Ariana was a very powerful Psychic user, so Sato didn't expect her to walk straight into the trap.
Around three or four in the morning was when most people were in deep sleep. Being awakened at that hour would leave anyone extremely sluggish.
And that was exactly the time Team Rocket chose to launch their assault on Olivine City from the north.
The moment Team Rocket stepped into Olivine City, Sato's side had already received the update.
"…Don't act rashly. Let them come deeper," Myron ordered in a low voice through the radio as he studied the map.
After entering Olivine City, Team Rocket avoided all the roads with surveillance cameras. Their familiarity with the city was downright terrifying.
Their combat uniforms had also been modified. They moved like a group of Meowth: completely silent.
Even though the group was made up of a hundred people, barely any noise came out. If everyone in the city really had been asleep, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Just like that, Team Rocket advanced swiftly through Olivine City, almost reaching the Pokémon Center, when Ariana started to feel increasingly uneasy.
'Was Olivine Gym really that incompetent…?'
'…But this path had been far too smooth!'
With that thought, Ariana immediately and cautiously chose to halt. The grunts behind her, though a bit flustered, silently followed her lead and stopped.
Over a hundred people stood in a long line, quietly filling a narrow street, falling into an eerie silence.
"Commander, is something wrong?" Voya approached Ariana, her face full of concern.
Ariana didn't answer Voya directly. Instead, she closed her eyes and released her Psychic power to carefully scan the area.
Right then, over a dozen Shadow Balls suddenly appeared in front of Ariana and Voya, clearly aimed at attacking the humans directly!
Ariana no longer had time to scout. She hurriedly sent out an Alakazam, ordering it to shield her.
Voya also sent out her Ninetales. Over the years, her strength had successfully reached Ace level.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…
The successive Shadow Ball blasts instantly engulfed Ariana and Voya.
Sato slowly stepped out from the shadows, accompanied only by "Gengar", yet his appearance sent a wave of panic through the entire Team Rocket squad.
'An ambush?!'
'Were there others too?'
These thoughts exploded in the minds of Team Rocket members, instantly spreading panic.
"Mean Look."
The night was already dark, but suddenly, hundreds of golden eyes filled the sky, pressing down from above like a suffocating curtain. The terrifying pressure shook their spirits once more.
"Houndoom, Howl!"
"AWOOOOO!"
A wolf's howl rang out fiercely, the powerful soundwave directly shattering the illusion of the golden eyes above!
"It's Lady Voya's Houndoom!"
"Thank Legendaries, I thought I was about to die back there…"
Voices of relief spread through the front of the Team Rocket formation, causing Sato to reveal a somewhat strange expression.
'Sigh… Such poor discipline.'
And right at that moment, the smoke from the Shadow Ball blasts was blown away by the wind. Under the dim streetlamps, Ariana and Voya caught a clear look at the expression on Sato's face.
"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!"
New and old grudges combined in that instant, causing Ariana, the beautiful Admin, to explode with rage. Her Psychic energy leaked uncontrollably, and even her hair began to float.
She looked just like a witch!
"Alakazam, Espeon, Psychic!"
"Dark Pulse."
Sato remained calm. Seeing that Ariana's two Pokémon hadn't even reached the Elite Four level, he felt no pressure whatsoever.
After all, he had just defeated an Elite Four…
They weren't even in the same league anymore!
Right then, the "Gengar" beside Sato jumped out and unleashed a Dark Pulse as well.
But in truth, the Gengar in front of them was actually a transformed Zoroark, there to bait Ariana into wasting her Psychic attacks.
Double Psychic vs. Dark Pulse.
As expected, due to the absolute type advantage, Psychic had no effect on "Gengar" and was completely shattered by the Dark Pulse!
At that moment, Voya's Ninetales suddenly dashed out and used Protect to block both Dark Pulses, but still got forcefully knocked back.
Her Ninetales had only just reached the Ace level.
Then Sato suddenly smiled at Ariana, sending a chill down her spine.
The next second, a flood of League Trainers swarmed in from every direction, quickly surrounding Team Rocket. It was clear they intended to trap them like Combee in a jar.
"You deliberately stopped me from using Psychic to scout… just to buy time," Ariana said coldly, her eyes filled with hatred as she stared at Sato.
Sato shrugged. He wasn't easily intimidated; no amount of glaring would faze him.
"I'm late!" Myron arrived riding a Skarmory and landed beside Sato.
"One for each. Voya's yours."
Seeing that both sides had already entered full-scale combat, Sato didn't hesitate to take on Ariana, the stronger opponent.
And since it was confirmed that only Ariana and Voya had reached the Ace level, Joseph had been assigned to support, just in case of an unexpected twist.
Watching them split their opponents like spoils of war -one each- Ariana and Voya were so angry they could barely breathe.
Even though Sato hadn't done anything despicable, past events had already soured their view of him. No matter how they looked at him, they just couldn't stand him.
Soon, Ariana faced off with Sato once again, while Voya was drawn away by Myron.
Facing the enemy he once had to go all out just to defeat… Sato smiled lightly.
'I've caught up to you…'
"Zoroark, Weavile, Night Slash."
At this point, Zoroark no longer needed to maintain Illusion. Now armed with absolute strength, Sato also preferred overpowering tactics!
Swish~ Swish~
Two shadows flashed rapidly. The next time Zoroark and Weavile appeared, they were already in front of Alakazam and Espeon!
"Protect, Miracle Eye!"
Ariana wasn't someone to underestimate. She quickly had Espeon use its life-saving move, and with precise battle coordination, successfully blocked the combined assault from Zoroark and Weavile.
Immediately after, Miracle Eye shone down upon both Weavile and Zoroark, meaning Psychic-type moves could now affect them.
"Again, continuous Night Slash."
Even though Miracle Eye had taken effect, Sato didn't care in the slightest. As long as type advantage remained, unleashing the full offensive potential of his two Pokémon meant he wouldn't lose!