This move was the Fire-type attack Flame Charge.
Its power wasn't especially high, but its greatest advantage was its incredible speed of activation. After using it, the user's Speed would also increase.
For a surprise attack, it was the perfect choice.
"BOOM!"
Blaziken landed smoothly beside the device and, with one swift claw swipe, ripped the red stone directly out of the machine.
The process was unexpectedly easy.
The surrounding Team Rocket members clearly hadn't anticipated that, in this freezing wasteland, there would actually be another trainer lurking behind them waiting to play the fisherman who benefits from others' conflict.
And thanks to Ampharos destroying the communications equipment earlier, Number Eight, the grunt responsible for cleaning up below and relaying information, never had the chance to warn his teammates.
If anyone was to blame, it was probably Team Rocket's scientists for not designing a dedicated protective barrier for this exact situation.
The entire group stared blankly at the suddenly appearing Blaziken and at the disappearing fiery domain.
"Release all Shadow Pokémon! Get that thing back!"
The squad captain's eyes nearly split apart from rage.
Of course they hadn't brought only five Elite-level Shadow Pokémon.
The problem was that the fiery domain created by the device had originally been too small.
Those five had already been the limit.
Even if they released more, the others could only remain outside the domain and wouldn't have been able to affect the battle anyway.
Originally, they had intended to gradually increase the numbers and slowly wear Articuno down.
But this mysterious Blaziken had completely ruined their plans.
At this point, nothing else mattered anymore.
Recovering the red stone was the top priority.
Without the fiery domain created by the activated stone, Articuno would massacre them like children.
Red flashes erupted everywhere.
In an instant, the mountain summit became packed with all kinds of Shadow Pokémon.
Not only Fire-types, there were also three Fighting-types: Machoke, Hitmonchan, and Hitmonlee.
They had probably been prepared specifically in case Articuno decided to engage in close combat.
"SKREEEE!"
Sensing the disappearance of the fiery domain, the previously suppressed Articuno immediately spread its wings, preparing to show these crafty humans the true power of ice.
"All Fire-types, stop Articuno at any cost! The remaining three Fighting-types kill that damned Blaziken!"
The squad captain in the black uniform marked with the red "R" barked viciously.
Led by the Shadow Charizard charging at the front, over ten Elite-level Shadow Pokémon surged toward Articuno without fear of death.
If they got frozen, it didn't matter.
Their teammates would immediately thaw them with flames.
Even burns were irrelevant.
After all, Shadow Pokémon couldn't feel pain.
Their minds contained only commands and battle targets.
Under such insane attacks, Articuno was forcibly held back.
Even though another Shadow Pokémon would occasionally be destroyed, the sheer number of them was enough to temporarily pin Articuno down.
"Tch. I knew it."
Hidden nearby, Silas clicked his tongue.
In the end, he'd still have to do the heavy lifting himself.
Three Elite-level Fighting-types…
Not impossible to deal with.
He calmly analyzed the situation.
The most dangerous aspect of Fighting-type Pokémon was their flawless physical combat ability.
But under the control of Dark Balls, that advantage was practically ruined.
From his observations earlier, Shadow Pokémon could only follow very simple commands.
Which meant they couldn't use complicated martial arts techniques.
Their attacks, driven purely by instinct, might still be battle-hardened, but they also contained major openings.
While Silas was thinking, Blaziken had already been surrounded by the three Elite-level Fighting Pokémon in a triangular formation.
The squad captain gave a look, and the other two members immediately coordinated their attacks.
"Hitmonchan, use Bullet Punch!"
"Hitmonlee, use Low Kick!"
The two Shadow Pokémon had already been struggling to suppress their destructive urges. The moment the orders were given, they charged forward with bloodshot eyes.
Hitmonchan has the Iron Fist Ability. Don't take its attacks head-on.
Dodge first, then sweep across with Blaze Kick and counter Hitmonlee.
That one has the Limber Ability, it's easier to bully.
Silas silently directed the battle in his mind.
"Understood."
Blaziken's eyes alternated between Aura-blue light and blue-purple psychic glow as it calmly responded.
With a forward roll, it narrowly avoided Hitmonchan's fist, which sliced through the air fast enough to almost disappear from sight.
Then it raised its flame-covered leg and collided head-on with Hitmonlee's extended kick.
"CLANG!"
"So hard!"
Blaziken's feedback instantly flowed into Silas's mind.
"Avoid the soles of its feet. That's the hardest part of its entire body."
Silas immediately explained the reason.
Nicknamed the "Demon of Kicks," Hitmonlee specialized in attacking opponents with legs that could stretch to twice their normal length.
At the exact moment its kick connected, the soles of its feet would harden like diamonds in an attempt to shatter the enemy outright.
Even if many advanced techniques had been forgotten, this sort of instinctive foundational ability had already been mastered to perfection by a Elite-level Hitmonlee.
The instant Blaziken clashed with it, Hitmonlee had already adjusted the angle and point of impact of its kick.
"Machoke's Abilities are Guts and Steadfast, so you don't need to worry about it ignoring your defense and landing unavoidable hits. Use your speed to dodge it, don't let it grab you."
While Blaziken was sent flying backward from the force of Hitmonlee's attack, Silas immediately provided information about the third Pokémon behind it.
Blaziken slightly twisted its body and performed a nimble midair flip, once again avoiding the charging Hitmonchan.
"Boss, are you really making me fight one-versus-three?"
It complained.
"Left rear. Upward Fire Punch."
Silas ignored the complaint and answered only with instructions.
Blaziken didn't waste another word. Without even turning around, it swung its flame-covered right fist upward from below.
"THUD!"
A dull collision echoed out.
Machoke's jaw smashed directly into the Fire Punch, and its body was lifted clear off the ground.
Blaziken didn't press the advantage.
Using several backward jumps, it quickly escaped the encirclement of the three Shadow Pokémon.
Its objective right now wasn't defeating these monsters.
It only needed to stall until Articuno finished dealing with its own opponents.
The price of obedience is reduced strength. Looks like Dark Balls still aren't perfected yet.
Silas silently analyzed.
Honestly, that was good news.
Even though Blaziken was already incredibly powerful and only a step away from reaching Elite level, facing three berserk Elite-level Pokémon head-on would still be extremely difficult.
Watching the four Pokémon tangled in combat and then glancing at the still-unchanged snowy terrain nearby, the squad captain's expression became increasingly ugly.
Of course he knew what the hidden Alliance trainer was planning.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it.
Earlier, his subordinates had spoken casually, but the truth was that carrying the device all the way from the foot of the mountain while fighting had already exhausted most of their main Pokémon.
Then Articuno had wiped out a large number of them right from the start.
Aside from the Shadow Pokémon, they no longer had anything capable of interfering in Elite-level combat.
The captain hadn't realized Blaziken was actually still only at the quasi-Elite stage.
After all, just like before who would believe that a quasi-Elite Pokémon could hold off three Elite-level opponents?
Even weakened Elite-level Pokémon shouldn't be this unrealistic.
"Hehehehehe…"
A strange laugh suddenly rang out.
One of the Team Rocket members nearby slowly lifted his head.
"It's time to prove my worth. If this mission succeeds, I'm taking the biggest share of the reward."
The squad captain froze briefly then burst into delight.
Right.
This guy's two main Pokémon hadn't fought yet.
Even though their strength was heavily affected by the environment, in this situation they were practically a blessing from heaven.
The grinning man was the unlucky trainer whose main Pokémon were Crobat and Arbok.
Since his main Pokémon weren't suited for battle here, he had been hiding at the very back the entire time and had luckily survived Articuno's attacks.
"No problem."
The captain agreed immediately.
After so many people had already died, if the mission truly succeeded, everyone's reward shares would already be far greater than originally planned anyway.
Giving this guy a bit extra didn't matter.
Besides the captain sneered internally getting the reward didn't necessarily mean living long enough to enjoy it.
"Go, Arbok! Crobat! Drain the enemy dry!"
The unlucky grunt threw out two Poké Balls.
"Hiss!"
"SKREE!"
The two purple Pokémon appeared amidst the blizzard.
The moment they emerged, however, their bodies immediately began trembling violently from the cold.
"Arbok, use Poison Sting for interference! Crobat, Air Slash!"
Unfortunately, their trainer paid no attention to their condition and instead issued commands with gleaming eyes.
Arbok and Crobat could only force themselves to attack despite their discomfort.
The speed at which they gathered their attacks was visibly slower than normal.
This is bad.
The instant Silas saw the two Pokémon appear, he realized the situation had become troublesome.
These guys are way too patient, he thought speechlessly.
Even so, Silas still chose not to send out a second Pokémon to support Blaziken.
After observing the positioning of the five enemy Pokémon, he immediately issued commands.
"Move three meters to the right, then burn away the Poison Sting with Flamethrower."
Blaziken's actions almost perfectly mirrored his instructions.
The instant it landed.
"BANG!"
Crobat's Air Slash slammed directly into the back of the Shadow Machoke.
Not only that as Blaziken opened its mouth and unleashed blazing flames, Arbok's Poison Sting failed completely, while Hitmonchan was forced to dodge out of the way as well.
"What?!"
The unlucky grunt once again felt that today simply wasn't his day for battling.
Amazing, Boss.
Blaziken silently gave its trainer a thumbs-up in its heart.
Making the enemy attack their own teammates that was seriously incredible.
"Get ready. It's time. We'll break through here."
Silas narrowed his eyes and spoke to Blaziken through Aura and telepathy.
The flames around Blaziken's wrists suddenly flared violently.
"Understood!"
Its voice overflowed with excitement.
"Then… Blast Burn!"
Following Silas's internal shout, white steam erupted from Blaziken's entire body.
The surrounding snow began rapidly melting.
One pillar of flame after another burst upward from the ground.
In the next instant a dense crimson glow completely enveloped Blaziken's body.
...
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