Late at night, heavy clouds blanketed all of Azalea Town, and not a sliver of moonlight could be seen from the sky.
In Azalea Town, many people were jolted awake by the quake-like shaking. Hearing the roars coming from the forest, an uneasy feeling crept over them.
At the Azalea Gym, the old Gym Leader squinted into the distance, silently gazing toward the western forest.
Beside him, a small purple-haired shota was clutching tightly to his sleeve.
His face was pale with anxiety, yet he stubbornly tilted his head upward, following the old Gym Leader's gaze toward the western forest.
"Bugsy."
"Sensei!"
"Hurry up and grow. It won't be so hard once you do."
"Mm!"
---◓---
Forest battlefield.
Sato was going all out, enhancing all four of his Pokémon at once.
The amplification was powerful. Zoroark and the others had fully gained the strength to take on many opponents alone.
But both the four Team Rocket Admins and Sato himself knew the truth…
Sato's overwhelming outburst was solely to buy time for an escape.
Going 1⚔️4 by force… Sato might not lose, but who knew if Team Rocket had any backup plans?
Archer and the others understood this too, so they were fully prepared for a drawn-out battle.
They had no intention of rushing for credit. All they wanted was to wear Sato down until he dropped dead right here!
Three minutes passed…
Sweat rolled down his cheek and slid into his collar as Sato silently watched his four Pokémon struggle to hold on.
Without warning, Sato suddenly spoke softly.
"Umbreon, Mean Look… Moon!"
"Umbreeeee…~"
The usually quiet Umbreon that had been guarding Sato raised its head. The yellow ring on its forehead gleamed brilliantly, instantly illuminating the entire forest battlefield.
A massive yellow-and-black eye appeared in the sky, blotting out the heavens.
The eye twitched slightly… then snapped open wide!
In that instant, nearly every one of the Team Rocket Admins' Pokémon froze, as if hit by a mass Disable.
But that brief moment of daze was all Zoroark and the others needed. They seized the chance to counterattack!
Night Daze!
Rock Slide!
Surf!
No one had expected the silent Umbreon to suddenly do something like this; especially with a Mean Look that completely defied their understanding.
What was this?
Mean Look + Leer + Glare + Disable?
Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't just a normal Mean Look!
And if Fujin had been there, he would've nodded with satisfaction.
Every move has the potential to break its limits. When a move surpasses its definition…
It becomes invincible!
At the same time, Zoroark, Tyranitar, and Sharpedo's synchronized counterattack proved highly effective. Most enemy Pokémon with weak defenses were temporarily forced back.
And while Umbreon's Mean Look neutralized all enemy lock-on moves, Gardevoir had already succeeded in using her ultimate escape technique.
Teleport!
Five white lights flashed. Though residual energy from various attacks still lingered, all of Sato's Pokémon had vanished from the battlefield.
…They escaped?
The next moment, one human and five Pokémon reappeared from subspace. Sato's face was even paler than before, frighteningly so!
Gardevoir's body suddenly went limp, drifting backward. The forced interruption of Teleport had clearly taken the heaviest toll on her.
At the same time, a Claydol appeared out of nowhere in mid-air, then crashed unceremoniously to the ground.
Shaka -who had already been "defeated" by Sato- stepped out once again from the forest's shadow.
He took out a Poké Ball and recalled the Claydol, making no effort to hide the fact that he was the one preventing Sato from escaping.
"Archer, pass a message to your boss for me. From now on, I, Shaka, have nothing more to do with Team Rocket.
…And I am no longer his master."
After speaking, Shaka turned to look at the pale-faced Sato, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. Then he turned back and disappeared into the shadows.
The other Team Rocket Admins instinctively moved to surround Sato once more.
Umbreon turned to look at Sato. The yellow ring on its forehead pulsed faintly, as if asking, 'Should I do it again?'
Sato gently shook his head. If the enemy was prepared, that move from Umbreon would be far less effective.
What was worse, Gardevoir had been heavily injured and was essentially half-incapacitated.
Sato had brought only five Elite Four level Pokémon with him, including Gengar, to give training opportunities to his other Pokémon.
Now that both Gardevoir and Gengar -his main escape options- were down, with three out of five unusable, how could he possibly withstand the full force of four Team Rocket Admins?
"Zooooooro…~"
At that moment, Zoroark let out a low growl and stepped in front of Sato.
Tyranitar and Sharpedo were about to move forward as well, but Zoroark raised a hand to stop them.
'No… it wasn't over yet.'
The Dark Energy that had previously been enhancing Gardevoir suddenly surged out, pouring into Zoroark all at once.
Even the Dark Energy from Sato's body began to flow uncontrollably toward Zoroark.
Sato felt confused, but he trusted Zoroark wouldn't act without a reason. So he refrained from interfering, letting the energy be absorbed.
Zoroark's aura surged violently!
Its level was rising at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing stronger and stronger.
But just as it was about to touch the threshold of Champion level… it stopped.
So close… just a little bit more!
Yet that gap felt like an unbridgeable chasm.
Archer and the others couldn't hold back any longer. They commanded their Pokémon to launch another wave of attacks, unwilling to give Zoroark a chance to change the tide.
Just then, a break appeared in the thick clouds overhead. Gentle, cool moonlight streamed down, softly bathing Zoroark.
In that instant, Zoroark looked as though it had donned a suit of lunar armor. Its jet-black fur gleamed faintly, as if blessed by the moonlight itself.
Mysterious and powerful!
It felt as if something had snapped… crack… right then and there.
"ZOROOOOOOU~!"
Zoroark howled toward the moon, and its aura climbed yet another step.
There was nowhere else to rise.
So it broke through!
Under the dual effects of full-force Dark Energy amplification and moonlight baptism, Zoroark actually…
Champion level…
Dark Zoroark!
Ariana's pupils shrank. Shock and fear filled her eyes. She instinctively stepped back into the shadows and recalled all her Pokémon.
Seeing this, Kaiser and Petrel exchanged a look and quickly did the same, pulling their Pokémon back to protect themselves.
The strongest among them, Archer, spat in contempt at the three who fled mid-battle. But even his eyes were filled with grave seriousness as he stared at Zoroark.
It really broke through to Champion level?
An illusion?
The next moment, Sato's lips curved slightly as he gave the command: "Zoroark… Night Daze!"
"Zoro…"
Zoroark dropped to one knee and drove its right paw forcefully into the ground. A wave of wild, unprecedented energy erupted from the earth below!
Dirt flew, ancient trees were uprooted… UNSTOPPABLE!
This was Champion power!
The four Team Rocket Admins were overwhelmed with fear, screaming for their Pokémon to shield them.
"NOOOH…!"
"QUICK, PR…!
"TELEP…!
"WE NEE…-!
But when the Night Daze truly swept through…
Not even the hem of their clothes was disturbed.
It was all… fake.
All of it was an illusion!