The segmented patch of grass suddenly flipped over, revealing a solid steel plate beneath. The steel plate sank down, exposing a hidden passageway before Sato.
Haunter slipped into the darkness first. Without hesitation, Sato quickly followed, showing no concern about running into potential enemies.
The passageway was pitch black, its crevices overgrown with wild weeds. However, as they ventured deeper, the vegetation thinned out, and remnants of ceiling lights flickered faintly, casting an eerie glow.
Abandoned computers, unidentified machinery, scattered documents, and shattered glass containment units littered the floor.
This was clearly a forsaken research lab... But what had they been researching?
Sato picked up a crumpled A4 sheet filled with densely packed data. His eyes narrowed at the bold red "R" logo in the upper-right corner.
The underground overlords of Kanto and Johto, and the most powerful criminal syndicate in the Pokémon world.
In his previous life the Ghost Ship Organization, the assassin guild he once served, was merely a subsidiary of Team Rocket.
On the surface, the organization appeared independent, driven purely by money, but behind closed doors, it carried out Team Rocket's dirtiest operations.
Sato glanced over the content of the document, it detailed Venonat's eye structure in extreme detail, dedicating an entire page to just its ocular data.
As he continued to explore, he picked up more reports. Most of them contained in-depth analyses of Bug-type Pokémon.
Some pages speculated about evolution.
Sato quickly connected the dots.
"They were researching forced evolution."
And judging by the abandoned state of this division, it was likely an old Team Rocket facility dedicated to Bug-type Pokémon evolution experiments.
Setting up shop inside the National Park, where Bug-types were plentiful, was both a genius move... and an audacious crime.
For decades, Team Rocket had rivaled the Pokémon League, their power unfathomable to the average trainer.
Sato vividly recalled his past life. After earning the rank of Gold Assassin, he was granted the privilege of visiting Team Rocket's headquarters to "pay respects."
That day, he met Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, the Earth King.
The unfathomable pressure of his presence alone had left a permanent mark on Sato's soul.
Years later, the Pokémon League finally declared all-out war on the underground world.
The Johto Champion, who also held the title of Kanto's Dragon-type Elite Four, took command. Lance, the Dragon Master, led the League's crusade.
The conflict lasted nearly a decade.
During that time, criminal organizations across various regions fell one after another:
Hoenn's Team Magma and Team Aqua were dismantled. Sinnoh's Team Galactic was eradicated. Unova's Team Plasma was crushed. Kalos' Team Flare was annihilated.
Leaders perished or vanished into obscurity.
At first, Team Rocket suffered severe losses... But soon, they began a rapid resurgence.
They consolidated their hold over Kanto and Johto, then expanded into Hoenn, Sinnoh, and beyond.
By the time the League had wiped out their rivals, Team Rocket had already infiltrated nearly every region, silently claiming the spoils of war.
They had also cultivated a new generation of fearsome enforcers:
The Seven-Star Hunters, The Four Executives, The Three Beastmasters, The Twin Empresses And their supreme leader: Giovanni, the Earth King.
With a legion of subordinate organizations, no single region could stand against them alone.
Though the League sought to unify their forces, each region had its own political agenda.
After a long, bloody war, most territories chose to focus on rebuilding rather than joining Kanto and Johto's continued battle against Team Rocket.
A warning laugh echoed from Haunter.
Though his mind was deep in thought, Sato never lost sight of his true purpose.
Haunter's Dark Energy pulsed, signaling an enemy's approach.
Sato's eyes gleamed coldly.
"They're coming! Haunter, Mean Look, Zoroark, Scary Face!"
The darkened environment greatly enhanced Haunter's abilities. Countless eyes flickered in the shadows as a yellow fox-like Pokémon suddenly materialized a short distance ahead of Sato.
Mean Look immediately locked it in place, preventing it from using Teleport.
"An Alakazam? Zoroark, Night Slash!"
The moment the words left Sato's mouth, Zoroark had already lunged at Alakazam. Its pitch-black claws slashed down mercilessly!
A faint green energy barrier enveloped Alakazam, forcing it to activate Protect as its first reaction.
"Keep up the pressure! Left hand, Night Slash!"
Before the energy from its right claw had even dissipated, Zoroark had already raised its left hand, forming another equally deadly strike, ready to land the moment Protect wore off.
A flicker of fear flashed through Alakazam's eyes.
'We're both foxes... Why is it so much stronger than me?!'
Suddenly, another Psychic-type Pokémon appeared. A Hypno had emerged from the darkness, its Hypnosis attack expanding outward, targeting every Pokémon on the battlefield!
"Haunter, handle him, Shadow Ball!"
Haunter had already noticed Hypno hiding in the shadows. The moment Sato issued his command, an elliptical Shadow Ball had already been launched at full speed.
Hypno's lifeless, fish-like eyes remained unfazed. A sudden surge of Psychic energy erupted from its body, forcibly detonating the Shadow Ball in midair!
"Zoroark, Night Daze! Haunter, another Scary Face!"
The earlier Hypnosis had slightly disrupted Zoroark's movements, giving Alakazam a chance to escape.
Zoroark instinctively prepared to chase but immediately stopped upon hearing Sato's command. Instead of pursuing, it slammed both fists into the ground.
Simultaneously, Haunter executed Scary Face, its ghoulish visage magnifying grotesquely, momentarily paralyzing Alakazam and Hypno with sheer terror!
Night Daze-unleashed!
A dark energy wave erupted from Zoroark, forming a devastating shockwave that expanded outward, demolishing everything in its path.
Anything that touched the blackened energy was shattered instantly.
Alakazam and Hypno were slammed against the walls, unable to resist the overwhelming force0
When the black mist cleared, both Alakazam and Hypno had lost consciousness.
The entire area surrounding Zoroark had completely changed. The once-solid concrete flooring now looked as though it had been tilled, and abandoned office desks, chairs, and computers had all been blown against the walls, completely deformed.
Haunter peeked out from behind Sato, staring at the destructive aftermath left by Zoroark's Night Daze.
Its usual mischievous grin had vanished, Haunter looked utterly shocked.
Sato grinned. This was the power of a Signature Move.
Zoroark had been born to wield Night Daze, mastering it instinctively from the moment it evolved.
Without hesitation, Sato tossed two Poké Balls. Alakazam and Hypno offered no resistance, they were captured instantly.
There was no need to use the Pokémon Potential Analyzer. Through Dark Energy, Sato could already tell, both had reached their natural limit at Elite Stage.
"Psychic-types, huh? Should be worth a decent sum."
Satisfied, Sato stored the Poké Balls in his backpack.
To better train his current Pokémon, Sato had been focusing heavily on making money recently.
Zoroark was low-maintenance, thanks to Dark Energy blood infusions.
But the others? Just thinking about the future Tyranitar, Spinarak, and Haunter's training expenses made his wallet cry.
Seeing that Zoroark and Haunter were still in good condition, Sato decided to press forward without resting.
After all, according to Haunter, there were more enemies waiting deeper inside...