Unlike the sudden appearances of Raikou and Entei, Suicune's entrance was the very definition of "grandeur".
Let's not forget… Sato was still standing in a tree, and yet Suicune walked toward him step by step as if on flat ground.
It felt as though the entire area had already been transformed into Suicune's personal domain.
Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon, had the appearance of a blue, solitary wolf. Atop its head was a gem-like hexagonal crest, followed by flowing purple mane-like hair, and two ribbon-like tails that curved backward, spiraling at its sides.
In short, its aura was "otherworldly", and its looks were top tier!
"So you're here." Sato greeted Suicune, but it only stared at him intently.
Sato twitched his ears but couldn't hear any buzzing insects or birdcalls. Don't forget, they were still in the Pidgeotto territory.
'Are we not in the forest?' Alarms went off in Sato's head. He had no idea what kind of trick Suicune was pulling.
To make things worse, he just happened to not have brought Ralts today.
What were the chances!
The next second, Suicune moved.
It took just two light steps forward, then sped up again, and was suddenly right in front of Sato.
Its two ribbon-like tails whipped toward him fiercely. Sato quickly released Zoroark, blocking one of them.
At the same time, Murkrow intercepted the other tail… only to be instantly sent flying. Still, it managed to shield Sato from the blow.
Even though those two strikes didn't even count as proper moves, attacks from the "Legendary Pokémon" Suicune weren't something Sato could casually block.
Just look at Murkrow, it was staggering, barely able to stay in the air after taking just one hit.
Suicune let out a soft cry. Its voice was gentle and clear, but Sato instinctively understood its meaning.
'A human who only stands behind his Pokémon?'
"Hmph, as you wish!" Sato chuckled, beginning to realize the nature of this trial.
"Zoroark, Night Slash." Sato issued the command, then recalled Murkrow back into its Poké Ball.
In a battle of this level, Murkrow wasn't quite ready. It was better to let it rest and conserve energy.
At the same time, Sato activated the Dark Energy within his body and charged forward.
"I'm a Trainer but… rather than hiding behind and giving orders, I prefer to fight side by side with them!"
[Dark Energy: Empowered Strike] Sato's whole body was wrapped in thick Dark Energy, especially his hands and feet, where it was nearly dense enough to become tangible!
Suicune's gaze remained calm. As Zoroark attacked, it dodged with minimal effort, as if it cost nothing at all.
A purple ghostly light suddenly burst from beneath Suicune's feet, forming rings around its body. For a moment, it was frozen, unable to move.
Sato's Dark Energy-infused punch landed as well!
The next second, Disable wore off. Suicune lunged forward powerfully, repelling Sato, Zoroark, and even Gengar, who had been hiding nearby. Then it lowered its head to glance at the two small wounds on its chest.
"If it's not enough, then we'll keep going."
Gengar didn't hold back anymore either. It emerged from the ground and joined forces with Zoroark and Sato to surround and assault Suicune.
Sato clearly saw that the moment Gengar appeared, Suicune's gaze locked precisely onto it for a full second.
Immediately, Sato thought of the old Sage in Bell Tower, the source of today's events was that Rainbow Feather.
After two years of study and contemplation, Sato could not only use Dark Energy directly in battle but had also developed the fifth extension ability: Empowered Strike.
At the same time, his body was constantly being nourished and strengthened by Dark Energy, and the intensity of this strengthening had been at its peak since the beginning, matching the pinnacle of his previous life.
So, during the joint assault on Suicune, Sato wasn't dead weight. His attacks infused with Dark Energy could also cause Suicune real harm.
Facing the combined attacks of one human and two Pokémon, Suicune could no longer remain as relaxed as before. But Sato also knew it wasn't suitable to send out any more Pokémon.
Suicune's body wasn't that large, and the space available for attacking was limited. More Pokémon would only get in each other's way.
More importantly, Suicune wasn't even fighting seriously!
From start to finish, Suicune had been dodging when it could, only using its ribbon-like tails to counter when necessary; but every counterattack forced Sato and his team to respond with everything they had.
As the stalemate dragged on, Sato began to feel a growing sense of urgency. He hadn't planned to use Energy Amplification, but there seemed to be no better way to break the deadlock.
He suddenly jumped back two steps, momentarily withdrawing from the fray, and grabbed the Key Stone at his chest with his right hand.
"Dark Energy: Energy-"
Suicune suddenly leapt into the air, letting out a mighty roar. The Legendary Pokémon's pressure burst forth like a wave. Sato's body buckled, he couldn't activate his Dark Energy at all.
"Is that all you've got? When you can't win, you resort to outside power?"
Suicune landed softly, its amber eyes fixed calmly on Sato the whole time. Not mocking, but even more cutting than mockery.
"Outside power? What do you mean by that? Isn't the power Ho-Oh granted you also an 'outside power'?" Sato grinned. He wasn't some gullible child who'd be shaken by a few words.
…And at the very moment he finished speaking, Sato could clearly see an unmistakable flicker of emotion in Suicune's eyes for the first time ever.
"My power is mine to use. Rather than rejecting it, I choose to control it!" Sato continued, launching a "mental offensive" instead.
After all, there was a real risk that trying to use Dark Energy again would be interrupted. If he couldn't win by force, persuading Suicune without bloodshed was fine too.
At that moment, Zoroark and Gengar returned to Sato's side. Both stared firmly at Suicune, ready to resume fighting at any moment.
"Control it? But your control doesn't seem all that refined."
Suicune stood still, seemingly pondering Sato's words, while its eyes conveyed doubt.
"If you hadn't interrupted me just now, maybe you would've seen how well I could control it."
Sato curled his lip. He had thought this would be just like dealing with Raikou and Entei: a good fight and that'd be it. But now, with Suicune, things had turned out so much more complicated.
Or maybe, this was only fitting for the last one to come test him?
A long silence followed. Only when the doubt finally faded from Suicune's eyes did it nod at Sato.
"Come with me. I'll take you to see the master."
Sato's heart skipped a beat. The master Suicune spoke of… 'was that… Ho-Oh?'
Could he really meet it?
But Suicune didn't care what Sato was thinking. It turned and walked away without another word.
Sato called out Houndoom and leapt onto its back, closely following Suicune. Now that things had come this far, no matter what, he had to see this through.
'Surely… those old bald "sages" in Bell Tower weren't going to send people to Ho-Oh every year just to vent its anger, right?'