"H-Hey! Boss, you've got this, right?"
At the entrance to the tunnel, Mark asked with both excitement and nerves.
Because today was Sato's second match in the Elite Four Tournament•Elite Four Ranking Match .
His opponent: the Ice-type Elite Four, Pryce!
Sato didn't respond. He simply gave a small nod to everyone from the Shadownight Gym, then turned and walked toward the arena.
Passing through the narrow competitor's tunnel, the moment Sato stepped into the field, an earth-shaking wave of roars slammed into him.
"SATO-SAMAAAAAAA!"
"SATO, MY LORD"
"THE DARK KNIGHT…!"
"SATO! SATO! Sato…!"
Even his usually calm heart couldn't help but stir with excitement.
Since the match was being held in Shadownight City, 99% of the crowd were Sato's supporters.
When the entire arena is shouting your name, no one can stay unaffected…
So Sato's fighting spirit soared higher than ever before!
'This is my territory…'
Very soon, Elite Four Pryce also walked onto the battlefield at a steady, unhurried pace. There were cheers, but nowhere near as intense as when Sato entered.
These cheers seemed more like the people of Shadownight City paying respect to a powerful Elite Four.
When it came to admiration, they only acknowledged someone younger, cooler, and stronger… Sato!
Elite Four Pryce slowly arrived at his Trainer's platform, showing no reaction to the surrounding chants.
Perhaps it was from years of using Ice-type Pokémon, but even his personality had become colder than most.
So whether he had the home-field advantage or not, it didn't matter to him at all.
Of course, not caring didn't mean not knowing… the extent to which Shadownight City revered Sato even surpassed the level of admiration the people of Mahogany Town had shown when he and Sen became Elite Four at the same time.
'…One guy worth two?'
Pryce shook his head and refocused entirely on the match.
He had just lost to Lance last month. There was no way he could let another newcomer push him off the stage so easily… right?
Even if he was no longer in his prime.
"...The third match of the Elite Four Tournament, Ranking Matchs begins now!"
The referee suddenly waved his flag, and both Sato and Pryce sent out their first Pokémon almost simultaneously.
Lapras!
Tyranitar!
"Tyranitar? Going with his ace right off the bat… BOSS IS GOING ALL IN!"
Back in the audience stands, Mark shouted excitedly, completely ignoring the annoyed looks from those around him.
That giant, bulky Tyranitar? we can all see it… 'KAY?
Soon, the battle began!
Lapras didn't hesitate to summon a massive surge of water, flooding across the battlefield without discrimination.
Besides attacking Tyranitar, it was clearly aiming to saturate the field as well.
"Stone Edge."
"TYRAN!"
Faced with the surging waves, Tyranitar showed no fear.
With a sweep of its massive hand, towering stone blades suddenly burst up all across the battlefield.
The chaotic, disordered Stone Edge shattered the overwhelming water waves, scattering them in every direction.
Not only that. Viewed from above, the density of Stone Edge clearly increased the closer it was to Lapras.
While resisting Surf, Tyranitar had already preemptively locked down Lapras's movement zone!
Lapras didn't even dare to use the planned Blizzard to reshape the field; it would only make the Stone Edge even more durable!
Suddenly, Elite Four Pryce and Lapras seemed to realize something at the same time…
The former suddenly raised his hand, and the latter, moving with agility uncharacteristic of a normal Lapras, leapt into the air!
Chua~
Several razor-sharp Stone Edge spikes erupted from the spot where Lapras had just been, their flashing cold light making the audience flinch instinctively.
That must've hurt if it hit!
"Avalanche!"
Pryce's command rang out, and Lapras, fully understanding his intent, immediately began to gather massive amounts of snow and ice beneath itself.
The collapsing avalanche buried nearly two meters of Stone Edge covering half the field.
Such terrifying snow/ice creation stunned the entire crowd!
But at that moment, Tyranitar's attack struck.
Dozens of Stone Edge shards rained down from the sky, striking Lapras from all kinds of sharp, unexpected angles!
Lapras instinctively shrank its body, hiding beneath its thick shell.
But there are always places the shell can't protect…
"PR-PRAAAS!!!"
Hit by Stone Edge, Lapras let out a pained cry. But it quickly activated Protect, blocking the rest of the attack.
"Blizzard!"
"LAAA~!"
Without any restraint, Lapras launched a terrifying Blizzard the moment the energy shield from Protect faded. Snow and wind instantly engulfed the entire battlefield; even Tyranitar disappeared from view.
The cold wind was brutal. Many spectators in the stands put on coats, shivering as they continued watching the match.
As the Blizzard gradually faded, Lapras raised its head proudly, gazing at the spot where Tyranitar had been.
Gone?!
Crac…ckkk…
From beneath the snow-covered ground, a frost-covered Tyranitar suddenly burst out from Lapras's flank.
Thunder Punch!
"LAAAAAAH!!!"
A shrill scream echoed across the arena as Tyranitar's Thunder Punch landed directly on Lapras's long, soft neck.
It's super effective!
But in the next instant, Lapras's entire body began to glow with a faint blue light, then suddenly expanded outward.
Wherever the blue light spread, it froze everything in its path!
The ultimate Ice-type move: Sheer Cold!
{Retreat!}
Through synchronized resonance, Sato urgently commanded.
Tyranitar also sensed something was wrong and desperately activated the stone beneath its feet to pull itself away.
But Sheer Cold… was coming.
A pale white light swept across the entire field, and for a moment, all anyone could see was blinding whiteness.
It felt like a long time had passed.
…Or perhaps just the blink of an eye.
When the light faded, Lapras looked at the frozen sculpture beside it, pride in its eyes.
Crash!
The ice shattered, and Tyranitar emerged once again. Its body was frostbitten and bruised, but it hadn't fallen. Instead, it swung its massive tail hard at Lapras!
Superpower Tail Whip!
SMAAAAACK!!!
Lapras flew across the field. This time, it didn't even make a sound… it was knocked out cold.
Tyranitar didn't seem all that happy about the win either. It just crossed its arms and trembled uncontrollably.
The temperature on the field had dropped below -25°C!
Pryce recalled Lapras and immediately threw out another Poké Ball.
With a flash of red light, a dark blue shiny Cloyster appeared on the field. Its wicked grin was almost identical to Gastly's.
Just as the referee was about to call for the next round to begin, another flash of red light appeared, Sato had also recalled his trembling Tyranitar.
Under the rules, Sato was allowed to switch Pokémon; an advantage he had earned earlier.
"Cacturne, battle ready."
The golden Cacturne entered the field, instantly drawing a wave of cheers.
Who could blame them… it just looked that good~
The freezing temperature didn't bother Cacturne much. Plants generally have decent cold resistance.
Not to mention, it lived in a desert with massive temperature swings between day and night.
Gradually, a fierce sandstorm began to whip across the snow-covered battlefield, creating an eerie contrast.
The battle resumed!
"Sandstorm."
"Icicle Spear."