As the battle dragged on, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for the League.
The League Trainers who had rushed in as reinforcements watched as Groudon grew more formidable the longer it fought, while the League's own forces continued to suffer casualties.
Under such circumstances, no amount of courage could withstand endless attrition. By the time the battle had lasted nearly an hour, although reinforcements continued to arrive, morale was nowhere near as high as it had been when Steven and the other powerhouses first entered the battlefield.
Had Steven and the others not constantly led from the front, standing at the forefront of the battle, the League's forces would likely have collapsed long ago.
Even so, morale had already sunk to rock bottom. If even one of Steven, Glacia, Phoebe, or Drake were to fall, the League's entire fighting spirit would undoubtedly shatter.
Anyone who continuously watched their comrades fall into the roaring sea of lava below would inevitably be consumed by fear. Worse still, that fear accumulated with every passing moment. By now, quite a few League Trainers could no longer endure the psychological pressure and had chosen to flee.
But regardless of everything, the battle had to continue.
If a terrifying Legendary Pokémon like Groudon were allowed to run rampant, far more than the "few" people and Pokémon currently on the battlefield would lose their lives.
Throughout the battle, Sato had relied on his psychic powers to serve as the battlefield's rescue worker.
Whenever someone was in mortal danger, he would immediately teleport over with Kadabra to rescue them.
After fighting this way for so long, he had managed to save many people, but he couldn't influence the overall course of the battle. All he could do was save whoever he could and reduce the number of casualties as much as possible.
However, after using Teleport at such high intensity without pause, he was beginning to feel dizzy and mentally exhausted. His psychic power had clearly been overused.
"Kid, head to the rear. You've already done everything you could. Staying any longer will only make you a burden. This old man doesn't have the ability to save your life anymore."
Although Drake had focused most of his attention on Groudon throughout the battle, he had also been keeping an eye on Sato's condition. Knowing Sato was approaching his limit, he turned and spoke to him.
No one understood his own condition better than Sato.
He truly was nearing his limit.
His head throbbed with unbearable pain. More than anything, he wanted to lose consciousness right then and there.
But this battle had reached its most critical moment.
Wasn't Steven also nearing his limit? Weren't Glacia, Phoebe, and Drake the same?
Each of them had a brilliant future ahead, yet every one of them continued to fight Groudon without fearing death.
Then there were those Trainers who fought to their dying breath without taking a single step back.
If they weren't afraid to die...
...then what was he, Sato?
Was he someone who feared death so much?
If he turned around and walked away before truly reaching his limit, how could he ever face these people in the future?
Would he still have the courage to stand before these Trainers who had chosen to stay and fight?
"No. I haven't reached my limit yet. I can still keep using Teleport to support the battle. I will not run away."
Sato shook his head and answered with unwavering determination.
After hearing Sato's decision, Drake said nothing more. He simply returned his full attention to commanding his Mega Salamence, Mega Altaria, and Flygon to continue harassing and distracting Groudon.
"ROAR!!!"
By now, Groudon was nearly mad with rage.
To him, the insects surrounding him seemed to become more numerous the longer he fought. Worse still, those insects had actually inflicted such serious injuries upon his body.
He felt humiliated.
Back in ancient times, only a handful of his old rivals had ever managed to wound him so severely.
Humans?
Back then, they had been nothing more than a bunch of self-important clowns.
How had they become so troublesome now?
It was worth mentioning that, under Steven's command, the League Trainers had changed their strategy.
Rather than attacking all over Groudon's body, everyone now focused their Pokémon's attacks exclusively on his legs.
Concentrating attacks on just one or two points meant that, no matter how powerful Groudon's regenerative abilities were, his body wasn't made of steel.
He was still flesh and blood.
Even if he forced his wounds to heal quickly, hidden internal injuries would inevitably remain.
As those hidden injuries accumulated, Groudon's legs had finally begun to fail him.
Outwardly, they didn't appear badly injured. Internally, however, they were already riddled with damage.
Even taking a step or two had become increasingly difficult.
Unfortunately, rage alone solved nothing. Against these airborne insects, Groudon had very few effective options.
His inability to fly remained an enormous scar in his heart.
As the God of the Land, the earth beneath his feet was the source of his power. The moment he left the ground, he felt uneasy.
For that reason, he hated the sky...
...and he hated enemies that could fly.
"Quick! Scatter! He's about to spit out those giant fireballs again!"
Suddenly, a sharp-eyed Trainer with an exceptionally loud voice noticed Groudon slightly tilting his head upward.
He immediately shouted into the microphone in his hand.
After battling Groudon for so long, many Trainers had already figured out the few methods Groudon possessed for attacking airborne enemies.
They had also learned to recognize the telltale movements that preceded each attack.
Whenever Groudon slightly raised his head...
...he was about to unleash enormous explosive fireballs that burst into widespread flaming rain.
Sure enough, exactly as the loud Trainer had predicted, Groudon opened his mouth and launched several gigantic fireballs.
The fireballs exploded high in the air, instantly transforming into a massive barrage of fiery rain.
Fortunately, the Trainers had already begun evasive maneuvers. Their previously tight formation scattered in every direction.
By the time the rain of fire ended, only a small number of people had been caught in the attack.
Moreover, because Groudon's legs were now severely injured, he could barely move from where he stood.
That made it nearly impossible for him to pursue his opponents.
Once the flames subsided, the Trainers, led by the Elite Four-level Trainers, surrounded Groudon once again and resumed their relentless assault on his legs.
The furious Groudon could only roar in anger.
But no matter what, Groudon was far from a Pokémon that others could manipulate at will.
He was exceptionally intelligent.
The reason the League had been able to predict his attacks was largely because he had underestimated them.
Now, after watching the League repeatedly evade his attacks while steadily worsening the injuries to his legs, Groudon finally put away some of his contempt and began fighting seriously.
This time, he deliberately tilted his head upward again, making the League believe he was about to launch another barrage of giant fireballs.
In reality...
...it was merely a feint designed to isolate one of the enemy's strongest fighters.
Groudon knew perfectly well which ants posed the greatest threat.
For example...
...the ant riding that shiny Metagross.
Every blast fired by that Metagross sent sharp pain through Groudon's legs. So for this feigned attack, he selected the greatest threat as his target.
With a mere thought, both of his massive hands were instantly enveloped in pure white flames before he struck with lightning speed.
Because of the mistaken judgment, most of the Trainers had already scattered. For a brief moment, Steven had no one beside him.
He had already dispatched his Claydol to assist others elsewhere, leaving it far beyond any possibility of rescuing him in time.
In an instant, Groudon's gigantic hands, each cloaked in scorching white flames, appeared on either side of Steven.
They slammed together with blinding speed.
Fire Punch.
"Good thing I chose to stay..."
"This will be my last time."
"In this battle, I've saved so many of the League's Elite Four-level Trainers. As long as I survive today... I suppose I've earned myself a future."
Seeing Steven and his shiny Metagross on the verge of being crushed to death, Sato—who was flying nearby on Skarmory—felt blue psychic light flash across his eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he used Teleport to rescue them.
As he disappeared, that single thought flashed through his mind.