"C-Cough! Cough! Cough…"
"Zoro..."
Deep within the dense forest, a black shadow darted by in a flash, so fast that even the most alert Hoothoot didn't notice a thing.
Only when the suppressed sound of coughing echoed out did a brief rustling ripple through the woods.
"I-I'm fine. Keep heading west."
Sato patted Zoroark beneath him, signaling it to continue the escape.
Zoroark glanced at the blood at the corner of Sato's mouth, its heart surging with rage and hatred. It longed to turn back and tear the four Team Rocket Admins apart!
But soon, Zoroark lowered its head and wordlessly carried Sato westward.
Azalea Town was no longer an option. Its strongest defender was Sato himself, going back would be walking into a trap.
Only deep within the forest would Sato have a real chance to escape, and maybe even strike back…
---◓---
At Azalea Gym, the old Gym Leader listened to the gradually fading noise in the distance, unease stirring in his heart.
At that moment, a deep knock sounded at the gym door.
"Sensei…"
"Don't make a sound."
The old Gym Leader stopped Bugsy before he could speak, his face solemn as he stared at the door.
It felt like an entire century passed, or maybe just a second.
He patted Bugsy's head, then slowly walked toward the entrance.
Creak…
The old wooden door let out a harsh groan, especially sharp in the quiet night.
Sina, covered in wounds, burst into the Gym while supporting the unconscious Sosuke.
The old Gym Leader didn't stop them. Instead, he shut the door securely behind them, fastened the bolt, then slowly turned around.
"…Your friend is seriously injured. He needs immediate treatment."
Sina gave the old Gym Leader a silent glance, then walked deeper into the room, completely ignoring Bugsy's pale, frightened face.
"Watch, think, and don't speak carelessly."
The old Gym Leader habitually patted Bugsy's head again, then quickly followed the two, personally leading the way.
---◓---
At a secret Team Rocket base, Giovanni stood before a lifeform still maturing in the incubation chamber, casually listening to his subordinates' report.
"…Even with five people working together, you still couldn't catch him. Truly someone favored by Arceus…"
Giovanni muttered quietly, seemingly unconcerned about whether the mission had succeeded.
The reporting Rocket grunt instinctively looked up at the boss…
Only to find Giovanni's eyes filled with madness, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he stared at the incubation chamber before him.
"FWAHAhaha…I don't need Legendarys… because I'm already… CREATING LEGENDS!"
---◓---
At dawn, the first ray of light crept over the horizon.
Ariana dismounted from Girafarig and walked over to Archer.
"The Boss said I wouldn't succeed… I didn't believe him. But even with the three of you helping, he still got away."
Archer spoke with difficulty. The thought of being fooled at the last moment by Zoroark's illusion left him filled with frustration and indignation.
They'd been so careful… guarding against everything!
Yet they never imagined Zoroark would create a fake breakthrough right there on the battlefield.
And it looked so real!
Ariana said nothing. She hadn't wanted to join the "siege" on Sato in the first place. Her two prior defeats at his hands had already instilled a deep fear.
For a Psychic user, that kind of fear only grew with time, until eventually, they couldn't even face the person again.
But in a way, she had succeeded. Ambushing Gengar and destroying Sato's most elusive and relied-upon Spatial Barrier.
This allowed her to dispel her own fear, making it a blessing in disguise.
So even though they hadn't captured Sato, Ariana's mood was still fairly good. She just didn't show it.
Before long, Petrel and Kaiser regrouped with her. Neither said a word as they looked at Archer, though a hint of schadenfreude lingered in their eyes.
"…Mission failed. Return to your posts."
Archer's face was grim as he spoke, then turned away without looking back.
Petrel and Kaiser exchanged a glance, no longer hiding their disdain, and both chuckled to themselves.
Ariana didn't care about their petty games. As one of the only three women in Team Rocket's upper ranks, her position couldn't rise too high or fall too low, there was simply no point in struggling over it.
She patted the back of her Girafarig, and in the blink of an eye, vanished from where she stood. The next second, she was already several kilometers away.
Most Girafarig couldn't use Teleport, but this one was clearly different. It had already mastered short-distance Teleports.
Perfect for escape!
Petrel and Kaiser stayed behind, murmuring and debating for a while, but clearly failed to reach an agreement. In the end, both grunted coldly and left in opposite directions.
Once the uninvited guests were gone, the forest seemed to return to total silence. Yet, no wild Pokémon could be seen roaming.
A few minutes later, Sato and Gardevoir slowly emerged from rippling waves of energy.
In the shadows behind them, a pair of golden eyes flickered faintly.
"I only locked onto three targets. That woman's perception is too sharp. In my current condition, I couldn't risk getting caught."
Gardevoir spoke through Telepathy. Her crimson eyes, beneath her short black hair, gleamed with hunger for battle.
"Then we'll deal with her next time. As for the rest…"
"…NOT ONE OF THEM WILL ESCAPE!"
Gardevoir finished his sentence. The glow in her blood-red eyes flared even brighter. In the next moment, she vanished with Sato from the spot.
Had it not been for the surprise attack, even if all four Team Rocket Admins had ganged up again, they wouldn't have been this battered.
Now, their biggest mistake was splitting up before leaving the forest!
When it comes to the hunt… who is really the prey?
Looking down at Kaiser rushing along the path below, Sato's fighting spirit surged. Without hesitation, he instructed Gengar to reestablish the Spatial Barrier.
A trap is best sprung when the prey is still inside the jar!
"S-Sa-Sato… WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
Watching Sato charging at him directly, Kaiser felt a chill run down his spine.
He was finished…
---◓---
Half an hour later, Petrel, flying on his Fearow, suddenly came to a halt.
He scanned his surroundings, sensing something was watching him the whole time.
"Fearow, change direction!"
"Feaaaaarrrr!"
Fearow let out a raspy cry, banked slightly to the right, and continued flying forward…
CLANG~
Feathers scattered. Without warning, Fearow slammed headfirst into an invisible wall.
'S-SAT-O!'
Petrel had never seen a Spatial Barrier before, but he'd heard plenty about the strange power of Sato's Gengar. Now, he was utterly terrified. The next second, he slammed the emergency distress button without hesitation.
But the space Gengar sealed wasn't just physical…
No communication signals would get through either.
Now began the trap 🏹 catching the second prey!
"NOOO! W-WAI…-!"
This time, Sato took a few minutes longer. Compared to Kaiser, who had forcibly boosted his strength with a Dark Ball, Petrel at least was a genuine Elite Four level Trainer.
But even so… 'Hn.' it didn't make much difference.