After Sato finished calming Joseph down, the three of them circled around the outlet. Ensuring they weren't seen, they began scouting the perimeter of Lake Verity at top speed.
Meanwhile, Zoroark, following Sato's command, transformed into a Staravia and flew alone behind the dam to scout.
With Zoroark's agility and strength, Sato wasn't too worried about it getting exposed.
Even if it did, Zoroark's Illusion ability allowed it to adapt to the terrain and escape by shifting forms.
Illusion might seem lackluster at first, but after years of research and training with Zoroark, it had long become something entirely different.
If one were to compare Zoroark's Illusion to Lucario's Aura, Lucario excelled at sensing, while Zoroark specialized in investigating.
Once Zoroark transformed into Staravia, its flight capabilities were flawless; clearly the result of long-term training.
Avoiding the three highly threatening "satellite dishes," Zoroark quickly spotted how the captured Pokémon were being handled.
All of the Pokémon hauled up were being placed into a sealed conveyor belt system.
At the start of the conveyor, there was a device similar to an infrared scanner. Each Pokémon was scanned as soon as it was placed on the belt.
Basic data was collected through the scan, followed by dozens of mechanical arms sorting the Pokémon.
There were only five categories: deceased ordinary Pokémon, deceased valuable Pokémon, living low-value Pokémon, living Pokémon with market value, and all Shellos and Gastrodon.
Ordinary deceased Pokémon were dumped along with trash and tree branches into a large pit at the end, then buried on the spot once full.
Valuable deceased Pokémon mostly referred to those that yielded rare materials, like Wooper's coral gills, Floatzel's tail, and Finneon's glowing powder and colorful tail fin.
As for the living low-value Pokémon, most were Magikarp and Tentacool. The former was all skin and bones, and the latter was 90% water, with virtually no use.
The largest group, however, was the living Pokémon that could be sold. If a Pokémon could be sold alive, who would want to "dismantle" it for parts? It's not like they were Slowpoke tails; so expensive they were worth more than a living Slowpoke.
Shellos and the occasional Gastrodon caught were all sorted and sent into a massive dark chamber, which Zoroark, in Staravia form, couldn't see at all.
After taking a quick look at the outdoor area, Zoroark dared not linger. The conveyor belt area behind the dam was heavily guarded by humans. Hovering too long in the air would easily draw attention.
Zoroark quickly vanished into the nearby forest. When it reappeared, it had transformed into an innocent-looking Dugtrio. With three little heads, it dove straight into the ground.
Digging its way forward, Zoroark -still in Dugtrio form- resurfaced inside the giant dark room and began investigating further.
"…Dondondon…!"
A deep, muffled cry echoed through the entire chamber. Using the dim lighting, Zoroark slowly crept toward the source of the sound.
Soon, a Gastrodon over ten meters tall appeared before Zoroark.
Aside from Ho-Oh, it was Zoroark's first time seeing such an enormous Pokémon. But right now, this Gastrodon was clearly in bad shape.
Its gooey body was covered in barbed iron chains. The soft flesh couldn't withstand the punctures caused by the barbs, pinning the entire body down on the spot.
Around the neck of the giant Gastrodon hung a huge spiked metal ring.
The ring was firmly fastened by four iron chains, each extending to a corner of the room. If the giant Gastrodon moved beyond a certain point, thick vines would instantly erupt from those corners and strike it mercilessly.
Zoroark crept toward the nearest northwest corner and found nine Elite Carnivine standing in formation. It was obvious they were the ones responsible for the vines.
No matter how large it was, a Water/Ground-type Pokémon like Gastrodon was completely powerless against a Grass-type that dealt 4x damage.
As for the other three corners, there was no need to look… surely similar numbers of Carnivine stood guard there too.
Just as Zoroark was about to leave and report the situation to Sato and the others, two men in black uniforms slowly entered, pushing a large iron cage.
Zoroark quietly retreated underground, leaving only one small Dugtrio head above ground, closely watching the two men.
They opened the large iron cage, and as expected, it was filled with both Shellos and Gastrodon, dead and alive, all mixed together.
Then, something happened that Zoroark couldn't comprehend. One of the living Gastrodon inside the cage suddenly absorbed all the others -both Shellos and Gastrodon- into itself and slowly crawled toward the giant Gastrodon.
Without any obstruction, the Shellos and Gastrodon merged into the giant one's body, as if they were originally a part of it.
---
While Zoroark made a huge discovery at the dam, Sato and the others had finished scouting the lake's perimeter. And to their surprise, there were two more outlets just like the first!
Soon, Zoroark rejoined Sato, and the group found a relatively hidden spot to hide. There, Zoroark used Illusion to project everything it had witnessed.
The existence of the giant Gastrodon not only shocked them but also helped them deduce how so many Shellos and Gastrodon were being controlled.
Based on what they knew so far, each of the three outlets likely housed a giant Gastrodon. The best way to take them all out would be to split up and destroy all three dams simultaneously.
"This situation is definitely more complicated than it looks. Start recording everything. Also, have Gengar scout the surrounding area again. We need to know if there's a central base somewhere."
Sato held back Joseph and Mark, who were eager to act. If they didn't completely resolve the Gastrodon issue, destroying the dams would still leave the Pokémon of Lake Verity trapped.
Moreover, Sato still had one major concern: one of the Lake Guardians -Mesprit- was said to reside in Lake Verity.
But despite the destruction here, Mesprit had yet to appear.
'Or… had Mesprit already been captured? If so, where was it being held?'
That's why Sato wanted to send Gengar out to specifically investigate underground. They had to end this in one decisive blow!
Just as Sato's group was preparing to take action, Bertha's faction within the Sinnoh League finally received reports from their subordinates; all of Lake Verity's tributary problems had been fully exposed!