With Sato's current physical condition, Teleporting with Alakazam no longer caused dizziness, but repeated consecutive teleports still left him feeling drained.
When the final teleportation ended, Sato found himself standing within a dense thicket.
The occasional chirping of insects and birds could be heard, but aside from that, there was no trace of any other humans.
"Zorua, transform into Gastly and follow me. Gastly, stay hidden."
A strange glow enveloped Zorua's body, quickly altering its appearance into that of a Gastly, though aside from its looks, it retained none of Gastly's actual abilities.
Lacking Gastly's Levitate ability, the illusionary Gastly had no choice but to sit on Sato's shoulder, while the real Gastly vanished into the shadows.
After briefly surveying his surroundings, Sato quickly spotted signs of human activity.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the disturbance.
Beneath some low-lying grass, a small burrow, clearly dug out by human hands, came into view. Reaching inside, Sato pulled out a rolled-up map.
"As expected. So, I'm here?"
Leaning against a tree, Sato studied the map, pinpointing his current location.
Just then, a faint, unnatural energy fluctuation caught his attention.
"Zorua, prepare Scary Face. Gastly, get Shadow Ball ready."
The energy signature was closing in fast from behind.
Yet, the ambient noises of birds and insects remained unchanged, and the earthy scent of the grass was undisturbed.
Whoever was approaching had a near-perfect concealment technique. 'There was no way a mere recruit could possess such a skill'
A sharp gust of wind sliced through the air, barely missing Sato's right shoulder, aimed directly at the illusionary Gastly on his shoulder!
Sato instinctively dodged, while Zorua leaped away, landing on a low-hanging branch just as the attack passed beneath it.
Scary Face activated!
A high-pitched screech rang out, accompanied by the rapid flapping of wings. Sato immediately identified the attacker as either a Golbat or a Zubat.
At the same time, Zorua's Scary Face took effect, severely reducing the opponent's speed!
"Go in, use Sucker Punch!"
Sato swiftly repositioned himself, confirming that his attacker was a Golbat.
Unlike in training, he didn't bother hiding his skills. Instead, he stepped forward like a true Pokémon Trainer, commanding Zorua directly.
No longer frail and undernourished, Zorua vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Golbat.
By the time Golbat realized what had happened, Zorua's eyes flashed red, and it landed a devastating Sucker Punch on its back.
"Golbat, use Gust! Houndoom, Fire Fang!"
The enemy's voice echoed from multiple directions.
Golbat, enduring the attack, quickly flapped its wings, summoning a powerful gust aimed straight at Zorua.
At the same time, a Houndoom leaped out from behind Sato, its flaming jaws lunging directly for his neck!
"Zorua, use Fake Tears! Gastly, hit them with Toxic!"
Sato barked out his commands while swiftly sidestepping, dashing toward a specific direction.
Houndoom missed its target, and Gastly suddenly emerged, unleashing a cloud of poisonous gas directly into its face!
The enemy visibly tensed watching Sato run directly toward his hiding spot.
Coincidence? Or had he been discovered?
The Toxic gas was inhaled directly through Houndoom's nose, instantly crippling it!
This wasn't a back-and-forth battle, Sato had already planned his counterattack against Houndoom long beforehand, making sure Zorua and Gastly knew their roles perfectly!
"Zorua, use Dark Pulse! Gastly, Shadow Ball! Take out Golbat first."
Sato suddenly turned back, as if he had just escaped Houndoom's attack.
His back was now fully exposed to his pursuer.
Golbat, having already suffered the effects of Scary Face and Fake Tears, was now at a severe disadvantage.
Its Trainer failed to issue a counter-command in time.
Panicked, Golbat reflexively folded its wings, trying to shield itself from the incoming attacks.
The collision of energy resulted in a small explosion. Golbat collapsed instantly, unable to battle.
Its Trainer had focused entirely on Sato, failing to notice Golbat being taken down.
"Damn it... Houndoom, use Flamethrower! Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"
"Gastly, rapid Shadow Ball! Zorua, use Scary Face!"
Houndoom was struggling to concentrate due to the searing pain in its nose.
Gastly flashed forward, swiftly dodging past Weezing. It then unleashed six smaller Shadow Balls in a rapid volley, forcing Weezing to retreat.
Meanwhile, Zorua transformed back into its original form and rushed forward, activating Scary Face once more!
Weezing was knocked back by the barrage of Shadow Balls, suffering minimal damage due to their weaker power, but now it was also slowed by Scary Face.
A faint rustling caught Sato's attention. His opponent was trying to flee, abandoning his Pokémon!
Quick decision-making!
"Gastly, go after him and use Lick! Zorua, Dark Pulse on Weezing's smaller head!"
Gastly, sensing an opportunity for fun, vanished into the shadows, quickly closing in on the fleeing enemy.
Zorua, on the other hand, charged up Dark Pulse, aiming directly at Weezing's smaller head.
Without commands from its Trainer, the already slow and dazed Weezing had no chance to react. Just like Golbat, its ability to fight back was practically nonexistent.
As for Houndoom, it was still wheezing and suffering from poison, completely helpless.
Without hesitation, Sato ordered Zorua to finish it off.
When he caught up to Gastly, his opponent was already lying paralyzed on the ground, Gastly hovering playfully nearby, occasionally licking him to keep him immobilized.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis!"
Realizing his predicament, the man lunged forward, drawing a dagger, aiming directly at Sato!
Sato remained motionless, not even blinking... because Zorua and Gastly had already acted.
Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse struck simultaneously, sending him crashing to the ground.
Sato approached, looking down at his fallen opponent.
"You were patient. Only attacked now. Did you consider the possibility of failure?"
He then removed the man's Red-rank badge, placed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner, unlocking it.
Without hesitation, Sato took both the insignia and the man's backpack, walking away.
Not once did he ask for his enemy's name.
Zorua quickly caught up, while Gastly, having anticipated Sato's plan, stayed behind to clean up.