It was understandable that Zoroark lost control of its power for a moment. But Sato saw it clearly, Zoroark had deliberately provoked the Alolan Ninetales.
Night Daze had extremely destructive power. Beyond dealing substantial damage, it also wreaked havoc on the surrounding terrain.
And this tiny "ice field" in front of them had been painstakingly formed by the Alolan Ninetales, snowflake by snowflake, using its Snow Warning Ability.
With one move, Zoroark's Night Daze blasted a massive crater into it. Who knew how many more snowfalls would be needed to fill that back in…?
"Nine… NIIIINE!"
As expected, the Alolan Ninetales was infuriated. Its icy blue eyes turned bright crimson in an instant.
The next moment, a cutting blizzard swept across the entire field; many times more powerful than the previous Blizzard!
"Zoroark!"
At this critical moment, Sato only called Zoroark's name loudly. He gave no specific instructions.
The Blizzard raged for over ten seconds before it gradually subsided. The Alolan Ninetales coldly scanned the field, and quickly spotted Zoroark, now half-buried in the snow.
Shivering {{{ (>_<) }}}
"Niiine~"
A sneer formed on the Alolan Ninetales' narrow fox-like face. It quickly judged Zoroark as a one-trick Ponyta, only capable of brute-force breakthroughs.
'So one Night Daze and you're already done…? How were you planning to last a 300-round battle~?'
Thinking that, the Alolan Ninetales looked down even more on Zoroark.
But regardless of its disdain, it still had to drive the intruders out. Otherwise, its pure and flawless snowy world would never be pure again!
All of this played out in the Ninetales' mind in the span of three seconds; its own analysis and assumptions.
By then, it had already approached Zoroark, looking down from above as Zoroark still struggled to rise.
'Heh~ What a weak-'
Whoosh…
Suddenly, a streak of black light appeared out of nowhere, striking Ninetales directly in the side without resistance.
It was Night Slash!
Driven by pure survival instinct, Alolan Ninetales instinctively leapt to the opposite side.
But it was too late!
Night Slash grazed through Alolan Ninetales' pristine fur, and beads of crimson blood surfaced instantly.
Only then did the Alolan Ninetales cry out in pain!
The scream was layered with shock, fear, anger!
And a hint of… bewilderment.
The place where Zoroark had been buried in snow now looked no different from the surrounding area. There wasn't even a dent!
The Alolan Ninetales looked at Zoroark, then at the area where the snow pit should have been… and its mind went blank.
'Was… was the pain so intense it caused me to hallucinate?
NO… I was attacked first!'
Ninetales was thrown into confusion. But Zoroark didn't wait. It launched into another wave of close-range moves.
Night Slash, Aerial Ace, Low Sweep, Fury Swipes…
Zoroark's melee assault was ferocious. It didn't matter whether the moves were effective; it just threw everything at it, forcing the Alolan Ninetales into a clumsy retreat.
'Wait… HOLD ON!'
The Ninetales suddenly realized something. After all this time -well, just over ten seconds-, it hadn't been hit even once.
The three greatest illusions in life: I'm stronger, I'm cooler, I think I can do it again!
Right now, Alolan Ninetales was definitely under that illusion. It saw two Zoroark standing before it; one relentlessly chasing it down.
The other Zoroark stood nearby, holding a black energy sphere in its hands, sneering coldly as it looked at Ninetales.
The next moment, the black sphere was hurled outward. The terrifying energy ripples made every hair on Alolan Ninetales' body stand on end.
[Night Daze Sphere ⚫️ Explosion Variant ˗ˏˋ ⚫️ ˎˊ˗]!
The real Zoroark used U-turn to slam into the illusionary Zoroark and instantly retreated back to Sato's side.
Without Zoroark's control, the [Night Daze Sphere] began to rapidly expand.
Ninetales tried to escape! But it was nowhere near as fast as Zoroark, who had already retreated with U-turn.
…BOOOOOOOOM!
Bzzzz…~
Finally, the Night Daze Sphere detonated with a thunderous blast, followed by a brief wave of ringing in the ears.
In front of Sato, Gengar had already silently raised a protective barrier, shielding them from the aftermath of the explosion.
At the center of the blast, Alolan Ninetales had also used Protect; but whether it managed to block all of it…
As the dust cleared, the once snow-white landscape had turned to dull gray.
Sato scanned the area. He didn't see Alolan Ninetales with the naked eye, but with [Dark Energy: Energy Detection], he instantly located it… buried in the snow.
'Pffft! Returning the favor, huh?'
Looking at Ninetales gasping for breath in the snow, Sato nearly laughed out loud.
'Did you really think stealth was that easy?' If Zoroark didn't have the Miragewater Orb, where would it find such a perfectly synchronized partner? How could it create such a convincing illusion?
Combined with Zoroark's innate Illusion tactics, that was what made the [Night Daze Sphere] work so flawlessly.
Sato didn't hesitate to give another command, "Flamethrower sweep, right front direction!"
"Zoro!"
The roaring flames swept out, melting snow wherever they passed; and before the sweep was even complete, a gray shadow suddenly burst out.
"TAAAAAALES!"
Alolan Ninetales let out a furious cry, utterly confused as to how Sato pinpointed its position so easily.
Why had it been toyed with so badly by Zoroark?
For a moment, Ninetales felt utterly wronged… being a fox was hard!
"Night Daze!"
Sato 'the Merciless' gave zero sympathy. Even if he had seen Alolan Ninetales' pitiful face, he would still issue the order without hesitation.
Having obtained a Heart of Earthflame from Typhlosion, Sato had high hopes for what treasures the Alolan Ninetales might have hidden.
They were about to win. Why throw that away just because the opponent whimpered a little?
Besides… Alolan Ninetales hadn't even whimpered yet!
"Zorooooo~"
Just as ruthless, Zoroark howled again, driving both hands into the snow and unleashing another Night Daze without pause.
---◓---
The battle was over. Zoroark hadn't defeated Alolan Ninetales through sheer power, but through illusions and the Miragewater Orb.
When Sato withdrew the [Energy Amplification] from Zoroark, its aura immediately began to fluctuate violently.
Breaking through the threshold beyond Ace level depended on comprehension and innate potential, not so much on accumulated time. And as for those two qualities, Zoroark, who had just defeated Alolan Ninetales, lacked neither!
At last, amidst the ruined snowfield, Zoroark took another step forward, officially advancing from High Ace level to…
Peak Ace!
Sato grinned as he looked at the newly advanced Zoroark, his heart filled with emotion. In his previous life, Zoroark had stopped right here…
But now?
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150 PS - CH