Pokémon: Above the Top

"Doesn't seem like what?" Mark pressed on curiously.

Sato shook his head and said no more, though silently added in his heart, 'He doesn't feel like someone who could ever become a Champion.'

The night passed without incident. The next morning, fully prepared, Sato headed to the hotel battlefield with Mark and Joseph at his side.

Just a few minutes later, Wallace slowly entered as well. At the same time, he had the entire area cleared, leaving only the four of them in the battlefield, including the spectator stands.

"Need a referee?" Wallace didn't bother with small talk.

"No need. Same as last time. 1v1 sound good?" Sato shook his head. Both knew the rules well, no point pretending otherwise.

"Then let's begin. Walrein, give it everything you've got this time!"

"Zoroark, prepare for battle."

An Ice/Water-type Walrein against a Dark-type Zoroark. There was no type advantage either way, but the gap in strength made the only two spectators, Mark and Joseph, frown deeply.

Walrein: High Pseudo-Elite Four.

Zoroark: Peak Elite.

The gap… was too big!

"…Sato, I thought you'd take this battle seriously. But an Elite Pokémon is still just that, Elite. My Walrein reached Pseudo-Elite Four three years ago."

Wallace was clearly displeased. He knew Sato had Pokémon at Pseudo-Elite Four, so he brought out Walrein expecting a real fight.

But Zoroark? Was he planning to step over Wallace to trigger a breakthrough?

As if that would work!

He wasn't some declining Gym Leader like Maylo, and far more of a "prodigy" than Volkner.

'So Sato, you're being far too arrogant!'

"It's been three years and you're still stuck at Pseudo-Elite Four… while Lance has already become an Elite Four member. You were both the ones I swore I'd chase, but now? You're not qualified anymore…"

Sato mumbled to himself with his head down. But as he looked up, his eyes gleamed with piercing light.

"Pseudo-Elite Four? It's not even Elite Four. Zoroark, [Dark Energy: Energy Amplification]!"

"…Zoro!"

Zoroark, who hadn't appeared in quite some time, trembled slightly. It was trembling from excitement and anticipation.

And this opponent… was definitely worth challenging!

The barrier of Peak Elite level seemed to vanish in an instant. Zoroark's aura exploded upward.

Low Pseudo-Elite Four… Mid… High!

In Wallace's shocked gaze, the long fur on Zoroark's back doubled in volume, and its body turned entirely pitch-black. No trace of any other color remained.

"W-What… what kind of evolution is that?"

"It's not evolution. It's my special ability," Sato said, shaking his head. Without further explanation, he gave the next command. "Zoroark, Night Daze."

"ZOROOO!"

Pitch-black all over, Zoroark looked like a demon crawling out of the night. Its front claws slammed into the ground, and a surge of powerful Dark-type energy burst up from below, striking the battlefield indiscriminately.

"Walrein, Blizzard!"

Wallace's face turned serious. He realized he had never truly respected Sato, despite the age difference.

Even if Sato had beaten him once before, Wallace still believed with certainty: "It won't happen again."

But now… it seemed a bit dangerous.

Night Daze and Blizzard were both wide-area, high-powered moves, and naturally clashed in the center of the battlefield.

As they collided and fought for dominance, the ground looked as though a Tauros had plowed through it, fractures spreading across every inch, the entire arena trembling with the impact.

Finally, Night Daze and Blizzard could no longer be sustained and both dispersed.

The first clash ended in a draw.

And at the exact moment the two moves vanished, Zoroark dashed straight at Walrein, already charging a faint white Focus Blast in its hands.

Fire!

Zoroark hurled the Focus Blast forward with a fierce spin, dramatically improving its accuracy.

But Walrein, moving at a speed completely uncharacteristic for its size, vanished from its original spot in the blink of an eye.

Focus Blast missed!

The next moment, Walrein was already behind Zoroark!

"Body Slam!"

"Sucker Punch."

Both commands came at once, but Zoroark used the special nature of Sucker Punch to land a blow first, striking Walrein right on its soft jaw.

In pain, Walrein failed to trap Zoroark, and the latter slipped away.

Sato glanced at the thin layer of frost that now covered half the battlefield and realized that was the reason Walrein could move so quickly.

Moreover, in just this short time, Sato could already feel the temperature on the battlefield had dropped significantly.

Clearly, Walrein was constantly releasing cold air. Once the temperature dropped low enough, Zoroark would be nothing but a sitting target.

So…

"Zoroark, Flamethrower!"

Flames surged. The temperature that had just dropped suddenly rose again. The icy surface melted into puddles, though Walrein's speed wasn't reduced much.

As a Water-type specialist, Wallace had already developed multiple techniques to keep his Pokémon unaffected by terrain.

Light-bodied Pokémon like Milotic could use Aqua Ring as a core to fly. Sturdy ones like Walrein couldn't fly, but at least could stay mobile on flat ground.

By flash-freezing the ground within a thirty centimeter radius, and relying on its powerful sliding ability, Walrein's mobility nearly rivaled that of land-based Pokémon.

And if Walrein continued to freeze the field, the entire arena would become ice, which would seriously restrict Zoroark's movement.

So Flamethrower had to be used now and then. But Flamethrower alone wasn't enough to defeat Walrein, especially with its Thick Fat ability.

From a distance, Zoroark launched repeated attacks -Night Daze, Dark Pulse, Focus Blast- but all were easily blocked.

In close combat, it used Night Slash, Sucker Punch, Feint Attack, and Aerial Ace with ease.

…But Walrein's terrifying fangs stood like a fortress, guarding its weak spots tightly and taking no real damage.

"Zoroark, Nasty Plot."

"Walrein, Encore!"

With the stalemate dragging on, Sato had hoped to find an opening to boost Zoroark's Special Attack, but Walrein seized the moment.

Encore: forcing a Pokémon to repeat its last move.

And Zoroark's last move… had been Aerial Ace.

"Walrein, Blizzard!"

"Aerial Ace to dodge!"

Blizzard came crashing down, and Zoroark had no choice but to use Aerial Ace again; not to attack, but to evade.

Wallace smirked slightly, though no one was there to admire it. "Walrein, Sheer Cold~ Change the terrain!"

Even knowing Sheer Cold wouldn't hit Zoroark, using it could completely alter the battlefield. At worst, he'd just take another Aerial Ace.

Wallace… truly wasn't easy to deal with!