Pokémon: Above the Top

The clash between Blast Burn and Head Smash erupted in dazzling blue and red light, momentarily overshadowing the sun itself.

The surrounding Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ panicked and scattered, instinctively seeking safety.

Behind them, only Sato remained calm. The rest of the team—Will, Clair, White—stared intently at Charizard, eyes burning with excitement.

They had known Charizard for a long time, but they had never seen it unleash such overwhelming power.

Even though they didn't fully understand what a Pseudo-Elite Four Pokémon was like, they were all certain.

Charizard had broken through!

The explosive energy detonated in a massive shockwave.

Nidoking, being closer to the blast center, suffered greater injuries. The aftershock sent it flying, slamming it heavily into the ground.

But Charizard wasn't in great shape either.

Already more wounded than Nidoking before the clash, the Rock-type energy explosion from Head Smash pressed it down, forcing it onto its stomach.

A mutual defeat!

"Gengar, Psychic!"

Seeing their leader fall, the seven remaining Nidoqueen, along with the barely recovered one, charged forward in a frenzy.

They had been unable to interfere in the battle before, but they would at least retrieve their king.

Sato reacted first.

Gengar leapt out from the shadows, its golden pupils gleaming with blue light as it unleashed Psychic, restraining all eight Peak Elite Nidoqueen—but only for a few seconds.

That was enough!

"Alakazam, Exeggutor, Psychic!"

"Gyarados, Seadra, Hydro Pump!"

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump! Weavile, Ice Beam!"

Will, Clair, and White immediately commanded their Pokémon to attack, blocking the Nidoqueen onslaught.

Sato also sent out Houndoom to join the battle.

However, these were eight Peak Elite Nidoqueen, and with the rage of losing their leader, their attacks were ferocious.

In the chaos, Rose deployed Blissey and Wigglytuff, continuously casting Healing Pulse, allowing White and Clair—who weren't as strong in combat—to barely hold off three Nidoqueen.

Meanwhile, she rushed to Lance's side, administering emergency treatment to Charizard!

Sato was responsible for holding back two, while Will took on three—and he seemed completely unfazed.

"Dragonair, Aqua Tail! Altaria, Dragon Rush!"

Lance's voice suddenly rang out—both Nidoking and Charizard were gone!

Seeing their leader suddenly vanish, the Nidoqueen became even more enraged.

They knew about Poké Balls, and now they were furious beyond reason, charging like a horde of rampaging dinosaurs!

Too late!

Lance took over from White, and Dragonair and Altaria, just like Charizard before them, were at the Peak Elite level—far superior to wild Elite Pokémon!

The tide of battle had turned!

Lance effortlessly forced two Nidoqueen into retreat, while Clair managed to hold off one by herself.

From the looks of it, Lance was letting her handle the battle to train her combat abilities, without stepping in too much.

But the fastest to act was Will!

With Psychic-types countering Poison-types, and given that Psychic Pokémon excel at overpowering weaker Pokémon, he quickly took down three Nidoqueen in succession.

Two minutes later, Lance ended his battle with ease, but neither he nor Will interfered in Sato and Clair's fights.

Clair had an easier time—Seadra and Gyarados' Water-type moves were effective against Nidoqueen.

Sato, however, was struggling!

Gengar—Mid Elite!

Houndoom—Low Elite!

Worse yet, both were weak to Ground-type moves—they had to constantly dodge to survive!

"Houndoom, use Rest! Gengar, Psychic!"

After finally creating some distance, Sato ordered Houndoom to recover, while Gengar provided cover.

Earlier, he had already signaled Rose not to assist him. Now that the Nido clan was no longer a threat, this was a rare opportunity to train against a worthy opponent!

Psychic was more than enough to hold back both Nidoqueen, and Sato's next commands followed swiftly.

"Houndoom, use Snore! Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"

Snore wasn't a particularly powerful move, but it was far more reliable than Sleep Talk and worked perfectly with Houndoom's high Special Attack!

The moment Psychic wore off, the two Nidoqueen launched their counterattack—one unleashed Earth Power, while the other fired Water Pulse!

However, Snore and Shadow Ball clashed against their moves, neutralizing each other. Water Pulse broke through Snore, but the resulting water splash that hit Houndoom barely did any damage.

The next moment—Houndoom woke up!

Its Early Bird ability had activated!

"Houndoom, use Flamethrower! Gengar, use Psychic!"

Psychic landed first, hitting its mark! Nidoqueen was not only injured, but also restrained once more. Then, a powerful Flamethrower engulfed it!

From that moment, the battle became a war of endurance.

Whenever Houndoom was low on stamina, it would use Rest, while Gengar took over restraining their opponents.

In the next phase, Houndoom would use Snore to keep up the offense. Once fully recovered, it would wake up and resume the all-out assault!

During this, Gengar would retreat momentarily to recover, then repeat the process!

Their opponents' emotions shifted—from rage, to fury, to shock, and finally—fear!

Their morale collapsed! An enemy they couldn't defeat… how were they supposed to fight?

Looking around, the once-competitive sisters had all fallen. Only two remained.

And—Clair had just finished her battle, successfully defeating the sixth Nidoqueen!

"Nido… Nidoqueeen!"

One of the remaining Nidoqueen let out a desperate cry, then suddenly turned tail and ran!

The last Nidoqueen froze, glancing left and right in disbelief—then let out a frantic scream and fled as well!

Houndoom and Gengar, seeing their opponents retreat, finally collapsed onto the ground.

Houndoom, in particular, was utterly drained. While Rest had restored its stamina, its mental fatigue couldn't be recovered so quickly.

"You did great!"

Sato knelt down, patting Houndoom's large head and Gengar's pointy ears. Their performance in this battle had been nothing short of outstanding!

Clap! Clap! Clap…

Lance, Will, and the others gathered around, applauding.

Even Clair, who was usually proud and competitive, couldn't hide the admiration in her eyes.

They were the same age, yet she had struggled to defeat just one Nidoqueen, while Sato had managed to overcome two by relying on his strategic commands alone—bridging the gap between their strength levels!

Both Houndoom's Rest-Snore strategy and the seamless coordination between his two Pokémon had completely exceeded their expectations.

"When I was your age, I was nowhere near this level… Are all kids this terrifying nowadays?"

Lance shook his head in amazement.

Even Will, who had originally ignored Sato, gave a small nod of approval.

From dismissal to recognition—perhaps as a specialist in Psychic Pokémon, Will was more attuned to the subtle emotional shifts of others.