Before long, Ariados signaled that it was ready. When Sato looked over, he saw Ariados holding up a white ball woven from Sticky Webs. The ball squirmed unnaturally.
Sato turned his gaze away and led Ariados closer to the small group. Once in position, he gave a slight nod.
Without hesitation, Ariados hurled the white web ball.
Only then did the Krookodile and Krokorok sluggishly open their eyes, confused, and look up at the object flying toward them.
'…What is that? Pfft!'
The web ball burst open with a loud splatter, releasing webs mixed with sticky mucus that cover all the Krokorok in the blink of an eye.
Then, in their rage, the Krokorok and Krookodile suddenly realized: they couldn't move.
Their feet couldn't lift, their jaws wouldn't open, their tails wouldn't budge. Even trying to shift slightly, they found themselves glued to their mates.
The web, seemingly soft, had become inescapably binding once coated with Ariados's unique mucus, pinning the entire group to the ground.
"Krph! Krph!"
The Krookodile thrashed wildly, trying to lift its foot and tail. It barely raised one before it stepped -splat- on its teammate.
Now it was stuck even tighter.
Worse yet, the mucus had sealed their mouths shut. Their roars were reduced to helpless, almost pleading whimpers.
Sato clicked his tongue. 'This "ultra-adhesive" effect from Ariados was a bit much. If Joseph saw this, he'd definitely want some to use for patchwork.'
"Gar~"
Gengar floated over to the Mission Flag, took it without hesitation, and handed it to Sato.
---
At the same time, the previously quiet outside of Vertress Cave erupted with noise.
Because everything Sato did had just been broadcast.
"Does this kid not sleep? Doesn't he know staying up late is bad for your health?"
"Shocking! A genius Trainer from HQ caught cultivating immortality at night!" A reporter snapped photos while already planning the headline for the next morning's paper.
(N: Wrong universe)
"Look, someone else is moving too! I knew they wouldn't just sit still!" A small group of die-hard spectators still gathered outside were loudly discussing the other "lone wolf" on the main screen.
They'd stayed through the night just to catch "intel" that others would miss.
And now that they had something, their voices grew louder and cockier, as if afraid others wouldn't know they were a step ahead.
Even though… not many people were paying attention.
"﹏"
In fact, if Sato happened to run into that other lone wolf, he might recognize them.
Because that lone wolf was the very same participant who had dug underground at the very beginning.
----
After securing the Mission Flag without a fight, Sato didn't linger. He quickly headed off in another direction.
The ultra-sticky mucus originated from the move Sticky Web, and would fade over time. By then, it would definitely cause quite a commotion.
'…Better to leave early.'
Soon, Ralts discovered another suspicious location. But when Sato arrived, it turned out to be just a White Flag.
Following his rule of never letting any opportunity slip by, Sato took it without hesitation, earning a small number of points.
"Keep going!" Sato said with renewed energy. His goal tonight wasn't this small haul.
Ralts's blood-red eyes flashed beneath its bangs, and the virtual map suddenly expanded once more.
"To the right…" Sato muttered as he followed the map's guidance, advancing quickly.
After passing the Nth crossroad, with Gengar dutifully taking down the tenth wild Pokémon blocking their way, Sato's eyes grew brighter.
On the virtual map, the new suspicious location was deep along a branching path; missing even one turn would send him completely off course.
Moreover, the frequency of ambushes along the way had increased drastically, which only made Sato more excited.
"Gengar, Shadow Ball, Umbreon, Dark Pulse."
Sato now had Umbreon with them -much more agile in cave environments- working alongside Gengar to eliminate enemies and speed up their advance.
About half an hour later, Sato finally reached the end of the branch path. In this relatively small cavern, a nearly three-meter-tall bronze "statue" stood motionless in the center.
Sato pressed his lips together. He immediately recognized the statue as a powerful Pokémon known as Golurk.
But why was the Mission Flag stuck on its head?
'On its head?'
Who thought of such a weird location? Weren't they afraid Golurk would get mad from the pain?
"Gengar, be careful. You go try," Sato said to seemingly empty air.
"Gar~"
A reply came from the air itself. Then Sato just stood there, silently waiting.
"Gool…"
Suddenly, Golurk moved. The strange runes on its body began to glow with earthy yellow light. Something had clearly activated and awakened it.
"Gool!"
There was no over-the-top roar or dramatic pose. Golurk simply swung its massive fist toward the air with brutal force.
A flash of violet-blue gleamed across its fist: Shadow Punch!
"Gengar!"
"Gar~"
Several Shadow Balls suddenly launched from thin air, clashing head-on with the tire-sized fist hurtling toward them.
Boom Boom Boom Boom!
A series of explosions rang out. Golurk's fist didn't show a scratch, and Gengar quickly retreated back in front of Sato.
"Low Pseudo-Elite Four…" Sato stared at Golurk with a heavy expression. He hadn't expected a single Blue Flag to be guarded by such a powerful Pokémon.
'So what about the Red Flags?'
There was no time to dwell on it. As Golurk raised its other tire-sized fist to strike again, Sato tightened his grip on the Key Stone without hesitation.
"Gengar, mega evolve!"
The multicolored light blazed brightly inside the cave, so much so that even Golurk paused its attack and shielded its eyes from the dazzling glow.
As the light faded, Mega Gengar appeared before Sato; and simultaneously appeared on the main projection screen outside Vertress Cave.
Sato's legend in Unova was about to be rewritten in this very moment!
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
"Gengar~" Even after evolving, Gengar still retained that deeply Zen-like aura. Its gold-red eyes were calm and serene, nothing like what you'd expect from a ghost.
And the third eye, with both its sclera and pupil shining gold, was the core of Mega Gengar's energy.
A Shadow Ball rapidly formed at the third eye, then spun forward, shooting directly at Golurk.
Golurk's response didn't change: still that tire-sized fist, still using Shadow Punch.
But this time, the ghostly blue energy engulfed its entire fist.
Worlds apart from the first strike.