What were Dark-type Pokémon truly good at?
This question had puzzled Sato from his past life into this one, and even now he only had one simple answer.
But if asked what Zoroark and Weavile excelled at, Sato would only say one word: offense!
Yet the way they attacked couldn't have been more different.
Weavile was nimble and agile. Despite its small body, it held tremendous energy, and its claws always slashed at the opponent's most vital weak points.
Even landing a single strike was enough to make the opponent writhe in agony!
As for Zoroark, with its Illusion Ability, it had gradually developed its own unique close-combat style.
What looked like wild, open attacks were actually filled with feints and misdirection, leaving opponents completely unable to read its patterns; and by the time a real strike landed, it was already too late to resist!
Alakazam and Espeon weren't suited for close combat to begin with. Even though they constantly used Psychic to reduce Zoroark and Weavile's speed, all they could do was passively endure the assault.
After all, under the effect of Mean Look, Teleport couldn't be used.
"HAHHH!"
A sudden shout from Ariana -her eyes now completely engulfed in a dense purple glow- as a surge of Psychic power flooded into Alakazam and Espeon, as if cost were no concern.
Their Psychic power spiked dramatically, and the control exerted by Alakazam and Espeon clearly improved.
On the other side, Zoroark and Weavile were visibly slowing down.
"…Future Sight," Ariana whispered softly. In the next moment, six eyes -hers and her two Pokémon's- flared with dazzling purple light.
"Sucker Punch."
Sato's brows furrowed. At the exact moment his opponent used Future Sight, his heart skipped a beat.
It felt like an enormous threat was approaching!
Following his command, Zoroark and Weavile seamlessly chained Night Slash into Sucker Punch.
Future Sight still needed time to activate. As long as there was a gap, there was room to exploit it with a Sucker Punch.
Bang! Bang!
Alakazam and Espeon were sent flying, but Sato didn't relax.
Because both their eyes were still glowing with purple light.
Something was wrong…
Future Sight's control didn't lie with the Pokémon…
It was Ariana's!
Sato immediately shifted his gaze to Ariana, and sure enough, her eyes were just now returning to normal. Only then did Alakazam and Espeon follow.
A triple Future Sight had been successfully cast!
"Hehehehehe…" Sweat beaded on Ariana's forehead, but the confident smile on her face made Sato's heart tighten.
His instincts screamed that this triple-layered Future Sight was not the same as ordinary stacked energy moves.
This was something far more dangerous!
In that instant, Sato even considered sending out Gardevoir to join the fight.
'No…' He was relying on her too much!
Gardevoir's Elite Four power had nothing to do with him. That strength was her own. If he kept leaning on her, it would do nothing to help his own progress.
Gardevoir had to remain the ultimate trump card, not something to use lightly.
It was just a triple Future Sight…
He'd simply defeat the enemy before the attack landed!
A sharp glint flashed in Sato's eyes. "Zoroark, [Night Daze Sphere], Weavile, Blizzard."
The [Night Daze Sphere] was an upgraded version of Night Daze. Instead of allowing the Dark energy to disperse outward, it condensed it inward before unleashing it in a single, devastating blast!
"ZOROOOOARK!"
Zoroark pressed its paws to the ground, drawing a massive amount of Dark-type energy up through the earth. In the blink of an eye, a terrifying orb of energy -so black it shimmered violet- formed in front of Zoroark!
At the same time, Weavile opened its mouth and unleashed an incredibly powerful Blizzard, instantly engulfing both Espeon and Alakazam.
The Blizzard even began to spread toward nearby battle zones, forcing other combatants to retreat further from the two.
'What terrifying coordination…' Everyone watching had the same thought.
But in truth, that Blizzard from Weavile was merely to increase the accuracy of Zoroark's [Night Daze Sphere].
Soon, the Blizzard cleared, and what followed was a massive energy sphere, seemingly slow yet deceptively fast as it fell from the sky, crushing down on the two Pokémon.
"PROTEEEECT! HURRY, USE PROTECT!"
As Ariana watched Zoroark's attack, an uncontrollable wave of fear welled up within her Psychic power.
It was as if her instincts were screaming: Run! Run! Run now!
BZZZZZZT~!
It wasn't just Ariana; everyone nearby experienced intense ringing in their ears.
Ariana could only watch as the [Night Daze Sphere] made contact with her Alakazam and Espeon.
And then suddenly vanished…
Immediately after, torrents of air violently surged toward the spot where the [Night Daze Sphere] had been, as if trying to fill in the void it had left behind.
Annihilation.
The word suddenly surfaced in Ariana's mind, sending chills through her entire body. Her gut told her… she was right.
Run.
Even before she had reached Ace level, he had defeated her by going all out. And now…?
Ariana, one of Team Rocket's four Admins, had her composure completely shattered by Zoroark's [Night Daze Sphere].
Sato was equally stunned by the move Zoroark had just executed. He was certain… Even Gardevoir would struggle to block that attack.
Looking again at Alakazam and Espeon, Sato had clearly seen two flashes of green light before the sphere struck.
At the time, he'd even thought, 'Espeon's lucky; only a one-third chance, and it still managed to use Protect.'
But now… both were on the verge of collapse!
Protect could only withstand so much, and the [Night Daze Sphere] had clearly surpassed that limit.
The commotion caused by Sato's side drew attention from others, including Voya and Myron, who were locked in a fierce fight and instinctively glanced over.
What they saw was Weavile and Zoroark, completely unharmed.
And lying on the ground, unconscious and unmoving: Alakazam and Espeon!
'They already settled the fight?! And neither of them has even gone down!' Myron thought, both relieved and overwhelmed.
"LEADER SATO HAS WON! SATO HAS WON! EVERYONE, PRESS THE ADVANTAGE! VICTORY IS WITHIN REACH!"
After shaking off his initial shock, Myron wasn't about to miss the chance for psychological warfare.
Sure enough, upon hearing of Sato's victory, the League's Trainers were filled with renewed energy. Those close to defeat fought even harder, desperate to land one more blow.
As for Team Rocket, cobbled together at the last minute, the news that even their commander Ariana had lost left many turning and fleeing without hesitation.
"You've lost."
Sato looked at Ariana's fear-stricken face, his tone calm, but he had already secretly signaled Gengar in the shadows to reinforce Mean Look, though it didn't appear openly.
A flash of red light; Ariana recalled Alakazam and Espeon into their Poké Balls and spoke with a face full of sorrow, "Spare them… I'll go with you."
But the next moment, a white light briefly flickered around Ariana's body… then quickly vanished.
Ariana: …!!!
"..."