Although Kadabra was much sturdier than an ordinary Kadabra, its body was still extremely fragile. If it were struck head-on by Talonflame's overwhelmingly powerful attack, it would undoubtedly lose its ability to battle immediately.
"Use the Psychic Shield to block it!"
At the critical moment, Sato finally spoke.
Instead of having Kadabra immediately use Protect, its lifesaving move, he chose to test a newly mastered combination technique against Talonflame's fierce assault.
Hearing Sato's command, Kadabra's eyes immediately blazed with blue light as powerful psychic waves surged from its body.
In the blink of an eye, a white barrier completely enveloped it, just in time to intercept Talonflame's savage attack.
The next moment, a thunderous crash rang out.
An invisible shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, accompanied by a violent gust of wind.
The white barrier, formed by combining Light Screen and Reflect, was undoubtedly sturdy. However, it was still inferior to the energy shield created by Protect.
Talonflame's rocket-like Flare Blitz was terrifyingly powerful.
In less than half a second, countless cracks appeared across the surface of the white barrier protecting Kadabra, as if the flaming bird would shatter it at any moment.
However, under the continuous flood of psychic power pouring from Kadabra, the seemingly fragile barrier remained trapped in a cycle of destruction and repair.
Against all odds, it managed to withstand Talonflame's ferocious attack.
Eventually, the momentum of the giant firebird formed by Talonflame was exhausted.
Under the powerful recoil force, Talonflame was thrown backward, returning to its original form as a pained cry escaped its beak.
Although Kadabra had successfully blocked the attack with the Psychic Shield, the psychic power within its mindscape had been almost completely depleted.
Fortunately, the Focus Spheres (Mind Condensation Spheres) surrounding it replenished its psychic energy, allowing it to recover. However, the number of Focus Spheres floating around it had dropped from five to only two.
"Now it's our turn to attack. Kadabra, use Shadow Ball."
Seeing that Kadabra had successfully defended itself, Sato immediately recognized the opening and telepathically ordered a counterattack.
Kadabra nodded.
Its free left hand rapidly condensed a sphere of black energy before thrusting it forward.
Instantly, the Shadow Ball shot forward like a black arrow.
"Charge in! Use Steel Wing!"
Mr. Moore showed neither panic nor hesitation after Talonflame's setback.
Instead of retreating, he pressed the attack even harder.
At that moment, Talonflame's body was still wracked with pain from the recoil of Flare Blitz. Yet upon hearing Mr. Moore's command, a red gleam flashed in its eyes.
The pain only further ignited its ferocity.
"SKREEEE—!"
With an angry cry, a metallic sheen covered its broad wings.
Then it spread them wide and charged directly toward Kadabra.
Kadabra's Shadow Ball was exceptionally accurate and struck true.
Unfortunately, Talonflame's sharp eyes had already locked onto it.
With a single slash of its steel-coated right wing, the Shadow Ball was cut cleanly in half.
Talonflame emerged completely unharmed.
The distance between the two Pokémon had never been large to begin with.
Combined with the speed boost Talonflame had gained from Flame Charge, its current flight speed was practically lightning-fast.
Kadabra only felt a blur before Talonflame's savage form was already right in front of it.
Knowing full well that its fragile body could never survive close combat, Kadabra remembered Sato's teachings and immediately used Teleport without hesitation, narrowly avoiding the incoming Steel Wing.
However, Talonflame's ferocious instincts had reached an extraordinary level.
Once again, it somehow predicted where Kadabra would reappear.
This time, rather than charging after it, Talonflame immediately unleashed Flamethrower toward Kadabra's reappearance point.
Caught completely off guard, Kadabra was struck directly by the blazing stream of fire and blasted several meters backward.
"So it predicted Kadabra's Teleport destination again. This Talonflame's battle instincts are terrifying."
"I need to find a way to reverse the situation. If this continues, even if Kadabra doesn't lose outright, its psychic power won't last much longer."
Watching Kadabra take a direct hit, Sato felt a headache coming on as he desperately searched for a solution.
Kadabra had been using telekinesis to keep itself floating the entire battle, constantly draining its psychic power.
It had no choice.
The ground was simply too hot. Landing on it would harm Kadabra even more.
But the downside was obvious.
Its psychic energy was being consumed at an alarming rate.
Within a few more minutes, even if Kadabra remained physically unharmed, it would effectively lose the ability to fight due to psychic exhaustion alone.
Mr. Moore showed no intention of letting up.
He continuously ordered Talonflame to press the attack.
Faced with a Talonflame whose momentum was soaring and whose speed rivaled lightning itself, Kadabra could only repeatedly use Teleport to evade while searching for opportunities to strike back.
Unfortunately, Talonflame's battle instincts were simply too sharp.
Although it couldn't predict Kadabra's destination every single time, its success rate exceeded sixty percent.
As a result, Kadabra was gradually forced into a passive position.
Had it not possessed Psychic Shield and Recover, it would likely have already lost.
Even so, defeat was drawing closer.
The Focus Spheres surrounding Kadabra had completely run out.
Sato racked his brain searching for a way to turn the tide, but no effective solution came to mind.
Meanwhile, Mr. Moore calmly countered every move with his vast battle experience, suppressing Sato throughout the exchange.
Then, after Talonflame once again seized an opening and landed a successful Quick Attack, sending Kadabra flying backward—
—the geysers that had remained dormant throughout the battle finally erupted.
Columns of steaming water burst forth from the hollow stone towers scattered across the battlefield.
At the exact same moment, Sato's eyes lit up. An idea suddenly formed in his mind.
As the geysers erupted, countless droplets rained down. The instant they touched the scorching ground, they evaporated.
A thick blanket of white steam quickly engulfed the entire battlefield.
"Press the advantage! Continue attacking with Quick Attack!"
Mr. Moore possessed even more battle experience than Sato.
He knew Kadabra's psychic power was nearly exhausted.
At the same time, he also knew Talonflame's stamina wasn't limitless either.
He wanted Talonflame to finish the battle in one final push.
The next second, Talonflame shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Even though thick steam now covered the battlefield, its exceptional eyesight still allowed it to clearly track Kadabra's position.
Kadabra, meanwhile, relied on psychic perception to observe everything around it.
It immediately noticed Talonflame weaving through the erupting geysers and charging directly toward it.
"Perfect."
"Kadabra, use Psychic to redirect the geyser beside you. Give that overheated Talonflame a nice bath."
Just as Kadabra prepared to use Teleport once more, Sato's voice sounded in its mind.
At that moment, geysers were erupting all across the field. The entire arena was hidden beneath dense white steam.
Ordinary spectators could barely see anything.
But as a Psychic, Sato held an enormous advantage.
Using his own psychic perception, he could clearly observe everything happening on the battlefield.
And from the chain of erupting geysers, he had finally found a way to defeat Talonflame.
Kadabra's eyes immediately brightened.
Blue light surged from them as it mobilized what little psychic power remained and seized control of the continuously erupting geyser beside it.
Talonflame's speed was incredible.
Although avoiding the geysers had cost it some time, it still closed in on Kadabra in moments.
But just as it came within ten meters—
The nearby geyser suddenly changed direction.
The torrent of boiling water blasted directly toward Talonflame.
For a moment, Talonflame froze in disbelief. Then its entire body was drenched by scalding hot water.
"SKREEEEE—!!!"
A shrill scream erupted as it writhed in agony.
"Not good. The kid figured it out."
"The geyser terrain gives my Fire-types an advantage against Water- and Ground-types, but it's also a double-edged sword."
"Talonflame! Gain altitude immediately! Wait until the geysers stop before attacking again!"
Because the steam obstructed his vision, Mr. Moore couldn't clearly see what had happened.
Still, he quickly guessed Talonflame's predicament and shouted his orders.
Unfortunately, Kadabra had already succeeded in using the geysers against its opponent.
After finally making Talonflame suffer, there was no way it would let it escape.
Before Talonflame could recover from being turned into a drenched mess on the ground, Kadabra followed up with a Shadow Ball.
An instant later—
BOOM!
A burst of energy exploded across the battlefield.
And Talonflame's agonized cries came to an abrupt end.