"Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
After encountering and capturing their first Magcargo, Sato and Rose seemed to trigger some kind of switch, from that point on, they began running into Magcargo and Slugma much more frequently.
As a result, battles became more frequent.
Most of the fights were handled entirely by Houndoom, with Carvanha or Pupitar only stepping in when absolutely necessary.
Sato had to admit, compared to his other Pokémon, Houndoom had been in the team for the shortest time, and its average battle record wasn't particularly impressive.
However, at the same time, its progress was the most rapid and obvious.
Originally, Houndoom was meant to be the leader of its pack. But now, it was traveling alongside Sato, throwing itself into every single battle.
After defeating another Low Elite Magcargo, Sato and Rose finally came across their second Peak Elite Magcargo.
Even after witnessing its comrades fall before its eyes, this Magcargo's expression did not change in the slightest.
Yet, t stood there motionless, right in the middle of the road, its flame-like body markings glowing an even deeper red!
A pink bubble floated gently toward Houndoom, both Sato and his Pokémon recognized this move immediately.
As the bubble burst, Houndoom was instantly overcome with drowsiness. Its subconscious whispered, just one more hit and I can sleep...
"Houndoom, Nasty Plot, then use Rest!"
A red glow flashed across Houndoom's body, boosting its intensity before it voluntarily fell asleep, restoring all of its lost stamina!
"Houndoom, Sleep Talk!"
Magcargo suddenly raised its body high and slammed down, sending a wave of earth-colored energy surging outward.
Move: Earth Power! However, Houndoom remained oblivious.
Sleep Talk activated, and in the next moment, Houndoom transformed into a black blur, lunging at Magcargo, ignoring Earth Power completely!"
Magcargo, caught completely off guard, was bitten harshly on its soft neck, causing it to scream in pain! Its "composure" shattered instantly!
"Houndoom, Sleep Talk again!"
Sato pressed the offensive advantage.
Unfortunately, this time Sleep Talk randomly triggered Odor Sleuth, which had no effect in this battle.
Now fully alert, Magcargo retaliated immediately, it blasted Lava Plume at close range, sending Houndoom flying.
Even with Fire-type resistance, Houndoom still took significant damage due to its fragile defenses.
Realizing that tricks wouldn't work anymore, Magcargo abandoned using Yawn, instead, it relentlessly spammed Rock Slide, trying to crush Houndoom!
Unfortunately, Magcargo's Rock Slide was completely different from Pupitar's scattered rock attack, instead of small stones raining down, massive boulders crashed down, making it much easier to dodge!
Taking advantage of the boost from Nasty Plot, Houndoom timed its attack perfectly, landing two consecutive Dark Pulse strikes, leaving Magcargo on the verge of collapse.
Finally, capture successful!
After securing the second Magcargo, Sato stood quietly, waiting as Rose healed Houndoom.
Once the treatment was finished, Sato sent out Carvanha, preparing to clear out weaker opponents in the area.
Half an hour later, the two continued moving uphill.
Houndoom had used up most of its stamina in consecutive battles, so Sato recalled it to rest, letting Carvanha take point.
If needed, Pupitar would enter the fight to ensure complete control.
"No matter how many times I see it, a fish floating through the air just seems unbelievable," Rose said, watching Carvanha dart through the air at high speed, her face filled with curiosity.
Carvanha used Aqua Jet to stay airborne, much like a shark swimming through the ocean, it had to keep moving constantly, or it would fall to the ground.
However, after mastering Whirlpool, Carvanha had learned how to chain Aqua Jet seamlessly into Whirlpool, allowing it to hover in midair when needed.
Sato remained silent. Only he and Carvanha knew how much effort it had taken to overcome its terrain limitations.
Because of this, Carvanha's overall progress had slowed, dropping it to the lowest-ranked member of the team. But it was all worth it.
As long as it continued training and improving its combat skills, Carvanha would soon catch up, perhaps even surpass the others!
After successfully capturing two Magcargo, it seemed that their luck had run out.
Nearly an hour passed, and they only encountered a few scattered Slugma, which Carvanha easily defeated.
Sato glanced at the sky and turned to Rose.
"Let's head back. The Magcargo are probably going back to their dens to sleep."
Rose was just as knowledgeable about Pokémon habits, the moment she noticed the temperature dropping, she knew the Magcargo would soon retreat into their dens. Searching further would be a waste of time.
"Meganium, we're counting on you!"
With their ride Pokémon, they began making their way back down.
However, just as they reached the halfway point, a massive explosion erupted from the western side of the mountain!
Sato and Rose exchanged glances before immediately rushing toward the source, the area where one of the other teams had been exploring!
The closer they got, the more frequent the explosions became. If this wasn't caused by deliberate bomb use, then this Pokémon battle had to be terrifying!
A few minutes later, they turned a corner and finally spotted Lance and Clair, but in front of them stood a mountain-sized Magcargo, relentlessly launching attacks.
Normally, Magcargo barely reached one meter in height, but this one, it had to be at least three, maybe close to four meters tall, a true behemoth!
Before Lance, Charizard stood at the center, flanked by Gyarados and Dragonair, working together to counter the giant Magcargo's onslaught.
But calling it an "attack" was an overstatement, Gyarados and Dragonair were mostly on defense, while only Charizard could occasionally retaliate, and even then, it barely did any damage!
Rose suddenly gasped softly.
Sato turned toward her voice, Clair was half-carried, half-dragged by Lance. Blood dripped from her fingertips, and it looked like she could collapse at any moment.
"Rose! Clair got hit by Ancient Power on the shoulder, take care of her! Sato, help out!"
Sato immediately sent out Zoroark and Gengar, drawing enemy fire so Lance could safely hand Clair over to Rose.
Rose quickly carried Clair to safety, her face serious as she began treating her wound.
Sato's arrival relieved some of the pressure on Lance, but neither Gengar nor Zoroark could deal any real damage to Magcargo.
In less than two minutes, both of their Protect moves had already been used up.
The giant Magcargo's strength was far beyond what they had imagined!
"Zoroark, Nasty Plot! Gengar, Curse!"
Sato made a bold move, commanding Gengar to use Curse, but the effect was greatly reduced!
The difference in power levels was overwhelming, Gengar was only Mid Elite, while this Magcargo was at least Mid Pseudo-Elite Four.
Whether in raw power or status effects, the difference in strength weakened Curse significantly.
The damage was likely only a quarter of its original effect!