The moment Draco Meteor was launched, Misty Terrain from Gardevoir and Rain Dance from Goodra both expired simultaneously.
The skies cleared, the mist faded, and Draco Meteor soared into the air and exploded with a roar!
Like celebratory fireworks, the meteors burst in the sky, then transformed into blazing fragments that crashed violently down to the ground.
The dazzling display of the move even briefly drew the attention of Joseph and the others on the other side.
"…That Draco Meteor came from the Leader's Hydreigon!"
Lotta, who knew Hydreigon best, instantly recognized it. Her words greatly boosted the confidence of the surrounding team.
If the Gym Leader was already using his ultimate moves, what were they afraid of?
Don't flinch!
Just go all in!
"Houndoom, Inferno!"
"Arbok, Gunk Shot!"
"Honchkrow, Sky Attack!"
"Donphan, Head Smash!"
---
BOOOOM!
How powerful was an Elite Four level Draco Meteor?
To an ordinary person, it might as well have been the end of the world!
The once beautifully manicured garden was gone, replaced by massive craters blasted into the ground by meteor impacts.
Mars, pale-faced, was hiding beneath Jellicent's Substitute. A trace of resentment crept into his heart… why was his pseudo-legendary Goodra, and not something as powerful as Hydreigon?
Once Draco Meteor descended, every other Pokémon had no choice but to fall back.
Even though Hydreigon had controlled the meteors to avoid hitting allies, Zoroark and the others still chose to stay put and not risk it.
Barbaracle and Goodra, not being fast, used Protect to shield themselves from the impacts; but doing so also blocked the incoming Heal Pulse from Clawitzer.
Greninja, with its excellent speed and reflexes, darted through the explosions of Draco Meteor completely unharmed.
Only Clawitzer, caught in the act of casting Heal Pulse and too slow to dodge, ended up being the only Pokémon hit by Draco Meteor on the entire field…
The damage was severe!
"Garde~"
And just as Draco Meteor ended, Gardevoir suddenly appeared right beside Greninja!
Moonblast!
Only Sato, who'd been in mental contact with Gardevoir, knew that she had secretly used Calm Mind twice while hiding; her Special Attack was now significantly amplified.
And what she had been waiting for… was a chance to strike with a one-hit KO!
[Moonblast]
A spectral moon rose high, manifesting alongside Gardevoir, then turned into a blinding pink beam that shot toward Greninja faster than lightning!
"GREEEEE!"
A pained scream rang out as Greninja took the full force of the powered-up Moonblast, its body slammed straight into the ground!
When the light faded, Greninja was lying "quietly" in the deep crater, unconscious.
This proved that -even for an Elite Four level Pokémon- a single mistake could lead to being taken down instantly!
Mars stared in shock at his fallen Greninja, never expecting his Pokémon to be the first to lose.
But he recovered quickly, and without hesitation sent out another Pokémon to restore the 4-on-4 battle.
Mid Elite Four: Dragalge!
Sato sighed internally at the missed opportunity. Mars had reacted too fast; there wasn't enough time to press the advantage.
But now that the first Pokémon had fallen… could the second and third be far behind?
The battle raged on!
Sato only fought harder with each round, while the atmosphere on Mars's side grew increasingly bleak.
Mars couldn't find a breakthrough!
All the attacks Clawitzer fired were blocked effortlessly by just two of Hydreigon's heads.
Barbaracle and Goodra were tightly locked down by Cacturne and Zoroark, and had to occasionally deal with another one of Hydreigon's heads on top of that.
The newly fielded Dragalge -his last Elite Four Pokémon- was thoroughly suppressed by Gardevoir's Psychic-type advantage. Its entire arsenal of Poison moves was rendered useless.
'A-Am I… really going to lose?'
This thought suddenly surged through Mars's mind. It felt absurd and laughable; but it also…
Seemed to be becoming a reality!
BOOOOOM!
Just as Mars spaced out, another explosion rang out.
It was Dragalge being blasted away by Gardevoir's Psychic!
Once again, Gardevoir's tremendous Special Attack made her the key to Sato's side breaking through the enemy lines.
"DRAGALGE, TOXIC!"
"We strike first, Hypnosis!" Sato quickly relayed via Telepathy.
"Garde~"
Even if Toxic had perfect accuracy, it still needed to be launched to work!
Hypnosis activated first. Dragalge couldn't resist the effects of Gardevoir equipped with a Nightmare Orb. Its eyes fluttered shut, and it fell into a deep sleep.
What came next didn't even require Sato's command. Gardevoir followed up with Dream Eater, dealing massive damage to Dragalge once again.
Soon… Dragalge was down as well.
Under Mars's pale expression, Gardevoir then teamed up with Hydreigon to overwhelm Clawitzer, bringing it down too.
In the end, Barbaracle and Goodra couldn't withstand the four-on-one assault either.
But even before they fell, Mars's thoughts had already shifted…
ESCAPE[1]!
Jellicent reached out with its soft, pink tentacles and tightly wrapped around Mars, then its whole body vanished from sight.
A Ghost-type's exclusive Invisibility ability!
But shortly after, Jellicent and Mars reappeared not far from the garden.
Standing there was a golden-eyed Gengar who casually greeted them with a nod.
…Then with a wave of its hand, dozens of Shadow Balls whooshed forth toward the enemy!
"Trying to escape now? Isn't it a little too late?"
Sato arrived beside Gengar riding Sharpedo, looking down at the fallen Jellicent and… the unconscious Mars.
"…How did the power spike that much?"
"G-Gengarrr~"
Gengar scratched its head awkwardly. Even it hadn't noticed; the Shadow Balls didn't look much different, but they were suddenly way stronger.
"That's a good thing. You'll get used to it soon enough."
"Geng~"
Mars's solo escape attempt completely broke the will of Goodra and Barbaracle. But Sato showed no mercy and commanded Zoroark and Cacturne to finish them off.
After all, Elite Four level EXP bags weren't exactly common. Each one was precious.
Sato then recalled all of Mars's Pokémon and locked their Poké Balls, before having Gardevoir use telekinesis to restrain him.
At that moment, the rest of the Pokémon gathered around, all of them visibly excited; clearly still intoxicated by the power of Elite Four level combat.
"Well done! But we still need to keep working together."
As he spoke, Sato also retracted the effects of [Dark Energy: Energy Amplification].
The Pokémon felt their levels drop sharply, and their eyes filled with disappointment.
"We've already mapped out the path. Are you saying we still can't advance? Of course we can!"
"Zoroaaaark~"
"Cactu~"
"Hyd!" "Drei!" "Gooooon!"
"Alright, the battle's not over yet.Time to go support Joseph and the others."
[1] RUN!♫