Sato looked at Mars across from him, his expression dark and brooding. He could even spot a few features that resembled Joseph's.
Unfortunately, in the face of so-called Family interests, even blood ties could be assigned a fixed value.
In the rear garden, all the originally free-roaming wild Pokémon had already fled.
Riding on Sharpedo, Sato deliberately chose a relatively open patch of grass, and at the same time, released Gardevoir, who hadn't appeared yet.
And the moment Mars took his position, Sato didn't waste a single word. Zoroark at his side had already dashed out without hesitation, opening with a [Night Daze Sphere]!
"Clawitzer, Aura Sphere! Goodra, Rain Dance!"
As a family with a long-standing legacy, the Narcissus Family naturally had some tricks up their sleeve when it came to Pokémon training. Their specialty was Water-types.
The Elite Four level Clawitzer was clearly powerful. Its claw, shaped like a dragon's head, opened slightly, and an Aura Sphere the size of a car tire blasted out in an instant.
A supercharged Aura Sphere, fired instantly!
The next moment, the [Night Daze Sphere] and the Aura Sphere collided head-on!
BOOOOOOOM!
Aura Sphere blasted straight through the Night Daze Sphere.
At the same time, the Aura Sphere shrank to the size of a soccer ball, but it still continued flying toward Zoroark!
A High Ace Zoroark's strongest move, clashing with a standard Aura Sphere from an Elite Four Clawitzer… The result:
Zoroark was completely overpowered!
Even with the advantage of type matchup -Fighting-type move-, it still proved just how powerful this Clawitzer really was.
With no other option, Zoroark fired off another pre-charged [Night Daze Sphere], finally shattering the Aura Sphere completely.
Meanwhile, the sky had already filled with dark clouds, and heavy rain began pouring down in torrents.
Goodra's Rain Dance also demonstrated its dominance as a pseudo-legendary at Elite Four level!
"Voir!"
On the other side, Gardevoir didn't stop Goodra's Rain Dance, but she did alter the terrain.
Misty Terrain. Now, no Pokémon on the ground would fall into status conditions, and Dragon-type move damage would be halved.
Which meant that Goodra, already not known for offense, could basically abandon attacking altogether. It could safely switch to full support.
But that wasn't all. At this moment, Sato had already pulled out his Key Stone necklace and began fully channeling the Dark Energy within him.
[Dark Energy: Energy Amplification]
Pitch-black Dark Energy surged into the Key Stone, and through it as a medium, was entirely funneled into Zoroark's body!
After the Village of Dragons incident, Sato had a hunch that he could use [Energy Amplification] to temporarily raise a Pokémon's combat power to Elite Four level.
And now, that hunch was proven correct!
When Zoroark's red claws, the blue orb on its hair, and its teal pupils all turned pitch-black, it successfully advanced to Elite Four level.
What exactly was the difference between an Elite Four and an Ace?
Sato had asked this question to many people: Drake, Flying Elite Four Lance, Howard from Goldenrod City, Agatha, even the Joy matriarch and his own Gardevoir.
But in the end, he never got a definitive answer…
Now, Sato seemed to finally understand!
Because of [Dark Energy: Energy Amplification], Sato could clearly sense every subtle change within Zoroark's body.
And the moment Zoroark broke through to Elite Four level, what Sato felt in sync with it… was more like a leap from a lower lifeform to a higher one.
As if every single cell had changed from before, even when using the exact same move, its very essence had already transformed.
An Ace was still merely advanced manipulation of energy.
But an Elite Four… was reshaping energy through the Force of Origin!
The former was like a laborer of nature: storing natural energy inside the body and needing to replenish it once exhausted.
The latter, however, had already formed its own "miniature nature." The Pokémon itself could tap into Origin Force and generate whatever energy it needed at any time, in any place.
No wonder Trainers often said that while Aces could advance with persistent effort, reaching Elite Four level depended entirely on luck.
At the root of it was this: if a Pokémon's potential wasn't high enough, if its "Origin Force" was lacking, then no matter how hard it worked, it would never be able to break through to Elite Four.
And in both this life and the last, it was the first time that either Zoroark or Sato had ever truly felt the difference of becoming an Elite Four. For a moment, they even found themselves a little addicted to it.
…Until Gardevoir called out for help.
"Toto, I can't hold on much longer!"
An Elite Four level Pokémon could endlessly reshape energy. Moves that used to require focus and effort could now be unleashed effortlessly.
On the battlefield, Clawitzer's Water Pulse had barely paused since the fight began.
Each Water Pulse exploded in turn, creating layered waves, one after another crashing toward Gardevoir.
On the other side, while Goodra's Dragon-type moves were no longer a threat, it was clearly a versatile combatant.
Aqua Tail and the layered Water Pulse worked hand in hand, combining their power in a way that made it extremely difficult for Gardevoir to hold them off.
And don't forget… the torrential downpour in the sky was further amplifying the power of Water-type moves.
The only reason Gardevoir hadn't retreated yet was to protect the stunned Sato and Zoroark.
Seeing this, the newly ascended Zoroark didn't need a command. It charged forward without hesitation!
Zoroark dashed to Gardevoir's side, its pitch-black claws plunging deep into the ground.
Energy surged. Pure Dark-type energy exploded violently outward from Zoroark's body!
It was the most primal form of Night Daze!
"ZOROAAAARK!"
The overwhelming repulsive force of Night Daze completely destroyed the layered Aqua Tail and Water Pulse combo, clearing the entire field in an instant!
"…Elite four?"
Only now, through the misty terrain and heavy rain, did Mars realize Zoroark's transformation.
Just a moment ago, it had only been High Ace. How had it suddenly crossed into Elite Four?!
Still, it was only one Elite Four level Pokémon. Mars didn't panic in the slightest.
"So… that's the trump card you've been relying on all this time?"
Mars glanced at Sato with mocking eyes, then slowly pulled out another Poké Ball.
"But I have more than just two Elite Four Pokémon!"
A flash of red light, and a massive Barbaracle appeared on the field, also at Low Elite Four level!
But then, to Mars's surprise, Sato pulled out a Poké Ball of his own. Under Mars's stunned gaze, Cacturne appeared on the field.
"Uh… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"
Mars was caught off guard at first, thinking Sato had actually brought out a third Elite Four level Pokémon.
But when he saw it was only a High Ace Cacturne, he immediately let out a mocking laugh.
"So what if you have the type advantage? What, are you going to make Cacturne break through on the spot?"
"Since you're asking so sincerely, I'll show you mercy and tell you…
It really can!
[Dark Energy: Energy Amplification]"