'I hate it… so much! But it feels… good… What did they do to me…?'
The little Ariados stared weakly. Two humans were standing right in front of it, yet it couldn't even muster the strength to feel anger or hatred.
Sato looked at the Ariados before him, and for the first time in a long while, a ripple stirred in his usually calm heart.
That look in its eyes… he had seen it far too many times in his previous life. This life had been far too comfortable, and he had even started to forget.
"Ariados, you stay here too."
A flash of red light. Sato released his own Ariados, then turned and walked toward the door.
"…Leader."
Sosuke quietly followed behind, calling out softly.
"Let's go. Time to regroup with Sina."
Sato's voice was calm, his footsteps light. But in Sosuke's eyes, at that moment, he looked like a giant towering above the world, radiating brilliance. Able to sweep away all resistance with a wave of his hand.
---◓---
Golden light filtered through the trees as the orange sunset slanted over the western forest of Azalea Town.
Sina hid in the shade, silently observing two Team Rocket members from a distance.
A faint vibration passed through the ring on his index finger. Sina instinctively took out the communicator and saw Sato and Sosuke approaching rapidly.
'They're coming!'
Sina's heart tightened. After locking his gaze on the targets once more, he turned and rushed off to meet Sato.
Half an hour later, the three of them arrived near the Team Rocket duo's location.
"Leader, the Team Rocket base is right here. Should we go in now?"
"Mm."
Sato nodded lightly. Before Sina could even try to locate the front entrance, Sato casually tossed out Tyranitar's Poké Ball.
"…TYRAAAAAAAAN!"
A thunderous roar shook the forest. The moment the massive dark-green beast appeared, all the wild Pokémon nearby scattered in panic.
A second later, Sato gave his command in a quiet voice.
"…Tyranitar, Earthquake."
"TAAAAR!"
…RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE…!
The ground rumbled violently. Slabs of hardened earth collapsed into the depths below; under Sato's feet as well.
"Rock Tomb."
Tyranitar casually raised its arm, and massive rocks surged from the ground, catching everyone precisely before they could fall.
Below, countless Rocket grunts stared in terror at the suddenly appearing Sato. For a moment, they even forgot to run.
"Gengar, seal the entire underground base. …No one escapes!
Sosuke, Sina. Defeat every last one of them!"
"Yes, Leader!" x2
"Zoroark, Night Daze. Tyranitar, Stone Edge."
"Houndoom, Fire Blast! Nidoking, Iron Tail!"
"Gliscor, Acrobatics! Electivire, Discharge…"
One flash of red light after another. The three of them fought at full power; each keeping one Pokémon by their side for protection and sending out two more to maximize their strength.
These tactics were exactly what Sato had personally taught his Gym Trainers and trainees.
Clearly, they remembered it well!
"Split up. Call for help if anything goes wrong."
"Yes, Leader!" x2
With that, the three split off without hesitation. Sato took the lead toward the direction Gengar had previously scouted.
There, he was likely to find a worthy opponent.
He swept through the area as he moved forward. With Zoroark and Tyranitar working together, almost no Rocket member could withstand even a single move.
If they did… well, then it took two.
Soon, there was no one left willing to stand in Sato's way. But if they wouldn't come to him… he would go to them.
A flash of red light. Sato released Sharpedo, whose Speed Boost Ability made it the perfect choice for quick eliminations.
Without slowing down, Sato advanced steadily. After clearing out wave after wave of grunts and forcing open countless rusted steel doors, he finally reached the core laboratory.
The moment Sato stepped into the lab, he saw that it was completely deserted, but all over the floor were test subjects -some conscious, some unconscious- discarded like rag dolls.
Those Pokémon that were still awake showed fierce, biting hostility in their eyes the moment they saw Sato.
"Hypnosis. Confusion."
"Voir~"
Gardevoir appeared soundlessly, using the gentlest force to knock out all the test subjects, then lifted them effortlessly with Confusion and floated them away.
While Sato carefully examined the core lab, a sealed door on the other side was suddenly flung open.
A slightly hunched man in a white lab coat stumbled out, one of his glasses lenses shattered.
By the time he noticed Sato, he had already crossed half the lab.
"Oh! Uh… hello there."
Sato raised a hand and waved, looking completely "harmless".
"S… Sa… S-Sat…"
The hunched man pointed at Sato, trembling so much he couldn't speak. When he turned to run, he smashed right into someone's chest.
"Sh-Shaka! PROTECT ME, PROTECT ME!"
The man quickly hid behind the newcomer, no longer daring to glance in Sato's direction, as if Sato were a monster out of nightmares.
"Traitor-Four Shaka!"
Sato's expression turned serious. Looking at the old man in front of him, who still seemed slightly kind on the surface, he felt a surge of excitement.
This former veteran Elite Four who had betrayed the League… Sato had only barely managed to "drive him off" last time by going all-out with the "healer" and the Nightmare Orb.
Call it fate or not, they had run into each other again in this underground base.
"Elite Four… Sato…"
Shaka's heart was also full of emotion. Once, he too had been a guardian deity of a region, worshipped by thousands.
Now, he was reduced to hiding in a lightless underground chamber, barely clinging to survival.
But from the moment he betrayed the Johto League, there was no turning back.
"I assume you're in charge of this facility. So what exactly are you people experimenting on?"
Shaka simply smiled and shook his head, then turned and sent out Rhyperior and Donphan, charging straight at Sato.
No words. Just a fight!
Sato didn't say anything either. Sharpedo and Tyranitar had already leapt forward!
What happens when four E4-level Pokémon clash?
In an instant, the pristine lab was reduced to ruins. All the high-tech equipment was completely destroyed, rendered unrecognizable.
Even the entire underground complex began to shake. Ceiling lights rattled and crashed to the floor with a clatter.
The hunched man trembled behind Shaka, terrified. He had been planning to slip away, but now he didn't dare make a move.
Elite Four Pokémon had immense battle awareness. At this stage, the Trainer's role was mostly to alert and guide.
In just a few minutes, the underground lab could no longer withstand the sheer destructive power of the four Pokémon. It looked as though it would collapse at any second.
But even when Donphan was forcibly launched into the air by Sharpedo, the lab -though on the verge of crumbling- somehow held together.
Shaka's eyes darkened. He had never intended to fight Sato head-on. His plan had always been to use the chaos of a collapsing base to tunnel out and escape.
But just like earlier, when he had been forced back by an invisible wall, it now seemed that the entire base had been forcibly "reinforced."
Deep beneath the ground, Gengar's eyes and back spike glowed gold. Hands clasped together, it made a silent bow.