The group followed Silas and the bald man while riding their Pyroar, refusing to let them escape.
Their pursuit continued deeper into the mountain as both sides moved through the dense terrain. The Court members had already suffered heavy losses, so there was no chance they would willingly allow the 2 men responsible to disappear.
Eventually, Silas and the bald man reached a flatter section of the mountain surrounded by thick trees.
The 2 immediately separated and slipped into the hollow interiors of nearby trunks.
Silas carefully controlled his aura and pulled it inward, suppressing his presence as much as possible. The bald man did the same.
To an ordinary trainer, the forest would have appeared empty.
However, neither of them completely concealed themselves.
Their presence was faint, but an expert searching carefully enough would eventually discover them.
That was exactly what they wanted.
"I can admit your skill in manipulating aura is impressive, but it won't save you today. We know you are hidden here, and you are surrounded now."
Silas remained completely still inside the hollow tree.
The man didn't bother waiting for an answer.
A Poké Ball flew from his hand.
"Heracross!"
The powerful Bug type appeared in a flash of light.
The other Court members reacted immediately, throwing out their own Pokémon one after another.
Bright flashes rapidly illuminated the forest.
Within seconds, at least 40 Pokémon had gathered throughout the clearing and between the surrounding trees.
Some remained close to their trainers while others spread outward, preparing to search the area.
A massive cloud of purple and yellow powder suddenly exploded throughout the battlefield.
The powder rolled between the trees like thick smoke, quickly engulfing trainers and Pokémon alike.
"What the hell?!"
Several Pokémon immediately began coughing.
Others staggered as their limbs suddenly became stiff and difficult to control.
"Odin, we strike now while they are vulnerable. Let me make the first move."
Silas and the bald man revealed themselves at the same time.
The bald man immediately threw out 2 Poké Balls.
"Go, Venusaur! Use Growth and then Frenzy Plant! Typhlosion, stack Work Up boosts!"
A powerful Venusaur landed heavily on the ground.
Energy surged throughout its body as it activated Growth. The massive flower covering its back visibly expanded for a moment while its vines grew thicker.
Several vines extended from Venusaur's body and plunged deep into the earth.
For half a second, nothing happened but then ground erupted erupted like a volcano.
Thick, thorn covered vines burst upward from beneath the Court members.
Frenzy Plant swept across the battlefield indiscriminately.
Several Pokémon were forced to jump aside while others, already struggling against the powder, were struck before they could properly react.
The vines whipped through trees, smashed into the ground, and twisted around anything unfortunate enough to be caught within their reach.
At the same time, Silas and the bald man coated their bodies in aura and charged directly into the disorganized group.
The strange multicolored cloud wasn't ordinary powder.
It was a concentrated combination of Stun Spore and Poison Powder.
The mixture was simple but brutally effective.
Pokémon affected by Stun Spore struggled to move their bodies properly, while Poison Powder steadily weakened them from the inside.
Even those that managed to resist one effect still had to contend with the other.
This was exactly why the trap worked best against a large number of enemies.
The Court's numerical advantage had forced dozens of Pokémon into the same area.
Now that concentration had become their greatest weakness.
The more enemies inside the cloud, the more damage the trap could cause.
The bald man released a Weavile while Silas brought Greninja out beside him.
Neither trainer wasted a second.
The 4 rushed into the incapacitated Pokémon.
It quickly became a slaughter.
Greninja blurred between targets with frightening speed, his watery blades appearing and disappearing in flashes.
Weavile moved just as viciously, carving through opponents before they could recover.
Silas and the bald man attacked alongside their Pokémon, reinforcing their bodies with aura and targeting anything unable to defend itself.
The Court members themselves were in no better condition.
Several fell to one knee while coughing violently or covered their mouths and noses, but it was already too late.
The poison had entered their bodies.
"Where's our backup?! We are getting slaughtered!"
Silas heard the desperate shout and smirked.
He tilted his head toward the sky.
Far above the battlefield, flashes of attacks and explosions could be seen between the trees.
The remaining airborne Court members were already locked in combat with the reinforcements coming to support Silas and his superior.
They had no opportunity to intervene here.
"Your reinforcements are busy at the moment, but don't worry. We will kill them too."
"I refuse to let it end here."
Silas looked toward the speaker.
The leading Court member still stood upright despite the powder.
His face was pale from the poison, but his eyes remained filled with defiance.
He suddenly reached toward his waist and threw out 2 Poké Balls.
Silas' expression immediately changed.
The Pokémon landed heavily against the earth.
Garchomp and Tyranitar, 2 powerful pseudo legendary Pokemon.
Silas' eyes narrowed.
2 additional pseudo legendaries appearing now were already enough to completely change the situation.
Unfortunately, the man wasn't finished.
He produced 2 more of the strange dark blue orbs.
Silas immediately recognized them as the man threw one toward each Pokémon.
Garchomp and Tyranitar opened their mouths and swallowed the stones.
A violent surge of energy erupted around both Pokémon.
Their bodies were completely covered in light similar to evolution, but the pressure released from them was much more violent than a normal evolution.
Their silhouettes began changing.
Garchomp's arms expanded and warped until they became enormous scythe-like blades.
Tyranitar's already imposing body grew even more monstrous as additional armor-like protrusions appeared across its frame.
When the light finally disappeared, Mega Garchomp and Mega Tyranitar stood side by side.
Silas immediately understood why this combination was especially dangerous.
Mega Garchomp possessed Sand Force while Tyranitar possessed Sand Stream.
Sand Force increased Garchomp's attack power by approximately 30% during a Sandstorm.
Sand Stream eliminated the need to manually create one.
The combination was practically designed to function together.
Mega Garchomp looked like a predator built entirely for killing.
Its arms were no longer normal limbs but giant sharpened weapons capable of slicing through almost anything in front of them.
Mega Tyranitar was equally intimidating.
Its massive green body looked like a living fortress covered in thick armor while Sand Stream activated causing dust to begin swirling around Tyranitar.
Loose dirt and sand rose from the ground.
Within moments, visibility throughout the clearing dropped as a violent Sandstorm expanded outward.
The storm continued spreading until the surrounding area almost resembled a separate space created around Tyranitar.
Sand scraped against Silas' skin and clothing.
The wind howled loudly enough that ordinary conversation became difficult. Mega Garchomp stood inside the storm as if nothing had changed. If anything, it appeared even more comfortable.
"Garchomp, use Dragon Claw! Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!"
Mega Garchomp exploded forward.
Dragon type energy wrapped around one of its massive scythe-like arms.
The attack slashed directly toward Weavile.
At nearly the same moment, jagged stones erupted around Mega Tyranitar before shooting toward Greninja.
Venusaur had finally recovered from the temporary immobility caused by Frenzy Plant.
"Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!"
A barrage of razor-sharp leaves immediately flew toward the 2 Mega Pokémon. The leaves struck their bodies repeatedly but neither Pokémon bothered dodging.
That was what made the scene frightening. They simply endured the attacks. Mega Garchomp allowed Razor Leaf to cut across its body while continuing its Dragon Claw without hesitation.
The scythe-like arm struck Weavile.
A deep wound appeared across its body as it was sent staggering backward.
Stone Edge reached Greninja almost simultaneously.
One jagged stone pierced directly through his shoulder while another stabbed into his leg.
Greninja gritted his teeth but remained standing.
"Don't worry boss, I can still fight."
Silas was worried but he couldn't falter. As the commander of his team, if he panicked then it would spread like a cancer.
The bald man immediately threw another Poké Ball.
His trusted Togekiss appeared.
"Togekiss, Air Slicing Wave combination now!"
The Fairy type opened its wings.
A barrage of combined Air Slash and Air Cutter attacks tore through the Sandstorm.
Numerous blades of compressed wind slammed into Garchomp and Tyranitar.
For the first time since their transformation, the 2 Pokémon were forced to stop attacking and defend themselves.
Even then, the attacks failed to cause much visible damage.
"Your resistance is futile."
Silas ignored the taunt and continued observing the 2 Pokémon.
He had already encountered these orb users before. More importantly, he knew the weakness of their transformation.
"Sir, I've fought these orb users before. There's a time limit on that power-up, and when it's over, both Pokémon will be in a severely weakened state. So we just have to outlast and tire them out."
The bald man glanced at him before immediately understanding.
"Ahh, I see. So it actually plays to their advantage if we run. We have already slain many of them. We can have a decisive battle here then."
Silas nodded.
Continuing to run would only allow the temporary Mega Pokémon to take full advantage of their increased power and potentially pick them off.
If their transformation was going to expire regardless, then the best option was to force them to expend as much energy as possible here.
Both trainers reached for their Poké Balls. Their strongest partners were coming out. The bald man suddenly looked toward Silas.
"Kid, I need you to stop holding back. Whatever Pokémon is hidden in your shadow, we need that power."