"Jolteon has lost the ability to battle. Cacturne is victorious. Trainer Kuraki, please send out your next Pokémon!"
At this point, the entire field no longer looked anything like a Standard Battlefield.
Cacturne still maintained a height of around six meters. Wherever it moved, the ground rumbled beneath it.
Jolteon now lay quietly in one of the deep craters… clearly stomped into it by Cacturne.
A flash of red light. Kuraki unwillingly recalled Jolteon. This time, he didn't even have the chance to forfeit.
In the late stages of the match, Jolteon couldn't break through or paralyze the gigantic Cacturne. And Cacturne's "Growth" had fully activated, catalyzing half-meter-tall wild grass across the entire field, causing the tiny Jolteon to literally get lost in the field.
Then, Cacturne timed its stomp just right...
"…Venusaur, you're up last!"
Perhaps Jolteon's miserable state had enraged Kuraki, because for once, the usually rational Trainer didn't choose to forfeit outright.
A flash of red light. A sturdy Venusaur stood firmly on the field. At a full three meters tall, it didn't seem so outmatched when facing Cacturne.
After all, Venusaur had a wide "base".
But before the next move could be made, another red light struck Cacturne, recalling it from the field.
Seeing this, Kuraki could only silently clench his fists, with no valid reason to protest.
"Honchkrow, keep it up!"
"…Krow?! Honch~Krooow!"
Honchkrow looked stunned for a moment upon returning, then flapped its wings in excitement. It hadn't expected to get another chance to fight.
But in truth, if Sato hadn't been worried that this Venusaur might Mega Evolve, he really would have sent out a different partner just to let them show their faces.
After all, once Venusaur Mega Evolves and gains the Thick Fat Ability, it no longer fears Fire- or Ice-type moves.
At that point, the only remaining counters would be Psychic and Flying types.
Sure enough, upon seeing Honchkrow reappear, Kuraki's expression turned sour, but he still gave his command immediately.
"Toxic!"
"Taunt!"
"Hon… Krokrokow~ Kro~ow!"
"P-Pff..."
Honchkrow was faster, and Taunt landed first. Venusaur now held Toxic in its mouth, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
"Consecutive Aerial Ace."
Sato pushed his momentum, continuing to issue commands.
The next moment, Honchkrow turned into a massive black shadow plummeting from the sky, striking hard at the vulnerable flower center on Venusaur's back.
"VINE WHIP, GRAB IT!"
"SAAAAAUR!"
Venusaur roared, enduring the pain and lashing out six thick Vine Whips, all aimed at ensnaring Honchkrow.
This time, Honchkrow's enormous size became a disadvantage; especially since Venusaur wielded its vines with masterful precision.
One vine immediately latched onto Honchkrow's right claw, yanking it out of the air just as it was preparing to take off.
That brief pause was all it took. The remaining six Vine Whips followed fast, about to wrap Honchkrow up tight.
{[Air Slash: Spiral Cutter]}
This command wasn't spoken aloud; it was transmitted through synchronized resonance directly to Honchkrow.
With perfect coordination, Honchkrow didn't even glance at the incoming Vine Whips. It simply flared its enormous wings, spinning its entire body on the spot.
At the same time, a barrage of bright blue "Air Cutters" was fired from various unpredictable angles.
The chaotic air currents created by the intersecting "Air Cutters" wrapped tightly around Honchkrow, preventing the Vine Whips from advancing any further.
Ssshhhk~
One Vine Whip was struck by an Air Cutter. The raised tip was cleanly sliced off, and bright green sap gushed out from the wound.
While damage to the Vine Whip wouldn't affect Venusaur's body directly, losing one still caused it to falter for a moment.
That brief hesitation gave Honchkrow the chance to break free.
Seizing the opportunity, Honchkrow flapped its wings and soared upward, snapping the Vine Whip still binding its right claw in the process.
"Heat Wave."
The moment it escaped, Sato immediately commanded Honchkrow to counterattack.
Never be fooled by how harmless Grass-types might appear. At Elite Four level, as long as they were standing on the ground, they were constantly recovering vitality. Otherwise, they wouldn't deserve to be called Elite Four level.
Using overwhelming force to clear Grass-types from the field was an unspoken rule all veteran Trainers understood.
The next moment, Heat Wave swept through the field, igniting all the wild grass. The entire battlefield instantly became a sea of flames.
Venusaur suffered in the fire, but it quickly and expertly began self-recovery.
It started by using the massive green leaf on its back to absorb sunlight, activating Synthesis to restore stamina. At the same time, it used Safeguard on itself to prevent being Burned.
And out of sight from both Sato and Honchkrow, Venusaur had already used Ingrain to root itself underground, wildly drawing in nutrients from the ground…
So many support moves being used all at once, and Venusaur handled it with ease. It had to be said, Kuraki did have some real skill.
What's more, Taunt's effect only lasted about a turn and a half, which was beyond what Sato had expected.
Next, just as the Heat Wave stopped, Venusaur extended two vines -much thicker than before- one sweeping left, the other sweeping right, slamming across the ground!
Power Whip!
Venusaur now looked like a ruthless mowing machine. Wherever the thick Vine Whips passed, the flames seemed decapitated, turning into harmless flickers and vanishing in an instant.
The sea of fire had just been forcibly "mowed down" by Venusaur. Overwhelming and unstoppable.
And with the recovery from both Synthesis and Ingrain, Venusaur was practically unscathed.
Looking at the re-energized Venusaur, Sato thought to himself, 'Tch… what a pain. Even without Mega Evolution, it's not exactly weak.'
Fortunately, Honchkrow still had plenty of fight in it. It hadn't even used its true Flying-type ultimate move yet.
What it needed… was just one guaranteed hit!
On the field, Honchkrow alternated between Air Slash, Heat Wave, and Icy Wind, rapidly switching temperatures to keep Venusaur off balance.
Then Sato looked up. Seeing that the sun was now directly overhead, he issued a new command without hesitation.
"Honchkrow, Fly!"
{Use Sky Attack, head toward the sun.}
One command came from his mouth, the other via synchronized resonance.
Honchkrow blinked in understanding, then flapped its wings once and soared into the sky. The charging white glow on its body became blinding under the sunlight.
On the ground, Venusaur stared tightly into the sky, torn between using Substitute or Protect.
Soon, the now tiny black dot that was Honchkrow began plummeting. The intense white glow surrounding it made Kuraki's eyes widen in alarm.
The Flying-type ultimate move that required one full "turn" to charge before unleashing its devastating power…
'SH*T! SKY ATTACK!'
"PROOT…!"