Forge's sudden sigh stirred a wave of emotion in those watching; so much past glory, yet in the end, even that must bow before time.
"Can you tell me what that move just now was?" Forge lifted his head and asked Sato with a smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were clearly visible.
"Grass Knot. A Grass-type status move: the heavier the opponent, the stronger it hits. It works similarly to Low Kick," Sato answered straightforwardly, withholding nothing.
"I see… then Rhyperior, with a 4x weakness to Grass, truly lost with no regrets." Forge nodded. Taking advantage of the moment, he pulled out his third Poké Ball.
"My last one… Bastiodon!"
Another Fossil Pokémon!
This time, one with incredibly high Defense and Special Defense.
"Bas!"
After taking down another opponent, Krookodile's Attack rose again thanks to Moxie. Although its tail injury was still significant, Krookodile remained full of spirit.
Seeing that Sato still had no intention of switching Pokémon, the young man at the referee's post flashed a moment of discontent -yet also a hint of awe- before simply announcing the match.
"Krookodile, charge in with Brick Break." Sato gave the command without hesitation.
Bastiodon's Attack was nothing to write home about, while Krookodile's consecutive wins had significantly boosted its power. Sato had long since decided on his strategy for this round…
Attack. Pure, relentless offense!
"Bastiodon, Iron Defense!"
Knowing his chances of turning the battle around were slim, Forge grew calm. Arms crossed, he coolly ordered Bastiodon to boost its Defense.
A metallic sheen glinted across Bastiodon's wall-like face, and its Defense soared dramatically.
Clang~
A crisp, bell-like sound rang out. Krookodile's Brick Break had struck Bastiodon's wall-like face.
But Bastiodon seemed completely unfazed. With a simple jerk of its head, it knocked Krookodile backward.
Rock + Steel type meant Bastiodon should have a 4x weakness to Fighting.
…But this attack seemed to do almost nothing.
The reason wasn't hard to guess. Krookodile had been able to one-shot Rhyperior with Grass Knot not just due to the 4x type advantage, but also because of Rhyperior's extremely poor Special Defense.
Bastiodon, however, excelled in both physical and special defense. On top of that, Brick Break didn't have particularly high base power, and Krookodile didn't get STAB from it either.
With all those factors combined, even with a 4x weakness, the end result was vastly different.
"Again! Use Iron Defense!"
"Bas!"
That metallic shine appeared once more, Bastiodon's Defense rose sharply again.
Sato didn't hesitate either: "Krookodile, keep using Brick Break."
Clang…
Clang clang~
Clang clang clang clang…
Krookodile knew no fear. Taking down two opponents in a row had its confidence soaring.
Looking at this stubborn Bastiodon in front of it, Krookodile abandoned all defense and went all in: wide open, heavy strikes!
"Bastiodon, Iron Defense!"
Forge's voice rang out again. When the metallic glow appeared for the third time, Bastiodon's Defense had reached its maximum in just a short span.
Now came the ruthless counterattack!
"Bastiodon, Metal Burst!"
"Bas!"
With a furious roar, Bastiodon's real battle had just begun…
So what if its Attack wasn't strong? It had Metal Burst, let's see who could endure the longest!
Metal Burst: returns 1.5 -150%- times the damage it has received!
Which meant, from this point on, no matter how much damage Krookodile dealt, it would get hit back with 1.5 times that amount.
A defensive counterattack strategy!
Bastiodon had clearly taken it to the extreme…
It was only then that Sato realized: he had missed the best window for a counterattack long ago.
That moment had been at the very beginning, when Krookodile could have landed overwhelming hits, racking up as much damage as possible. Then, finish draining Bastiodon's remaining stamina as fast as possible.
On the field, Krookodile's Brick Break landed again, but unlike before, where Bastiodon merely deflected the blow, this time, with Metal Burst activated, the point of contact exploded violently.
Krookodile was blown away without surprise.
"DOOON!"
Bastiodon raised its face and let out a proud roar. After three uses of Iron Defense, its momentum was fully established, it didn't even care who the opponent was anymore.
It wanted to win!
Yet even facing this fierce, confident Bastiodon, Sato didn't change his command for Krookodile.
To win, Krookodile had to attack, and as long as it attacked, it would be hit with Metal Burst's recoil.
Rather than using a risky high-power move to go down with its opponent, it was better to take the calculated approach and whittle away with Brick Break.
Besides, even if Krookodile couldn't win, Sato still had two Pokémon he hadn't used. There was no way he would lose.
Under such circumstances, he might as well let Krookodile fight its own way to the end.
After all, Krookodile had won the first round with skill, and the second with surprise catching Rhyperior off guard with Grass Knot.
But those had all been compromises made in pursuit of victory.
---
When it saw Rampardos' explosive attack, Krookodile had wanted to brawl head-on. But after hearing Sato's order, it knew it likely wasn't the better fighter.
So it used the [Dragon Tail Counter] technique from training, and successfully brought Rampardos down.
Then the opponent became Rhyperior. Seeing the hard, orange-red armor and terrifying bulk, Krookodile endured the pain in its tail while secretly glancing at its own tough but stubby claws.
'Breaking through... probably wouldn't be easy.'
And then, Rhyperior started running. That massive body actually began charging with pounding steps!
In that instant, Grass Knot popped into Krookodile's mind. And after hearing Sato's vague-sounding command, it didn't hesitate: Grass Knot activated.
With that, two victories in two rounds!
---
But what Krookodile truly loved... was fists clashing, body-to-body combat.
Just like now. Even though it was blown away time after time by Metal Burst, Krookodile's eyes only grew brighter. It charged again at Bastiodon, Brick Break striking fiercely.
Clang~ BOOOOM!
Krookodile was blasted back again, and this time, Bastiodon finally stumbled a little.
Both adjusted briefly… then clashed again, only to be knocked away once more.
Once, twice, three times... no one knew how long it lasted. Krookodile eventually lay flat on its back, unable to get up, while Bastiodon also collapsed, struggling to.
Bastiodon's wall-like face was now full of dents, its metallic luster completely gone.
Krookodile's sharp claws were swollen like pig's feet, no longer usable.
Joseph, Mark, the referee, and even the group of reporters -who had quietly taken their seats without interrupting the battle- all held their breath.
"Krookodile… you can rest now."
"Bastiodon, you did great."
"Krookodile and Bastiodon have both lost the ability to battle. Since the Challenger still has two unused Pokémon, the winner of this match is Yuga Sato from Shadownight Town!"