Shaka was old.
Shaka's Pokémon were also old.
Donphan's tusks were no longer sharp, and were snapped clean off in a direct clash with Sharpedo.
Rhyperior's armor was no longer solid either, and Tyranitar's fists had already begun to break it apart bit by bit.
The Claydol standing guard by Shaka blinked its many innocent-looking eyes, puzzled as to why its Teleport wasn't working.
Shaka narrowed his eyes, looking at Sato -this monstrously talented genius who had risen like a comet- and thought maybe it was time to let go…
He was old. He couldn't compete anymore.
Duang~
A massive bell-like clang echoed, and cold moonlight streamed down from the dome above.
In a flash of white light, Claydol's Teleport finally succeeded, blinking away with Shaka, the heavily injured Donphan, and Rhyperior to the surface.
"Gengar."
"Gen!"
A black-gold shadow shot up from underground, ready to pursue and restrain Shaka once more.
But at the same time, a powerful Psychic blast struck Gengar almost instantly. So focused on the chase, it took the hit head-on!
A shriek rang out as Gengar was sent flying backward at double speed, slamming hard into the ground.
It couldn't even maintain its intangible state!
"TAR!"
"Zoro!"
Stone Edge and Dark Pulse surged upward together, cutting off the lingering Psychic energy and forcing the opponents out of hiding.
Mega Alakazam!
Girafarig!
Xatu!
Three Elite Four-level Psychic Pokémon, one of which had even Mega Evolved!
The next moment, Sato tilted his head slightly and quickly spotted Ariana -tall, redhead, blue-eyed, and curvaceous…- coldly staring at him beside the collapsed dome.
She had come alone to assist?
Sato didn't believe it.
Sure enough, three more figures slowly approached, looking down at Sato still within the base.
Petrel, Archer, and Kaiser!
All four Team Rocket Admins were here.
In that moment, countless thoughts raced through Sato's mind. For this scene to occur, someone must have leaked his whereabouts.
'Who was the most suspicious…?'
There was no time to think. The four Admins, dead set on eliminating him, launched a concentrated assault!
Archer led the charge. Houndoom, Magmortar, and Rapidash erupted in blazing flames, hurling fire madly through the shattered hole.
Petrel sent out Arbok, Victreebel, and Weezing. Poison from snake, plant, and chemical sources mixed into a relentless flood sweeping through the lab.
Kaiser stood with arms crossed, unmoved. But the Forretress, Golem, and Electrode at his side were itching to jump in and Self-Destruct.
Ariana's three Pokémon meanwhile kept constant watch over the battlefield, unleashing indiscriminate Psychic pressure to suppress any reappearance of Gengar.
Of course, she didn't know that Gengar had already been severely injured by a surprise attack and was now back in Sato's shadow, fast asleep.
Preemptively neutralizing Gengar must have been a long-contemplated tactic by Team Rocket, the only possible way they could defeat Sato.
To achieve this goal, they were even willing to sacrifice Shaka and every Team Rocket member in the underground base.
Team Rocket had long seen Sato as a thorn in their side, one that had to be removed.
At this moment, amidst roaring flames and billowing poison in the underground base, a blue vortex formed around Sato, blocking all incoming toxins and fire.
Sharpedo panted heavily, struggling to maintain the vortex as it held back the encroaching flames and poisonous energy.
In the earlier battle, it had already burned through much of its stamina while under Speed Boost.
At this point, trying to block the enemy's attacks wouldn't last much longer.
Tyranitar's Sandstorm could also resist fire and poison -perhaps even more effectively- but it couldn't stop the rising temperature.
Sand conducted heat too well!
So all Tyranitar could do was dig underground, trying to find a way out.
Because…
"Mean Look… they're using Mean Look nonstop. Toto, I can't use Teleport."
Gardevoir's dress swayed as she stood with eyes shut, still struggling against the invisible restraining force.
But the enemy's preparations had clearly been meticulous!
When Tyranitar churned the ground to open a tunnel below, it discovered massive tree roots had woven across the entire underground base.
The roots glowed with a faint green light, proving they weren't just ordinary plant roots. Most likely, a certain Elite Four level Pokémon had embedded them long ago and nurtured them for this very result.
They had turned the entire underground base into a prison!
'Above us are the four Team Rocket Admins. Underground, we're sealed in by the root network. And Gardevoir is being locked down by Mean Look…'
They had also used Shaka's attack to drain much of Zoroark's and Sharpedo's stamina.
Yet even now, Archer and the others showed no signs of letting up. In fact, their assault was only intensifying.
Seeing this, Sato abandoned all illusions of hope. He grabbed the Key Stone necklace and infused it with Dark Energy, linking it with the power of his bonds!
Zoroark, Gardevoir. [Dark Energy: Energy Amplification.]
Sharpedo, Tyranitar. Mega Evolution!
The dazzling brilliance of Mega Evolution lit up the entire underground base with prismatic light.
Dark Energy condensed and coalesced, enshrouding Zoroark and Gardevoir in a silent black aura!
Sato's face was pale, but his eyes shimmered with overwhelming excitement.
The higher the level, the rarer the chances to go all out!
As an Elite Four level Trainer, it had been a long time since Sato last pushed his limits. He had never had a truly worthy opponent before.
Now, the four Team Rocket Admins had shown up, and had even neutralized his most unsolvable threat, Gengar.
But even in such a desperate situation, Sato didn't feel the slightest fear.
Dancing on the edge of death… so long as he survived, the gains would be immense!
This feeling… Sato hadn't experienced it in a very, very looooong time!
And so, Sato's four strongest buffed Pokémon -excluding Gengar and Hydreigon- finally took the stage.
Dark 🌑 Zoroark!
Dark 🌑 Gardevoir!
Mega 🔮 Tyranitar!
Mega 🔮 Sharpedo!
A flash of red light, and Umbreon quietly appeared beside Sato. Its blood-red eyes showed no emotion, but it had already taken on the mission of protecting its Trainer.
"Umbre…"
Heal Bell and Wish activated together. The area around Sato was immediately cleared of the spreading fire and poison, and the mysterious power even reduced the temperature significantly.
Meanwhile, Zoroark, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Sharpedo, and Gardevoir all charged toward the opening in the collapsed ceiling.
"Tyranitar, Rock Tomb! Zoroark, Night Daze! Gardevoir, Hypnosis! Sharpedo… take a break."
Before the command was even finished, Tyranitar's Rock Tomb launched, this time aimed straight at the ceiling.
The fire-and-poison-filled hole was sealed shut in an instant. But before the enemy could break through again, Zoroark had already surged upward, Night Daze engulfing the entire core laboratory ceiling!
If it's going to break… THEN BREAK IT ALL!
RUMBLE… RUMBLE… RUMBLE…!!!
The core laboratory began shaking violently. Huge cracks split open along the walls and joints.
And then… everything collapsed!