"Sato, I really didn't misjudge you. Entrusting Zweilous to you was definitely the right decision. When I was your age, I wasn't even one-tenth as capable!"
Ding~
A rainbow compliment from Wilma has been delivered!
Sato chuckled smugly, looking so proud he didn't even bother pretending to be humble, much to Wilma's satisfaction.
As for Zoroark?
Well, its personality said it all. It must be secretly thrilled to have pulled off a victory against a higher-tier opponent.
Wilma, once again, had seen through everything!
"Wilma, let's keep going!"
"Sigh… pity this old body of mine… but for the sake of Zweilous's evolution, it's worth it!"
Wilma once again casually returned to the topic, then slowly sent out Haxorus, completely embodying the image of a respected senpai.
"Tyranitar, we lost the earlier matches. This time, we must win it back!"
Sato recalled Zoroark and sent out his ace.
"TYRAN!"
Tyranitar roared at the sky, full of fighting spirit, then slowly turned its gaze toward Haxorus across the field.
'Sato says you're definitely going to lose today… because your Trainer wants you to lose. But even so, I'll still give it everything I've got!'
That was just how Tyranitar was. Even knowing it would likely win, it wanted to win beautifully.
Because it was a pseudo-legendary…
Tyranitar!
[Dark Energy: Energy Amplification]
Thick, black energy surged wildly into Tyranitar's body, and its aura began to rise at an astonishing pace.
Only half a step away from reaching Elite Four level!
Tyranitar's boost mirrored Zoroark's, meaning its attacks would now pose a real threat to Haxorus!
"Tyranitar, Rock Slide!"
"Haxorus, Iron Tail!"
This was already the final battle planned from the start. As someone who had been powerful her whole life, Wilma couldn't help but feel a bit unwilling.
Losing? That was fine.
But she would absolutely make sure this brat in front of her knew she wasn't as easy to deal with as he thought.
Haxorus moved with incredible speed. Before Tyranitar's Rock Slide could even fall, it had already closed the distance.
Its thick, dragon tail gleamed with dazzling metallic light as it swung directly at Tyranitar's stomach!
Smack!
Over 200 kilograms of Tyranitar was sent flying by a single tail strike from Haxorus. The explosive impact made even Sato involuntarily flinch.
"Tyranitar!"
"TAAAR!"
Tyranitar responded loudly while half-kneeling on the ground, signaling that it was okay. It slowly stood back up and touched the spot on its abdomen where it had been hit.
It was dented.
Tyranitar's stomach wasn't a weak spot. That silver armor plate was actually its strongest, most defensive part.
And now… it had been dented by a single Iron Tail from Haxorus.
Sato quickly calmed down and turned to glance at the chill-looking Wilma.
Had she noticed something?
'No… probably not.'
If she had truly sensed anything was wrong, she wouldn't be this calm.
Was this the final lesson?
Sato clenched his teeth. 'Just stick to the script! Why change it now?'
"Haxorus has been with me for nearly fifty years, but age-wise, it's still in its prime. It might even break through again. Sato, defeat my partner, and you'll be ready to graduate!"
Hearing Wilma say this, Sato actually breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, she was only trying to spice things up a little. In the end, she would still let him win.
But without going all out, even if Tyranitar won, it would be in no condition to fight afterward.
"TYRANITAR, GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Sato "shouted" without hesitation at the thought.
"TYRAAAAAN!"
Tyranitar let out another roar. It didn't want to make excuses for itself, because it had already been going all out.
Whoosh~
Sandstorm kicked up. Tyranitar's Sand Stream Ability activated late, cloaking both it and Haxorus in the swirling sands.
"Tyranitar, Rock Slide!"
"Haxorus, Brick Break."
Massive boulders came crashing down from the sky. Aside from not being on fire, they looked no different from meteors.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rock Slide posed no threat to Haxorus. The twin blades on either side of its head glowed with bright orange energy, effortlessly slicing through the incoming rocks.
True blade-versus-rock slicing!
"Rock Tomb!"
Tyranitar's attacks were always part of a chain. It never expected a rain of rocks to knock out its opponent all at once.
This was the real world, not some stat-driven game…
Rock Tomb had an extremely deceptive setup. Just as Haxorus was cutting down the rocks and scanning for Tyranitar, sharp stone slabs suddenly burst up from the ground beneath its feet, encircling it and pressing inward.
"Rus!"
Haxorus tried to leap out of the trap, only to suddenly realize the ground beneath its feet had turned to desert at some point. There was nothing solid to push off from!
"Haxorus, Brick Break! Iron Tail!"
Brick Break, Iron Tail sweeping wide. The stone traps of Rock Tomb crumbled like paper-mache, cleared away in just a few strikes.
But at that moment, the ground began to quake violently. Sato purposely avoided looking at Wilma's now contorted expression and decisively gave Tyranitar a new order.
"Earthquake!"
The final strike in Tyranitar's triple rock tactic; each step lethal, but Earthquake was undoubtedly the most devastating.
Haxorus's feet were stuck in the sand, with no way to dodge.
And Tyranitar's Earthquake naturally carried a tremendous amount of Ground-type energy. As the earth cracked and trembled, that energy erupted upward, striking every grounded being within range.
Right now, that was only Haxorus.
As for Wilma's twisted expression, there was no need to explain, beneath their feet was the underground palace.
Where else was more convenient for training than the open plaza?
"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!"
The battle wasn't over yet, and Sato didn't want to push Wilma too far. His previous actions had only been to double-check something.
Wilma clearly knew a lot about the underground palace.
"Haxorus, Protect!"
Wilma started throwing out obvious misplays again. Tyranitar's Stone Edge could be fired in an endless barrage. Protect would only hold for a moment and would trap Haxorus into a vulnerable state.
Sato guessed that Tyranitar's Earthquake had genuinely scared Wilma. She no longer dared to be unwilling. She just wanted Sato to win quickly… and then head off to his death.
Watching Wilma throw her fifth Pokémon under the bus without hesitation, Sato suddenly felt a bit sorry for her.
She was already so old, yet in the end, got played in circles by someone she thought was just a clueless kid, digging her own grave and not even realizing it.
But if Sato had to comment on the situation, he'd only say one thing:
'Well played!'
Fifteen minutes later, Haxorus fell… taken down by Wilma's terrible commands.
And Sato smiled at her and said, "I still haven't found my limits. This battle…
Let's keep going!"