When Gengar returned, the group was less than two hundred meters away from the canyon crevice.
But throughout the entire time, the canyon remained eerily silent; no signs of movement, nothing at all.
Recalling Gengar to its Poké Ball, Sato gave Houndoom, who had grown visibly uneasy, a reassuring pat. There was a definite feeling in the air… like the calm before a storm.
"Are you sure about this?"
Just as Sato took another step forward, Joseph grabbed his arm, his expression unusually serious.
"You two stay here. I want to see who's behind this."
Sato nodded, face emotionless.
"We're coming with you." "Me too!"
Joseph and Mark followed without hesitation, though Joseph's eyes carried much more concern.
Mark, on the other hand, still thought there was just some powerful wild Pokémon up ahead.
Sato considered stopping them but chose not to say anything. The three of them advanced with caution, every step deliberate as they approached the canyon.
---
In truth, Mark's instincts weren't wrong, and Sato's suspicions were spot on. The canyon was indeed a setup.
What the Team Rocket Admin hadn't expected was that their Pokémon would fail to one-shot that wild Gengar!
They never imagined Gengar would endure the hit and escape at blinding speed to warn Sato.
High atop a cliff wall inside the canyon, a high-tech camouflage cloth concealed more than a dozen Team Rocket members. Even Psychic powers couldn't detect them.
"Why aren't they here yet?"
A lazy, sultry voice floated from behind the Team Rocket crew, instantly sending a chill through the gathered grunts.
"Commander, I'll go investigate right away!"
"Forget it, I'll go myself. I've got things to do!"
As soon as she spoke, a blinding flash of white light burst forth. By the time everyone opened their eyes, their Commander had vanished.
Rather than panicking, the Rocket members all let out a collective sigh of relief and immediately stood at attention, saying nothing more.
---
At the canyon's mouth, wild wind howled past the three as they scanned for any signs of trouble. But nothing seemed out of place.
Houndoom sniffed the air, trying to catch any clues riding the canyon wind but it found nothing.
Suddenly, Sato spun around and threw a heavy punch into the empty air; his fist already wrapped in dense Dark Energy!
Boom!
A tangible impact rang out. Before Joseph and Mark could even turn to look, Sato had already been knocked backward!
Alakazam!
As the two whipped around, they saw it… an Alakazam lying behind them, right side of its face red from the blow.
A rare Psychic-type Pokémon!
"Crunch!"
Sato's order rang out immediately. Houndoom, standing beside Joseph, didn't hesitate, leaping straight for the Alakazam with jaws wide!
But before the bite could land, the prone Alakazam shimmered with a violet glow and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Sato quickly backed up to regroup with Mark and Joseph. The three now stood back-to-back, warily scanning all directions.
Houndoom, Arbok, and Florges stood protectively in front of their Trainers, ready for anything.
"No need to be so tense. Look what you've done, hurt my dear Alaka~"
A flirtatious, falsely aggrieved voice echoed out, sending shivers down their spines.
A strong Psychic pulse told Sato exactly where the speaker was.
There, on a rocky platform inside the canyon, sat a mature blonde woman with bright blue eyes, legs swinging lazily as she pouted down at them.
The moment Sato saw her, his face paled. He didn't hesitate for even a second before releasing Zoroark and Weavile, his guard fully raised.
At that same moment, Mark and Joseph finally processed what was happening. They looked toward the intruder, both a little dazed… how had she gotten up there?
Then, a second later, they understood.
The tall blonde didn't seem to move at all. Her eyes flashed with a hint of violet, and in an instant… she vanished.
When she reappeared, she was directly in front of them. Barely ten meters away!
A human who could use Teleport!
Joseph suddenly felt like the universe had it out for him. Ever since meeting Sato, if you didn't have a special ability, you couldn't even appear on the same stage. Himself included.
This woman could use Teleport, a Psychic move most Psychic-type Pokémon didn't even know. Was she secretly a humanoid Pokémon?
No matter how shocked Joseph and Mark were, the storm in Sato's heart was overwhelming. He recognized this woman from his past life, he had even worked under her once.
Ariana, one of Team Rocket's three Admins!
She had been personally trained by Team Rocket's current boss, and her relationship with the deputy boss was… complicated, to say the least.
Despite her seemingly pitiful and harmless appearance, Sato had witnessed her coldly and ruthlessly deal with her own subordinates in the past.
Most importantly, her power was fully worthy of her position. That Alakazam from before… it was Pseudo-Elite Four level.
And after Team Rocket escaped the Alliance's purge and rose again in strength, all three Admins, including Ariana, were promoted to the Elite Four level!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more flashes of white light. Two Alakazam -one large, one small-, appeared at Ariana's side. The larger one still had a red fist mark on its cheek.
"Look what you've done to my dear Alaka~ What are you going to do to make it up to me, little boy?"
Ariana affectionately stroked the larger Alakazam's head, then turned and spoke sweetly.
"You attacked us first..."
Mark blurted without thinking. Only to get his mouth covered by the quick-thinking Joseph.
Didn't he see those were two Pseudo-Elite Four level Alakazam? Psychic-types at that level could crush opponents of the same rank.
"Attack? It was just a little joke. You're the ones who got all aggressive first."
Ariana smiled charmingly, dropping the innocent act altogether.
"This is a misunderstanding. I'm a Breeder. May I take a look at your Alakazam's injuries?"
Joseph stepped forward, clearly trying not to offend this unpredictable woman.
"Ugh, why are you everywhere? Shut up!"
Ariana's smile vanished. She waved her hand and Psychic power surged forth.
Joseph's body lifted into the air under the force of her telekinesis, about to be flung aside. Until Sato grabbed him.
Dark Energy surged from Sato's body, instantly canceling the Psychic-type energy!
Joseph's feet landed back on solid ground. Heart still pounding, he stared at Ariana in disbelief. Madame Florges stepped forward angrily, Magical Leaf howled through the air!
But it was no use. Mid-flight, the Magical Leaf was caught by Ariana's Alakazam and sent right back!
"Awoo!"
Houndoom quickly launched Flamethrower, burning the leaves to ash before they could hit anyone.
Joseph held Florges back. Ariana didn't strike again, but her glowing eyes stayed locked on Sato.
"I was only interested in your Houndoom before…"
Her lips curled in amusement.
"But now, I think I'm far more interested in you… shame you're so young."
Ariana clicked her tongue and grinned, clearly intrigued.