"Co on… you know where. Skip ahead."
------------------
Ariana stood firm, her eyes narrowed in cold calculation.
As one of Team Rocket's four executives, she was no stranger to danger.
High-risk missions were part of her daily life.
Even in the face of a surprise ambush, her reaction was swift and precise.
With practiced efficiency, she hurled two Poké Balls into the air.
"Honchkrow! Arbok!" she commanded, her voice sharp.
Twin bursts of light exploded in front of her.
The first revealed a Honchkrow, wings spread wide, feathers gleaming in the dim light, a clear sign of its elite-level power.
Beside it, the coiled form of an Arbok hissed nacingly, muscles tense and ready to strike.
Both Pokémon radiated mid-elite-tier strength, the kind honed from years of battle experience.
But Ariana didn't have ti for detailed commands, not with the attack already crashing down on her.
"Protect !" she barked.
"Uuu-Honch!"
"Abbeee~!"
The two Pokémon moved instantly, shielding her without hesitation.
But they weren't fast enough.
Sam's Lucario had already burst forward, feet barely touching the ground as he surged ahead with blinding speed.
The gleam in its eyes was sharp, focused.
A brilliant white light shimred around its clenched fist, teor Mash.
"Luka!" Lucario roared.
In a flash, its punch smashed straight into Honchkrow's face.
The force of the blow wasn't just brute strength.
Lucario had activated ga Evolution the mont the fight began, increasing his attack power exponentially.
It wasn't just about overpowering; it was about overwhelming.
At the sa ti, a crackling burst of Dark Pulse fired from the side.
The attacker? Darkrai, or more precisely, under Darkrai's illusion.
The energy slamd into Arbok with unerring precision, sending the serpent Pokémon reeling.
It was a perfectly tid, double-pronged assault, coordinated, brutal, and decisive.
Both of Ariana's Pokémon were down before they even fully processed the threat.
Sam stepped forward, eyes fixed on Ariana, ready to give the final command.
Lucario crouched, poised to strike again.
But then, he noticed it.
A subtle flick of Ariana's wrist.
She had pulled sothing from inside her coat, a Poké Ball.
But not just any kind.
It was completely black.
Sam's expression shifted.
That wasn't a standard Poké Ball.
"Luca return!" he ordered sharply.
Lucario acknowledged, retreating in a flash, taking his place beside Sam with Darkrai shadowing close behind.
Ariana's hand tightened around the ball.
Her Pokémon had been taken out before she could do anything.
Her original plan, to keep him distracted and create a window to escape, had been shredded the mont he sent Lucario forward.
And escape was now impossible.
She glanced upward.
Even if she could summon a replacent to carry her out by air, it would never get far.
The man in front of her had a Lugia at his command.
The skies belonged to him.
Her lips tightened.
She stared at Sam, eyes cold, guarded, but beneath them… bitterness.
"A professor of ancient history…" she muttered under her breath, voice laced with disbelief.
"With Pokémon like this? And a mind that sharp? Figures."
She had underestimated him.
Grossly.
And now, backed into a corner, she had only one option left.
Bluff.
Ariana inhaled slowly.
'If this doesn't work, I'm finished.'
Without hesitation, she pressed the activation button on the dark Poké Ball.
A beam of red light burst forward, and the temperature around them spiked.
A rush of scorching heat swept across the battlefield.
Wings unfurled.
Flas licked the air.
A fire-cloaked Pokémon took shape, hovering in midair, a bird engulfed in swirling embers.
High above the battlefield, flas roared.
"Lili~!"
The cry rang out twice, shrill and powerful.
The flaming bird Pokémon soared upward in a spiral, wings trailing fire, eyes burning with unnatural aggression.
Ariana landed in a crouch several ters back, smirking with cold satisfaction.
"Hmph," she exhaled.
"Let's see how you handle this."
Sabrina, still keeping her distance, narrowed her eyes.
The flas reflected in her gaze.
"Is that… Moltres?"
Sam didn't answer right away.
His attention was fixed on the creature in the sky.
It looked like Moltres, every detail was accurate: the fiery crest, the sweeping wings ablaze, even the regal posture in flight.
But sothing didn't feel right.
Sam narrowed his eyes and activated Eye of Detection.
[Pokémon: Fearow (Temporarily assuming Moltres Form)]
[Type: Fire / Flying]
[Level: 59 Peak Elite]
[Moves: Gust, Ember, Wing Attack, Incinerate, Air Slash, Hurricane...]
[Ability: Body of Fla – Physical contact may cause burn]
[Notes: Originally a Fearow. Gene splicing with Moltres' DNA has temporarily altered its appearance and granted pseudo-legendary strength.]
Sam let out a slow breath.
"The Rockets' genetic work is impressive," he muttered.
"But thinking this fake would delay ?"
He shook his head.
"Pointless."
It was uncanny how perfect the disguise was, enough to fool even a well-trained Gym Leader like Sabrina.
From appearance alone, most trainers would be paralyzed with hesitation or outright fear—enough of a distraction for Ariana to make her escape.
But not him.
He had the system.
The truth was clear as day.
Sam turned to Lucario, who stood alert by his side.
"Luca. She's yours."
"Lu-ka!" Lucario responded firmly and dashed forward, aura sensors twitching in the air.
With Ariana's scent fresh and lingering, the Aura Pokémon could easily track her across terrain.
The pulse of her emotions, the direction of her fleeing energy, nothing would hide her from Lucario now.
Sam turned his attention back to the raging bird in the sky.
The modified Fearow, burning unnaturally bright, had grown erratic.
Its movents were twitchy, unstable.
Whatever had been done to it wasn't holding steady.
The flas surrounding its body pulsed in uneven bursts, almost like it was struggling to stay airborne.
"Darkrai," Sam called calmly, "Dark Void."
Darkrai glided forward, shadows coiling at its feet.
A chilling hiss escaped its throat as it raised one claw toward the sky.
Darkness pulsed outward.
In an instant, a swirling vortex, a Dark Void, ford beneath the fiery Fearow.
Dozens of black arms reached upward from the depths, twisting, grabbing.
Fearow, or rather, the false Moltres, let out a strangled cry.
"Lili!"
But it was too late.
The mont the void touched it, the bird's flas sputtered.
Its wings faltered.
Black mist swirled around it like chains, dragging it downward as sleep overtook its enhanced mind.
It didn't even have ti to flap before it crashed headfirst into the ground with a heavy thud.
Darkrai descended silently, landing beside the unconscious creature.
Its red eye glowed faintly in the dim light, but it made no move to finish the battle.
The target was neutralized.
Sam didn't flinch.
He stepped forward slowly, brushing dust off his coat, his gaze calm.
Just then, a familiar ding echoed in his mind.
[System Notification: Random mission completed.]
[Reward: Dark type Z Crystal has been delivered to your inventory.]
[Please check your system backpack to claim.]
Sam gave a small nod.
"Good."
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