Sato hadn't expected that just by sitting in the lobby for a short while, he would end up picking up a pretty good task.
If what Ranger Haruna said was true, then a Peak Elite Claydol would be an ideal opponent for Ariados.
And that Claydol even had three slightly weaker subordinates. If those three were split among the Pokémon Sato wanted to train, there might not be enough to go around.
Early the next morning, Haruna knocked on their door with the air of someone already fully prepared.
The night before, Joseph and Mark naturally found out what Sato was up to. Joseph didn't show much interest, but Mark managed to convince Sato to take him along after pestering him nonstop.
"This must be Miss Haruna, right? I'm Mark, Sato's good friend. I'll be joining you today, nice to meet you ¹."
Surprisingly, Mark had actually tidied himself up a bit. Although he still had that messy bird's nest hair, he looked far less sloppy now… his hair was naturally stiff and curly after all.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Mark~" Haruna smiled and pinched Mark's cheek…
Direct hit!
"O-Okay, Miss Haruna…" Mark turned red from her teasing and responded quietly with his head down.
"Let's get going." Sato stepped out at that moment, giving the two of them a speechless glance before leading the way.
"Sato, wait for us!" Mark forgot his embarrassment and quickly followed.
Haruna didn't say anything. She'd wanted to deal with the Claydol problem for a while now, and with a free enforcer around, she was more than happy.
---
Roughly ten minutes from the Pokémon Center, the three arrived at the forest entrance.
"Swellow, we'll be counting on you~"
"Swe!"
Haruna sent out her Pokémon, a brilliantly feathered Swellow.
Swellow circled in the air once, then led the group deeper into the forest.
Sato released Ariados as well, while Mark still used his ever-reliable Arbok.
The forest entrance connected to the road between the east and west ports. And thanks to Haruna's role as a Ranger, she was very familiar with the terrain.
So within just a few minutes, the three veered off the main path, heading in a straight line along the most direct route to find Claydol.
After another hour or so, the main road reappeared in front of them, but this section had already collapsed heavily, completely impassable for vehicles.
Haruna then unfolded a map, where cartoon drawings of Claydol and its three subordinates were vividly illustrated.
"Tropius, Grumpig, and Medicham's territories surround Claydol's. My suggestion is to take them down one by one. The easiest should be Tropius, we can start from here," Haruna said seriously, pointing at a location on the map.
Sato looked at the map and noticed that Tropius's territory was actually the farthest from their current position. If they wanted to break through from there, they'd have to take a detour.
It was a bit of a hassle.
"Why don't we just charge straight in? We have to fight them anyway," Mark said casually, scratching his bird's nest hair.
Haruna was about to retort, but then saw Sato nod seriously.
"Wait, we can't be so reckless. Both Medicham and Grumpig are Peak Elite level, and they're Psychic-types..."
"The higher the level, the better. Otherwise what's the point? Don't you agree, boss?" Mark said, playing the loyal sidekick.
"Yeah, lead the way. Let's just head straight in," Sato said without hesitation.
Haruna let out an exasperated laugh but thought of how highly big sis Joy had spoken of Sato. Gritting her teeth, she turned and led them straight toward Medicham's territory, which was very close to Grumpig's as well.
"Hey! What's this?" Mark suddenly walked up to a large tree and looked at the indentations on its trunk, each one slightly scorched.
Bang bang… Bang… Bang bang bang…
Before Sato could make out the marks on the tree, he faintly heard intermittent striking sounds.
"Forget that for now, let's check over there." Sato patted Mark and walked straight toward the source of the sound.
Pushing aside the bushes, Sato finally saw the source of the noise.
It was a Medicham, currently pounding on the tree with Thunder Punch.
"Med!"
Suddenly, Medicham glanced sharply toward Sato's direction, then immediately hurled a Shadow Ball without hesitation.
No command needed, Ariados sprang forward and launched a Shadow Ball of its own.
The two Shadow Balls collided and exploded violently. Taking advantage of the obscured view, Ariados scurried up a nearby tree and began reshaping the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Sato led the other two to reposition themselves, preparing for a sudden assault from Medicham.
And sure enough, the aggressive Medicham dashed into the smoke within two seconds of their movement. Its fists sparked with electricity as it wildly attacked the area.
"Ariados, Sticky Web."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three torpedo-shaped Sticky Web bombs shot into the smoke in a triangle pattern. Instinctively, Medicham rushed outward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bombs exploded into three massive, pure-white silk webs, blanketing the entire smoke cloud.
"Ariados, Toxic."
"Screee!"
Ariados zipped along the web it had spun and, faster than the eye could follow, spat out a stream of Toxic directly into the lingering smoke.
"M-MEEED!"
Medicham's agonized cry rang out. Ariados was about to press the attack when several silver gems shot toward it, forcing it into a flustered retreat, no way to continue the assault.
"That's Grumpig's Power Gem!" Haruna shouted, but her tone held no panic at all.
Ariados's terrifying speed when weaving between trees was beyond her comprehension. And that Sticky Web bomb? She'd never even heard of such a move. 'Who knew Sticky Web could be used like this?'
So even with Grumpig arriving, Haruna didn't feel nervous at all. Ariados's overwhelming ability to battle above its rank filled her with awe.
However, just as Haruna thought Sato would handle both opponents solo, he suddenly waved at his... 'What was it- bird's nest head partner?'
"Heh, Arbok, Glare!" Mark jumped into the battle eagerly. With a single Glare, he blocked Grumpig from continuing its charge.
Just then, Medicham broke free from the layered webs. Sato looked over in surprise and saw the panting Medicham with both fists engulfed in roaring flames.
Fire Punch!
'What a clever Medicham.'
"MEEDICHAM!" Medicham roared, flames still burning on its fists. With a forceful push from its legs, it leapt straight to Ariados in a flash, its explosive power was impressive.
"Ariados~"
At that moment, the correct move for Ariados would have been Protect. But as it saw Medicham rushing in close, it had only one thought: counter attack.
.
.
.
¹.Daamn! Bro's talking without exclamation marks for the first time in like 100 chapters… who even are you right now?