Pokémon: Above the Top

Sato stopped wasting words the moment Shiny Arbok's attitude shifted—he immediately commanded Gengar to attack!

"Use Psychic!"

Gengar's golden eyes flashed with bright blue light, and a powerful wave of Psychic energy surged toward the Shiny Arbok.

However—the Shiny Arbok remained completely still. Even with Psychic attacks directly hitting it, they seemed to have no effect at all!

"Gengar, Shadow Ball barrage!"

Sato's mind raced with possibilities—how was Arbok shrugging off a move that completely countered it?

Ten Shadow Balls streaked through the air in random, unpredictable arcs, crashing onto Arbok's body—still ineffective!

Sato carefully observed—whether it was Psychic or Shadow Ball, they seemed to slide off Arbok's body like water on a slick surface. It was as if the attacks simply couldn't stick!

Meanwhile, Arbok remained motionless, watching Gengar and Sato coldly, as if it were mocking them.

"I told you—you cannot escape."

The telepathic voice echoed once again, making Sato frown deeply.

Why was Arbok so insistent on this idea? He refused to accept this so easily!

"Gengar, stay alert—fall back!"

Gengar floated backward, eyes locked onto Belle, ready to counter any sudden movement.

"Why run? Wouldn't it be better to stay?"

Belle's ruby eyes glowed eerily red, and suddenly—the entire cavern trembled slightly.

"An earthquake? No… it's Pokémon!"

Sato instinctively pressed his back against the wall. The Luminous Pokémon around him began closing in!

"Squeak!"

A Luminous Sandshrew was the first to attack, its glowing green eyes devoid of fear!

But it was only a Mid Ordinary Sandshrew. How could it possibly have the confidence to attack a Mid Elite Gengar?!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A storm of Shadow Balls filled the air!

Though they had no effect on the Shiny Arbok, they were extremely powerful against the luminous Pokémon!

Each Shadow Ball instantly knocked out a non-Elite Pokémon, allowing Gengar to cut them down at an incredible speed!

Ten minutes later—Gengar moved between the hordes of luminous Pokémon, but it could no longer afford to keep using Shadow Ball continuously!

The enemies were endless! They kept coming and coming, as if they would never stop!

'No, something is wrong with these Luminous Pokémon!'

Sato had already sent out Ariados and Pupitar—for horde battles, they were far more effective than Zoroark!

Ariados used Sticky Web to trap enemies, while Pupitar's Rock Slide specifically targeted weak points, making their teamwork highly efficient.

But why—why were there so many Luminous Pokémon?!

Sato swiftly countered a surprise attack, slashing at a Murkrow mid-dive with his dagger, all while thinking rapidly.

When he first arrived, there had only been a handful of Luminous Pokémon.

Suddenly, Sato's gaze snapped toward Arbok—it hadn't moved an inch. Yet its eyes were still glowing red—even brighter than before!

'So Arbok is controlling them… If I want to put an end to this, I'll have to defeat Belle first!'

No matter what, he had to try—if ranged attacks didn't work, then he'd go for close combat!

"Zoroark, use Sucker Punch!"

Without hesitation, Sato threw Zoroark's Poké Ball—it burst open right in front of Arbok!

A fierce aura of Dark energy surrounded Zoroark's hardened claws, as it swung straight at the golden-silver markings on Arbok's belly!

Those markings—they were Arbok's greatest mystery, but also its weakest point!

Arbok finally moved—its speed was astonishing! With a sudden recoil, it coiled its body back—then lunged forward, aiming to sink its fangs into Zoroark!

A putrid stench filled the air.

Even from this distance, Sato felt a wave of dizziness, though his Dark Energy quickly flushed it out, allowing him to recover.

Not far away, the Shiny Arbok opened its mouth—its two curved fangs were dripping with pitch-black venom!

The foul odor was coming from that poison!

"Use Protect, now!"

Buzzz-

Arbok's slender body coiled tightly around Zoroark's protective barrier—the moment its poisonous fangs touched the shield, white smoke hissed into the air, accompanied by a corrosive sizzling sound!

Such potent venom! It was so strong that it could even erode a Protect barrier!

"Zoroark, use Night Daze to break free!"

Sato's command was firm, and at the same time, he sharply noticed something—the Luminous Pokémon surrounding them hesitated ever so slightly in their movements!

Arbok was definitely controlling them!

"Zoroaark!"

Protect transitioned seamlessly into Night Daze—a burst of pitch-black energy erupted from Zoroark's body, expanding outward with explosive force, shattering the fading Protect barrier and forcing Arbok off!

If Night Daze weren't a signature move, such instantaneous execution would have been impossible—if Arbok had bitten down, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

Long-range attacks were useless. Close combat was too dangerous, as Arbok combined blazing speed with lethal poison—this snake was far more difficult than Sato had anticipated!

Arbok was now on the offensive. Even after being blasted away, Night Daze hadn't harmed it at all.

It slithered across the ground at terrifying speed, closing in on Zoroark almost instantly—this time, it launched a Sludge Bomb!

"Dodge with Agility!"

Zoroark's body blurred, creating afterimages as it narrowly evaded the attack.

The Sludge Bomb exploded upon impact, releasing a black-purple toxin that splattered everywhere—the air instantly filled with traces of poison!

Sato had already put on a mask, yet he still inhaled a small amount—a piercing headache shot through his skull, pain throbbing violently!

The toxicity was terrifying—Sato knew he couldn't take this lightly any longer. He fully activated his Dark Energy, coating his entire body in black mist.

This was his first time unleashing his Dark Energy at full force—from a distance, he looked like a figure cloaked in shadows!

Arbok froze in place, eyes widening in shock as it stared at Sato. For the first time, fear flickered in its gaze.

Its tongue flicked rapidly, hissing nonstop.

"What… what are you? Are you truly human? Why do you possess the power of Pokémon?!"

"The power of Pokémon?" Sato was momentarily stunned.

Dark Energy abilities and Dark-type moves were similar yet distinct—at the very least, Sato couldn't use actual Dark-type moves.

And the abilities he unleashed through Dark Energy weren't something any Pokémon had ever used before.

Zoroark and Pupitar were beginning to breathe heavily—the airborne poison was affecting them badly.

Sato had no choice but to recall Zoroark.

At this moment, he felt a strange sense of relief—he had two Poison-type Pokémon with him!

While the poison in the air was lethal, its concentration was still low, meaning it had little effect on Gengar and Ariados.

The two stood protectively at Sato's sides. Though they had never seen Sato like this before, they could still recognize his familiar scent.

"You fear my power."

Sato took a step forward—Ariados and Gengar moved in sync. Across from them, Arbok instinctively retreated a step!

A brief flicker of surprise flashed through Sato's eyes.