Giovanni and Matori were both caught off guard by Shaymin's sudden appearance. Their aircraft's advanced scanners—meticulously developed by Team Rocket's scientists—had detected nothing, despite Shaymin being a mythical Pokémon whose power should have registered immediately.
What they didn't know was that Shaymin's concealment ability was top-tier even among legendary Pokémon. If it didn't wish to be found, not even other legendaries could easily sense its presence.
With no warning from psychic scans or technological instruments, Sabrina was struck and seriously injured before she could react.
"Damn it...!"
Sabrina's body was now screaming in pain. Only by forcefully sustaining herself with psychic energy did she manage to remain conscious. Had she not, she would've passed out from the damage.
This marked her second defeat at Rex's hands. The bitter sting of humiliation kept her from collapsing immediately. All she could do now was glare at him with seething hatred.
Sensing her critical condition, Sabrina's Pokémon immediately abandoned their opponents and gathered around her in a tight formation for protection.
Rex seized the opportunity, directing his own Pokémon to launch a full-scale counterattack against the scattered Rocket Pokémon, hoping to rout them completely.
With Sabrina and her core team out of the picture, the rest of the Rocket grunts' Pokémon quickly crumbled under pressure. The tide had clearly turned.
But before Rex could savor the momentum shift, a new group descended from the aircraft—led by none other than Giovanni himself.
"Young man, I truly underestimated you," Giovanni said as he stepped forward. "One last chance. Will you join Team Rocket?"
Rex didn't even hesitate.
"Sorry. I'll never join Team Rocket."
"Then you leave me no choice. Come forth, Darkrai."
With that, Giovanni hurled a Dusk Ball.
Out of it emerged the pitch-black silhouette of Darkrai.
The Pokémon looked like living shadow—its constantly swirling white "hair" covered most of its face, revealing only a pair of piercing blue eyes. A jagged red collar ringed its neck, and long black tendrils trailed from its shoulders like ragged cloaks.
Darkrai had no legs in its default form, floating ominously in the air. Though it could grow legs and stand upright if needed.
Active during the new moon, Darkrai uses its power to trap humans and Pokémon in deep, vivid nightmares to drive them away and protect its territory. Despite its fearsome reputation, it holds no malice. It's simply misunderstood.
But now, Darkrai wore a black control collar—just like Moltres. Clearly, it too was under Team Rocket's control.
"The nightmare bringer... Darkrai!" Rex's pupils shrank at the sight.
"Darkrai—Dark Void!"
As Giovanni gave the command, an overwhelming wave of pitch-black energy erupted in all directions. Anything it touched—man or Pokémon—was immediately dragged into a dream realm of torment.
Only Rex, protected by Shaymin's aura, was immune.
Even Totem Swellow and Machamp, among his strongest Pokémon, couldn't resist the effect for long and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Still, Rex had faith in them. He believed they could fight their way out.
"Well, things are finally quieting down," Giovanni said, scanning the battlefield of collapsed bodies and unconscious Pokémon. "Your time is running out, boy."
Rex knew what he meant—those trapped in Darkrai's nightmare would suffer continuous damage until they died.
That's why Darkrai was so feared: its dreams didn't just haunt—they killed.
To save them, Rex had to defeat Darkrai. It was the only way to break the illusion.
"Shaymin, I'm counting on you—use Play Rough!"
Forced into a corner, Rex knew that if he couldn't stop Darkrai, everything he'd built—everything he protected—would be lost.
Sky Forme Shaymin darted forward in a graceful arc, streaking toward Darkrai with dazzling speed.
"Darkrai, Dark Pulse!"
Giovanni countered without hesitation.
Darkrai's body erupted in waves of dark energy that surged toward Shaymin like a black tide.
Instead of dodging, Shaymin wrapped itself in a brilliant green aura and dove headfirst into the wave.
The attack hit—it hurt—but Shaymin pushed through and struck Darkrai with Play Rough.
The blow landed hard. Darkrai's face twisted in pain, but its expression quickly dulled once more—it was still under control.
Rex could tell: Darkrai felt pain. Its consciousness might still be in there—trapped. If he could inflict enough damage, perhaps he could awaken it.
But that was easier said than done. Even in Sky Forme, Shaymin wasn't built for heavy combat. At best, it could keep Darkrai busy. Actually defeating it was another matter entirely.
Rex glanced across the battlefield. In the distance, Diancie was locked in a fierce fight with Moltres.
Diancie, for all its strength, was still a newly reborn mythical Pokémon—its foundation wasn't as deep. Luckily, Moltres, like Darkrai, was also shackled and couldn't unleash its full power. That was the only reason they were evenly matched.
To break this stalemate, Rex would have to trigger Diancie's Mega Evolution—transforming it into Mega Diancie.
But doing that would mean revealing all his trump cards. If Giovanni still had hidden weapons beyond this… Rex would have no more counters.
This was the fundamental problem: power.
For Rex, fighting Giovanni—a man backed by an entire criminal empire—was already a near-impossible feat.
In truth, Rex had been stalling this whole time. A battle this intense couldn't go unnoticed by the Hoenn League.
Once they dispatched reinforcements, the balance would shift. Then Giovanni would be the one looking for a way out.
(End of Chapter)