Very true! Still, the previous tournament Saber was involved in left little desire to lose (you lose = imminent death), so Saber's still gonna do her level best to obtain victory!

Hey, if the Absol doesn't want to get too close, that's okay. Her Metagross will use a Protect to ward off that Flamethrower, which it will then follow up with a Signal Beam. This is mostly a lure, however, in case the Absol dodges or uses a Protect as well (thank you for the caution against Protect spam, Archer), the Metagross will aim a Bullet Punch at it.