One-hit KO!
Conkeldurr was one-shot by Zoroark's Extrasensory.
Seeing Conkeldurr collapsed on the ground, not only its Trainer but also many spectators in the stands couldn't help but swallow hard.
Wasn't this a bit too overpowered? In fact, the higher a Pokémon's level, the harder it is to be one-shot by another of the same tier.
But now, Zoroark had still managed to one-shot an opponent at the Peak Elite stage. Many people couldn't help but think of another word…
Potential!
As a Pokémon's level increases, the difference caused by potential becomes more apparent between those of the same tier.
Simply put, even at the same Peak Elite level, Zoroark potential would naturally be stronger than one with only Elite-level potential.
And this gap only continues to widen with level growth.
---
In the second round of the challenge defense, Zoroark wins again!
Sato's opponent walked off the stage a bit dazed. He felt like his Conkeldurr hadn't even had the chance to show its "strength" before being devoured whole by the opponent.
But facts were facts, whether he accepted it or not didn't matter.
The sudden one-shot threw the spectators into a brief standstill. The Trainers who had been rushing to challenge the stage now began hesitating one after another.
Fanna stood among the crowd, looking up at Sato on the stage with a bit of admiration. Even though he looked younger than her, his level was already so overwhelming.
It seemed… Fanna didn't hold a grudge for losing to Sato… instead, she was intrigued? (RUN)
Sato stood calmly on stage, listening to the noisy discussions below, not in a rush. This was the Battle Club headquarters, after all; there was no way it only housed those previous mediocre challengers.
Might as well use this opportunity to secretly accelerate Zoroark's stamina recovery with Dark Energy and get ready for the next battle.
As expected, not two minutes had passed before another Trainer stepped out from the crowd and hopped confidently onto the command platform.
"My brother said you're really strong. I came to test you myself!"
"Your brother?" Sato looked at the girl about his age, slightly curious.
"My brother is Galeno, the first guy you beat. I'm Lux, and I'm super strong too!" Lux declared with total seriousness, but no matter how you looked at her, she wasn't very convincing.
"Alright then, let's battle." Sato nodded, not letting his guard down just because his opponent was a harmless-looking girl.
Usually, people like this were either complete pushovers… or terrifying hidden bosses.
Just now, Sato had glanced at her battle record [16 wins, 4 losses, 0 draws]. Not a huge number of matches, but the win rate was impressive.
Clearly, a skilled opponent.
"Yay~" Lux beamed and nodded, happily twirling a Poké Ball in her hand.
Don George glanced at Lux without a word and directly announced the start of the match.
Lux tossed her Poké Ball. With a flash of red light, a cute Cinccino appeared on the battlefield.
"Cin~"
Upon appearing, Cinccino didn't bother to look at its opponent. Instead, it gently patted its silky white fur, ensuring not a speck of dust marred it. Only then did it lazily glance over at Zoroark.
"Cin~"
A look of clear disdain was thrown toward Zoroark. Cinccino seemed disgusted by the battered and somewhat scruffy state of the opponent who had already fought multiple battles.
"Zor~"
Zoroark growled lowly. 'I'm here to fight, not enter a beauty contest.'
"Cin cin!"
As the battle began, Zoroark seemed to have angered Cinccino. The little mouse glared furiously at Zoroark, then vanished with a swish.
"Zoroark, Agility."
"Cinccino, Tail Slap! Let's clean up that filthy Zoroark!"
Smack Smack Smack Smack Smack!
Five crisp slapping sounds rang out, and Zoroark was immediately knocked backward, its Agility disrupted in the process.
'Was that just coincidence?'
Sato frowned, looking warily at the seemingly harmless Cinccino. Tail Slap had hit five times in a row… he had a bad feeling rising inside.
"Cinccino, your opponent still isn't clean. Tail Slap again!"
"Use Sucker Punch."
Cinccino was still faster than Zoroark, but thanks to the special effect of Sucker Punch, Sato's attack landed first and sent Cinccino flying backward.
"Don't stop! Zoroark, use Agility!"
"Cinccino, again, Tail Slap!"
This time, Zoroark took advantage of Cinccino's momentary pause to activate Agility in advance. Its speed was successfully restored, now roughly equal to Cinccino's.
Facing another incoming Tail Slap, Zoroark narrowly dodged it.
At the same time, Sato became even more certain. This Cinccino had the rare Hidden Ability: Skill Link.
With Skill Link, any multi-strike move that hits will always land the maximum number of times, five hits total.
So, although Tail Slap might not seem powerful, in Cinccino's hands, it was comparable to a high-power move like Hyper Beam.
The key was that it came with low cost and no side effects; one of those "simple but devastating" kinds of moves.
And Lux's battle commands confirmed Sato's suspicions: three times in a row, she had Cinccino use nothing but Tail Slap.
If she wasn't absolutely confident in that move, there's no way she would've done that.
"Cinccino, use Tail Slap!" Lux continued commanding in a completely untechnical way. But for certain Pokémon, battle didn't require strategy…
Just go all in!
"Zoroark, Night Daze!" A gleam flashed in Sato's eyes. This little mouse had jumped around long enough, it was time to clear the field.
Night Daze launched, knocking Cinccino aside mid-charge. That small frame had no resistance to Night Daze's force.
"Extrasensory!"
"Cinccino, dodge it!"
Cinccino managed to dodge the incoming Extrasensory and, ignoring the dust all over its body, charged at Zoroark again.
"Night Daze," Sato said calmly.
Once again, Cinccino was blasted away and thrown back in front of Lux.
"Zoroark, Dark Pulse."
"AHHH! Dodge, dodge! Use Tail Slap!"
"Night Daze."
BOOM!
Cinccino was knocked back again, but this time, after suffering repeated hits, it couldn't adjust its body midair and crashed hard onto the ground.
"Zoroark, Dark Pulse."
"Cincc-"
BOOM!
"Cinccino is unable to battle! Zoroark wins! Third round of the challenge defense goes to Sato!"
Don George's voice echoed across the arena, and everyone turned to look at the overly young Sato, a strange sense of disbelief rising in their hearts.
'Were kids these days… really this strong?'