It was a Rhyperior!!
Eichi activated his Eye of the Bug Emperor.
Rhyperior
Talent Grade: Outstanding
Trainer Rank: Mid-stage Elite Four (Level 66)
"Ever since the Boss obtained the evolution method for Rhydon from the Sinnoh region, the strength of Team Rocket has increased significantly," the leader boasted.
Compared to Rhyperior, Sandslash's body was truly as small as could be.
However, Katsuyoshi's expression remained unchanged. Eichi couldn't intervene and could only watch from the sidelines, though he felt that Katsuyoshi's strength didn't require any help.
Sandslash whipped up a Sandstorm around itself, trapping Rhyperior within the swirling grit before launching a series of frenzied attacks.
The Team Rocket members originally thought the battle would end quickly in their favor, but the result left everyone wide-eyed with shock.
Rhyperior was defeated before it could even display much of its power.
With a heavy thud, Rhyperior's massive body collapsed onto the ground, creating a loud boom.
"How can this be!!" the Team Rocket leader cried out, truly unable to believe that Sandslash had won so easily.
Then, he saw the murderous intent in Katsuyoshi's eyes.
This is bad, he wants to kill us.
"Retreat!"
The surrounding Team Rocket members released all of their Pokémon at once.
Seeing this, Katsuyoshi also released his entire team. A massive chaotic brawl began right then and there.
Katsuyoshi's six Pokémon were Sandslash, Noctowl, Sudowoodo, Kingler, Hitmonchan, and Golem.
Aside from Sudowoodo and Noctowl, all of them had broken through to the Elite Four rank.
It was terrifying. Five of his Pokémon took on over a dozen opponents simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Sandslash locked its gaze onto the Team Rocket members.
Looking into Sandslash's eyes, the leader swallowed hard. He was very familiar with that look; it was the gaze of a killer.
"Run!"
He ordered his Pokémon to block Katsuyoshi while he attempted to sneak away. The others followed suit.
But in the next second, Sandslash appeared behind the Team Rocket leader.
"Squelch... Huh?"
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes glazing over as he looked down in disbelief at a sharp claw protruding from his chest.
"No... I don't want to die!!"
"No!!"
As the claw was pulled back, his vision blurred until everything went dark. He slumped to the ground, every sign of life extinguished.
"No!!"
Within the next few seconds, the same fate befell the other Team Rocket members. They all died in the same manner.
"Roar!!!!"
The remaining Pokémon let out heart-wrenching cries and charged at Katsuyoshi in a desperate attempt at revenge.
However, Katsuyoshi's Pokémon showed no mercy.
Under Sandslash's onslaught, they were all killed. The other Pokémon eventually stopped attacking and stood aside.
Sandslash returned to Katsuyoshi's side, drenched in blood—both human and Pokémon.
It looked absolutely horrific. The other Pokémon trembled in fear upon seeing Sandslash.
Once everything was over, Katsuyoshi spoke calmly to the surviving Rocket Pokémon. "Leave. Do not come back."
They had all been forced into service by Team Rocket. Now that they were being set free, they offered their thanks and departed one after another.
In an instant, the entire forest became silent again.
"Sudowoodo, Water Gun," Katsuyoshi commanded.
"Sudo~"
Sudowoodo sprayed a stream of water from its mouth, washing all the bloodstains off Sandslash.
Judging by Sudowoodo's practiced movements, it clearly wasn't the first time it had done this.
Once all the blood was washed away, Sandslash shook its body. It didn't seem to fear water at all.
"Sandslash, dispose of them," Katsuyoshi said, looking at the corpses of the humans and Pokémon nearby.
Sandslash raised its hand, its eyes glowing with a brilliant red light as energy waves covered the entire area.
The dirt beneath the corpses unexpectedly turned into sand. They slowly sank into the shifting grit until they disappeared completely.
Once the bodies were gone, the sand reverted back into soil.
Although the corpses were hidden, the scene remained a mess of destruction; it certainly didn't look like nothing had happened.
Katsuyoshi didn't care. He recalled his Pokémon and left the scene as if he hadn't just witnessed a slaughter.
After he had walked far enough away, Eichi emerged from hiding. Looking at the widespread destruction, he could imagine the intensity of the battle.
Eichi's expression was complicated. Seeing people die certainly made him feel uneasy, but since the victims were Team Rocket, it was somewhat acceptable.
Team Rocket had claimed Katsuyoshi took something he shouldn't have. It was likely something belonging to the organization, and considering that Sandslash, one could make a rough guess.
Eichi took one last look and then left. He still had things to do.
In the dark of the night, only the silence and the breeze knew what had just occurred.
Early the next morning, Eichi arrived at the Indigo Arena with Ryuichi, Buliangren, and the others.
They parted ways at the gates, and Eichi went to the backstage area alone.
Before leaving, they all cheered for him. Eichi entered the waiting room, which was mostly empty except for a few people.
Katsuyoshi was there, sitting alone in a corner. Aside from him, there was a senior schoolmate and Tsukisa.
Eichi greeted his senior and sat down. Since his match was the last one of the day, he could only wait quietly.
The first match was between his senior and a tall student from Indigo Academy. It was a fierce battle with both sides evenly matched. Eventually, the senior won after an hour of fighting.
The second match featured Tsukisa. Her opponent was Eichi's other senior schoolmate. The gap between them was significant; Tsukisa defeated the senior using only four Pokémon.
The third match was Katsuyoshi's. His opponent was someone Eichi didn't recognize. The match ended quickly, lasting only half an hour. Katsuyoshi defeated his opponent using only Noctowl, Sudowoodo, and Kingler.
Time passed quickly, and the morning was soon over.
Eichi took a break at noon. He had only one match in the afternoon.
Soon, the time arrived. Back in the familiar waiting area, everyone else had gone to the spectator stands.
When the time came, the commentator announced the entry of the contestants. Eichi walked out of the backroom.
The audience began to clap, and a group of people shouted Eichi's name.
"Eichi!"
"Eichi!"
"Eichi!"
Compared to Shida, Eichi was more handsome and quite capable. He had gained many fans over the past few days.
"Now, we have Contestant Shida versus Contestant Eichi."
The portraits of Shida and Eichi appeared on the electronic screen.
The referee raised his flags and announced, "The match begins."
"Little brat, I'm going to make sure you lose in the most humiliating way possible," Shida sneered.