A week had passed since Zorua's battle against Raichu.

  Instead of rushing forward, Sato ventured deeper into the forest, fog on training his Pokémon.

  After defeating a stronger oppo, Zorua's presence was beginning to ge, and Sathis as a sign of breaking into the Elite level.

  Haunter's situation was simir—having been obtai the same time as Zorua, they had traiogether from the beginning.

  Though Haunter had relied on some tricks, its strength was undeniable.

  As Sato ventured further into the forest, he noticed fewer and fewer Bug-type Pokémon.

  Instead, rare and powerful species began to appear. These solitary, strong Pokémon became his argets for battle training.

  At this moment, Haunter was fag off against a rare Marowak.

  Normally, a Ground-type Pokémon like Marowak should have been at a disadvantage against the floating Ghost-type Haunter.

  However, this particur Marowak was old and highly experienced.

  The thick bone club in its grasp moved like a fiuned on, and its Bone B was expertly trolling the battlefield, pletely suppressing Haunter's ratacks!

  As for close bat—that was out of the question. A single direct hit from that bone club could severely injure Haunter.

  "Garaa!"

  Marowak swung its boh absolute precision, its serious eyes refleg its full tration.

  Against the uable and tricky Haunter, it was giving its all—120% effort!

  "Haunter, use Shadow Punch! Attack from all sides!"

  Sato, determio adjust to the Trainer's role, refrained from joining the battle himself unless absolutely necessary.

  "Kehehehe!"

  Two detached ghostly hands hovered in midair, suddenly disappearing before reappearing on Marowak's left and right fnks—striking simultaneously!

  "Garaa!"

  At that moment, a crimson light fshed beh Marowak's skull mask.

  With a graceful backward bend, it used its bone club for support, narrowly dodging both Shadow Punch attacks by mere millimeters!

  Move identified: Fht!

  "Boom!"

  The two ghostly fists cshed midair, causing Hauo win pain from the recoil. But Marowak wasn't do.

  Using the momentum fraining its stance, a faint silver glow covered its skull as it charged forward with a devastating headbutt!

  Move identified: Iron Head!

  A Steel-type power move that had a aking the target flinch!

  "Haunter, phase out areat!"

  "Kehehe!"

  Haunter vanished into thin air with blinding speed, causing Iroo miss by a hair's breadth!

  "Garaa!"

  Marowak held out its free hand aured toward Haunter, as if mog its retreat.

  "Don't let it provoke you. Shadow Ball, full power!"

  Sato calmly reassured his slightly agitated Haunter, giving it an order that pyed right into its nature.

  "Kehehehe!"

  This time, nine fully powered Shadow Balls materialized at once—eae charged with even more power than before.

  All of them rained down toward Marowak—no amount of bone-wielding finesse could block them all!

  "Garaa!"

  Maroun its bone club, defleg many of the attacks, but some still nded, inflig real damage.

  However, despite the direct hits, Marowak stood firm, its defense pletely unbroken.

  "Haunter…"

  Haunter's Hypnosis was quietly set in motion.

  Marowak's bone club spun rapidly, but its vision remained ued.

  However, as Haunter unleashed a faint red wave, the rotating bone club seemed to amplify the effestead!

  "Gara…!"

  Marowak struggled to keep its eyes open, but as it tiaring at the spinning club, its vision grew hazier and hazier.

  The momentum from the spinning club caused it to slip from Marowak's grasp, and the old warrior colpsed onto the ground, fast asleep.

  Sato was both surprised and thrilled.

  That Hypnosis strategy had been Haunter's own idea, and Sato hadn't expected it to work so effectively—using the oppo's move against them tthen its own advantage.

  "Kehehehe!"

  Haunter was beaming with pride, its mischievous nature in full swing. Seeing an oppo much strohan itself fall into its trap, it couldn't be happier.

  "Keep moving. You celebrate after a winning streak."

  Sato g Haunter, causing the ghost to immediately suppress its arrogand obediently follow behind him.

  It was as if the forest itself had grown tired of Haunter's smugness, because at that moment, the true final boss appeared—standing in broad daylight, right in their path.

  "ROOAAARR!"

  The ground shook as a furious bell through the trees, the sheer force of the sound causing Sato's ears t painfully.

  As he quickly stepped back, pulling Haunter with him, he assessed the massive Pokémon before him.

  "A three-meter-tall Ursaring… the ruler of this forest?"

  Sato's expression tensed.

  The cept of "Totem Pokémon" had inated from the distant Alion, referring to natural-born leaders among their species—ones who towered over their kin with unparalleled strength and talent.

  Against a Totem Pokémon, charging in head-on was a foolish strategy.

  Because of their immense size, their only possible weakness eed.

  "Zorua, Scary Face!"

  "Zor!"

  Despite its instinctive fear, Zorua forced itself to hold its ground, pulling its scariest possible expression and fshing a terrifying gre at Ursaring.

  However…

  "ROOAAARR!!"

  Ursaring pletely lost it.

  If it had only wao chase away intruders before, that intimidation attempt had now e to the extreme!

  The insult of a tiny, dark-furred Pokém to scare HIM—the ruler of this forest—was absolutely unfivable!

  "That backfired badly…"

  Sato had expected the Scary Face to have little effect, but he hadn't anticipated it making things worse.

  "We'll have to back off."

  As he spoke, Sato suddenly hurled a small pink object toward Ursaring.

  A Purrloin Tail—ahat held an irresistible allure to Pokémon and guaranteed a safe escape.

  This was one of the few valuable items that Sato had taken from that dead underground hunter, and it was finally proving useful.

  Ursaring's rampaging steps halted immediately, its cwed hands instinctively snatg the item as it s curiously.

  But just as it remembered that it still had eo deal with, particurly that infuriating little fox—

  "ROOAAARR!!"

  Ursari out a frustrated bellow, venting its anger before turning away and resuming its territory patrol.

  Elsewhere, Sato was already hanging from a tree branch, silently watg the eotem Pokémon disappear from sight.

  His eyes gleamed with curiosity. Ursaring's most aggressive period was during its mating season.

  For it to attack so suddenly and violently, there was a strong possibility that it was currently in that phase.

  Doing a quick mental calcution, Sato's smirk widened slightly.

  "That means… its offspring must be nearby."

  With a clear goal in mind, Sato made his move. For the sake of the cub's grand future, it was only natural to "help" it achieve greater heights.

  Without hesitation, he began to stalk the massive bear—silently blending into the forest shadows.

  At the same time, he released Haunter from its Poké Ball.

  After all, it was a Ghost-type with aspirations of being an "Assassin Pokémon."

  Lessoealth.

  Some distance away, the Totem Ursaring finished patrolling its territory and cautiously entered a massive tree hollow—its personal den.

  Unbeknownst to it, two pairs of eyes were already watg closely from the shadows.