Flint and Natsuhiko each recalled their Pokémon.
They each took another brief moment to think.
Both sides knew each other well.
They were quite familiar with each other's Pokémon.
Now that Flint had four defeated, although they couldn't guarantee what Flint's remaining two Pokémon were, Natsuhiko could confirm that one of them was definitely his Shiny Golem.
The one among Flint's Pokémon that was the hardest to handle.
At the referee's signal, both stopped thinking and threw their Pokeballs.
"Roar——!!"
It was another roar.
But the commotion and noise brought about by this roar was incomparable to the previous Pokémon.
A rough light green armor shell, akin to a gigantic dinosaur-like body like Godzilla, covered in menacing spikes all over.
Upon seeing this Pokémon, Natsuhiko's pupils contracted subtly.
The surprise was self-evident.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa——!! Who would have thought Flint's fifth Pokémon is the Quasi-God Pokémon Tyranitar!! This is the first time he's summoned Tyranitar in this tournament!"
Tyranitar!
Sandstorm Monarch!
This was the reason Natsuhiko's pupils subconsciously contracted upon seeing this Pokémon.
Because.
It's not just the host.
Even those familiar with Flint like Natsuhiko didn't know that Flint had hidden a Tyranitar.
This was completely unexpected.
Natsuhiko had thought Flint's next Pokémon might be Claydol.
Seemingly aware of Natsuhiko's surprise, Flint awkwardly scratched his nose a bit.
To be honest.
Keeping it from Natsuhiko and the others wasn't Flint's intention.
It's just that his Tyranitar had only recently reached the Elite Candidate Level and hadn't joined the simulated battles.
He really couldn't just go around saying, "Hey! I have a Tyranitar," right?
Thus.
It became something known to very few people.
Given Flint's status and capability, a Quasi-God Pokémon that seemed unattainable to others didn't seem much different from a common Pokémon to him.
As long as he wanted, he could obtain it.
Indeed, if Flint wanted.
He could even form a team entirely of Quasi-God Pokémon.
Yet a team comprised only of Quasi-God Pokémon would be strong in single battles, but when combined, it would become quite mismatched.
Flint's decision to choose Tyranitar was clear enough.
Having seen Natsuhiko's Alakazam-centric strategy and witnessed Lance's dual "Intimidation" strategy, Flint also wanted to build his team.
Among them, Tyranitar with the "Blowing Sand" trait was one of his choices.
With the appearance of Tyranitar.
Yellow sands began to whirl wildly, and within just a few breaths, enveloped the entire arena.
Visibility plummeted.
"Natsuhiko's Pokémon is... Alakazam!"
The host scrutinized and finally saw Alakazam standing within the sandstorm, seemingly untouched by its effects.
Through its "Magic Defense," Alakazam could ignore the effects brought by the "Sandstorm" weather.
However.
Natsuhiko initially thought Flint would send out Claydol, attempting to counter Psychic with Psychic, but didn't expect to face a Dark-type Pokémon.
Dark Type is immune to Psychic, which spells significant disadvantage for Alakazam.
"Oh? Flint still had a Tyranitar hidden, that kid hid quite deeply…" Lance smacked his lips, unable to hide his admiration.
Kona glanced at him, "Just because Flint hid something doesn't mean you haven't."
With Kona's remark, Lance was left speechless.
Yet he didn't retort.
Humph! These guys, each hiding tactics to prepare against Natsuhiko... Kona couldn't help but internally complain, standing up for Natsuhiko.
Then she looked towards Hilona.
Who knows whether Hilona has hidden some aces up her sleeve?
Seemingly aware of Kona's gaze, Hilona glanced back, covering a soft laugh with her hand.
Kona shook her head.
She couldn't see through Hilona and wasn't sure if Hilona had any hidden aces.
The three then directed their attention back to the screen.
In the arena.
Despite Natsuhiko's advantage in Pokémon numbers, they felt like Natsuhiko's advantage wasn't substantial.
It even seemed possible he could slip up and lose.
"The battle begins!"
The referee's voice fell.
"Tyranitar, Sharp Stone Attack!"
Flint focused his scattered thoughts and concentrated on the battle.
Though not intentional in hiding, it did seem somewhat underhanded.
At worst, he could apologize later.
But battling Natsuhiko, he had to give it his all, to honor both his own persistence and his respect for Natsuhiko.
"Alakazam." Natsuhiko just softly called out.
The eyes of both man and Pokémon simultaneously shimmered with psychic aura.
The pink "Psychic Arena" spread outward from Alakazam, encompassing the entire arena, intertwining with the "Sandstorm."
For Alakazam, constantly controlling the "Psychic Arena" meant releasing and retracting it had almost become instinctive, not affecting its maneuvers.
The unseen threads of psychic power also extended from Alakazam, spreading outward.
The visual impediment from the "Sandstorm" had no effect on Alakazam.
Buzz——
The psychic powers exploded instantly, distorting space.
Alakazam's figure vanished from Tyranitar's sight, also evading the attack of "Sharp Stone Attack."