"Let's keep going!"
Wilma looked at Sato, still raring to fight, and almost couldn't stop herself from cursing out loud.
But even with her face dark as iron, she held back in the end. Wilma kept reminding herself that the more critical the situation, the more she couldn't lose her composure.
'Stay calm… I'm not mad!'
"…Sato, you've already defeated two of my Elite Four Pokémon. How could you still think you're not strong enough? You're seriously lacking confidence."
Fortunately, Wilma was old. Her face had long been dark and wrinkled, so even when she was livid, it wasn't all that obvious.
Sato, of course, acted like he didn't notice, and continued pressing relentlessly: "I can tell you've been holding back, and that only makes me unsure of my true strength. Can I really pull off a challenge above my level?"
Hearing this, Wilma felt the fury in her chest nearly burst out.
Where was that concern earlier?
Now, after defeating four of her Pokémon, he says this? Do the young really think elders have never had their prime?
"Sato, for the sake of Zweilous, I've done everything I can to help you… the full battle is over. You should leave the Village of Dragons today and don't come back!"
Wilma spoke coldly and firmly. She had seen through it. This cunning brat only came here to farm experience, nothing to do with being underpowered.
If Sato had truly wanted to go to the Giant Chasm, all her subtle hints and repeated emphasis these past few days would have long planted the seed of desire in his heart.
But just then, a pair of golden pupils flashed beneath Wilma's feet and vanished.
"Disable!"
The golden eyes emitted a strange red light that hit Wilma directly. Before she could react, Gengar effortlessly snatched seven Poké Balls from her!
That's right.
Seven!
Besides the four Pokémon she had already used, Wilma had brought an extra one with her!
In the next moment, a terrifying surge of Dark Energy erupted from Wilma's body. Without hesitation, she reached for the Poké Balls with reflexes far too fast for someone in her sixties.
"Gardevoir, Hypnosis."
"Garde!"
Wearing a black dress and looking ice-cold, Gardevoir suddenly appeared in front of Wilma.
To prevent any accidents, Sato did not hesitate to send out his only Elite Four Pokémon.
A powerful hypnotic glow enveloped Wilma in an instant. Even with Dark Energy resisting it, she was still briefly dazed.
At the same time, Gengar returned safely to Sato's side and with a casual wave, placed Wilma's seven Poké Balls into a separate space, completely cutting off her ability to sense them using Dark Energy.
"Sato… DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!"
A suppressed roar came from the other side. Even Gardevoir's Hypnosis had only a minor effect when up against Dark Energy.
Truly putting Wilma to sleep? Clearly impossible.
"Take a guess what I'm doing. Grass Knot."
Sato grinned and walked toward her.
Ahead of him, Gardevoir waved its hand lightly, and thick vines sprouted instantly beneath Wilma's feet, wildly wrapping around her.
In just a couple of seconds, Wilma was completely bound, only her furious face still exposed.
"You're looking for- MMPH!"
Wilma had just begun to shout something when the vines kept growing, just enough to cover her mouth as well.
"I am looking for something… something you absolutely don't want me to find."
Sato walked up in front of Wilma and spoke directly, then lightly pointed toward the ground beneath the plaza.
"Right below us. Am I right?"
Wilma's cloudy eyes widened sharply in that instant, confirming that Sato had hit the mark.
At the same time, Wilma was frantically summoning her Dark Energy, trying to alert the other Pokémon in the backyard to her abnormal state and get them to rescue her.
[Energy Detection] was a basic function of Dark Energy, so both Sato and Wilma could easily sense each other.
That's why, from Sato's detection perspective, Wilma appeared as a turbulent energy mass, violently flaring with unstable energy.
But it was all in vain!
In a place no one could see, Gengar had already placed layer upon layer of fully transparent Spatial Barriers, sealing them in completely, cutting off all communication with the outside.
"Mm! Mmm-mmph!"
Wilma couldn't understand it… how was she being blatantly kidnapped, yet not a single villager from the Village of Dragons came to help?
And why wasn't her Dark Energy working?
The plaza wasn't far from her backyard. At this range, Malamar and the others should've been able to sense her Dark Energy!
What truly terrified Wilma was the question: what exactly did Sato know? How had the Hall of Inheritance been discovered?
WHY?!
Bang!
While Wilma's mind was still filled with shock and confusion, Gardevoir had already moved. She manipulated a compressed mass of air and knocked Wilma unconscious on the spot.
"Gardevoir, it's all yours."
"Voir~"
Gardevoir gave a small nod, then took out the treasured Nightmare Orb and used it as a medium to perform Hypnosis on Wilma.
Forged from Darkrai's Nightmare Domain, the Nightmare Orb's Hypnosis was rivaled only by the Dream Orb and Slumber Orb.
Even though Wilma had Dark Energy to defend herself, it still couldn't block the incoming nightmare, especially after she'd already been physically knocked out.
Using the Nightmare Orb's power, Gardevoir wasn't just able to induce nightmares, it could also probe the subject's dreams.
Nightmares usually stem from real-life shocks, moments of fear, or deep-seated hatred.
Back when Elite Four Shaka underwent this treatment, Gardevoir had done the same, creating nightmares.
But this time, Gardevoir was using the Nightmare Orb to search Wilma's dreams for information about the Dark-type Domain in the underground palace.
After all, anyone who suddenly saw more than a dozen Pokémon skeletons would definitely have a lasting impression.
While Gardevoir focused on collecting data, Sato silently mused to himself.
'If one day I could get the Dream Orb too… wouldn't dreams become like open doors? Gardevoir could enter and reshape them freely?'
Of course, the Dream Orb was forged from Cresselia's Domain.
Given how tightly Sato's body was wrapped in Dark-type energy, meeting her would probably result in an outright fight…
More than ten minutes passed slowly. Finally, Gardevoir, drenched in sweat, stopped searching through Wilma's nightmares.
Seeing this, Sato immediately stepped forward to support her.
"The Nightmare Orb doesn't really suit your nature. Don't push yourself too hard in the future."
•
•
150 PS - CH