The oppressive force of Mean Look immediately alarmed the Dusclops, their glowing red eyes flickering ominously.
In an instant, four Shadow Punches came striking from different angles, perfectly coordinated, all aimed at Haunter.
An excited Zoroark dashed forward, swinging its Dark Pulse-formed whip high into the air!
Two crisp strikes rang out, instantly dispelling half of the Shadow Punches.
Haunter swiftly escaped from its position, looking relieved, although it had Protect prepared, that was a last-resort survival move.
"Zoroark, Night Daze! Haunter, Lick, hold down Duskull!"
With its body brimming with power, Zoroark charged toward the tanky Dusclops, unleashing Night Daze over a wide area!
The Mean Look effect had fully taken hold, Duskull couldn't vanish into thin air and, in a panic, tried to hide among the dense underbrush, futilely hoping to avoid attention.
Unfortunately, Sato had come precisely for it!
Haunter's tongue lashed out like lightning, striking Duskull dead-on. Under Sato's training, Haunter had completely abandoned Lick's already weak damage output, focusing solely on its paralysis effect!
And luck seemed to be on their side, Duskull was paralyzed on the spot, unable to move. Sato wasted no time in throwing a Poké Ball, attempting to capture it!
On the other side, after three Nasty Plots, Night Daze had become terrifyingly strong.
No matter how high the Dusclops' defenses were, none of them could withstand two full-powered Night Dazes.
The Duskull inside the Poké Ball seemed to accept its fate, quietly staying inside without further struggle. Sato swiftly retrieved the ball, calling back Zoroark before immediately sprinting toward the outskirts of the valley!
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Minutes later, the Dusclops slowly began to regain consciousness, but by then, the Duskull had vanished.
Their eerie, enraged wails echoed throughout the valley, spreading further and further, almost as if signaling something.
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Sato and Zoroark picked a path and hurriedly made their way back the way they came. But something didn't sit right with Sato, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over yet...
As they fled, occasional wild Pokémon still attempted to harass them, but at some point, all sounds around them seemed to completely vanish.
"It's happening again..."
Sato signaled Zoroark to stop and conserve energy. The effects of Nasty Plot hadn't fully worn off yet, if an ambush happened now, they'd give the attacker a nasty surprise!
Of course, Sato himself also remained on high alert, knowing that Dark Energy alone wouldn't be enough to detect everything.
A faint breeze brushed past Sato's ear, but something about the air felt... wrong!
"It's Ominous Wind! Zoroark, Flamethrower, shoot it into the sky! Haunter, Thunderbolt!"
Blazing flames and dazzling lightning momentarily illuminated everything around them.
High in the sky, a massive Drifblim was floating at a distance, generating Ominous Wind. Its bright red, bead-like eyes stared at Sato, expression unreadable.
The Ominous Wind suddenly surged in strength, an invisible corrosive force carried by the gale seeping into both trainer and Pokémon.
Sato immediately activated his Dark Energy, eradicating the encroaching corruption before it could take effect.
He coldly eyed the Drifblim, he had no idea why it had followed them, but that didn't matter. First, he'd take it down!
"Flamethrower! Shadow Ball!"
Zoroark and Haunter launched their attacks in unison, but the airborne Drifblim was unnaturally agile, easily dodging both moves.
At that moment, Sato realized a major flaw in his team, he lacked an airborne Pokémon. Without one, his lineup couldn't be considered complete.
However, that didn't mean he was out of options!
"Haunter, Psychic! Zoroark, Extrasensory!" First, they'd pin the Drifblim down, then they could deal with it properly!
Ghost-types might resist Psychic-type moves, but they weren't immune.
Under the combined force of dual Psychic techniques, no matter how nimble the Drifblim was, it couldn't avoid being dragged down. For the first time, a hint of panic flickered in its bead-like eyes!
After three swift lashes, the Drifblim completely deflated, sinking like a punctured balloon.
Sato wasted no time and threw a Poké Ball, capturing it on the spot. Drifblim was a rare sight in Johto, this one could fetch a high price.
They resumed their escape, but barely two minutes had passed when Sato suddenly felt an overwhelming presence behind him!
Sato burst forward at full speed, dodging just in time. The space he had just occupied was instantly bombarded by a swarm of Shadow Balls, which exploded violently upon impact!
Glancing back, Sato saw a massive horde of Dusclops and Duskull emerging from the shadows. Leading them was none other than a Dusknoir!
There was no time to be surprised, before Sato could react, he suddenly felt himself being yanked upward. The world spun around him as he was lifted onto Zoroark's back.
Zoroark dashed forward at breakneck speed, carrying Sato while Haunter clung onto its fur, trailing behind.
"Haunter, return for now! Spinarak, lay down Toxic Spikes behind us!"
Sato kept his body low against Zoroark's back, his right arm securely holding onto Spinarak, who was frantically tossing Toxic Spikes behind them to hinder their pursuers.
However, as Sato regained his composure, he quickly realized something, Duskull and Dusclops had a major flaw: their speed was abysmally slow!
"Don't panic. Just maintain this pace, they won't be able to catch up," Sato reassured Zoroark, patting its fur.
The eerie procession of ghosts behind them looked terrifying at first glance, but when he really thought about it... they couldn't even land a hit. There wasn't even a need for Spinarak to keep delaying them.
Sato's calm demeanor helped ease Zoroark's tension to some extent, but the situation had clearly left an impact on it.
"I used to hold you in my arms to protect you, and now you're the one carrying me while we escape," Sato observed.
He could sense Zoroark's subtle change in mood, it was loyal, calm, perceptive, and proud.
Even though Sato hadn't been injured, Zoroark would undoubtedly blame itself, feeling like it had failed to protect him properly.
"It's fine. We're getting stronger, slowly but surely," Sato reassured, speaking softly.
As soon as he finished, he realized they had already left the Valley of the Dead.
Turning back, the valley looked as peaceful as ever, as if the earlier pursuit had been nothing more than an illusion.
Sato patted his backpack, feeling the three Poké Balls inside. Confirming that the trip hadn't been in vain, he wasted no time. Mounting Zoroark once again, he quickly left the area.
After departing from the Valley of the Dead, Sato first located the official League-maintained road. Then, traveling as fast as possible, he reached Ecruteak City in just under five days.
Unlike the bustling financial metropolis of Goldenrod City, Ecruteak City was filled with ancient wooden structures and stone-paved roads. In the north, two towering pagodas, one newly restored, the other old and weathered, stood in harmony with each other.
Monks dressed in traditional robes occasionally passed by, exchanging respectful greetings with the townspeople. It was clear that Ecruteak City was deeply influenced by Sage culture.