Just as the doors were blasted open, a dark figure shot overhead at lightning speed, arriving beside Joseph in a flash and blocking Jellicent's Psychic.
It was Sharpedo!
When it came to speed, Sharpedo with two Speed Boost activations was practically unbeatable.
The sudden explosion sent the crowd below scattering instinctively toward the sides of the hall, conveniently clearing the central aisle.
From within the smoke, eight figures slowly emerged.
As the dust settled, there was no doubt…
It was Sato and the others!
Matching uniforms, cold and distant gazes, and six fully loaded Poké Balls on each waist made it very clear… these were not friendly guests.
Sato, Mark, Sina, Sia, Akira, Ponyo, Sosuke, and a blue-haired girl… clearly a new member of Shadownight Gym.
Joseph stood dumbfounded at the sudden arrival of the eight, his chest tightening. Eyes that hadn't even reddened when the whole room condemned him were now brimming with tears.
…But the next second, Joseph remembered Mars's Elite Four level strength and couldn't help but start worrying about Sato and the others.
Still, rational as ever, he didn't spit out a melodramatic line like "Go! Don't worry about me."
While everyone was still in shock, Joseph leapt onto Sharpedo's back along with Florges and Gallade.
Whoosh~
One Aqua Jet, and Sharpedo brought one Trainer and two Pokémon soaring toward Sato.
"Talonflame, Aerial Ace!"
Reacting the fastest, Grant sent out an incredibly swift Talonflame, commanding it to attack Sharpedo directly.
But Talonflame was quickly intercepted by a blue Aura Sphere, its origin traced back to a Lucario.
At this point, most of the people present had already reacted. A flurry of red flashes followed as a flood of high-level Pokémon filled the entire hall.
Meanwhile, Joseph successfully made it to Sato's side.
"You… the other side has Elite Four power! We can't brute-force this."
Joseph originally wanted to ask why Sato had brought everyone to rescue him, but quickly realized how ridiculous the question sounded. So he just addressed the current situation head-on.
As for being formal? That never existed between them.
Upon hearing about the opponent's strength, Sato didn't respond. He simply asked, "Are you hurt?"
Joseph pressed his lips together and slowly shook his head. Sato's lack of a direct answer made it clear: he wasn't leaving.
No matter how strong the opponent was!
"Woahhh~ Now this is a spectacle! So, Mama Joseph, you usually keep quiet just to save it all for this kind of big entrance?"
Mark strolled over laughing, looking just as annoyingly unserious as always.
Joseph ignored him, instead turning his gaze to the only unfamiliar face among them, the blue-haired girl.
"Joseph, let me introduce you! Lotta here is a genius from the Village of Dragons in Unova. She's the Dragon-type specialist Breeder that Gym Leader kidna… uh, I mean, invited to our Shadownight Gym~"
Sia deliberately tripped over her words, her tone carrying a hint of playful tattling.
Joseph smiled and nodded to Lotta, entirely unaffected by Sia's mischief.
"I'm Joseph from Shadownight Gym. We're family now."
"Mhm… nice to meet you, Joseph."
Meanwhile, Mars and his group had already made their way toward them, scowling as they listened to the group's casual banter.
Joseph of the Gym?
Family now?
Right in front of his blood relatives, they were talking so openly like this… 'did they really think the Narcissus Family had no one left?'
"Who are you people? THIS IS THE NARCISSUS FAMILY'S CEREMONIAL HALL! Trespassing on private property… I have the right to deal with you however I see fit!"
Mars barked the words without a shred of politeness. Did they really think just a few more people would change anything?
In the end, they were just a bunch of immature kids!
Only now did Sato and the others act like they'd just noticed Mars and his group. They turned around and said in feigned realization, "Who are you? We're Joseph's friends.
…And you dare lay hands on Joseph in his own home? I have the right to deal with you however I see fit!"
"PFFFFHAHAHAHA!"
Mark burst out laughing right on cue, and then Sia and the others joined in with a chorus of chuckles.
When it came to comebacks, if the Gym Leader struck, it was always a perfect win!
Mars's face turned dark with rage. Watching Joseph integrate so naturally with the other side, he suddenly found it laughable.
"Joseph, this is what you're counting on? A bunch of kids who aren't even older than you?"
Joseph was just about to reply when Sato stepped forward, his face turning cold once more.
"So what if I am? You're just a Family's head, what's so arrogant about that?
Zoroark."
"Zoroaaaark~"
In an instant, Mars and his entire group felt the entire hall plunge into pitch-black darkness -unable to see, unable to sense- terror spreading wildly from deep within.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!"
A scream suddenly pierced the dark, instantly triggering panic and retaliation from the crowd.
"Talonflame, Flamethrower!"
"Meowstic, use Confusion on the area!"
"Chesnaught, Pin Missile… PIN MISSILE NOW!!"
"Heliolisk, Protect!"
"Aromatisse, use Moonblast, QUICKLY!"
---
"Jellicent, Water Pulse, defensive mode!"
Mars shut his eyes and drew closer to his Pokémon. The sudden blindness had thrown the entire hall into chaos.
Right now, all he could do was protect himself and try to find a way out.
But from Sato's side -and even from the bystanders' perspective- all they heard was a sharp cry, followed by Mars's group falling into complete chaos.
With a gesture of Sato's hand, everyone at his side, including Joseph, sprang into action.
Joseph's Gallade darted into the crowd, slipping between gaps as it hunted for weaknesses among the enemy Pokémon.
Leaf Blade, Slash, Psycho Cut, and Night Slash, used in succession. Nearly every strike was a clean knockout!
Mark's Lucario didn't even charge in. It simply used Aura to locate Pokémon weak to Fighting-type moves -Rock, Ice, Normal, and Dark types- and fired Aura Spheres nonstop, one after another.
Sina also released his Weavile, mimicking Gallade's tactics as it charged into the fray, picking off vulnerable targets.
Lotta released her Hydreigon. Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower… her moves fired off in rotation. Yet she carefully avoided harming any humans.
Even the younger ones like Akira, sent out their strongest Pokémon to join the chaos.
Rather than a full-on brawl, it was more like a one-sided massacre. The onlookers who hadn't yet joined in felt a chill run down their spines.
The group Joseph had called… who were they really?!
And the scariest part… was that their leader hadn't even made a move. Yet the battle had already become entirely one-sided.
What in the world was happening?!