As if planned in advance, both Sato and Lance chose to Mega Evolve their third Pokémon during this showdown.
Sharpedo's Ability changed from Speed Boost to Strong Jaw, boosting the power of its biting moves by fifty percent, while the speed it gained prior to Mega Evolution still remained effective.
Charizard's Ability changed from Blaze to Tough Claws, increasing the damage of all contact moves by thirty percent. It also now gained the true Dragon typing.
At the same time, both Pokémon's Mega Evolved forms became noticeably more aggressive, as if they had evolved solely for battle!
When Mega Sharpedo and Mega Charizard X locked eyes again, they instinctively charged at each other.
Crunch!
Dragon Claw!
Mega Sharpedo became like a blade, its massive jaws slicing through the air and leaving curling white vapor in its wake.
Mega Charizard X suddenly beat its fleshy wings, bringing both claws -now imbued with Dragon-type energy- forward in a crossed formation, ready to strike at the moment of contact.
Human eyes could no longer follow them. Only the two Pokémon kept their gaze locked, relying on their exceptional reflexes to judge the best point of attack.
In the blink of an eye, they clashed!
Mega Sharpedo angled its body slightly, repositioning its jaws away from Mega Charizard. Its true killing move was actually the seemingly ordinary dorsal fin on its back.
But Mega Charizard had also switched tactics. Its Dragon Claws, one above and one below, clearly indicated a two-stage attack plan.
Thud…
…ZZZzzZzzZ～
Dragon Claw struck Mega Sharpedo's fangs first. There was no gruesome bloodshed; just a sizzling, grating sound that made the spectators instinctively cover their ears.
The next moment, Mega Charizard's other claw lashed out. Mega Sharpedo instantly abandoned the deadlock and ascended sharply into the air.
"CHAAAAAAAR! CHARIZAAAAARD!"
Mega Charizard let out an excited roar and immediately turned to give chase.
Fortunately, Mega Sharpedo was fast and highly maneuverable, leaving Mega Charizard X unable to catch it for the time being.
Suddenly, Mega Sharpedo launched another attack, reversing direction to get behind Mega Charizard, then accelerating again to strike.
Crunch!
After all this time observing, Sato had finally spotted a minor flaw in Mega Charizard. There was a slight delay in its movements when turning midair.
On the other side, Lance had also noticed Mega Sharpedo's attack movement. Though he said nothing, Mega Charizard X suddenly performed an aerial flip.
By the time Mega Sharpedo reached Mega Charizard, its thick tail shimmered with metallic light, and met Mega Sharpedo's saber-like fangs head-on.
That was no coincidence!
Sato was certain of it. He used synchronized resonance to command Mega Sharpedo to fall back immediately.
The attack missed. Mega Sharpedo accelerated again and retreated, reestablishing a safe distance.
{Disrupt it, mess with its rhythm.} Sato continued giving instructions.
"Sha~"
This time, Mega Sharpedo gave up trying to deal damage. Following Sato's intentions to the letter, it relied purely on speed to interfere with Mega Charizard.
In the sky, Mega Charizard twisted, turned, rolled. Its powerful frame displaying remarkable flexibility. Almost every time, it dodged Mega Sharpedo's interference with the smallest possible movements.
At first glance, it even looked like Sharpedo was the one being toyed with.
---
Time passed, and tiny wounds began accumulating on Mega Charizard X. Blood streaks would appear, then quickly scab over. It wasn't seriously hurt, but it already looked like a "Blood/Dragon-type."
Mega Charizard didn't feel pain, yet irritation crept in instinctively. It started to sense that this big fish buzzing around was repeatedly insulting its Dragon pride…
It was working!
Sato made up his mind and ordered Mega Sharpedo to increase the intensity of its attacks and widen the damage.
Gradually, Mega Charizard's injuries worsened, and its blood stopped clotting as quickly.
A cold glint flashed in Mega Sharpedo's eyes. It once again used its seemingly unremarkable dorsal fin, preparing to deliver a finishing blow…
Crunch!
A flash of silver cut through the air as Sharpedo charged straight at Charizard.
'THAT'S IT. Charizard's done for!'
At that moment, this was the only thought running through everyone's mind.
"…Brick Break."
A calm voice rang out, making Sato's heart skip a beat. Before he could warn Mega Sharpedo, Mega Charizard suddenly transformed; like it had become a completely different dragon.
Its claws clasped together and raised high, glowing with orange light, before smashing down diagonally in front of itself…
BOOOOOM!
A dull crash echoed out. To the crowd's shock, it looked as if Mega Sharpedo had willingly slammed into the strike and was violently knocked down!
A divine prediction…?
Impossible!
Sato snapped his head toward Lance and saw beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
Dragon Force!
The answer hit Sato instantly. But all he could do was watch as Sharpedo plummeted to the ground, beyond saving.
Sharpedo, defeated!
With the overwhelming strength of his first partner Charizard, Lance turned the battle around by defeating two Pokémon in a row!
At this point, Sato had lost three Pokémon first, falling into a disadvantage.
"This is on me…"
After recalling Sharpedo, Sato whispered softly to the Poké Ball, then, without hesitation, sent out his next Pokémon.
A flash of red light revealed the composed and imposing Tyranitar, stepping onto the cratered battlefield.
It looked up at the Charizard soaring freely above and was instantly filled with rage…
"TYRAAAAAN! TAAAR!"
'I'LL BRING YOU DOWN!'
"Rock Slide."
"Steel Wing!"
As soon as it entered the field, Tyranitar unleashed its signature move.
With a wave of its hand, countless stones rose from the ground and began spinning wildly, transforming into sharp spikes.
Another swing… and the spiked rocks shot skyward with unpredictable trajectories, all targeting Charizard.
Faced with the dense barrage, Charizard instinctively tensed, then immediately soared higher into the sky.
But the rock spikes were relentless, even half a step faster than Charizard.
Fortunately, Charizard had been flying relatively low to begin with, and quickly escaped the range of the attack.
Tyranitar didn't bother wasting energy. It commanded the rock spikes to surround the entire field, then brazenly started using Dragon Dance to boost itself.
'Go ahead, little lizard. Try coming down and… I'll impale you!'
And more importantly, there was a altitude restriction rule in battles involving Flying-type Pokémon.
If a Pokémon remained outside the field boundary for too long, it would be considered an automatic forfeit.
But looking at those rows of deadly spikes, even Lance hesitated for a moment.
If it descended, wouldn't it be torn apart?
But if it didn't… wasn't that an automatic loss?
"CHAAAAAAR!!!"
Suddenly, Charizard let out a mighty roar from high above.
Proud as it was, how could it accept losing without a fight?
In the next instant, Charizard dove at high speed, its entire body engulfed in blue flames, aiming straight at Tyranitar.
"TYRAAAAAN!!!"
Tyranitar roared back in excitement, then flung its arm, sending all the stone spikes hurtling toward Charizard once more.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOM… BOOM… BOOOOOOOM!
A chain of explosions rang out as Charizard used its high-temperature flames to detonate the first wave of incoming spikes.
But there were too many. Within seconds, the sheer number overwhelmed and suppressed its flames.
And that final "BOOM" was undoubtedly the sound of Charizard crashing to the ground…
DEFEATED!