Psychic power surge!
Mega Evolution: Mega Alakazam!
Without waiting for his final Pokémon to enter the field, Kōmei decisively played both of his trump cards.
The powerful Psychic energy even began to warp physical space itself. Ripple-like distortions spread slowly outward from Alakazam's position.
As the multicolored glow gradually retracted, those spatial ripples grew even stronger and, floating in midair, legs crossed, a white-bearded old fox appeared on the battlefield.
After Mega Evolution, the two spoons originally in Alakazam's hands became five, and its Psychic power nearly doubled in intensity.
Suddenly, the red jewel on Mega Alakazam's forehead flared, and a terrifying wave of psychic pressure flashed across the entire arena!
Sato's brow furrowed, and he immediately looked toward the sky.
There, Honchkrow's black silhouette was rapidly enlarging, but its posture looked… off.
"HONCHKROW'S FALLING!"
A scream rang out from the audience. Having ascended so high, Honchkrow had clearly flown well beyond the boundaries of the relatively small field.
Now it was falling straight down, on a collision course with the audience!
"Alakazam!" "Tyranitar!"
Sato and Kōmei both called out to their Pokémon at the same time.
Mega Alakazam's red forehead jewel flashed again, instantly suspending Honchkrow mid-air.
Tyranitar, reacting half a second later, stirred up a howling sandstorm that formed into a massive sand hand, gently catching Honchkrow and returning it to the battlefield.
Miracle Eye was still active. With no warning at all, Mega Alakazam unleashed another blast, and instantly knocked Honchkrow out of the match.
Although Honchkrow had already been battling for a while, Alakazam's current psychic strength still made Sato wary.
"Honchkrow is unable to battle…"
Sato calmly recalled Honchkrow and glanced at the two Pokémon Kōmei still had on the field. His mind was already at work.
Gallade specialized in close combat, with outstanding melee capabilities. Combined with Teleport, it could nearly ignore most control-type moves.
Mega Alakazam was a long-range attacker, and with Mega Evolution plus Kōmei's own psychic amplification, its Special Attack was now beyond absurd.
Right now, his Tyranitar was still on the field. With its powerful sand control, it could effectively suppress Gallade's close-range attacks.
Give it a bit more time, and Tyranitar would completely bury Gallade.
So the one that could counter Alakazam…
Was this one!
"Umbreon, Light Screen."
A flash of red light, and the black-furred Pokémon covered in yellow rings appeared on the field.
…Low Elite Four level?
◓---
"Hey Lance, why's Sato sending out Umbreon now, huh…?"
In the stands, Clair instinctively reached for Lance's shoulder… only to realize no one was beside her.
She looked to the side and remembered that Lance was also competing in the tournament.
"Hmph… I don't believe you'd just give up on the match!" Clair bit her lip, but deep down she was seriously praying.
She wasn't the only one. Many spectators couldn't help but speculate.
Since the top two in the group could advance, why risk a head-on clash with an Elite Four now?
But clearly, they'd already forgotten… before Alakazam Mega Evolved, they had all assumed Kōmei was nothing special too!
---◓
On the field, as soon as Umbreon appeared, it raised a Light Screen that also extended to protect Tyranitar.
And Mega Alakazam, without needing any spoken command from Kōmei, was already in full sync thanks to their mental connection and psychic amplification.
Psychic!
A pure Psychic-type move, nothing flashy, but powerful enough to distort the surrounding space; tiny black cracks formed under the sheer pressure.
"Sandstorm defense. Protect!"
This hit… was going to be hard to block!
Even though Umbreon had already set up a Light Screen, a single screen wasn't enough of a safety net.
So Sato didn't hesitate. He immediately ordered Umbreon to use its precious first Protect!
With the sandstorm active, Tyranitar's Special Defense was massively boosted, so it wasn't too concerned.
After all, Memory Sand Crystal sand was far stronger than ordinary sand.
On the other side, just as the green barrier enveloped Umbreon, the Psychic attack struck with overwhelming force, crashing down on what should have been an impenetrable defense.
Crack…
Fractures began to spread across the Protect barrier. Absolute defense had its limits, and Alakazam had clearly surpassed them.
And this was a Double Battle!
"Galla…!"
A soft cry came from behind Umbreon; Gallade had used Teleport to close the distance while Tyranitar was too cautious to pursue!
At Low Elite Four level, Umbreon really seemed outmatched in the Elite Four Tournament finals.
Gallade's move was unmistakably the one designed to break through Protect… Feint!
In that moment, it was as if a sleeping Pyroar had awakened, Elite Four Kōmei was fully back in the fight.
"Tyranitar… EARTHQUAKE!"
Suddenly, Sato shouted loudly -his first real outburst in the entire match- and it instantly drew Kōmei's attention. Both Alakazam and Gallade hesitated for just a brief second.
First, because it was the first time Sato had yelled like that in battle; it startled them.
Second, Earthquake didn't distinguish between ally and enemy. Its sheer power and recklessness made even experienced Trainers wary.
And in that sliver of hesitation, Tyranitar -deeply attuned to the ground from years of underground slumber- seized the moment perfectly.
…BOOOOOM!
The entire arena shook violently, and the ground beneath Umbreon suddenly collapsed.
This sudden drop disrupted Gallade's focus, and its attack missed entirely.
Feint failed.
Protect remained intact.
Though it still had cracks, it continued holding against Alakazam's Psychic with no issue.
Umbreon's crisis… RESOLVED!
At that moment, Gallade swung its arms absentmindedly, its gaze unfocused.
It had just been dragged into a pit, forced to watch its partner Slowbro get taken out before doing anything…
And now, because of this second pit, it had blown the most critical combo of the battle, letting Umbreon escape what should've been a sure defeat.
How did a single pit trip it up twice?
Gallade's mental state collapsed…
"Umbree~"
Umbreon let out a soft cry. Having survived the crisis, it began frantically stacking more Light Screens on itself.
One after another…
In the blink of an eye, a faint golden shimmer began to surround Umbreon; a sign of repeatedly stacked Light Screens.
"Alakazam, Guard Swap!"
"Hn… Tyranitar, Taunt."
Sato let out a cold snort. Seeing Umbreon stacking Light Screens and Kōmei not intervening, he immediately guessed the strategy.
But when it came to tactics, Dark-type Pokémon were just as dirty as Psychic-types!
"Tyranitar, Snarl. Umbreon, get in close and use Toxic."
At this point, Umbreon had clearly become a wall. One that couldn't be broken, that healed itself, and that was downright dirty~
And Tyranitar? It stood firm like an unshakable mountain.
With it on the field, any partner could fight without holding back!