The segmented patch of grass suddenly flipped over, revealing a solid steel pte beh. The steel pte sank down, exposing a hidden passageway before Sato.

  Haunter slipped into the darkness first. Without hesitation, Sato quickly followed, showing no about running into potential enemies.

  The passageway itch bck, its crevices rown with wild weeds. However, as they ventured deeper, the vegetation thinned out, and remnants of ceiling lights flickered faintly, casting an eerie glow.

  Abandoned puters, uified maery, scattered dots, and shattered gss tai units littered the floor.

  This was clearly a forsaken research b… But what had they been researg?

  Sato picked up a crumpled A4 sheet filled with densely packed data. His eyes narrowed at the bold red "R" logo in the upper-right er.

  Team Rocket.

  The underground overlords of Kanto and Johto, and the most powerful criminal syndicate in the Pokémon world.

  In his previous life, the Ghost Ship anization—the assassin guild he once served—was merely a subsidiary of Team Rocket.

  On the surface, the anization appeared indepe, driven purely by money, but behind closed doors, it carried out Team Rocket's dirtiest operations.

  Sato gnced over the tent of the dot—it detailed Venonat's eye structure ireme detail, dedig aire page to just its ocur data.

  As he tio explore, he picked up more reports. Most of them tained ih analyses of Bug-type Pokémon.

  Some pages specuted about evolution.

  Sato quickly ected the dots.

  "They were researg forced evolution."

  And judging by the abaate of this division, it was likely an old Team Rocket facility dedicated to Bug-type Pokémon evolution experiments.

  Setting up shop ihe National Park, where Bug-types were plentiful, was both a genius move… and an audacious crime.

  For decades, Team Rocket had rivaled the Pokémon League, their power unfathomable to the average trainer.

  Sato vividly recalled his past life—after earning the rank of Gold Assassin, he was grahe privilege of visiting Team Rocket's headquarters to "pay respects."

  That day, he met Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, the Earth King.

  The unfathomable pressure of his presence alone had left a perma mark on Sato's soul.

  Years ter, the Pokémon League finally decred all-out war on the underground world.

  The Johto Champion, who also held the title of Kanto's Dragon-type Elite Four, took and—Lahe Dragon Master, led the League's crusade.

  The flict sted nearly a decade.

  During that time, criminal anizations across variions fell oer another:

  Hoenn's Team Magma and Team Aqua were dismantled. Sinnoh's Team Gactic was eradicated. Unova's Team Psma was crushed. Kalos' Team Fre was annihited.

  Leaders perished or vanished into obscurity.

  At first, Team Rocket suffered severe losses… But soon, they began a rapid resurgence.

  They solidated their hold over Kanto and Johto, then expanded into Hoenn, Sinnoh, and beyond.

  By the time the League had wiped out their rivals, Team Rocket had already infiltrated nearly every region, silently g the spoils of war.

  They had also cultivated a new geion of fearsome enforcers:

  The Seven-Star Hunters, The Four Executives, The Three Beastmasters, The Twin Empresses And their supreme leader—Giovanni, the Earth King.

  With a legion of subordinate anizations, no single region could stand against them alone.

  Though the League sought to unify their forces, each region had its own political agenda.

  After a long, bloody war, most territories chose to focus on rebuilding rather than joining Kanto and Johto's tinued battle against Team Rocket.

  "Kehehehe!"

  A warning ugh echoed from Haunter.

  "They're here?"

  Though his mind was deep in thought, Sato never lost sight of his true purpose.

  Haunter's Dark Energy pulsed, signaling an enemy's approach.

  Sato's eyes gleamed coldly.

  "They're ing! Haunter, Mean Look! Zoroark, Scary Face!"

  "Zoro!"

  The darkened enviro greatly enhanced Haunter's abilities. tless eyes flickered in the shadows as a yellow fox-like Pokémon suddenly materialized a short distance ahead of Sato.

  Mean Look immediately locked it in pce, preventing it from using Teleport!

  "An Akazam? Zoroark, Night Ssh!"

  "Zoro!"

  The moment the words left Sato's mouth, Zoroark had already lu Akazam. Its pitch-bck cws sshed down mercilessly!

  "Huuh!"

  A faint green energy barrier enveloped Akazam, f it to activate Protect as its first rea.

  "Keep up the pressure! Left hand—Night Ssh!"

  "Zoro!"

  Before the energy from its right cw had even dissipated, Zoroark had already raised its left hand, f another equally deadly strike, ready to nd the moment Protect wore off.

  A flicker of fear fshed through Akazam's eyes.

  'We're both foxes… Why is it so much strohan me?!'

  "Munna!"

  Suddenly, another Psychic-type Pokémon appeared. A Hypno had emerged from the darkness, its Hypnosis attack expanding outward—targeting every Pokémon otlefield!

  "Haunter, handle him! Shadow Ball!"

  "Kehehehe!"

  Haunter had already noticed Hypno hiding in the shadows. The moment Sato issued his and, an elliptical Shadow Ball had already been u full speed!

  "Muun!"

  Hypno's lifeless, fish-like eyes remained unfazed. A sudden surge of Psychiergy erupted from its body, forcibly detonating the Shadow Ball in midair!

  "Zoroark, Night Daze! Haunter, another Scary Face!"

  The earlier Hypnosis had slightly disrupted Zoroark's movements, giving Akazam a ce to escape.

  Zoroark instinctively prepared to chase but immediately stopped upon hearing Sato's and. Instead of pursuing, it smmed both fists into the ground!

  Simultaneously, Haunter executed Scary Face, its ghoulish visage magnifying grotesquely, momentarily paralyzing Akazam and Hypno with sheer terror!

  Night Daze—unleashed!

  A dark energy wave erupted from Zoroark, f a devastating shockwave that expanded outward, demolishing everything in its path.

  Anything that touched the bed energy was shattered instantly.

  Akazam and Hypno were smmed against the walls, uo resist the overwhelming force!

  When the bck mist cleared, both Akazam and Hypno had lost sciousness.

  The entire area surrounding Zoroark had pletely ged. The once-solid crete fl now looked as though it had been tilled, and abandoned office desks, chairs, and puters had all been blown against the walls, pletely deformed.

  "Keheheh…"

  Haunter peeked out from behind Sato, staring at the destructive aftermath left by Zoroark's Night Daze.

  Its usual mischievous grin had vanished—Haunter looked utterly shocked.

  Sato grihis was the power of a Signature Move.

  Zoroark had been born to wield Night Daze, mastering it instinctively from the moment it evolved!

  Without hesitation, Sato tossed two Poké Balls. Akazam and Hypno offered ahey were captured instantly.

  There was o use the Pokémon Potential Analyzer. Through Dark Energy, Sato could already tell—both had reached their natural limit at Elite Stage.

  "Psychic-types, huh? Should be worth a det sum."

  Satisfied, Sato stored the Poké Balls in his backpack.

  To better train his current Pokémon, Sato had been fog heavily on making money retly.

  Zoroark was low-maintehanks to Dark Energy blood infusions.

  But the others? Just thinking about the future Tyranitar, Spinarak, and Haunter's training expenses made his wallet cry.

  Seeing that Zoroark and Haunter were still in good dition, Sato decided to press forward without resting.

  After all, acc to Hauhere were more enemies waiting deeper inside…