The moment Sato pulled out a dark-purple stone in front of everyone, the same words flashed through everyone's mind: Holy crap…

"…Krow?"

Murkrow looked at the Dusk Stone in Sato's hand without much desire in its eyes.

As the child of a Totem Honchkrow, Murkrow could get a decent Dusk Stone from the flock at any time if it wanted to evolve.

But it had been taught since young that evolving too early wasn't ideal. Only after fully developing its potential as a Murkrow would evolving not waste its strength.

When it was younger, Murkrow had been extremely curious and had even considered evolving secretly just to try it…

But as it grew stronger -strong enough to defeat most of the Honchkrow in its flock with ease- its desire to evolve gradually faded.

Now, as Sato presented a Dusk Stone radiating incredibly pure Dark-type energy and told it it could evolve, that desire finally surged again.

If it evolves, it'll become stronger…

And if it becomes stronger…

Maybe it can beat Lopunny!

"KROW!"

Murkrow flapped its wings, its eyes becoming more focused and intense.

Seeing this, Sato didn't hesitate and tossed the Dusk Stone to it. Murkrow dived and caught it in its beak.

The next moment, blue light cover Murkrow's entire body.

Its previously slender body began to grow sturdier, and expanded rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it had surpassed two meters in height.

And the aura that had barely reached the Low Ace level surged drastically with the evolution, quickly reaching Mid Ace.

Sato watched Murkrow's evolution with both satisfaction and anticipation. The Dusk Stone he had given it came from the Reverse World and was the finest one he'd found in years.

He had always kept that Dusk Stone close, waiting for the day Murkrow would truly need it.

And now…

That moment had come!

As the light of evolution gradually faded, a massive Honchkrow, standing two meters tall with a wingspan over five meters, appeared on the field.

It had fully inherited its mother's massive body. This, without question, looks like a new Totem Pokémon!

An on-site evolution!

The moment Sato pulled out the Dusk Stone, the entire field erupted in an uproar, buzzing with chatter.

And when the enormous Honchkrow fully revealed itself before them, its overwhelming size left everyone speechless.

"That is… one huge bird…"

Watching from the side, Flint suddenly felt a tinge of regret. If he had just ordered Lopunny to press the attack without hesitation earlier, would Murkrow have already been down?

But it was just a thought. After all, did people really think there were no side effects to Bounce + Jump Kick?

When Sato had called Murkrow back earlier, Flint had actually felt relieved.

Yet now, watching Murkrow evolve into a giant Honchkrow, Flint -whose drive to win was exceptionally strong- was feeling incredibly conflicted.

As for the referee…

'Oh~ As long as you two are happy!'

"Thanks for waiting. Let's continue the match." Sato waved Honchkrow back to the center of the field and turned to Flint.

Referee: Waaahhh… they really ignored me again!

Flint shook off the chaotic thoughts. He knew Sato was letting him go on the offensive as a way of apologizing for the sudden interruption.

If it were a junior he was coaching, Flint would have declined without hesitation. But Sato… was a formidable opponent!

"Lopunny, Bounce!"

The moment Flint gave the order, Lopunny leapt again, and in the blink of an eye, it had once more reached the highest point of the battlefield. Then, it flipped in midair and dove straight toward Honchkrow!

"Honchkrow, Heat Wave: upward."

"KROOOOW!"

The newly evolved Honchkrow was on a completely different level. Just in terms of move execution, Murkrow used to have to flap its wings hard just to release a moderately strong Heat Wave.

But now… a flap to the left, another to the right; that was all it took.

A fierce Heat Wave surged upward. Its coverage was so wide that there was no way Lopunny could escape it using just its long ears.

No matter how high it could jump, it still couldn't fly…

"Lopunny, [Ice Punch: spin]!"

The slightly unusual command echoed throughout the arena and naturally reached Lopunny's ears as well.

Lopunny quickly straightened and aligned both of its long ears, shimmering with a bluish icy glow.

Clearly, Lopunny was using its ears in place of its fists to unleash a dual Ice Punch!

Then, with a swift twist of its legs, it sent its entire body spinning.

Within the orange-red Heat Wave, Lopunny became an ice-blue spinning drill, charging toward Honchkrow with unstoppable force.

Not to be outdone, Honchkrow flapped its massive wings with a heavy beat, instantly more than doubling the power of its Heat Wave.

Watching both Pokémon hold their ground with such difficulty, both Sato and Flint fell silent.

They knew perfectly well that at this point, switching moves or dodging wouldn't solve anything.

Whether it was Lopunny or Honchkrow, both were now fighting with unwavering determination. Right now, endurance mattered more than the battle's outcome!

The Heat Wave grew fiercer, and the ice-blue energy around Lopunny flickered unstable and dim… but still, it pressed on toward Honchkrow with unwavering resolve!

Boom…

Lopunny finally collided with Honchkrow, but the impact wasn't as loud as people had imagined.

Honchkrow was knocked down a fair distance but managed to stabilize itself just in time, avoiding a crash landing.

Lopunny, on the other hand, landed unsteadily, dropping to one knee and panting heavily, glaring up at Honchkrow with a defiant look.

"Again, Ice Punch!"

"Honchkrow, Air Cutter."

Blue blades spun toward Lopunny, but with its explosive agility, Lopunny weaved left and right, dodging all the Air Cutters as it rapidly closed in on Honchkrow.

The match was once again about to turn into close combat.

Sato didn't flinch. The moment Lopunny leapt, he gave his command: "Sucker Punch."

"Lopunny, Dizzy Punch!"

The two commands came almost at the same time. Honchkrow, massive as it was, lunged forward with incredible speed. Its right wing, cloaked in pitch-black Dark-type energy, slashed toward Lopunny in an instant.

"PUNNYYYY!"

Lopunny's scream echoed through the field. Just as everyone thought Honchkrow might win, Lopunny twisted in mid-fall and swung its ear in the opposite direction.

Wham! Wham!

Dizzy Punch struck Honchkrow, twice!

That's the power of long ears!

But in the next moment, Lopunny finally reached its limit. Before it could even land, it fainted mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground.

On the other side, Honchkrow wasn't in great shape either. Every flap of its wings looked like a struggle. In the end, it had to land, barely managing to stay standing.

"Lopunny has lost the ability to battle. Honchkrow wins!"