"Psychic!"
"Garde!"
Sensing danger closing in, Gardevoir's adrenaline surged instantly!
After its typing changed, Signal Beam could deal massive damage to it. Getting hit was absolutely not an option!
Gardevoir's blood-red eyes suddenly turned completely purple as an immense burst of Psychic power exploded outward, forcibly halting the incoming Signal Beam.
Seeing the beam just inches away from her face, Gardevoir broke out in a cold sweat.
That's when Sato finally realized what was off.
By all logic, Claydol shouldn't be fast enough to consistently strike before Gardevoir. And yet, it had been outpacing her every time.
It was Trick Room!
Claydol had secretly used Trick Room right at the start of the battle without anyone noticing.
"Gardevoir, Trick Room!"
The best way to cancel Trick Room… was to use it again!
"You caught on fast. But canceling Trick Room isn't without cost," Shaka said, utterly unbothered.
As soon as he finished speaking, Claydol struck Gardevoir with Drill Run.
As a Gardevoir who had nearly reached Legendary status, her willpower was extraordinarily strong. She gritted through the searing pain of being knocked back by Drill Run and managed to complete Trick Room just in time.
"Imprison!"
"Sealing off Claydol's Trick Room? But what difference does that make? Claydol, Signal Beam!"
Imprison disabled Trick Room for Claydol… but the cost was another direct hit on Gardevoir.
"Clawitzer, Gallade, Heal Pulse!"
At that moment, two beams of pink energy shot toward the heavily injured Gardevoir.
Even though their levels were lower and Heal Pulse was weakened, Gardevoir still recovered significantly.
"…Teaming up? So what." Shaka shook his head. The only reason he'd let Sato last this long was his soft spot for talent.
But in the face of absolute strength, a couple of desperate Heal Pulses were meaningless.
"Chansey, Meganium, Heal Pulse!"
Two more Heal Pulses struck Gardevoir, restoring even more of her stamina.
Shaka: …[1]?
With four Pokémon fully supporting Gardevoir -even if none of them matched her level- the combined effect was no less than support from an Elite Four Pokémon.
Shaka's expression darkened. The fact that Sato had a Gardevoir at the Elite Four level was shocking enough. Now Joseph's support capabilities were proving just as formidable.
'Was it possible that even one Claydol wasn't enough to take down these two youngsters…?'
A sense of unease began to creep into Shaka's heart.
The battle continued…
"Gardevoir, Future Sight."
"Claydol, full-force Signal Beam!"
"Heal Pulse!"
Future Sight was successfully activated, and Claydol seized the moment when Gardevoir was briefly drained, Signal Beam struck again.
But in the very next instant, four Heal Pulses landed without pause, instantly wiping out the damage from the Signal Beam.
"Gardevoir, Shadow Ball barrage."
"Rock Slide!"
"Heal Pulse!"
Shaka couldn't help but frown. His demeanor was no longer as casual as it had been at the start. Joseph's support was crude, but extremely effective.
He realized he needed to deal with Joseph first. But with Imprison still in effect, Claydol's Psychic-type moves were all sealed, leaving it with no chance to launch a surprise attack.
After another round of Rock Slide and Shadow Ball clashing, followed by four Heal Pulses, Gardevoir's condition was nearly back to peak.
As long as Joseph was there, Gardevoir had nothing to fear. All she had to do was keep attacking… attack, attack, attack!
"Keep going, Energy Ball."
"Claydol, Rock Slide!"
After yet another collision, Future Sight activated. A rainbow-colored beam of energy descended from the sky at incredible speed, slamming Claydol into the ground.
At the same time, new commands rang out from both Sato and Joseph!
"Future Sight!" "Heal Pulse!"
Shaka's eyes went completely cold. He realized he had underestimated Sato and Joseph.
The reality was, with just Claydol alone, he truly couldn't take the two of them down.
"Forcing me to send out a second Pokémon…"
"Donphan, join the battle!"
Shaka had finally sent out a second Pokémon: Donphan, a pure Ground-type!
Sato exchanged a glance with the now-recovered Joseph, and both could see the excitement in each other's eyes.
So what if he was Elite Four? Sato still saw a chance to win!
"Cacturne!"
A flash of red light, and Cacturne appeared beside Gardevoir.
At the same time, Sato reached out and grabbed the Key Stone on his chest, channeling the Dark Energy within himself into it.
[Dark Energy: Energy Amplification]
Energy surged through the Key Stone and into the golden Cacturne's body. Its aura began to spike violently, rapidly soaring to Peak Ace level.
But the gap between Peak Ace and Elite Four was immense. Not even Dark Energy alone seemed able to break through that wall.
Then suddenly, a mass of green light particles emerged from the forest and poured into Cacturne.
Sato turned and saw a soft green glow surrounding Joseph as well.
Joseph grinned. "My Viridian Power can amplify too!"
Just as he finished speaking, Cacturne's aura exploded again. With the combined boost of Dark Energy and Viridian Power, it successfully reached the Elite Four level!
Shaka stood dumbfounded by the sight before him. Even with all his years of experience, he had never seen anything so astonishing.
Cacturne, now at Elite Four, didn't just radiate overwhelming power, its appearance had changed too.
Its once golden body was now black-gold. Though it no longer shone as brightly, it had become even more… refined.
Black-gold Cacturne: Low Elite Four!
Just as Sato was about to command the attack, he saw Shaka suddenly wave his hand and call both Claydol and Donphan to his side.
"Joseph… that power you have… is it Viridian Power?"
"…Yes."
Now that Viridian Power had been exposed -and the other party clearly recognized it- Joseph saw no reason to hide it.
When Shaka heard Joseph confirm it personally, he staggered slightly, as if struck by a heavy blow.
Sato noticed something was off about Shaka and had the urge to order Gardevoir and Cacturne to launch a surprise attack.
But seeing how Donphan and Claydol had subtly moved to shield Shaka completely, Sato dismissed that unrealistic idea.
By now, Shaka had also regained his composure. He looked at Joseph with a complicated expression.
"The previous wielder of Viridian Power… was my apprentice. His talent outshone even yours…"
It was like a bolt of lightning struck Sato's ears. The previous wielder of Viridian Power, wasn't that…
The current leader of Team Rocket, the Earth King.: Giovanni!
[1] (・・;)