{Energy Ball, behind you.}
Through synchronized resonance, Sato's command reached Cacturne instantly.
It was as if eyes with a mind of their own had sprouted on its back.
Cacturne spun around and counterattacked. A dazzling golden Energy Ball spun outward, colliding perfectly with Starmie's Thunderbolt.
At the same time, another Starmie began glowing with a white light.
Recover!
One of the core moves in Starmie's secret splitting technique.
The "split copy" that Cacturne had just taken down was now being regenerated by the power of Recover, splitting once more from the original.
Four perfectly coordinated, self-replicating Elite Four level Starmie…
How do you beat that!?
"Cacturne, Needle Arm! That one!"
Sato quickly pointed to the Starmie that had just produced a new clone and gave his command.
"Cac!"
Using the sandstorm as cover, Cacturne vanished from view, then reappeared behind the targeted Starmie in an instant.
Needle Arm, Cacturne's signature move. Not the most powerful, but the one it had mastered best.
A container-sized arm whooshed out from the sandstorm, and the Cotton Spore-affected Starmie had no chance to dodge.
Cra…Crack…
Another red gem shattered on the spot. That Starmie was instantly knocked out by Cacturne's strike.
Unfortunately… it wasn't the original!
The next moment, Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt blasted in from three different directions. With Cacturne's enlarged size, dodging was impossible.
Splat~
Zap!
Crackle…
All three attacks hit dead-on!
And then, yet another faint white glow began to shimmer, this time from a Starmie that hadn't split before.
Where was the original?
Or maybe… there was no distinction between original and copy at all. As long as even one Starmie remained, they could infinitely use Recover to resurrect the rest!
There was no definitive proof, but the more Sato thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Even if it wasn't true… he had to treat it as if it were!
"Cacturne, Ingrain, Synthesis."
"CACTUUURN!"
Cacturne didn't know exactly what Sato was planning, but it carried out the commands without hesitation.
Its feet sank into the ground, unleashing countless roots that drilled into the earth. The energy of the field began flowing into its body as nourishment.
It didn't stop there. Cacturne raised both arms high, like a real cactus basking in sunlight, soaking up the gift from above.
But at the same time, unless it was willing to cut off all its roots, from now on Cacturne could no longer move freely.
Splat~
Zap!
Crackle…
Pop-
Another barrage of four attacks came from different angles, all landing directly!
Cacturne didn't budge. It let the attacks rain down on its body, as if focused solely on absorbing sunlight and nutrients from the ground.
Kōmei had no idea what Sato was planning either, but he wasn't about to waste the momentum. He immediately ordered the Starmie to continue their assault!
Splat~
Zap!
Crackle…
'Four more… wait?
Why were there only three attacks?'
Kōmei jolted in surprise and immediately looked toward the fourth Starmie… only to see its body now entangled in a web of glowing golden roots.
Grass Knot!
But that wasn't all. The golden roots were still twitching ever so slightly, clearly draining something from inside Starmie.
Cacturne's second Ability… Water Absorb!
Except this "water" wasn't actual water; it was Starmie's vitality!
"GET IN THE AIR!" Kōmei shouted loudly as well, but by then it was already too late.
Another Starmie had been silently ensnared by Cacturne's roots and was now firmly bound to the ground.
The remaining two narrowly avoided the ambush and spun their way into the air.
But even in the sky, Cacturne had ways to strike!
"[Pin Missile: Limitless]!"
"CAC…TUUURNE!"
Cacturne remained rooted in place. The spikes above its thighs all lit up, and countless Pin Missiles formed in an instant, whistling as they launched toward the two airborne Starmie.
The Starmie grouped up, covering each other and skillfully blocking the incoming Pin Missiles.
One minute… two minutes… three minutes…
After five full minutes, the Starmie were still fending off the Pin Missiles. Though their expressions couldn't be seen, one could only imagine how they were questioning everything about life right now.
Would this ever end…?
Nope!
With Synthesis and Ingrain active, the already massive Cacturne had just added even more stamina regeneration to its bulk.
Forget five minutes, even if Cacturne kept firing Pin Missiles for half an hour straight, it wouldn't even get winded.
The Starmie couldn't land and rest.
They had to keep defending.
And since they couldn't concentrate enough energy while split to unleash a full-power burst, their regular attacks were quickly neutralized by Cacturne's healing.
The secret splitting technique that Starmie prided itself on had just been completely broken by Cacturne.
And as time passed, the scales of victory tilted further and further in Sato's favor.
Until finally…
"…I forfeit!"
Whatever Kōmei might have been thinking inside, at least on the surface, his expression remained calm. Even while conceding, he did so with grace.
Sato instinctively had Cacturne stop attacking.
It wasn't until that moment that he finally realized…
He had actually won this match!
◓---
"UNBELIEVABLE! Sato pulled it off!"
---
"I thought Elite Four Kōmei had him cornered…"
---
"Hah! Did Kōmei just throw the match?"
---
"…Sato's…"
---◓
Roars, gasps, and jeers rang out from the audience, but all he saw was Cacturne grinning wide, laughing in pure joy.
'Did I… really win?'
"Sa…Sa…Sato!"
"…H-Hm?"
Snapping back to reality, Sato saw Kōmei already standing in front of him, extending his right hand.
He reached out to shake it, just as Kōmei said, "You did well. I hope you'll carry the torch just like Lance."
Before Sato could reply, Kōmei gently pulled his hand back and gave Sato a friendly pat on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.
Sato gradually calmed down from the rush of excitement. After waving back briefly to the enthusiastic crowd, he quickly stepped down from the stage.
Soon after, Aruta and Charlotte from Sato's group took the stage, ranked eleventh and twelfth. Their match was just as intense.
At the beginning, Charlotte held a clear advantage. But once Aruta sent out both Tyranitar and Dragonite, his dual pseudo-legendary team locked in the win.
Thus, both Sato and Aruta secured one victory each and were scheduled to compete again in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Kōmei would face Charlotte in another match.
---◓---
At the Pokémon Center, Sato, Joseph, and Mark were chatting while waiting for their Pokémon to recover.
But they hadn't been resting long when Lance hurried over.
"Sato, the President wants to see you. He's in the lounge out back."
"Huh? The President…? President Goodshow?" Sato blinked, asking reflexively.
"Tahaha, of course! Come on, this is good news~"
Lance grinned and clapped Sato on the shoulder before dragging him away without another word.
Joseph and Mark exchanged a glance, and a silent guess began forming in their minds.
"The Boss…"
"Just beat Elite Four Kōmei, and now the President's calling him over? Ha! That's way too obvious!"
Joseph nodded, his heart surging with excitement.