After Mega Evolution, Abomasnow's Ability remained Snow Warning, but the intensity and coverage of the hail increased significantly. And Blizzard's power also underwent a qualitative change. What swept forth was no longer mere snow-laced gales, but a "pro" version of a Blizzard: [Freezing Terror Blizzard].

When raw power was sufficient, Sato didn't mind a battle of flesh against flesh, fists against fists, a hot-blooded clash.

After all, if one punch is enough, why bother throwing two?

But!

Sato had once made his name by defeating the strong with the weak1, relying on unpredictable and adaptive tactics¹.

So, even when faced with the terrifying [Freezing Terror Blizzard], he remained completely unfazed.

"Murkrow, Protect. Cacturne, Disable."

Murkrow flew in front of Cacturne and swiftly raised a Protect barrier, shielding them both from the incoming [Freezing Terror Blizzard].

The attack lasted over ten full seconds. The moment its intensity weakened, Cacturne immediately use Disable on Abomasnow.

Disable would seal the last move the opponent used for a short time.

For a slow Pokémon like Abomasnow, having its AoE move sealed was like losing half its power.

Even if the duration was short due to level resistance, it was enough for Cacturne and Murkrow.

"Aerial Ace, Assurance!" Sato pressed the advantage and gave his next commands swiftly.

Murkrow led with Aerial Ace, flashing past Mega Abomasnow in the blink of an eye to land a hit.

Though Aerial Ace had a type advantage, the damage was limited, Murkrow hadn't evolved or leveled up yet.

Of course, Sato wasn't naive enough to believe a single hit would end things. But Cacturne was already following up with Assurance, closing in on Mega Abomasnow.

Assurance's power doubled if the target has already received damage. In other words, it punished the wounded.

Brutally.

With the boost, Assurance's damage rivaled moves like Fire Blast or Thunder.

Let's not talk about STAB…

Even after Mega Evolution, the sluggish Abomasnow could only watch as it got hit by Cacturne again.

Its charged-up Wood Hammer couldn't even reach its target and instead smashed uselessly into the ground.

Just then, Murkrow came circling back and struck Abomasnow again with another Aerial Ace.

"SNOOOOOOOW!"

Abomasnow roared in fury, its body flashing red.

Disable ended!

The next moment, another [Freezing Terror Blizzard] swept across the battlefield!

But Cacturne was ready. Spiky Shield was instantly used, and thorny vines burst from the ground to shield both itself and Murkrow tightly.

"Murkrow, Torment." Sato's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Murkrow's ears with precision.

Torment prevented the opponent from using the same move twice in a row… a weakened version of Disable.

Protect + Disable

Spiky Shield + Torment

Abomasnow's most powerful attack, [Freezing Terror Blizzard], was sealed once again!

Another ten seconds passed, and with its strength exhausted, the [Freezing Terror Blizzard] slowly faded away.

This time, Sato didn't even need to command, Murkrow and Cacturne launched Aerial Ace and Assurance on their own.

Boom…

Mega Abomasnow reverted to its original form and collapsed backward onto the ground, clearly unable to continue battling.

Flin stared blankly at the fallen Abomasnow, still not processing what had just happened…

After Mega Evolution, not only did Abomasnow fail to crush its opponents with overwhelming strength!

…It was completely played by a series of bizarre moves.

While a Trainer's level is usually gauged by the level of their Pokémon, it was clear Flin couldn't command the Ace Abomasnow properly.

Aside from Protect, Flin didn't seem to fully understand how his other three moves even worked.

Middle-aged, possessing a Mega-capable Abomasnow, yet unable to draw out even 80% of its strength… Flin had clearly reached a limit on his path as a Trainer.

Even if he briefly held Ace level power through Mega Evolution, when faced with true strength, his limitations were laid bare.

And from a darker perspective: wasn't Flin's eagerness to challenge Sato and the others based on the assumption that Trainers their age had a cap, no matter how strong?

With a Mega Abomasnow, his odds of winning were extremely high.

Would winning such a lopsided match bring joy?

Yes!

Just like some people only play noobs lobbies, or stay in Bronze rank, addicted to the thrill of stomping weaker opponents, they can't pull themselves away.

But those people never improve.

They only get weaker.

"Staraptor and Abomasnow have both lost the ability to battle. Cacturne and Murkrow are victorious! The winner is Trainer Sato!"

Joseph's voice snapped Sato out of his thoughts. He turned to look at Cacturne and Murkrow returning to his side.

"Well done!"

"Cac! Cacturne~"

"Krow! Kroow!"

The next moment, a surge of energy burst from Cacturne, its aura rapidly intensifying.

After reaching Low Ace level, it showed no sign of stopping…

Mid Ace!

Cacturne had been stuck at the Elite limit for a loooong time, but that long buildup had led to a powerful lvlup, all the way to Mid Ace in one go.

Sato was just about to congratulate Cacturne when he noticed something unusual coming from Murkrow.

Murkrow was leveling up too!

Sato tensed up, unable to help feeling nervous for it.

Cacturne had long since exceeded the standard for a breakthrough. Sato wouldn't have been surprised if it had leveled up just by sleeping.

But Murkrow was different. It hadn't evolved. It hadn't defeated any Ace Pokémon on its own. The only thing it had going for it was its insanely high potential.

But just having high potential… did that mean it could do whatever it wanted?

Well, apparently yes…

Compared to Cacturne, Murkrow's breakthrough was slow and bumpy. Its aura fluctuated, rising and falling erratically.

But in the end, it barely managed to reach Ace level.

Low Ace!

"Amazing!" Sato praised Cacturne and Murkrow without holding back.

Cacturne didn't express much, it just squinted its eyes and smiled like a child.

Murkrow was a different story…

It started circling Sato over and over, like a crazy little bird.

Then Joseph and the others came up to offer congratulations, while Mark's eyes were full of undisguised envy and jealousy.

Sato was used to it. Some people were just born to be mascots; but they weren't satisfied. They always dreamed of being the protagonist, stealing the spotlight.

"Wait… where's Flin? Did he just leave?"

Mark blurted out suddenly. He had no idea what "stealing the spotlight" meant, he was just playing his role naturally.

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¹. Young Elite Tournament, Gym and the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament, etc…

Young Elite Tournament, Gym and the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament, etc…