Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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As the clock approached 7 PM, the sky finally turned completely dark. The forest became eerily silent, with only the occasional rustling of disturbed grass breaking the stillness after some time.

The nighttime forest was significantly more dangerous compared to the daytime.

However, at the same time, certain things that remained unseen during the day would gradually reveal themselves during the night.

Faced with the pitch-black forest, which had suddenly taken on an eerie atmosphere, Sato did not choose to stay safely inside the treehouse.

Instead, he ventured into the forest with Golbat, Growlithe, and his Shiny Beautifly to explore.

In reality, once one's eyes adjusted to the darkness, they would discover that the forest at night wasn't as impenetrably black as it first appeared.

The moonlight from above, along with certain glowing plants and luminescent insects within the jungle, dispelled some of the overwhelming darkness.

Sato's reason for exploring the forest at night was naturally tied to his search for the five remaining Bug-type Pokémon from outside the Kanto region that he had yet to capture.

Since they were non-native Pokémon, these foreign species had to adapt to their new environment. As a result, most of them had become nocturnal, making nighttime the best opportunity to find them.

At night, the majority of wild Pokémon rarely left their nests. Even if they sensed other Pokémon roaming through their territory, they would often turn a blind eye and act as if nothing had happened.

This provided the foreign Pokémon with an opportunity to venture out in search of food.

Of course, the dangers of the nighttime forest were incomparable to those of the daytime. At night, the forest belonged to the ruthless nocturnal predators.

For instance, Ghost-type Pokémon that thrived on draining life energy would wander the woods at this hour. They created terrifying illusions to lure and ensnare unsuspecting creatures, silently reaping the lives of those who wandered into the darkness.

Within the Ursaring-infested forest at night, the brave Growlithe took the lead, walking at the front of the group. A small, flickering orange flame burned atop the white fur on his head, casting bright light and driving away the surrounding darkness.

Following behind Growlithe was Sato, with Golbat perched on his left shoulder and his Shiny Beautifly resting on top of his head.

As always, Golbat kept his eyes shut, seemingly asleep. In reality, he was continuously emitting ultrasonic waves from his mouth, carefully scanning the environment to detect any potential threats.

He remained on high alert, prepared to warn Sato of any danger at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, Shiny Beautifly's elegant wings emitted a soft, holy white glow. This gentle light illuminated a two-meter radius around them, banishing the oppressive darkness.

From a distance, the glow from Shiny Beautifly's wings formed a milky-white, spherical barrier that encased Sato and his Pokémon.

At that moment, Shiny Beautifly was using Safeguard, a move Sato had acquired at the astronomical price of 70 million PokéDollars from the underground auction in Saffron City's black market.

After winning the bid, he had immediately taught the move to Shiny Beautifly.

Ever since witnessing how Thunder Wave—a move capable of inducing paralysis—had posed a threat to Shiny Beautifly, Sato had been fixated on obtaining Safeguard, a powerful move she could learn.

With Safeguard, Shiny Beautifly became immune to any status-altering moves from opponents, significantly increasing her survivability.

In the games, this move granted the user complete immunity to status conditions unless the opponent had the Infiltrator ability. Otherwise, it effectively blocked all moves that inflicted abnormal conditions.

In reality, Safeguard manifested in this tangible, glowing barrier. The stronger the Pokémon using it, the wider its range and the longer its duration.

The nighttime forest was crawling with Ghost-type Pokémon, many of which specialized in inflicting status conditions—particularly Hypnosis.

Unlike ordinary Pokémon, which used Hypnosis through sound or movement to put opponents to sleep, Ghost-types invoked their target's deepest fears to trap them in a nightmarish trance.

With their ability to become invisible, these spectral Pokémon could ensnare their prey without them even realizing it.

Additionally, most Ghost-type Pokémon possessed numerous status-inflicting moves, such as Will-O-Wisp, Swagger, and Supersonic.

Now, as long as Sato and his Pokémon remained within the Safeguard barrier created by Shiny Beautifly, they would be immune to such status effects.

In a way, it even provided protection against Curse, the Ghost-type move that sacrificed life energy in a deadly exchange.

This move gave Sato the confidence to venture into the forest at night. Depriving Ghost-types of their ability to inflict status conditions significantly reduced the threat they posed.

After all, Ghost-types were some of the most terrifying Pokémon to encounter in the dark. Even with Golbat constantly scanning the surroundings with ultrasound, these spectral beings could still slip through undetected and launch ambushes.

And indeed, at this very moment, a Level 45 Gengar had blended into the shadows, lurking within Sato's own shadow. It planned to use this connection to drain his life energy.

Fortunately, Sato was being extremely cautious and knew the signs to look out for. He was keenly aware of subtle temperature changes around him.

Sensing something amiss, he quickly commanded Shiny Beautifly and Golbat to launch Shadow Ball at their own shadows. The sudden attack forced the lurking Gengar out into the open.

Gengar was the very Ghost-type Pokémon Sato planned to raise in the future. After carefully studying Grimoire of Dark Spirits he had gained a thorough understanding of this species' habits and had also learned how to detect an incoming Gengar attack.

According to the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, Gengar's body was connected to an unknown, freezing dimension, making it akin to a living heat sink.

Its mere presence could lower the surrounding temperature by about five degrees Celsius.

Since Gengar was the most common Ghost-type Pokémon in Kanto, and given the risks of nighttime exploration, Sato had been diligently monitoring the ambient temperature.

It was this vigilance that had alerted him to Gengar's approach.

"Hehehe~~"

Having been forced out of hiding, Gengar let out a sinister giggle before swiftly merging into the shadows of a nearby bush. From within, it manipulated the surrounding shadows to twist and claw menacingly at Sato.

In an instant, the forest around them transformed into something nightmarish—dark, distorted, and overwhelmingly eerie.

"Hmph. Gengar, don't bother with such cheap tricks. You think illusions like these can frighten me? I suggest you leave now, or else I'll make sure you regret it. Come out, Swampert! Use Earth Power to force it out, then reveal its true form with Foresight!"

Sato's eyes flashed coldly. Realizing that the old ghost wasn't planning to retreat and was still trying to use illusions to trap him in a fear-induced trance, he issued his command with deadly intent.

At his word, he released Swampert—who possessed the crucial move Foresight.

The moment Swampert appeared, his right fist glowed with a deep, earthy light. He then slammed it into the ground, activating Earth Power.

A surge of ground-type energy erupted from the earth, shaking the area within a ten-meter radius—excluding the small space where Sato and his team stood.

A sharp cry of pain rang out from the bushes behind them. Seizing the opportunity, Swampert locked onto the location and activated Foresight. His eyes gleamed with an unnatural light, instantly revealing the previously invisible Gengar.

Golbat, Shiny Beautifly, and Growlithe were already prepared. Two dark spheres of Shadow Ball and a searing pillar of fire streaked toward Gengar.

However, this Level 45 Gengar was no ordinary opponent. With an impressive individual value of 155, it had honed its shadow-based abilities to an advanced level.

Rather than take the hit, Gengar immediately dissolved into the shadows, vanishing into the underbrush and evading all attacks with ease.

Realizing that Sato and his Pokémon were not easy targets, Gengar finally decided to retreat. After being exposed by Swampert's Earth Power and Foresight, it quietly slipped away, disappearing into the darkness.