Fire was highly effective against Victreebel, and o realized that Houndoom wasn't going down easily—and that it was in danger of beied itself—it fled without hesitation.

  Sato recalled Houndoom, deg not to pursue.

  Ambushes like this were on in Mount Silver, and there was o waste time chasing every oppo.

  However, this also meant he couldn't recklessly ride Houndoom through the forest anymore—traveling alone required stant caution and readiness for ued dangers.

  "Houndoom, return. Gengar, Ariados, I'll be ting on you!"

  Since he didn't need a mount, Grass and Bug-type Pokémon were far better suited for traversing the forest.

  Gengar sank smoothly into Sato's shadow—for it, staying in the shadows was far preferable to being inside a Poké Ball.

  With his two Pokémon, Sato tioward Luminous S.

  Along the way, he entered many wild Pokémon blog his path.

  Since he had just ehe inner region of Mount Silver, most of them were Low Elite level, making them perfect for training his team.

  After a long journey of walking and battling, it took Sato two and a half days to finally reach his first mission site—Luminous S.

  Luminous S was a murky marshnd, its surface covered in dense reeds as tall as a person.

  Beh those reeds y thick yers of mud, where an unlucky step could mean sinking pletely into the s, o escape.

  This enviro was a haven for Poison- and Water-type Pokémon.

  Large numbers of Grimer, Koffing, and Marill lurked among the reeds, waiting for the right moment to ambush unsuspeg prey.

  ----

  Sato arrived at Luminous S just as the sun was setting.

  The e glow of dusk spread across the gently swaying reeds, their shadows flickering against the trees.

  The se was stunningly beautiful.

  Finding a raised area of solid ground, Sato released all six of his Pokémon. A beautiful view like this was best eogether.

  He set up his tent quickly, built a campfire, and prepared a simple meal with hot soup.

  Around him, his Pokémon quietly ate with him as they watched the sery unfold.

  By the time night fully fell, the campfire was the only source of light, making it stand out sharply in the darkness of the s.

  Faint rustling sounds echoed around them.

  Perhaps the fire kept the wild Pokémon at bay, or maybe it was the intimidating presence of his team—either way, nothing dared approach.

  In the distahe chirping of cicadas and croaking s filled the air.

  At night, Luminous S truly came alive!

  Tiny fireflies emerged from the marsh, their greenish glow floatily in the darkness, creating a dreamlike spectacle.

  Fireflies weren't Pokémon, but their presence had made Luminous S famous.

  If not for the dangers lurkih the beauty, this pce would have been a perfect lovers' scape.

  "Ssssss—"

  "They're here!"

  Sato's ears twitched slightly—the sound of hissing tongues flig in the air was clear as day.

  Around the campfire, his Pokémon immediately tensed, subtly adjusting their stances into battle positions.

  The chirping of is and croaking s had pletely vahe only sou was the cool night breeze rustling through the reeds.

  "Cha!"

  Suddenly, a massive purple serpent lunged from behind Carvanha, its eerie belly markings transf into a ghostly face, log eyes with Sato's team!

  Gre—area effect—guaranteed paralysis!

  A moment ter, tless Arbok slithered out from the darkness, their venomous fangs gleaming coldly as they struck at his Pokémon!

  "Zor!"

  Zoroark reacted instantly. Si had kept its eyes closed from the start, it was the only one ued by Gre!

  Even Sato had momentarily been affected by the special paralysis effect, though his Dark Energy quickly purged it—leaving him a fra too slow to react.

  Night Daze exploded outward in an instant, not aiming for damage, but simply to force the enemy back!

  All the Arbok were blown backward, while the Arbok leading the ambush was sent flying into the reeds!

  Sato quickly pulled an item from his bag—a Full Heal.

  The generous Rose Joy had provided him only these, capable of removing almost any status dition instantly—a luxury item.

  Zoroark unleashed Night Daze once again, driving back the Arbok and Arbok leaders preparing to attack.

  As Sato fed Full Heals to his paralyzed Pokémon, he quickly assessed the number of enemies around him.

  His scalp tingled.

  Four Arbok leaders eaanded a separate squad, and each Arbok was surrounded by dozens of Ekans, their bodies coiling together densely.

  tless cold, reptilian eyes locked onto Sato.

  Even with his stroal fortitude, he couldn't help but feel a wave of goosebumps crawling over his skin.

  "Gengar!"

  The first Pokémon to recover was Gengar—and it was furious.

  After spending so much time cultivating patiehis was the first time ihat Gengar had been this enraged.

  Gre worked by exploiting a snake's natural cold-blooded, predatory nature, mentally overwhelming the target into paralysis.

  Uun Spore from Grass-types or electric paralysis from Electric-types, this sychological paralysis.

  Fhost-type like Gengar, this ability was its natural enemy—and the fact that it had been affected made it pletely furious!

  A rage-fueled Psychic exploded from Gengar, striking every Arbok and Ekans in range!

  Weaker Ekans immediately fainted on the spot, rolling onto their backs without resistance.

  However, because the attack was too widely spread, and the number of enemies was overwhelming, its overall effectiveness was reduced.

  "Gengar! Calm down! Focus on siargets!"

  Sato's cold, anding voiapped Gengar back to its senses.

  Turning toward its Trainer, Gengar's rage quickly dissipated. It locked onto one of the Arbok leaders and attacked without hesitation!

  Pupitar engaged another Arbok leader, ae its limited mobility, it had a clear type advantage. Against an oppo of the same rank, it felt no fear!

  Meanwhile, Houndoom and Zoroark took on the remaining two Arbok leaders.

  After the initial ambush, none of them held back—every attack was unleashed with full force!

  Ariados remained beside Sato, skillfully using Sticky Web and String Shot to restrain the Ekans swarm.

  Carvanha darted through the battlefield, weaviween the Ekans, and with each swift attack, it sent multiple flying into the air—ruthless aless!

  Ariados and Carvanha's coordination improved drastically.

  Sticky Web trapped the rger groups of Ekans, while String Shot bound any attempting to escape—just in time for Carvanha's Aqua Jet to strike them down!

  Despite their overwhelming numbers, the Ekans were pletely suppressed, uo approach within three meters of Sato!

  The four Arbok leaders were only Low Elite level. Their strength came from ambush tactid deception.

  Now that Sato's team had regaiheir footing, in a direct frontation, the Arbok had no ce to fight back!

  ----

  Over half an hour ter, all four Arbok leaders were sin, their corpses sprawled across the battlefield.

  Realizing they were no match, many of the surviving Ekans slithered away into the reeds, esg into the darkness.

  Sato retrieved the venom sad fangs from the Arbok leaders before instrug Gengar to gather all the fallen Arbok and Ekans into one pce.

  "Pupitar, bury them deep."

  Pupitar g the two-meter-tall pile of snake corpses, then silently sed the exhausted Pokémoing nearby.

  I'm a pseudo-legendary Pokémon…Why am I the one ing up the battlefield?!

  But without pint, it began shifting the soil, skillfully disposing of the remains.