The Poké Ball hit the Houndour leader accurately. A flash of red light followed, leaving only a constantly shaking Poké Ball on the ground.
At the same time, Sato and his Pokémon faced Houndour's most intense counterattack!
Bites, lunges, fire, each Houndour fought desperately, attacking relentlessly. Spinarak, severely weakened by Fire-type moves, was hit twice by Fire Fang, taking critical damage!
The Poké Ball burst open, and the panting Houndour reappeared in front of Sato. Letting out a long howl, all the Houndour swiftly retreated, scattering in all directions.
Sato had no time to pursue them, Spinarak's injuries needed urgent treatment, not a second to waste.
He quickly took out a Hyper Potion and sprayed it over Spinarak, then used Dark Energy to remove the residual flames and faint traces of Dark-type energy inside its body.
The potion's effects were remarkable. Spinarak's weak and labored breathing gradually steadied. Sato sighed in relief, after a few days of rest, Spinarak would be back to its lively self.
After tending to Spinarak, he proceeded to treat Zoroark and the others for their minor injuries, only finishing after quite some time.
Gengar emerged from the ground beside Sato, pointing in the direction the Houndour had fled, asking if they should be pursued.
"Find their den and report back to me, do not act on your own!"
Thinking about Zoroark's Dark Pulse whip, Gengar shuddered before vanishing underground, swiftly tracking the Houndour's trail.
Sato recalled Spinarak, who was still recovering, along with Carvanha, whose mobility on land was limited. Finding a clearing nearby, he set up a temporary rest stop.
Before long, Gengar returned silently. The Houndour had left many traces in their frantic retreat, making it easy to locate their den.
"Let's move out first," Sato said, recalling Gengar and Larvitar before hopping onto Zoroark's back, quickly leaving the area.
Not that he'd ever admit it, but lately, he had grown to enjoy traveling on Zoroark's back. Sometimes, being physically younger had its perks, like how Zoroark could easily carry him now.
Shortly after Sato left, a pack of seven or eight Houndoom stormed into the area, leading a group of fifty to sixty Houndour. The Houndour leader trailed behind the Houndoom, whimpering softly as if filing a complaint.
Houndoom, the Dark Pokémon, cruel, bloodthirsty, and highly vengeful. At the same time, they excelled in teamwork, making them an even more terrifying presence in the forest than Beedrill.
Having studied Houndoom extensively, Sato wasted no time relocating to avoid unnecessary trouble, successfully evading their pursuit.
Elsewhere, after bypassing the Houndoom's territory, Sato settled at a water source located downwind from them. Guided by Gengar, he began investigating the entire pack.
Johto was full of forests, but exposed rocky terrain also existed. The Houndoom pack resided within a vast valley where the landscape was predominantly bare rock.
Lying silently on a ledge overlooking the valley's downwind entrance, Sato carefully observed the massive Houndoom pack.
There were about ten Houndoom, while Houndour numbered close to a hundred. The Houndour group he encountered earlier must have been a hunting party.
Most Houndoom had the Early Bird Ability, making them particularly energetic at night. However, during dawn and dusk transitions, they were at their laziest and most sluggish.
Soon, Sato pinpointed the Houndour he had set his sights on. While ordinary Houndour were about 60 centimeters tall, this one stood out, its frame was visibly more robust, likely exceeding a meter in height.
Size wasn't everything, but a stronger build meant better endurance and higher defense, crucial for survival.
With nightfall approaching, Sato decided against lingering. Capturing this Houndour would require careful planning.
The next morning, he returned with Gengar to scout the Houndoom pack once more, noticing that they routinely dispatched a hunting squad each day.
Seeing this, Sato began piecing together his plan.
Sato assigned Gengar to continue monitoring the Houndoom pack while he searched the nearby area for an ideal location to set up his trap.
Three days later, Gengar delivered a message, the high-potential Houndour was scheduled to join today's hunting squad. Sato zipped up his jacket. His own hunt was about to begin.
After the last incident, the Houndour leader had become significantly more cautious, leading its team carefully beyond their territory. They wouldn't strike unless absolutely necessary, but when they did, it was swift and ruthless.
Sato signaled to Gengar, who nodded in understanding and disappeared into the air.
For some reason, the Houndour felt uneasy. Its survival instincts kicked in, making it stop abruptly. The rest of the pack followed suit, forming a defensive stance while scanning their surroundings.
Suddenly, one of the outer Houndour was struck and sent flying into a tree. It slid down, already knocked out.
Three Houndour rushed to retrieve their fallen comrade while the rest of the pack quickly closed ranks, forming a tight circle to watch each other's backs.
Then, without warning, a massive Sticky Web descended from the sky! Each silken strand was as thick as an arm, ensnaring most of the Houndour in an unbreakable grip!
The Houndour leader let out another howl. Rather than panicking, the entire pack acted in unison, launching a widespread attack with Fire Fang to burn through the webbing!
However, as soon as one Houndour bit through the web, a faint purple glow spread across its body.
The web was poisoned!
But it wasn't over yet! As the first web was torn apart, another Sticky Web descended indiscriminately!
Rage and despair flickered in the Houndour's eyes. Most of the pack was already poisoned.
Given the situation, it wasn't hard to guess. A third, a fourth, even a fifth Sticky Web was surely coming!
Nearby, Spinarak gleefully waved its tiny legs. It had spent the past two days under Sato's guidance, meticulously crafting these massive Toxic Webs.
At first, it had been confused about their purpose, but now it understood perfectly. The humiliation of its previous injuries had been completely wiped away!
"Let's go." Sato whispered before stepping forward with Spinarak in his arms.
The moment the Houndour saw him, their blood boiled with fury!
They immediately stopped struggling against the web. Even though they were in agony from the poison, weakened and unable to fight back, their eyes remained full of bloodthirsty rage as they glared at Sato.
Spinarak raised its tiny legs, preparing to taunt them further, but Sato swiftly smacked it down.
"Don't provoke them."
Spinarak pouted, curling up in a sulk.
"Gengar, spray the antidote!"
The moment Sato gave the command, Gengar appeared overhead, carrying a pesticide-style sprayer on its back, drenching the Houndour in a detoxifying mist.
The Houndour pack froze in collective confusion.
Were they... still supposed to fight?