Snorlax's sudden awakening once again cast uncertainty over the battle. But overall, Snorlax still wasn't a match for Hawlucha, getting beaten down from start to finish without any chance to fight back.
Finally, after exhausting a fair amount of Hawlucha's stamina, Snorlax didn't even get the chance to use Rest before it was knocked out of the match.
What surprised everyone was that Norman directly sent out his Slaking next; he didn't even save it as his last move!
"Fitz, does Norman have an even stronger Pokémon?" Sato didn't think too much and asked directly.
Fitzwilliam simply gave a mysterious smile. "Just keep watching!"
On the battlefield, Slaking was lying lazily on the ground, scratching here and there, looking completely relaxed and carefree.
But when Hawlucha unleashed a Flying Press without hesitation, Slaking suddenly exploded into action.
A golden and purple spiral of energy surrounded its entire body as it slammed viciously into Hawlucha!
Giga Impact…
Direct hit!
Hawlucha shot backward like a cannonball, crashing hard into the wall with a loud boom, and didn't move again!
One-hit KO!
Slaking had remained still until now, and the moment it moved, it flattened its opponent instantly, shocking the Kalos spectators.
Then Slaking rolled to its side and went back to lying down lazily, as if it hadn't even thrown a punch just now.
After that, Carrol sent out a more composed-looking Mienshao.
Double Team, Aura Sphere!
Carrol clearly knew about Slaking's poor endurance, so she didn't hesitate to employ a hit-and-run strategy, refusing to engage up close even once.
Whoosh…
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~
Several pale-blue Aura Spheres were launched blindly, and under the cover of Double Team, it seemed like hundreds of them were flying toward Slaking all at once!
Slaking had no intention of dodging.
…Nor had it ever considered dodging.
But faced with dozens of true and false Mienshao, Slaking didn't hesitate in the slightest. Its big hand began pounding the ground furiously!
Earthquake!
In terms of raw Attack power, Slaking could be said to outclass even pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
The ground split apart, rocks flew through the air, and in an instant, Slaking had torn the battlefield to pieces.
Pop! Pop Pop...
Ground-type energy erupted from beneath its feet, and the moment those clones touched even a hint of it, they burst instantly.
Double Team was completely nullified, but the real Mienshao remained steady atop the trembling ground, shifting its stance to disperse the force of the quake.
[Fighting Arts Mastery: the Way of Softness]
Two flexible "sleeves" extended from Mienshao's arms, and even its long, thin tail behind it helped maintain its balance with ease.
Having missed its one shot, Slaking could no longer attack continuously and could only lie down again by instinct.
And at that moment, Mienshao would seize the opening and deal as much damage as possible.
"When you advance, I retreat. When you retreat, I strike!"
Carrol and Mienshao worked in perfect sync, leaving no gap for Slaking or Norman to exploit, and relentlessly executed the hit-and-run strategy.
A long war of attrition began. After a full fifteen minutes, even Slaking had finally run out of stamina and collapsed heavily onto the ground, completely motionless.
Shuaa~
"Slaking has lost the ability to battle. Mienshao wins. Trainer Norman, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Slaking had fallen, yet everyone couldn't help but feel shaken.
Such terrifying combat power, and yet in the end, it was defeated due to its lazy nature…
Not just Sato and the others; even many spectators from Kalos couldn't help but shake their heads in regret.
What a shame!
But the fifteen-minute battle had also drained most of Mienshao's stamina. Now it too was gasping heavily for breath.
Norman recalled Slaking, and soon after, he sent out his final Pokémon.
And when everyone saw this Pokémon, they all felt a little disappointed at the same time.
Pidgeot…
A final evolution of a common neighborhood bird found nearly everywhere in the Kanto Region, neither particularly strong nor weak. But then Sato remembered Fitzwilliam's cryptic smile and quickly realized things weren't so simple!
'Could it be...'
"Pidgeot… MEGA EVOLUTION!"
Norman suddenly revealed the wrist guard on his right arm, embedded with a dazzling Key Stone!
And as Pidgeot soared into the sky, an orange Mega Stone with red and yellow hues glowed brightly in its talons.
At that moment, the spectators from Kalos were even more excited than Sato and the others. They all shot to their feet in astonishment, staring at Pidgeot's transformation.
Due to the distance between regions and the lack of shared information, many Kalos Trainers still believed Mega Evolution was unique to their region!
They never imagined that the first Trainer to use Mega Evolution in this exhibition match would be… Norman!
"PIIIIIIDGEOT!"
The multicolored light quickly faded, revealing a majestic Mega Pidgeot with wings nearly three meters long. Its fully spread wingspan reached four meters; its sheer size left everyone stunned!
'Look at that huge bird…'
"Battle continue!" Perhaps the only one who remained calm was the referee on duty.
"Mienshao, use Rock Slide!"
"Pidgeot, Hurricane!"
"Pid!"
Just as Norman's command left his lips, Mega Pidgeot had already vanished from its original spot, replaced by a violent storm sweeping across the field!
A dozen massive rocks appeared in the sky, crashing down toward where Mega Pidgeot had just been; but they stalled midair, unable to find their target.
Soon after, debris, wind, tornadoes, and blades of air… everything was swept up in Mega Pidgeot's Hurricane and hurled toward the Mienshao on the ground.
This move… there was no way to dodge it!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
A full thirty seconds passed before the tremors and winds on the field slowly faded away. Mienshao now lay battered and motionless on the ground, clearly unable to battle any longer.
"Mienshao has lost the ability to battle. Trainer Carrol, please send out your next Pokémon!"
A flash of red light! Carrol swiftly recalled Mienshao, then without hesitation sent out her final ace Pokémon.
Lucario!
Right after, Carrol extended her right arm, revealing a Key Stone bracelet worn on her wrist.
"Lucario, Mega Evolution!"
--
"Boss, do you think a Peak Ace Lucario will reach Elite Four level after Mega Evolution?"
In the stands, Mark stared intently at Lucario's Mega Evolution while tilting his head and asking.
"It's tough, but it's definitely just one step away."
----
Another burst of rainbow-colored light faded, and soon a second Mega Evolved Pokémon appeared on the ruined battlefield.
Mega Lucario vs Mega Pidgeot…
The battle was about to begin!
"PIDGEOT, HURRICANE!"
"Lucario, use Extreme Speed!"