moment it touched down, Lopunny's long legs bent deeply -deeper and deeper- until its rear was almost touching the ground. Then, like a spring compressed to the limit, it rebounded with explosive force!

Crack… Crackcrackcrack!

An invisible shockwave burst out from Lopunny as the center, rapidly spreading across the battlefield. Even the newly rotated field instantly cracked inch by inch.

And then…

Lopunny vanished!

"Substitute!" Sato's command came a moment too late. What answered him instead was a sharp, pained shriek from Murkrow.

Everyone looked up to see that the spot where Murkrow had just been was now occupied by Lopunny, still in its kicking pose.

Several black feathers fluttered downward, but Murkrow was nowhere to be seen.

At this moment, everyone had only one question in mind…

'Where's Murkrow?'

"KROOOW!"

A crow's cry suddenly drew everyone's attention. Following the sound, they saw a black silhouette hurtling toward the now-vacant Lopunny.

Murkrow hadn't fallen!

Everyone let out a breath of relief… though tinged with regret. Just looking at the crackred ground was enough to imagine how terrifying Lopunny's charged attack had been.

Even Sato showed surprise in his eyes upon seeing Murkrow reappear.

Murkrow had actually used Substitute, keeping itself from being one-shot by that devastating blow.

This second half of the match had barely begun, and Flint had already sent out such a powerful Pokémon.

It clearly couldn't fly, yet thanks to its own superior jumping ability and the combo of Bounce + Jump Kick, Lopunny had essentially become a nightmare for any Flying-type.

'No, something was off…' Murkrow wasn't in normal condition!

Sato narrowed his eyes. Knowing Murkrow as well as he did, its current speed was far below its usual battle pace, even with Tailwind's boost.

Murkrow had been severely injured!

"Krow Krow!"

"Punny~"

Murkrow clashed once again with Lopunny, striking with its pitch-black wings. But even while descending from the air, Lopunny swung its long ears defensively, shielding itself completely.

With a pair of powerful long legs and a pair of agile, forceful ears, this Pokémon -who could've relied on looks alone- had instead trained to terrifying strength.

Just as Lopunny was about to reach the ground, the shaken Murkrow gave up the pursuit and retreated higher to recover.

"Murkrow, come here!" Sato suddenly called out.

"Krow?"

Murkrow turned to glance at Sato, then looked down at the grounded, motionless Lopunny. After a brief moment, it flapped its wings and quickly flew back to Sato's side.

"It's time for you to evolve..."

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200 PS - Chap

Chill, chilll… CHILL!