As his Pokémon got closer and closer to Elite Four level, Sato gradually began to realize that innate potential was starting to create larger and larger gaps between them.
Even though the [Dark Energy: Blood Nourishment] over the years had raised the Dark-type potential of his old partners to Elite Four level…
Compared to Honchkrow and Zoroark, Weavile and the others were still lagging far behind in terms of progress.
If he relied solely on [Blood Nourishment] to push their potential from Elite Four to Champion level, Sato figured he'd be drained dry sooner or later.
That was part of the reason he became an Investigator; he knew that underground organizations always had a few hidden "treasures" tucked away.
Just like the things Mark had discovered at Team Rocket's Base A3. If Sato could walk away with even one such treasure this time, the whole trip would be worth it!
"Krow!"
At that moment, Honchkrow had already flown back, looking up at Sato expectantly, clearly waiting to be praised~
Sato sighed helplessly, but since he was in a good mood today, he reached out and patted Honchkrow on the head.
"…Keep it up. Anyone wearing an outfit with an 'Ⓡ' on it is an enemy. Don't hold back. attack freely!"
"Krooo!"
Honchkrow nodded excitedly, thrilled that -for once- it wasn't just being paraded around for show.
Even if it was just bullying weaklings, at least it could enjoy itself for a bit…
Immediately, Honchkrow dove down again, slicing through the enemy lines like harvesting wheat, knocking down targets by the dozens!
And Honchkrow was incredibly agile. Most attacks couldn't touch it, and even the few unavoidable hits barely did any damage.
After all, with its larger body size, Honchkrow's defense and stamina had both improved significantly.
---◓---
Before long, Lt. Surge couldn't hold out anymore!
Maybe the two sides had finally come to an unspoken understanding; his Magneton and Raichu quickly "lost their ability to battle", and he even got hit head-on by Forretress!
While Forretress wasn't great at attacking, its combat power at Low Ace level was still solid.
That blow… Sato winced just watching it!
But it worked!
With Lt. Surge caught "off guard" and seriously injured by the attack, he had no choice but to withdraw from the mission.
Perfect excuse. Nothing suspicious about it!
Of course, Sato hadn't launched this entire operation just to deal with Lt. Surge. Taking him down was just a bonus.
Sato's real target was Carr, one of Team Rocket's Three Beasts!
Seven-Star Hunters, Four Admins[1], Three Beasts[2], Twin Empresses[3], and the leader, Giovanni…
These were the major powerhouses within Team Rocket!
And Carr, as one of the Three Beasts, ranked a notch above even Kaiser and Ariana. There was no way someone like him wouldn't be strong!
During his battle with Lt. Surge, he had been holding back. Now that Lt. Surge was down, Sato naturally stepped up.
Hydreigon opened with three simultaneous Fire Blasts, forcing Forretress and Scizor to retreat in panic, terrified of catching even a spark!
"Houndoom, Fire Blast."
Against Steel-types, Sato didn't hesitate. He sent out Houndoom, making it clear he was aiming for a quick finish.
"Bullet Punch, Gyro Ball!"
Carr once again opened with Speed-based moves, but Sato wasn't like Lt. Surge; he had plenty of ways to counter that kind of attack.
"Sucker Punch. Flamethrower… [Hellfire Cage]!"
Sucker Punch: a glaringly aggressive priority strike. Even a punch moving like a bullet couldn't beat Houndoom's first move and was sent flying.
Luckily, Scizor was covered head to toe in steel, or it might have been taken down on the spot.
Meanwhile, Hydreigon's attack was on a whole other level…
Lefty, Middy, and Righty each launched a powerful Flamethrower!
Then, with perfectly synchronized teamwork among the trio, the three Flamethrowers merged mid-air, twisted into a crisscrossing pattern, and transformed into a blazing cage of fire that surged straight toward Forretress.
"FOR! FOR! TRESS!"
Still spinning with Gyro Ball, Forretress darted left and right in an attempt to escape, only to be forced back again the moment it touched the flames.
With a 4x weakness, Fire-type moves were a lifelong nemesis of both Forretress and Scizor!
There was no escape…
"Middy, Fire Blast!"
"Drei~"
Lefty and Righty continued unleashing Flamethrowers, while Middy transitioned its move into Fire Blast.
To let Lefty, Righty, and Middy attack simultaneously without restraint, Sato had put enormous effort into training them in [Energy Control].
Because of that, Hydreigon's mastery of energy had now begun to brush against the Dao… cough…essence of energy itself!
Same-type move conversion. This was one of the fruits of that effort!
The [Hellfire Cage] didn't dissipate early. Instead, the moment it disappeared coincided precisely with the Fire Blast detonating the entire inferno prison!
Forretress had nowhere left to run. It activated Protect, but Sato didn't look the slightest bit concerned.
…Because the explosion of [Hellfire Cage] lasted for a looong long time!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM…
From above, the cloud of fire blasted out thunderously again and again.
Carr stared at the scene with an ugly expression. He already knew full well… he wasn't a match for Sato.
This feeling of being overtaken by the "younger" generation… as the youngest of the Three Beasts, Carr hadn't felt this in a long time.
---◓---
Elsewhere, Scizor was also being beaten back step by step by Houndoom.
Houndoom's fire was defined by extreme heat, and prolonged combat turned the entire battlefield into a suffocating furnace.
What's more, Scizor didn't even dare to take a single Fire-type move head-on. How could it possibly turn the tables?
Type advantage is a challenge that not even Champion level Trainers can escape; why should Carr be any different?
"Get in close…? Fine by me. Fire Fang!"
"Awooo~"
Taking a Steel Wing head-on, Houndoom charged forward without fear, sinking its fangs directly into Scizor's lower right leg.
Razor-sharp fangs Vs Extreme heat.
The moment they connected, Scizor let out a pained screech!
Even then, Houndoom didn't let up. It thrashed its head violently, as if it had sworn to tear off the chunk of leg it was clamped onto.
In the end, Scizor was flung aside by Houndoom and didn't get back up for quite some time.
As for Forretress… it had been reduced to a charred, pitted black ball, its original form completely unrecognizable.
Its miserable state sent a chill through the nearby League Trainers.
'Investigator Sato… is terrifying!'
As for the remaining Team Rocket members, after seeing Carr's two main Pokémon fall one after the other, many of them had already begun to retreat mid-battle.
Fighting while backing away!
On the other side, Carr sent out two more Pokémon: Magnezone and Skarmory.
Just when Sato thought he was about to continue the fight…
Carr suddenly mounted Skarmory and flew off without even looking back!
Sato curled his lip and muttered, 'Figures. That's how Team Rocket always is. Never anyone who stays and fights to the bitter end!'
[1] Canon
[2] Canon
[3] At least they exist…