"Night Daze!"
Zoroark pressed both hands against the ground, unleashing a surge of pitch-black energy that erupted outward.
Centered around Zoroark, the ground cracked layer by layer.
Then, the Night Daze attack burst forth, slamming into Raikou in the form of a massive energy ring!
Zzzz-!
Raikou was pushed back significantly, sliding across the ground. The same Raikou that hadn't budged a single step earlier was now completely overpowered by Zoroark's attack!
"Aerial Ace!"
Swoosh!
Zoroark pushed off with explosive strength, instantly closing the distance to Raikou using the speed burst from Aerial Ace!
"Night Slash!"
Its blood-red claws turned black, accompanied by a piercing tearing sound as Zoroark slashed again at Raikou's soft underbelly!
"Roaaar!"
Raikou roared in fury.
As a Legendary Pokémon, it possessed immense pride. And Zoroark had used the same attack strategy again, even if it had become stronger It didn't matter!
However, this time, Raikou didn't recklessly counter with Thunder Fang. Instead, it twisted its body and struck with its tail. Harder than steel itself!
Iron Tail!
But it didn't stop there. As if to teach Zoroark a lesson, Raikou absorbed the recoil from Iron Tail, then quickly spun around, its metallic-shining head slammed straight into Zoroark!
Iron Head!
"Focus Blast!"
Sato didn't shout, but the command had already reached Zoroark's heart via Dark Energy at lightning speed!
Mid-air, Zoroark stabilized itself and brought both hands together, a milky-white energy sphere formed rapidly. Then launched straight at Raikou!
Boom!
Raikou hadn't expected Zoroark to still be able to attack in mid-air and was caught off guard.
The Focus Blast struck it squarely, forcing it to stagger back several steps!
However, Raikou recovered quickly. Without hesitation, it unleashed a Thunderbolt!
No charge-up, no warning. Executed purely by instinct!
Zoroark had just finished using Focus Blast. Its previous power was spent, and new strength hadn't yet formed.
The speed of Thunderbolt was too fast! No chance to Protect, no time for Substitute, nothing worked!
Thunderbolt… Direct hit!
"Zoroooaaark-!"
Still airborne, Zoroark took the full force of the devastating Thunderbolt. It couldn't help but cry out in pain!
"Zoroark, hang in there. Dark Pulse!"
Raikou's Thunderbolt continued to surge.
In the middle of the electric storm, Zoroark forced itself to stand. Its body trembled as it began gathering energy.
But instead of launching Dark Pulse as a beam, the move clashed directly with the nearby Thunderbolt!
The Dark Pulse slowly pushed back the surrounding electricity. Until finally, it burst outward, completely shattering the Thunderbolt!
"Zoroo!"
Zoroark's body swayed.
It fell to one knee, panting heavily, steam rising from its body. It had clearly reached its limit!
Both Sato and Zoroark were stunned. Raikou's power was far beyond anything they had anticipated.
In the face of overwhelming strength, most strategies and buffs were meaningless. Yet, even after waiting a while, no further attack came.
Sato and Zoroark looked toward the other side. Raikou had turned its head, seemingly paying attention to something else.
Moments later, Raikou looked back. Its gaze passed over the exhausted Zoroark and the sweat-drenched Sato.
After a brief two-second pause… Raikou leapt away and disappeared.
"Hahh..."
Sato collapsed where he stood. His pupils gradually returned to normal.
The Key Stone pendant that had been floating fell with a soft clink, landing on his chest.
Zoroark's energy also rapidly faded. From Mid Pseudo-Elite Four back down to its original Elite level. Its black eyes turned back to sky blue, and its pitch-black hair slowly returned to crimson.
Zoroark collapsed onto the ground, drained. But thankfully, it hadn't lost consciousness.
"Madame Florges, Grassy Terrain! Wigglytuff, use Heal Bell! Kirlia, use Heal Pulse on Zoroark! Gogoat, bring over a few bottles of Gogoat's Grass Milk!"
Having remained silent during the entire battle, Joseph finally stepped forward, unleashing his full support capability.
"Thank you, Joseph."
Sato turned his head toward Joseph with a strained smile.
"I can't help in battles, but I can handle the healing part. That just now... was a Legendary Pokémon, right?"
Joseph accepted the Gogoat's Grass Milk as the Pokémon passed it to him with its vines, hesitating as he asked.
"Yeah. Raikou… according to legend, it was saved from the flames by the Legendary Ho-Oh and granted new life. Ever since, it has served as Ho-Oh's watcher, overseeing humanity, primarily active in Kanto and Johto."
After speaking, Sato took a sip of Gogoat's Grass Milk to quench his thirst.
"Then why did it come for you? And why did it challenge you without saying a word?"
Joseph moved closer to Zoroark, offering it the Gogoat's Grass Milk.
Zoroark didn't resist. On the contrary, it seemed to enjoy the care, obediently opening its mouth to drink. (N: Traitor…)
"That... is a bit complicated."
With four Pokémon working together, both Sato and Zoroark recovered significantly in a short time. However, only a faint trace of Dark Energy remained within Sato's body.
The emptiness in his body was a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time. It left him feeling uneasy and restless.
"Gengar!" Suddenly, a Gengar emerged from invisibility in front of them!
The sheer pressure radiating from it instantly put Sato on high alert!
Elite Four Level!
Without hesitation, Sato threw out Houndoom's Poké Ball.
His right hand pressed firmly on his Key Stone pendant, ready to activate it at any moment .Even if it meant completely draining his mental strength and collapsing, he was prepared to flee if necessary!
As soon as Houndoom appeared, it instinctively tucked its tail between its legs under the pressure of an Elite Four-level opponent.
But despite its trembling body, Houndoom forced itself to stand between Sato and Gengar, shielding its Trainer even in fear!
"Return, Gengar."
A lazily drawn-out voice came from the woods behind them.
The Elite Four-level Gengar grinned mischievously, licking the trembling Houndoom before vanishing into the ground, returning to its Trainer's side.
Houndoom immediately stopped shaking… because Lick had paralyzed it completely…
"Elite Four Agatha!"
Sato turned around and saw who had arrived, Relief washed over him. He signaled Houndoom to lower its guard and return to his side.
"Sato, what exactly happened here…? Were you attacked?"
Agatha's attention was quickly drawn to the scorched crater in front of her.
The sheer destructive force. It was shocking!
The first thought that crossed her mind was: With such a terrifying attack, whoever had caused it was not ordinary.
And yet, Sato and his Pokémon were still standing… how had they held out until she arrived?
"Uh… not exactly an attack. Raikou sought me out for a… friendly battle."
After a brief moment of thought, Sato sighed and explained.
"A friendly battle?" Agatha's expression turned odd. "A Legendary Pokémon came looking for you for a 'friendly battle'? What's next? You gonna challenge Ho-Oh?"
"Elite Four Agatha, I'm Joseph, Sato's companion and a Pokémon Breeder. Both he and Zoroark are severely weakened. Can we return first and discuss everything later?"