The massive Durant still didn't move.
No matter how loudly it shrieked and roared, it never took a single step!
"Sharpedo, Hidden Power."
But Sato had no interest in investigating further and simply commanded Sharpedo to strike.
The massive Durant roared, and a storm of floating stones suddenly appeared around its body. Faced with orbs flying in from all directions, it precisely intercepted every single one with Stone Edge, detonating them mid-air.
Precise move control wasn't Sharpedo's exclusive skill, it was clear this Durant had it too.
"Waterfall." Sato continued to issue commands, his eyes never leaving the Red Flag fluttering behind the Durant.
It was close…
"Sha!"
Sharpedo leapt backward to gain speed, then rode a surging wave straight into the giant Durant.
Even in that moment, Durant still didn't move. Its entire head gleamed like polished steel, so reflective it showed Sharpedo's approaching silhouette.
Iron Head vs Waterfall.
BOOM!
As expected, the clash triggered an explosion the moment they collided. Sato and Umbreon immediately dashed around the mist to flank from behind.
Inside the thick fog, the furious roars of the giant Durant continued nonstop, yet it made no move. Sharpedo had it completely pinned down.
When Sato made it to its rear, the Red Flag worth 100 points was already within reach.
He only needed to stretch his hand a little more to grab it…
Then, the anthill moved.
And so perfectly timed, Sato's body jolted, his hand missing the Red Flag by just a hair. As he reached out again, the entire anthill began to collapse, splitting apart.
He didn't even have time to react. The ground beneath him gave way, and he plummeted downward.
Umbreon was positioned between Sato and the Red Flag at that moment. Seeing Sato fall, its fur bristled instantly. Without hesitation, it dove after him.
Yet Umbreon didn't forget the mission's goal. With a flick of its tail, it swept the Red Flag along as it jumped.
It all happened in a flash. While Sato had assumed the anthill had some internal space, he hadn't expected it to be practically hollow; an open drop leading who knows how far down underground.
They kept falling for quite a while without hitting bottom.
"Umbreon~"
Umbreon maneuvered quickly through the falling debris, closing the gap to Sato, while Sato tried to stabilize himself and shield away the rocks so they could meet up.
"Over here!"
Umbreon pushed off a falling stone with its hind legs and shot directly into Sato's arms.
Finally reunited, Trainer and partner both felt a sudden sense of peace.
"Psychic!"
"Umbre!"
There was no need for Sato to give the order. Umbreon knew what to do.
Psychic activated, and an invisible force enveloped them both.
In an instant, their falling speed dropped significantly, but they still hadn't stopped.
'Dark Energy: Energy Amplification.'
Sato made his move. Their lives were on the line now, he couldn't worry about hiding his abilities. And really, what were the odds there were hidden cameras down here?
Dark Energy surged madly from Sato's body into Umbreon's. Umbreon was instantly boosted to just beyond the threshold of Pseudo-Elite Four.
Its Special Attack surged accordingly, and the Psychic it unleashed grew drastically stronger, slowing their descent even further.
"Ralts~"
Suddenly, an even stronger psychic wave struck Sato and Umbreon, halting them instantly. The intense tug made Sato nearly vomit.
Ralts had quietly appeared on Sato's shoulder, transmitting with lingering fear, "Toto, are you two okay?"
"…Nothing serious." Sato took a deep breath and panted slightly as he replied.
"Umbreee…" Umbreon let out a regretful cry, then silently handed the Red Flag to Sato.
"Hey, nice job!" Sato exclaimed in surprise as he took the Red Flag. He had thought the effort was all for nothing; but hadn't realized Umbreon had managed to grab it.
Things had been so tense he hadn't noticed.
Feeling Sato's joy, Umbreon felt a little better. But compared to Ralts, it still felt pretty weak.
"Alright, stop overthinking it. You're a Dark-type, don't go comparing your psychic powers to a Psychic-type's. You did great this time," Sato said, rubbing Umbreon's head to comfort it.
"Bree~"
"Hmph, don't lump me in with other Psychic-types! I'm not like them!" Ralts tugged on Sato's ear in protest, clearly upset that he'd only praised Umbreon earlier.
"Yeah, yeah, you're special. Now get us out of here. What even just happened?"
"Why don't you ask what makes me different?" Ralts kept tugging, making Sato wince in pain, but eventually used Teleport anyway.
----
Let's rewind to just before the anthill collapsed. As Sato drew closer to the Red Flag, the other participants -who hadn't even reached the anthill- were mentally preparing to give up.
But then, the mountain simply gave out. When Sato suddenly plummeted and failed to grab the flag, their hopes abruptly reignited.
The next moment, Umbreon casually swept the Red Flag away with its tail, plunging them into sudden despair. That emotional whiplash was enough to strain even the strongest heart.
But then a Unfezant soared into the air, trying to fly over the Durant swarm. Clearly targeting Umbreon, who held the Red Flag.
The rest quickly realized the truth: no matter which Pokémon grabbed the Red Flag, it didn't count. Only the Trainer who "touched" it personally would be considered successful.
They were fired up again. But just as they prepared to break through the Durant swarm, they realized something had changed.
The Durants were going berserk!
They attacked indiscriminately, ignoring friend and foe, life or death; rampaging through everything around them. The entire Durant tunnel began to tremble.
They had just watched the anthill collapse with their own eyes. Now everyone had the same instinctive thought: this tunnel was dangerously unstable, and the Durants were ready to die with them.
"RUUN!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but in the next second, everyone scrambled toward the nearest exit, fleeing like their lives depended on it.
----
Just then, Sato suddenly reappeared in midair inside the tunnel, looking around blankly at the chaotic scene.
He couldn't help wondering… what the heck had happened in the few seconds he was gone?
"Sha!"
Sharpedo returned to his side, its furious eyes quickly softening into joy the moment it saw Sato.
"Where's your opponent?"
"Sha Shaaaa!"
Sharpedo pointed with its big nose, and Sato saw that the giant Durant had collapsed off to the side, its abdomen pinned beneath a massive broken stone.
"Sha-Sha says the giant Durant and the anthill were one and the same. The giant Durant grew right at the top of the anthill, that's why it couldn't move," Ralts translated immediately.
Sato froze. "Wait… WHAT!?"