A roar rang out from within the sandstorm. Although it wasn't very loud, it stirred something deep inside everyone.
The Desert Tyrant, Tyranitar, was about to strike!
With Tailwind boosting the storm, the sandstorm was like a giant meat grinder, relentlessly tearing at Gallade and Slowbro's bodies.
And that… was just the appetizer.
Tyranitar's whole body glowed with a dark green light. From within that glow, dozens of razor-sharp blades made of Memory Sand Crystal formed out of thin air, orbiting around it.
"Taaaar…"
With a low growl, over a hundred blades of [Sand Crystal: Stone Edge] suddenly shot out, whistling through the air at Gallade from every strange and unpredictable angle!
Having already been ambushed once, Gallade was now on full alert.
The moment Tyranitar launched that barrage of Stone Edge, Gallade's intensely projected Psychic senses within the sandstorm picked up on it instantly.
A second later, the blades were upon it.
Fortunately, Gallade wasn't easy prey; its Agility stat was maxed out, and its mastery of blade technique allowed it to parry with fluid precision, forming a nearly impenetrable defense.
For a moment, it seemed like Tyranitar's attack was all bark and no bite.
So that's all?
"SLOOOOOW…!"
Suddenly, a scream rang out, and Kōmei's face changed as he quickly turned toward the other side of the sandstorm.
A massive shadow shot up from the storm, piercing the clouds above.
No doubt, it was the only one present capable of flight, Honchkrow.
Except… at this moment, Honchkrow's talons were gripping a wildly struggling Slowbro!
Honchkrow had grabbed it with pinpoint accuracy, both claws firmly locked around the shell on Slowbro's tail.
This left Slowbro dangling upside down in midair, spinning in awkward aerial acrobatics with zero chance to resist or counterattack.
To make it worse, Slowbro's powerful Psychic abilities had no effect on Honchkrow at all!
"Gallade, Thunder Punch! Go save Slowbro!"
{Tyranitar, Earthquake.} "Honchkrow, Aerial Ace."
Seeing Slowbro's underhanded tricks shut down before they could even begin, Kōmei couldn't help but admire how well-prepared Sato had been; he'd even found out about Slowbro's fear of heights!
But actually, it was just that Will's Slowbro was also afraid of heights…
There weren't many powerful Slowbro out there, and both E4 level ones Sato had encountered just happened to be acrophobic.
Talk about awkward…
Gallade tried to rescue Slowbro, forgetting it was in no shape to help anyone.
Tyranitar absolutely hated opponents who could predict its attacks. Spotting the opportunity, it had already charged up an Earthquake.
Just as Gallade bent its knees to leap, the Earthquake hit!
The ground within three meters around Gallade suddenly collapsed without warning.
Caught off guard, Gallade instinctively pushed off with a kick!
Only to flail in the air with a useless mid-air leg press.
For a moment, the whole scene looked… pretty ridiculous.
'WHERE'D THE GROUND GO?
That big, solid ground I was just standing on?'
Gallade landed clumsily in the pit, still visibly confused, but more and more sand from the Sand Crystal began falling into the hole.
Before it knew it, Gallade's lower legs were already buried in the accumulating sand.
"ESCAPE NOW! GALLADE, TELEPORT!"
"Gallaaa!"
Gallade tensed up, no longer thinking about why the ground had disappeared beneath it.
Right now, it only wanted to escape this trap.
"TAAAR!"
Another deafening roar rang out, causing Gallade to stumble just as it tried to use Teleport.
Teleport failed!
This time, Tyranitar's roar wasn't random. It was the Dark-type sound-based move…
Snarl!
Gallade's Teleport was interrupted, and in the blink of an eye, the sand had already piled up to its waist!
◓---
In the stands, everyone's eyes were full of disbelief.
No one doubted Sato's strength, but watching him completely dominate Kōmei like this still felt surreal.
'This year's Elite Four… is this it?'
---
In the competitor seating, Aruta Kitamura's face had gone pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks one after another.
He had severely underestimated Sato's power!
Even if Kōmei managed to beat Sato and knocked out all four of his Pokémon, at worst it would only affect Sato's mentality a bit.
It wouldn't be hard for Sato to rotate in another lineup to win the next match.
Before the tournament, Aruta had actually consulted with several veterans to analyze Sato's lineup.
Their conclusion was that Honchkrow was merely a strong member of Sato's second team.
As for Tyranitar, they claimed it was currently just average; a future powerhouse with potential.
Because Tyranitar had appeared so infrequently early on, and only against weaker opponents, its real strength hadn't been shown.
The final verdict was that Sato's top tier included Zoroark, Hydreigon, and the mutated Gardevoir.
Yet now, even against Kōmei, Sato hadn't used any of the "top tier" Pokémon those "veterans" had identified…
But after this battle, Tyranitar had definitely proven itself!
It absolutely deserved to be part of what others called "Sato's top tier."
It was just a matter of whether its opponent was worthy of making it shine…
In the competitor seating, Charlotte stood behind Aruta, watching him with clear disdain. Anyone with even a bit of background knew Aruta was riding on connections.
Everyone in the competitor circle had heard how Aruta stepped over Kuraki during the prelims to climb up the ranks.
No one was stupid. Even if no one said anything aloud, they had all silently agreed to ostracize him.
Now, Charlotte could see that Aruta wanted to exploit Sato's match and rise to power by picking up the scraps.
Too bad he ran into a steel wall. All he could do now was stand there pale and trembling.
Charlotte smiled.
'Aruta, you go on trembling in fear. Hopefully, it lasts until the group stage ends.
If it does, I wouldn't mind beating you again~'
---◓
Back on the field, the battle had taken on a new shape.
Slowbro, having lost consciousness, had been recalled by Kōmei.
Gallade was panting heavily but had fortunately escaped from the sand entrapment.
The newly sent-out Pokémon was an Alakazam, who immediately activated Miracle Eye upon entering the field, allowing both itself and its partner to use Psychic-type moves again, recovering some of the disadvantage.
Even so, Tyranitar stood like an immovable mountain, rooted firmly in the battlefield.
No matter how the opponents counterattacked, it calmly blocked them all and struck back with overwhelming power!
Finally, Kōmei himself couldn't hold back any longer. His eyes began to glow faintly blue, and he poured powerful Psychic energy directly into Alakazam without any attempt to hide it.
Right after, Kōmei reached for the spoon-shaped necklace hanging around his neck.
At the center of that spoon was an orange Key Stone, glowing like a real crystal dango.
You couldn't eat it… but it sure could make you stronger!