"Weezing, Explosion!"
This time, the Deputy Leader of Team Rocket's voice was especially serious. For the first time, Weezing's normally vacant eyes locked in with intense focus.
In the next moment, a sound like shattering glass rang out nearby.
Beside Sato, Gengar's golden eyes dimmed, completely losing their glow.
The Spatial Barrier had been broken!
Sato's instincts flared in alarm. He immediately turned toward the source of the noise.
A glint of cold needles, rapidly vibrating transparent wings, alternating black and yellow stripes, and emotionless red compound eyes…
Beedrill!
A weak and common Bug-type Pokémon?
"FALL BAAACK!"
Sato's hairs stood on end. He shouted loudly, yanking Lance back while also sending out Umbreon, who specialized in defense.
"PROTECT!"
The next second, a pair of pale twin needles stabbed violently into the energy shield Umbreon had just raised.
The needle tips had already pierced through Protect's barrier, barely three to five centimeters away from the crescent mark on Umbreon's forehead.
As for the Beedrill's original position… there wasn't even a shadow left!
"Fire Spin! Stone Edge!"
Sato issued another command, and Tyranitar and Houndoom moved instantly.
Sharp stones sliced through the air with a sharp hiss, raining down toward Beedrill.
A vortex of fire followed behind. Not aimed at Beedrill, but instead sweeping toward Umbreon.
"Bee!"
With a soft chirp, Beedrill blinked to Umbreon's opposite side in a flash, effortlessly dodging all the Stone Edge attacks.
Only when Fire Spin was just about to close in -ready to encircle Umbreon- did Beedrill reluctantly pull back its stingers and retreat fully.
Fire Spin… had always been meant to protect Umbreon!
"Umbreon, [Giant Substitute]! Houndoom, Tyranitar… Mega Evolve!"
Sato gave the next command. In an instant, Umbreon split into four giant Substitutes, forming a tight defensive ring around everyone.
The rainbow light of Mega Evolution shone through the gaps in the Substitutes, immediately catching Beedrill's attention as an exploitable weakness.
Twineedle!
"Beee!"
Umbreon's eyes turned blood red, pupils shrinking as it rapidly shifted all four Substitutes half a meter sideways.
In that exact instant, Beedrill's twin needles pierced one of the Substitutes with devastating force, blocking the attack just in time.
The Substitute vanished, and the remaining three seamlessly closed in, shrinking the defense perimeter tightly around Sato and the others once more.
"BEE!"
Beedrill's compound eyes gleamed red. A terrifying pressure condensed around it, sharp and unified.
Focus Energy: boosting the chance of landing a critical hit!
Beedrill had no interest in destroying Substitutes one by one. It was aiming to break the rules, pierce through all of them at once and take out the real target inside!
"Beeee…"
Twin needles… strike!
Pop~ Pop~ Pop~
Three Elite Four level Substitutes, shredded like paper before this Beedrill.
No resistance at all.
The twin stingers still glowed with that deadly pale white light, continuing their merciless charge toward Sato's team.
"TYRAN!"
"AWOOOOO!"
Roars erupted as Mega Tyranitar swung its mighty arms, lifting the ground itself and slamming it up as a shield in front of Beedrill's strike.
A surge of red light rose through Mega Houndoom's throat, and the instant its jaws opened, it unleashed a flame even hotter than molten lava.
[Fire Blast: • Modified • Lava Blast]!
Next came Lance, who had regained his bearings, commanding Dragonite to unleash a Dragon Rush. He intended to rely on the power of Dragon-type muscle to take on the Beedrill head-on!
But Beedrill burrowed into the ground, tearing open a massive hole. Lava Blast was forcibly shattered by its strike, and its twin stingers were only faintly tinged red.
Dragonite's Dragon Rush crashed into Beedrill's twin stingers immediately afterward.
Not even half a second of resistance, Dragonite was knocked backward at twice the speed it had charged in with!
Fortunately, four attacks and defenses, each at Peak Elite Four strength, barely managed to hold off Beedrill's relentless assault.
And that… was just one of Beedrill's normal attacks.
"W-What… WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS THIS?!"
Richie stood beside Sato, wanting to send out a Pokémon to assist, only to realize in frustration, he wasn't even qualified to participate.
Peak Elite Four: Mega Tyranitar.
Peak Elite Four: Mega Houndoom.
High Elite Four: Dragonite.
High Elite Four -[Energy Amplification]- : Umbreon.
Even with the combined power of these four, all they could do was barely hold off the Beedrill not far ahead.
A Bug-type this strong?
You've got to be kidding!
And Sato had no doubt about who the trainer was…
To shatter Gengar's Spatial Barrier, this Beedrill had to have harnessed Champion level energy.
And in the known history of the Pokémon world, only one person had ever owned a Champion level Beedrill.
The current leader of Team Rocket, known as the Earth King…
Giovanni!
And his strongest Pokémon was the one he caught in Viridian Forest long ago…
A Weedle!
Elsewhere, the four Team Rocket members immediately understood who had arrived the moment they saw Beedrill.
The Deputy Leader promptly called off Weezing's Explosion, leaving the twice-interrupted Pokémon looking slightly deflated.
But even Weezing, normally aloof and careless, now quietly curled behind its Trainer like a kitten.
"So… he came after all."
Madame Boss murmured with a complex expression. Without even acknowledging the ongoing battle, she turned around to leave.
"Oneesama~!"
Miyamoto followed without hesitation, tightly clutching her arm, as if offering comfort.
Ariana and Kaiser exchanged a look, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't follow. Instead, they stood quietly in place, silently watching Beedrill's terrifying dominance.
On Sato's side, Beedrill's onslaught continued. Every seemingly ordinary Twinneedle strike forced Sato's group to expend immense energy just to block.
And the opponent had only sent out one Pokémon so far.
Not to mention. Ariana and the other three were still nearby, watching with eyes full of intent.
If this continued, the four of them would lose!
"I'll have Gengar forcefully lock Beedrill down for a bit. Take the opportunity. Split up and escape."
During a brief lull in the battle, Sato quietly spoke to the other three.
Lance and the others wanted to object, but they all knew… only by relying on Sato's Gengar's unique ability did they have even a sliver of hope to escape.
Otherwise, it would be total annihilation!
Lance said nothing, only glanced at Sato, and in his hand, the yellow-and-white Ultra Ball had silently been replaced with a complex-patterned Ancient Poké Ball.
'This desperate situation… how could I let you face it alone?
Don't forget… I'm your Aniki, LANCE!'
"Gengar, now! The rest of you… go!"
"Gen~"