Chapter 396: Through the Ant Tide

At the summit of the anthill, the massive Durant let out an extremely furious roar. The sudden assault had caused devastating damage to its colony.

The key point was that, watching the flames surging from all directions, the giant Durant's eyes showed not only rage, but also a trace of fear.

But so what? Beneath the anthill lay countless young Durants and unhatched Durant eggs; they were the future and continuation of the entire colony.

Whoever tried to harm them would have to face the wrath of the entire Durant swarm.

The fear in the giant Durant's eyes vanished, leaving only the determination to fight to the death.

It lowered its body and issued a series of commands to the newly emerged Durants.

Some were ordered to organize the counterattack, others to evacuate the young Durants and eggs, and some to treat injured comrades…

Hundreds and thousands of Durants, under their leader's command, quickly restored order.

Some Durants overcame their fear of fire and used sand to smother the flames on their comrades before carrying them away.

Others only poked their heads out briefly before diving back underground. They weren't deserters, they had been assigned to evacuate the colony's future and hope.

And even more formed tightly coordinated squads, charging fearlessly into the waves of fire, storms, and seismic shockwaves.

Sand Attack, Sandstorm, Rock Tomb… every move that could help resist the fire was unleashed.

One might not be enough, but when hundreds and thousands of moves were combined, even the most terrifying flames could only be gradually suppressed until extinguished.

Watching the Durants immediately mount a highly efficient counterattack after being ambushed underground, Sato couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Groups of Durants were dispatched toward the four tunnels where Joseph and the others were. Meanwhile, the top of the anthill quickly became empty.

Although many more Durants continued to emerge, Sato knew he couldn't wait any longer.

There were simply too many Durants. No matter how effective Joseph and the others were at drawing them away, in the end, whether they could obtain the Red Flag would depend on whether he could break through the giant Durant's interception.

"Ralts, you go first…" Sato whispered a few instructions to Ralts, while also pulling out the five other Poké Balls he carried.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang!

Five streaks of red light flashed: Zoroark and the others appeared around Sato, all fully prepared for battle, just waiting for his command.

"Not yet. Gengar, block the view from the entrance. Sharpedo, Mega Evolve." Sato and Sharpedo locked eyes, and the radiant light of Mega Evolution instantly lit up the entire tunnel entrance like daytime.

However, the brilliant light was completely blocked inside the tunnel by Gengar, preventing the Durants from receiving even the slightest early warning.

The Mega Sharpedo appeared in front of Sato, its cold, gleaming white teeth sending chills deep into the soul.

"Too bad we didn't bring Houndoom, so we'll have to rely on you this time." Sato avoided Sharpedo's fangs and gently patted it.

Sharpedo nodded seriously. They had long known who their enemy would be, and naturally understood that Houndoom was the one best suited for Mega Evolution.

However, after nearly two months of sea travel, Sato had ultimately chosen not to bring Houndoom. After all, he hadn't expected they would need to face an entire Durant colony.

Still, Sharpedo wasn't without trump cards against Durant, just ones it rarely used.

"Then… let's go!"

With a wave of his arm, Sato charged straight toward the anthill, flanked by his five Pokémon.

Gengar also withdrew the spatial barrier. For now, it could only create flat-plane barriers and wasn't able to shield the whole team; otherwise, they would've long since snuck in unnoticed.

With new enemies joining the fray, the massive Durant atop the anthill immediately detected them. It quickly issued more commands, and the surrounding Durants instantly turned their heads toward Sato.

"Zoroark, Flamethrower - Ariados, Sticky Web - Gengar, Will-O-Wisp - Sharpedo, Hidden Power!" Sato gave a rapid series of commands, while Umbreon was tasked with guarding his safety.

Zoroark took the lead. Flamethrower blazed through the field, instantly knocking out more than half the approaching Durants.

Sticky Web and Will-O-Wisp followed closely behind. With their debuffs in play, even the Durants that hadn't fallen yet couldn't get anywhere near Sato.

He didn't even need to slow down, his partners blocked and cleared every enemy in his path.

The giant Durant raged atop the anthill, and even more Durants turned around and charged directly at Sato.

"Increase firepower." Telepathy echoed once more in everyone's minds. Even without seeing Ralts anywhere, it had no trouble relaying commands.

Meanwhile, the four tunnels that had slightly let up their offense also immediately ramped up the intensity.

Phoebe and the others each sent out Banette, Flygon, and Sato's Weavile, while on Mark's side, a Dusclops quietly appeared, it was clearly support from Phoebe.

With another four Pokémon joining the fight, the group of Durants that had turned to attack Sato had no choice but to halt and turn back once more.

After all, their other enemies weren't easy to handle either.

Sato didn't have time to worry about that. He had already reached the base of the anthill and was now being surrounded on all sides by a sea of Durants, packed so tightly there was barely room to set foot.

"Zoroark, Night Daze!"

"Zoroa!"

Standing at the front, Zoroark suddenly knocked back two Durants. Taking advantage of a brief pause, it pressed both hands to the ground.

Thump-thump~

A sound like a heartbeat rang out. Then, centered on Zoroark, waves of Dark-type energy surged outward, blasting the surrounding Durants two meters back.

…But that was all. Durants were still Steel-type Pokémon, and with their six legs gripping the ground, they were incredibly stable.

Gengar and Ariados seized the moment, unleashing Will-O-Wisp and Sticky Web in rapid succession. The combination trapped large swaths of Durants, leaving them completely immobilized for the time being.

Above Sato, Sharpedo hovered, continuously firing off Hidden Power. This move was the core reason Sato had chosen to Mega Evolve it.

Sharpedo's Hidden Power… was Fire-type!

The attack normally formed rings of glowing orbs that spread outward to strike foes.

But Sharpedo broke that pattern entirely, launching each glowing orb with pinpoint accuracy into the densest concentrations of charging Durants.

Each orb, boosted by Sharpedo's Pseudo-Elite Four attack stat, exploded into a localized fire blast.

Precise, efficient, and devastating.

Even without using Water-type moves, Sharpedo was able to wreak havoc in the face of the Durant onslaught.

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150 PW = Extra chap