Chapter 108: Traces of a Legendary Pokémon
"Whoosh!"
A sharp flaming rock struck Gengar, who had just finished casting Curse, knocking it out instantly!
Sato quickly recalled Gengar into its Poké Ball and was about to send out Pupitar when Will and White arrived, both releasing their Pokémon for support!
Sato hesitated, his remaining Pokémon wouldn't be very effective in this battle. For now, he held back.
Will's strength was nearly on par with Lance's, and the moment he sent out Alakazam and Exeggutor, the pressure on the team lessened significantly.
White rushed to Rose's side, assisting in treating Clair's injury.
Sato only had Zoroark assisting from the sidelines, which should have made things relatively easy.
However, Zoroark was still Low Elite, and any attack from the giant Magcargo could take it out instantly.
As a result, Zoroark had no choice but to dodge carefully, avoiding every devastating attack, while doing its best to provide some level of distraction.
The frustration and helplessness weren't just felt by Zoroark, even Sato himself was feeling it.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Sato felt a surge of Dark Energy within him, as if something was strongly attracting it.
The Dark Energy reacted with overwhelming excitement! A breakthrough!
Zoroark's aura fluctuated wildly, its strength rising and falling erratically.
But soon, it began to stabilize and when it did, Zoroark had officially advanced to Mid Elite!
The constant battles and the sheer powerlessness against the giant Magcargo had finally forced out Zoroark's accumulated energy, pushing it to the next level!
"Zoroark!"
Zoroark let out a powerful roar, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
It knelt down on one knee, placing its right hand against the ground.
Night Daze!
A massive sphere of darkness erupted from Zoroark's center, rapidly expanding, clearing everything around it!
And the giant Magcargo, completely unaffected until now, was finally engulfed within Night Daze!
From within the darkness, several blinding flashes of light erupted, then, a massive explosion!
The intensity of the light forced everyone to shield their eyes.
By the time it faded, the entire battlefield looked as if it had been steamrolled, completely leveled, not even a speck of dust left!
Zoroark, now at Mid Elite, stared directly at the Pseudo-Elite Four Magcargo, without fear!
Sato silently observed the newly enhanced Night Daze, the true power of a signature move came from how perfectly it aligned with its species.
Even back when Zoroark first used Night Daze in the underground research facility, its destructive potential had already been astonishing, far beyond what a Low Elite Pokémon should have been capable of!
But this time, "Coughma… coughma!"
Magcargo suddenly let out a few raspy coughs, shaking its head weakly. Clearly, even it couldn't ignore the power of Night Daze!
However, Sato knew from the way Zoroark was gasping for breath that this attack had taken a heavy toll.
Magcargo's assault slowed slightly, and Lance and Will didn't hesitate to launch an all-out counterattack!
As the smoke cleared, the giant Magcargo remained standing, even its rocky shell showed no visible damage. Instead, it simply stared at them with a mocking glint in its eyes.
"Something's off, look closely at its shell!"
Sato narrowed his eyes.
On Magcargo's back, a small section of its shell was slowly regenerating, seamlessly blending back to its original form!
It was injured, but its regeneration was so fast that the wounds weren't even visible!
"Maghhh! Maghhh!"
Realizing its secret had been exposed, Magcargo suddenly puffed out its chest.
A red glow erupted from its entire body, releasing an intense heatwave, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed within seconds!
The ground shook violently, boulders collapsed, the extinct volcano rumbled ominously.
At the mountaintop, thick black smoke began rising into the sky! The volcano was about to erupt!
"Retreat! Get out of here, now!"
Lance shouted urgently, immediately releasing Altaria and his second Dragonair, recalling the exhausted Gyarados!
"Xatu, we need you!"
Will called out his Flying-type mount!
White and the others had already sensed the danger, but before they could react, Lance's Altaria and Dragonair had swooped down in front of them!
White lifted Clair onto Altaria's soft, cotton-like back, then helped Rose up as well.
Once Altaria took off, White quickly climbed onto Dragonair.
Sato was also covered, Lance had sent his second Dragonair for him, allowing it to carry him into the sky!
Once all six were airborne, Lance, riding Charizard ,led them as they raced down the mountain!
Billowing black smoke engulfed the sky, aside from Clair, who was unconscious, everyone could feel the searing heat behind them.
It felt as though, at any moment, molten lava would come bursting toward them!
Faster-faster-faster!
Sato clung to Dragonair's body like an octopus, terrified that he might be thrown off at any moment!
The entire escape lasted barely one or two minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Only when the scorching heat behind them lessened did the Flying Pokémon gradually slow down.
Sato glanced back, yet, despite the volcano appearing ready to erupt, it seemed to have only released a bit of thick smoke?
Suddenly, a red figure flashed through the smoke at the crater's edge, then leapt into the lava, vanishing in an instant.
"Roar!"
A majestic, royal-like roar erupted from within the volcano, causing the wild Pokémon, who had also been fleeing, to stop in their tracks.
Slowly, they began returning, as if no longer worried about an eruption.
The group landed, still shaken, as they gazed at the smoke-filled volcano.
"That figure…"
"You saw it too?" Sato turned toward White, who had spoken.
"A Legendary Pokémon... Entei!" Lance's tone was firm, but there was also a hint of excitement in his voice.
A Legendary Pokémon… right in front of them!
However, despite the possibility of a Legendary being nearby, no one was foolish enough to suggest going back.
Not only were the Pokémon exhausted from fleeing for their lives, but even the trainers themselves were feeling worn out, sore, and completely drained.
----
Hastily, they found an open area to set up camp for the night.
Clair's wound was quickly treated by Rose Joy, the rock from Magcargo move had left a ten-centimeter-long cut across her shoulder.
Fortunately, the rock had only grazed the surface, so the injury wasn't deep.
The bigger issues were the burns and the fragments of stone and ash embedded in the wound.
However, with Rose's medical expertise, Clair received proper treatment in time, not even a scar would remain.
For the first time, White had no energy to cook.
He simply heated up whatever food they had, and the group ate quickly, barely tasting anything, before turning in for the night.
That night, Rose and Sato's Houndoom took the night watch.
Not only to watch over the injured Clair, but also to ensure the main fighters could recover properly.