Illusion - Zoroark's specialty.
From the very beginning, Sato and the others' casual conversation had been nothing but an act.
The goal was to buy Zoroark enough time to set up an illusion; after all, this time it needed to affect over half of the people present.
[Illusion: Vision Deprivation]
Within the space locked by Zoroark, both humans and Pokémon were stripped of their sight, unable to see anything around them.
In the face of sudden blindness, fear naturally took hold.
And at that exact moment, a single terrified scream was added to the mix.
Then chaos erupted!
Before Sato's group even lifted a finger, their opponents were already collapsing in droves.
Of course, Sato didn't mind letting his partners clean up some small fry and gain a little experience along the way…
Pokémon fell, Trainers were injured, and with every passing second, more and more people lost the ability to battle.
But the true powerhouses -aside from some initial panic- soon regained control of the situation, aided by their keenly perceptive Pokémon.
Even so, nearly 90% of the weaker ones were already out of the fight. Sato's objective had been achieved.
The so-called "numbers advantage" of their opponents looked laughably fragile in the face of Zoroark's illusion tactics.
Finally, when almost everyone on the battlefield had fallen, only nine people remained, each one possessing Ace level strength.
That included Mars himself!
These were mostly heads of branch Families and affiliated Houses, each a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.
"Zoroark, that's enough," Sato said quietly toward a certain direction.
Immediately, Mars and the other eight realized they could see again.
…But what they saw filled them with both shock and fear!
All around them lay fallen Trainers and Pokémon. None appeared to be dead, yet the devastation was a sight they would never forget.
Those hiding in the corners of the hall trembled uncontrollably, praying that Sato wouldn't notice them.
Joseph's uncle was among the spectators. Though he was stunned by the strength of Joseph's friends, he couldn't shake the feeling that things were far from safe.
Seizing the moment when no one was watching, he slipped quietly out through the side door of the hall.
"YOU LAWLESS BRATS, TODAY NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE HERE ALIVE!"
Seeing nearly all his allies defeated, Mars was consumed by fury.
Putting aside how he'd deal with the powerful "guests" later, Zoroark's illusion alone was enough to make him treat this seriously.
"That was just an appetizer. If you've got guts, come fight me outside."
Sato sneered coldly and strode out with confident steps. Joseph, Mark, and the others naturally followed close behind.
Mars scanned the area grimly, then snorted before marching out of the hall.
"Dale, get the injured treated and seal off the entire area. No one leaves until this is over!"
"Yes, Family Head," Dale bowed in acknowledgment.
"The rest of you, come with me… we're going to kill those brats!" Mars's expression twisted with rage, his killing intent fully unleashed.
Even if one of those "brats" was his own youngest son, Joseph.
---
Outside the hall, Sato and the others had heard Mars's words clearly.
A glint flashed in Joseph's eyes, but he quickly steeled himself and told the group firmly, "Don't hold back against anyone. Families like theirs never run out of lives to throw away!"
No one expected that the usually gentle Joseph would say something like that.
But Akira and the others couldn't help tensing up. Were they really about to… kill someone?
In the next instant, the Sharpedo that had been standing ready beside Sato suddenly moved.
It turned into a streak of deep blue light, darting forward at blinding speed and appearing right in front of a Ace level Trainer who had just stepped out of the hall.
Night Slash: activate!
A flash of black light streaked past the Trainer. Sharpedo twisted sharply midair and instantly returned to Sato's side.
Splat!
A burst of blood sprayed from the Ace Trainer's waist. His legs gave out, and he was about to collapse to the ground.
…But before that could happen, his entire upper body slid cleanly off at the wound!
Thud! Thud!
[Night Slash: Waist Sever]
The two halves of the corpse landed neatly at the grand entrance of the hall, while beside it, a Heliolisk was crying out in terror.
The others who had been walking toward the door froze in fear. Slowly, they backed away, terrified of becoming the next target.
That guy… he wasn't even an adult, was he?
He just killed someone… just like that?
"I heard someone wanted to kill?" Sato's calm voice echoed through the hall, as if the Sharpedo that had just struck wasn't even his own Pokémon.
Then he continued, "In that case… I'll just kill first."
"Sharpedo!"
"Shaaa!"
"PROTECT!"
"SUBSTITUTE!"
"DETECT!"
"SPIKY SHIELD!"
Hearing that Sharpedo was about to attack again, the remaining eight Trainers at the doorway all shouted defensive commands at once.
But Sharpedo didn't move, it stayed perfectly still.
Sato was bluffing…
In an instant, Mars and the others' faces turned purple with humiliation.
These were men of status, heads of noble Families!
And yet they'd just been toyed with by a shark.
And Sato wasn't done rubbing it in.
"This is what you call 'killing'? I'm standing right here, and you don't even dare step forward."
"Joseph, no wonder you've become such an ungrateful brat over the years… it's because you've been learning from these grunts.
Watch closely. Today, right in front of you, I'll kill every last one of them!"
This time, Mars stopped wasting words. The moment he finished speaking, he sent out his ace Pokémon.
Low Elite Four: Clawitzer.
Mid Elite Four: Goodra.
And as Mars made his move, the other seven Trainers followed suit, releasing their own Pokémon.
The pressure on Sato's side was immense. Apart from him, only Joseph, Mark, Sina, and Lotta had Ace level strength.
Seven Ace opponents vs four.
"I'll handle Mars. The rest are yours."
Sato spoke softly, then leapt onto Sharpedo's back, guiding it toward the garden to face Mars head-on.
Mars sneered. He knew Sato was the core of this group. If he could defeat him quickly, the rest would crumble.
So, he followed Sato toward the garden, leaving the rest behind.
Once Sato and Mars were gone, Joseph and Mark exchanged a glance and stepped forward side by side.
"From here on out, follow our lead!"
When it came to coordination, the duo of Joseph and Mark was unmatched. Their similar strength only made their teamwork sharper.
"Lucario, Swords Dance! Togekiss, Nasty Plot!"
"Gallade, Protect! Florges, full-power Petal Dance!"
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150 PS - CH