When the referee declared Lopunny had lost, Sato's massive Honchkrow staggered with excitement, nearly collapsing to the ground as well.

Clearly, Honchkrow had only made it this far through sheer grit and tenacity.

It had no strength left to keep battling. At this point, even the slightest touch would knock it out; it was all bark and no bite now.

But even so, as long as Honchkrow could stay standing on the field, it still held strategic value for the team. Because now, Flint was forced to send out his next Pokémon first, which meant Sato would be able to counter accordingly.

That said, the battle was already nearing its conclusion, and neither side had many options left. Especially since Sato still hadn't sent out his Cacturne, which was vulnerable to Fire-type moves.

And as expected, Flint's final ace would undoubtedly be Infernape.

So, when Flint sent out Steelix, Sato immediately decided to withdraw Honchkrow and prepare to send out Cacturne instead.

But at that moment, Flint's voice rang out abruptly!

"STEELIX, SANDSTORM!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the sandstorm formed instantly. Flying sand and stones lashed against Honchkrow, who was already surrounded by red light.

In the next instant, the red beam collapsed, and Honchkrow, eyes swirling, reappeared before everyone.

It wasn't just Sato… everyone in the audience froze for a moment. But then, a thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena.

---

"That was… AHHH!" Mark suddenly punched his own thigh. But he'd used too much force and was now gasping from the pain.

Joseph shook his head. He knew exactly what Mark was mad about, but technically, Flint hadn't done anything wrong.

Since Honchkrow hadn't officially left the field, Flint was forced to send out Steelix first, giving Sato the chance to prepare an ideal counter. In return, Honchkrow had to be ready for a finishing blow.

Steelix didn't know any finishing moves like Pursuit, Quick Attack, or Rapid Spin. But using Sandstorm to achieve that goal had caught everyone off guard.

Sato pressed his lips together, silently watching Honchkrow collapse again. He had no choice but to retrieve it with the Poké Ball.

"You did great. Leave the rest to our other partners…" Sato said softly to Honchkrow's Poké Ball, then immediately sent out Cacturne to take its place.

"BATTLE CONTINUES!" the referee quickly announced, rushing to speak before losing the chance again.

"Cactu-"

Sato hadn't even finished his command when Flint suddenly raised his arm, revealing a black wristband… and the Key Stone embedded in it instantly drew everyone's attention.

At the same time, Steelix let out a powerful roar within the sandstorm. A faint glow pierced through the swirling sands, and everyone could just barely make out the Mega Stone embedded in the center of Steelix's forehead.

"Steelix, Mega Evolve!"

A multicolored light burst through the sandstorm that Steelix had created itself, connecting Flint and Steelix directly through an energy chain.

As the light faded, Steelix's appearance had changed dramatically.

Its body had grown noticeably larger, and glowing energy crystals extended from various parts of its body. Around its neck, a ring of silver-white steel had mysteriously formed.

Visually speaking, the over-nine-meter-tall Mega Steelix was nothing short of imposing.

Its power surged from Mid Ace straight to Peak Ace in one go!

Just a little more, and it would've reached Elite Four level…

By comparison, Cacturne now looked… kind of small, pitiful, and helpless?

"Sato… I'M GIVING IT EVERYTHING I'VE GOT! DON'T LET ME DOWN!" Flint shouted, his voice amplified not only to reach Sato, but also every spectator in the field.

"CACTURNE SHOULD MEGA EVOLVE TOO!" someone in the stands yelled, and in the next moment, the entire crowd joined in.

"Evolve! Evolve! Evolve…"

Sato couldn't help twitching at the corner of his mouth. Sure, he was the first known Trainer in the League to use Mega Evolution… but that didn't mean he could just make a Pokémon evolve without a Mega Evolution.

Flint also had a 'don't look at me, I'm just as surprised' expression, clearly not expecting the audience to completely misinterpret his words.

Meanwhile, on the field, Cacturne was… very angry (▼皿▼#)!

'So what if I don't have Mega Evolution? You're not a Shiny Pokémon either!

I'm a Shiny Cacturne… I'll show you real power!'

"CACTUUUURNE!"

Cacturne shouted loudly, eagerly stepping forward to fight.

Sato ignored the crowd's useless interference. After all, not one of them had been cheering for him this whole battle, and now they were full of demands.

They're all spoiled!

"Cacturne, Dark Pulse."

"Cac!"

Within the sandstorm, the golden Cacturne vanished in a flash. But in the next second, a powerful Dark Pulse struck directly at Steelix.

Cacturne's first Ability, Sand Veil: activated!

Sandstorm boosts Steelix, but it boosts Cacturne too.

"STEEEL!"

Steelix let out a roar to the skies. Despite its massive body, it wasn't slow to react, and the ring of steel around its neck moved with surprising flexibility, intercepting the Dark Pulse head-on.

Steelix was completely unscathed!

"Steelix, Magnet Rise!" Flint followed up immediately, and that massive Steelix rose off the ground.

It didn't levitate very high, but its mobility was greatly enhanced.

"Cacturne, Nasty Plot."

Staring down the behemoth before it, Sato didn't rush to attack. He let Cacturne, still hidden in the sandstorm, raise its power calmly.

"Steelix, use Rock Slide to flush it out!"

"Cacturne, dodge and use Nasty Plot again."

A golden Cacturne would normally be very easy to spot… but not in a sandstorm!

And combined with its Sand Veil Ability, its stealth and evasion were beyond what a blunt Rock Slide could counter.

Sato was confident.

And Cacturne didn't disappoint.

Huge rocks rained down from above, crashing into the sandstorm and making the entire arena tremble!

But they achieved nothing else…

In that time, Cacturne had already used Nasty Plot twice, gaining a massive boost in Special Attack.

Why not use Swords Dance for physical Attack? Well, Water Absorb requires getting up close…

And given Steelix's terrifying Defense, Sato decided this battle was better suited to a hit-and-run strategy.

"One more time, Dark Pulse."

A faster, stronger Dark Pulse shot from somewhere within the sandstorm. Steelix once again tried to block it with its steel ring.

But this time, the Dark Pulse obliterated the steel defense and hit Steelix directly without resistance!

.

.

.

I'm having a bit of a crisis here. Do I keep calling the Pokemon "Mega [Pokémon]" or just stick to the regular name even after it's mega evolved? I mean, should I sprinkle the "Mega" in a couple more times so you don't forget it's mega evolved… or just drop it after the first mention and roll with the normal name? What do you all think?