Pokémon: Above the Top

Boom! Boom!

The three of them were shocked and furious that someone had suddenly ambushed Milotic. When they looked up, they saw two massive iron nets coming down straight at them.

Sato reacted the fastest, diving forward just in time to barely avoid the net, but Mark and Joseph weren't so lucky. They were pinned firmly to the ground, unable to move.

The other net captured most of their Pokémon, leaving only a few who reacted quickly enough to escape.

Because the Pokémon had all been eating together -and were then drawn to the golden Milotic- they had let their guard down, and nearly all of them were caught in one strike.

Sato only needed a glance to realize the nets were specially made; heavy, and not easily broken free from.

"Hanazaki Mori. Hanazaki Aoi," Sato said coldly, gritting his teeth as he looked up at the two figures in the sky.

The two were each seated atop a Tropius and a Skarmory. Though both wore masks and had drastically changed their body shapes...

Sato recognized them instantly… because in his previous life, when they became bounty hunters, this was exactly how they looked.

"Sceptile, Leaf Storm!"

"Meganium, Petal Dance!"

Two flashes of red light burst out, and two Peak Elite-level starter Pokémon appeared on either side of Sato, launching attacks immediately.

And right from the start, it was two powerful Grass-type moves! Clearly meant to eliminate Sato on the spot.

Boom!

Leaf Storm and Petal Dance engulfed Sato in an instant. The collision between the two moves created an even greater force, erupting into a massive explosion.

From the moment the Pokémon appeared to the attack and the explosion, it all happened in the blink of an eye. Joseph, Mark, and the Pokémon trapped under the nets were left frozen.

They didn't even have time to panic.

In the next moment, two black shadows shot out from either side, viciously slamming Sceptile and Meganium away, attacking with reckless abandon.

It was Zoroark and Weavile, who had escaped right at the beginning.

Whoosh!

A blue figure suddenly flashed through the air, blinking several times before appearing directly beneath Tropius.

Splat!

When Sharpedo stopped mid-air, its mouth and teeth were soaked in blood, bright red drops falling from its body to the ground.

Its eyes were bloodshot, its vicious face twisted with rage. It now locked its gaze on Skarmory, clearly contemplating where to bite next.

On the other side, Tropius let out a horrid scream. A massive gash had been torn across its belly, blood spraying as it collapsed toward the ground.

Mori, still on its back, was terrified and clung tightly to Tropius, praying his sister would come save him.

But Skarmory had fallen into a state of absolute fear. Its wings trembled violently with every flap… save someone? Not a chance.

Below, two more screams rang out in succession. Despite both being Peak Elite level, Meganium and Sceptile hadn't even lasted a minute before being pinned and pounded into the dirt.

Zoroark and Weavile didn't stop there. Blazing flames and frigid bone claws, just one more strike and their opponents' lives would be over.

"Cough!"

From the center of the explosion, a ragged cough suddenly echoed out, drawing everyone's attention.

Sato slowly walked out from the smoke, a stoic Gengar by his side. Its golden eyes locked onto the falling Mori, radiating pure killing intent.

"I'm fine," Sato said softly, calming everyone down slightly, though the coldness in his eyes didn't fade in the slightest.

With Gengar around, there was almost no chance of Sato being taken out in a single hit by the enemy.

No matter how powerful the combination of Petal Dance and Leaf Storm was, it didn't exceed the endurance threshold of the move Protect. So aside from being covered in a bit of dust, Sato was completely unharmed.

After capturing several Pokémon, and no longer needing Gengar to constantly be at the front line, Sato had deliberately reduced Gengar's presence in front of others.

And at crucial moments, Gengar, hidden in the shadows, was the one responsible for Sato's safety.

Just like earlier -when even Zoroark and Weavile weren't fast enough to save him- Gengar had stepped in.

In this world, Pokémon are the true protagonists. No matter what special abilities Sato possessed, from beginning to end, he had to rely on his Pokémon.

Sato was fine, but that didn't mean he was going to let those who tried to kill him off the hook.

He had assumed that after confiscating all of the Pokémon from the Hanazaki siblings, they wouldn't be able to act for a while.

But their actions this time had caught him off guard. They had acted with unexpected decisiveness and brutality, attacking without saying a word, clearly aiming to eliminate him first.

Not at all like the kind of villains who talk too much and die because of it.

"You… Why aren't you dead?!"

Hanazaki Mori trembled as he stood up. Next to him, the Tropius was barely clinging to life thanks to the strong vitality of Grass-type Pokémon, and the gash on its abdomen was already beginning to heal.

Standing beside him was an Electabuzz. It was clearly the one that had fired the lightning strike at the golden Milotic.

Pretty powerful.

"Zoroark, Weavile… finish them."

Sato had no interest in exchanging words. He simply ordered them to continue… and wipe out the enemy.

He had no fondness whatsoever for the Sceptile and Meganium that had nearly killed him. Even though both were rare and valuable Pokémon… especially now that Sceptile had been discovered to be capable of Mega Evolution, making it skyrocket in value.

But Sato had an even deeper concern: how had these siblings obtained such high-level Pokémon in the first place?

If they were given to them by the current Elite Four member Azuka, then did that mean this entire act had his approval?

If so, wouldn't it make more sense to use this as justification for taking out some bounty hunters and completely getting rid of them here?

And as for the risk of their identities being exposed, forcing Sato to hold back… how could he possibly let them reveal who they were!

"Gengar, attack him directly. Sharpedo, bring down that Skarmory!"

Electabuzz stood protectively in front of Hanazaki Mori, taking several Shadow Balls from Gengar, full of loyalty and determination.

But Gengar didn't even bother to fight it. It vanished, floated silently to Mori's face, sighed faintly, then used Hypnosis -followed by Nightmare- to mercifully let the man die in his sleep.

As for Electabuzz and Tropius, Gengar merely put them to sleep and returned to Sato's side.

Today, Sharpedo's performance had been truly outstanding; not only had it been the first to break free of the net, but for the first time, it had shown the bloody ferocity of an ocean predator.

Even with its steel-hard armor, Skarmory flinched at the sight of Sharpedo. No matter how hard Aoi tried to command it, the Skarmory was overwhelmed with fear and driven down to the ground.

"Sato, you can't kill me, I'm-" Hanazaki Aoi screamed desperately after hitting the ground, reaching up to tear off the mask on her face.

"Hypnosis! Nightmare!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Gengar was already in front of her. Using the same method, clean and efficient.