The battle between Sato and Kuraki unexpectedly began as a Sky Battle.
Ordinary Gliscor could only glide using the wind, but Kuraki's Gliscor was clearly no clumsy flier.
Relying on its "Dao understanding of 'Wind'," Gliscor completely kept pace with Honchkrow's rhythm. From the very start, their fight had been fierce and intense.
In the air, one bi and one small, one black and one purple… both Pokémon clashed and collided repeatedly, evenly matched at first glance.
Kuraki showed no sign of panic. Gliscor, after all, was an armored Pokémon; its defense wouldn't be weak.
As for the opponent's Honchkrow?
'Hn… just a fat oversized black bird from eating too much. No need to be scared at all!'
On the other side, Sato was equally calm.
Just recently, Honchkrow had succeeded its mother's position and become the true Totem Pokémon of the Forest of Shadows.
Totem Pokémon, beyond just their massive size, also had significant boosts in all areas; most notably, stamina.
So when it came to endurance battles, Honchkrow wasn't scared in the slightest!
In the sky, the battle between Gliscor and Honchkrow continued.
They chased and countered, clashed and dodged. Wings met pincers, stingers tangled with claws. Black feathers occasionally floated down from the sky.
One minute… three minutes… five minutes…
A full ten minutes of intense combat passed, and neither side showed clear signs of fatigue. Even the previously excited audience had started to drift.
But Sato and Kuraki remained unfazed. Aside from quietly praising their opponent's Pokémon, they patiently waited for a turning point.
Or rather… prepared to create one!
No one knew how long the two Pokémon had been fighting until a flash of pain crossed Gliscor's face and its right claw gave a barely noticeable tremble.
Honchkrow saw it all, crystal clear.
Instantly, Honchkrow snapped to attention and switched its standard Wing Attack into the far more powerful Brave Bird!
{Don't rush it. Hold steady}
A command suddenly rang out within Honchkrow's mind; Sato had transmitted it via synchronized resonance as a warning!
Endurance battles easily caused Pokémon to become anxious. If the opponent revealed even the tiniest flaw, it could be dangerously overestimated.
Honchkrow heard Sato's warning… but it didn't back off. It continued charging at Gliscor.
Just as Honchkrow was about to strike Gliscor's exposed back, a Sandstorm suddenly erupted from around Gliscor, instantly cloaking it in swirling sand.
The opening… was fake after all!
But Honchkrow, already prepared, didn't panic. Without hesitation, it dove directly into the Sandstorm.
Brave Bird • Transition • Heat Wave!
Using the searing blue flame from Brave Bird, Honchkrow fiercely beat its massive wings, transforming the momentum into a bursting Heat Wave.
Heat spread outward from the center of the Sandstorm, ripping it apart with sheer force.
Against the intense heat, the Sandstorm crumbled like paper, and Gliscor hiding inside was instantly exposed.
"G-GLI~SCOOOR!"
A scream rang out, this was clearly not the script Gliscor had in mind. It had been completely unguarded while preparing to ambush and took the Heat Wave head-on. The extreme heat nearly melted its armor.
At that moment, Sato finally issued his first verbal command of the match.
"Icy Wind."
"Krooow!"
Hearing the command, Honchkrow swung its left wing and swept the lingering Heat Wave high into the air.
Immediately after, it flapped its right wing; sending out a biting cold Icy Wind.
"GLISCOR, SPIN AND DEFEND WITH METAL CLAW!"
In a moment of crisis, Kuraki wasn't entirely useless. His urgent shout snapped the struggling Gliscor back to its senses.
"SCOOOOR!"
Gliscor roared, its bright yellow eyes filled with determination.
It raised both pincers high, gathered Steel-type energy to coat them, and began spinning wildly, propelled by its tail.
Right then, Honchkrow's Icy Wind came roaring in, engulfing the spinning Gliscor.
"Don't stop, keep going."
"KROW!"
Honchkrow flapped its wings hard. Each stroke from its massive wings brought a surge of freezing Icy Wind slamming down on Gliscor.
Ice-type was 4× effective against Gliscor. Both Sato and Kuraki were fully aware of that.
But Honchkrow, having found the opportunity, wasn't about to waste it. Icy Wind poured down like there was no cost.
Kuraki, too, could only watch helplessly. Honchkrow's wings were so massive that every gust of Icy Wind practically blanketed half the field.
And since Gliscor "flew with the wind" instead of under its own power, there was no way for it to escape the cold so easily.
Metal Claw's Steel-type barrier could block the direct force of the Icy Wind, but it couldn't stop the chill from seeping in.
Flying/Ground type… Gliscor's worst nightmare was Ice!
Now Gliscor couldn't flee, but if it didn't flee…
Kuraki watched as it got pinned in place, anxious but unable to think of a solution.
He couldn't come up with any way for Gliscor to avoid damage from Icy Wind; let alone launch a counterattack.
At this point, Sato simply sat back and waited. Gliscor's condition would only keep declining in the freezing wind. When it couldn't even lift its pincers anymore, it'd be forced to surrender.
"…Gliscor forfeits!"
"Hmm?"
Sato blinked, surprised that Kuraki had conceded so decisively. But after a quick thought, it made perfect sense.
The Elite Four Tournament was based on a points system. Even if you lost one or two matches, you could still make it to the finals.
What mattered more now was preserving each Pokémon's combat potential. Making sure none were so injured that it affected future battles.
And one of the reasons Kuraki had looked down on Sato in the first place was because, in his first match, Sato had left both Dragapult and Hydreigon seriously injured.
So, facing an Honchkrow that Gliscor couldn't beat, Kuraki didn't hesitate to concede.
Seeing this, Sato also had Honchkrow stop the Icy Wind and quietly waited for the referee's announcement.
"Due to Trainer Kuraki's surrender, Gliscor has lost the ability to battle. Honchkrow is victorious! Contestant Kuraki, please send out your next Pokémon!"
A flash of red light. Gliscor, now shivering uncontrollably, was returned to its Poké Ball.
"Don't worry… once we're in the finals, we'll get our revenge!" Kuraki whispered to the ball before pulling out his next Poké Ball from his belt.
"Jolteon, take that bird down!"
"Jolt!"
Another red flash. Jolteon had barely gotten a look at the massive black bird before Honchkrow had already turned into red light and disappeared from the field…
Sato gave Kuraki a calm glance, then threw out another Poké Ball.
"Cacturne, get ready."