Although Sato wasn't completely certain that the small-sized Lycanroc was the pack leader, he had no choice but to give it a try.
As more and more Lycanroc arrived as reinforcements, the pressure on the camp continued to mount. Even with Brandon and Cynthia holding the line, the situation was becoming increasingly difficult. Several guards fighting desperately had already fallen, along with a number of unfortunate non-combat personnel.
"I'm counting on you, Lucario. Go deal with that smaller Lycanroc down there."
Once he made his decision, Sato wasted no time. He immediately took out a Luxury Ball and released the Pokémon inside.
The wolf king was no weakling. It was level 65, while the Lycanroc surrounding it ranged from levels 66 to 68. The strength that Sato's Tyler identity had publicly displayed simply wasn't enough to defeat such an opponent.
Therefore, Brandon had arranged for him a powerful ally:
Cynthia's Lucario.
This gave Sato the means to challenge the wolf king, while Brandon and Cynthia could remain at the camp to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.
Fortunately, Cynthia was quite reasonable. After Brandon explained the camp's crisis, she hesitated only briefly before lending Lucario to Sato and instructing it to follow Sato's commands for the night.
The next second, Lucario's majestic figure appeared in midair.
Upon receiving Sato's command, Lucario simultaneously formed two brilliantly glowing Aura Spheres in its hands. With a powerful thrust, it launched both attacks.
Boom! Boom!
Two loud explosions rang out.
Two level 67 Lycanroc were instantly blasted to the ground by Lucario's Aura Sphere attacks.
However, thanks to those loyal Lycanroc willingly serving as shields, the small Lycanroc used the smoke from the explosions as cover and quickly slipped back into the pack, attempting to escape.
Unfortunately for it, Lucario was the Aura Pokémon.
It had already memorized the wolf's aura signature.
Escaping Lucario's aura detection was nearly impossible.
Landing on the ground, Lucario immediately launched two more Aura Spheres, allowing them to home in automatically on the fleeing Lycanroc.
Yet other Lycanroc immediately threw themselves in front of the attacks, sacrificing themselves to protect their leader and giving the small Lycanroc enough time to move beyond Lucario's aura detection range.
The situation made one thing clear:
The Lycanroc identified by Sato truly was the wolf king.
The moment it came under attack, the nearby Lycanroc's offensive momentum faltered, and their previously well-organized assaults showed signs of disorder.
Furthermore, when Lucario attempted to pursue, it was immediately met by a desperate blockade from a large number of Lycanroc.
Although Lucario was an Elite-level Pokémon and these attackers were little more than children compared to it, sheer numbers still slowed it down.
Lucario continuously swung its bone staff, sending charging Lycanroc flying one after another.
Yet the wolves seemed completely insane.
They rushed in from every direction, desperately pinning Lucario in place.
"Starmie, support Lucario with High-Speed Water Wheel! Kadabra, use Calm Mind and then bombard them with Shadow Ball!"
"You three come out as well! Help Lucario carve a path through!"
Naturally, Sato couldn't just stand by and watch.
He immediately ordered Starmie and Kadabra to support Lucario before releasing several more Pokémon to assist.
The next moment, Tentacruel, Blastoise, and Cloyster appeared.
As soon as they emerged, they unleashed their strongest Water-type attacks.
Under the combined barrage of Water-type moves from Starmie and the others, the Lycanroc surrounding Lucario suffered devastating damage.
With Sato's Pokémon providing support, the pressure on Lucario eased dramatically.
It quickly broke through the encirclement, leaped into the air, and began sprinting across the bodies of the Lycanroc in pursuit of the wolf king.
Determined to catch its target, Lucario even used Extreme Speed.
A white glow appeared around its feet, followed by the sound of air exploding beneath it.
Then, incredibly, Lucario seemed to run through the air itself.
Guided by its aura perception, it rapidly closed the distance to the fleeing wolf king, which was being escorted by several high-level Lycanroc.
These escorts—and even the wolf king itself, which had yet to reach Elite level—were no match for Lucario.
A series of Aura Spheres blasted forth.
In an instant, all of them were knocked to the ground.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the defeat of the wolf king caused the morale of the Lycanroc fighting on the front lines to collapse rapidly.
At the same time, the defenders learned what had happened and their morale surged.
In the blink of an eye, the momentum of the battle reversed.
When one heavily injured Lycanroc finally lost its nerve and fled, the pack's collapse began.
Before long, the wolves abandoned many of their wounded and disappeared into the darkness.
"Whew... they're finally gone."
Seeing the Lycanroc retreat, Sato didn't foolishly choose to pursue them.
Instead, he let out a long breath, recalled his Pokémon into their PokeBalls, and quickly returned to the camp.
The camp was already in ruins. Yet because they had won, the spirits of the survivors remained relatively high.
Many people were cheering for victory. However, once the initial joy faded, everyone began mourning the dead.
The security force had suffered significant losses. Ten guards had been killed.
Even more had been injured. The number of casualties among the non-combat personnel was even higher.
People die for wealth just as birds die for food.
Ruins exploration had always been an extremely dangerous profession.
Everyone who accepted payment and came here dreaming of fortune had already understood that such a day might come.
Over the past several days, Sato had formed good friendships with many people in the camp.
Some had even received his protection.
Now, he realized that several familiar faces were gone forever.
A trace of sadness welled up in his heart.Even Pikachu, who was usually the most energetic and mischievous of the group, lowered his ears after sensing Sato's mood.
"Excellent work. Don't blame yourself. You did very well."
"You found the wolf king quickly and acted decisively. If not for you, the casualty count would have been far higher."
"Exploration is like this. The rewards are great, but so are the risks. Everyone made peace with that before setting out."
"It's no different from being a Trainer."
Brandon noticed Sato's gloomy expression. Walking over, he patted Sato on the shoulder and offered some comfort.
Sato's mental resilience was strong. He quickly adjusted his emotions and regained his composure.
Nodding to Brandon, he turned and walked toward the gathering area of the security force with Pikachu at his side.