Viridian City was, after all, Team Rocket's HQ. Even though Shaka wasn't one of the Admins stationed at Base A3, it took him only a moment to arrive.

And today truly lived up to the phrase "enemies are bound to meet"… Kaiser ran into his nemesis Bruno, and Sato ran into League traitor Shaka.

Of course, Shaka's memories had already been altered by Gardevoir using the Nightmare Orb, so he didn't remember that Sato and Joseph had once teamed up to "subdue" him.

Shaka walked in with a hunched posture, ignoring the sycophantic Kaiser beside him, and fixed his slightly clouded eyes on Bruno.

"Let's call it a loss today… Everything in this base belongs to the League now. But for the sake of the time we spent working together, let me take the Team Rocket members ranked Star Hunter and above."

"Absolutely not!"

Bruno rejected the request outright without a shred of hesitation. Whatever past camaraderie or mentorship may have existed, it was all nullified the moment Shaka betrayed the League.

Kaiser was just as unwilling to accept it. In his mind, if he and Shaka joined forces, they could definitely take down Bruno and the rest of the "small fry."

"Shaka, we-"

But in the next moment, Sato released his Gardevoir, cutting Kaiser off before he could finish the sentence.

Bruno also turned to look at Sato's Gardevoir. Although Sato's strength had already been proven in the Ace Tournament, every time people remembered his age, most couldn't help but feel a chill in their teeth!

"Sato, take care of Kaiser. Be careful… cornered poochyena bite hard!"

Bruno didn't hesitate further. Shaka was a true Elite Four member, definitely stronger than Kaiser, who only survived thanks to Explosion.

"Mhm." "Gardevoir."

Sato gave a casual nod and didn't issue a spoken command; everything was communicated through Telepathy.

In an instant, Gardevoir vanished with Teleport, while Zoroark remained in place, forming a [Night Daze Sphere].

The opponent wasn't even a real Elite Four level Trainer. And even if they were, Zoroark wasn't afraid at all!

Meanwhile, Gengar stood calmly at Sato's side, taking on the role of loyal bodyguard.

Of course, Gardevoir and Zoroark's coordination was already more than enough!

"Arbok, Toxic! Forretress, prepare Gyro Ball for defense!"

Kaiser was delighted to find his opponent had switched to Sato. Though he didn't underestimate him, he figured at least he wouldn't be so restricted anymore…

Arbok moved lightning fast, slithering in front of Zoroark in an instant and spraying a cloud of Toxic mist to engulf it entirely.

…But before Arbok could get too excited, a refreshing floral scent spread through the battlefield.

The Toxic mist met the pale green aroma and began to hiss violently, like it had encountered its natural enemy!

"Com~fey Comfey~!"

Beside Joseph, Comfey was spinning around joyfully, clearly pleased that its Aromatherapy was cleansing the entire field. It twirled around its Trainer excitedly.

Normally, the poison of an Arbok halfway to Elite Four level wouldn't be a joke. And yet Comfey wasn't even at Elite level; there was a huge gap in their strength.

But what could anyone do? Comfey was just that gifted.

Some Pokémon have abilities that aren't heavily affected by level or stage. Like Snorlax's appetite, Jigglypuff's singing, Farfetch'd's flavor…~ and Joseph's Comfey's "healing" power.

Not to mention, this particular Comfey likely had the Triage Ability. Any healing move it used would have a much higher priority, even more than Quick Attack.

Once Comfey fully matured, it might become nearly impossible for a Pokémon to die in its presence.

For Comfey, healing seemed like an instinctive talent, perhaps even more refined than Blissey's.

"Zoro!"

Just then, Zoroark had finished charging its [Night Daze Sphere].

Looking at the dazed Arbok before it, Zoroark didn't hesitate, slamming the [Night Daze Sphere] directly onto its head.

RUMMMMBBLLE…

The sheer power of the [Night Daze Sphere] clearly exceeded even a typical Elite Four level attack. Hit point blank, Arbok lost half its life force -HP/health- in an instant.

Of course, Zoroark wasn't looking too great either. No matter how fast it was, it couldn't avoid the blast radius of its own [Night Daze Sphere].

That explosion even caused the entire Base A3 to shake, with the lights flickering wildly across the ceiling.

That blast alone made Shaka -who had originally planned to buy time for the other Team Rocket members to escape- instantly decide…

Better to run!

"Machamp, Mind Reader! Dynamic Punch. Hitmonchan, Mind Reader, then Close Combat!"

Amid the thick smoke, Bruno's commands remained calm and measured, though he clearly anticipated Shaka's escape attempt; so he immediately had both Pokémon go all in.

But Bruno's Fighting-type Pokémon weren't particularly suited for tracking… Kaiser had escaped him before alone, and now Shaka -an Elite Four Ground-type specialist- was with him.

So when the smoke cleared, there were two holes in the ground, one big, one small.

Sato instantly made a connection: the larger one must be for Kaiser, and the smaller one likely for Shaka.

So… which one should they chase?

More importantly, were they really ready to fight a Ground-type Elite Four in an underground environment?

In the end, the only thing left spinning in place was Forretress, still maintaining Gyro Ball…

Clearly, the Dark Ball had eroded its mind, it didn't even realize its Trainer had already fled!

Gardevoir returned to Sato's side with a look like, 'I know nothing. I just went out for a walk.'

The lingering force of Zoroark's [Night Daze Sphere] inside the underground base not only solidified the enemy's will to flee… it also, unfortunately, gave them the chance to escape.

A misstep!

Sato frowned, debating whether to give chase. But Bruno had already recalled Machamp and Hitmonchan.

"Team Rocket aren't fools. If they really want to flee, we can't stop them. This mission was about rescuing your companions, and that goal has been fulfilled."

Bruno's words snapped Sato back to his senses. After his rapid leaps in power, he had indeed gotten a little cocky…

Besides, Amber's condition wasn't looking good; he needed proper treatment immediately.

Sato was just about to say it was time to return when Bruno gave him a silly yet slightly cunning grin.

"Still, thoroughly searching this base and making sure Team Rocket has no backups hidden here… and standing guard until the League takes over, that's very important t-too, ahem!"

Sato: ( 'д')...

'…Just say you want to loot the place. I'm not some rigid League bootlicker.'

"…Mark, this place is yours now. Loot everything valuable!"