Pokémon: Above the Top

Even the six grouped together were completely overpowered by Sato's Houndoom, there was no hope for the remaining ones.

Watching their leaders fall one after another, the others were already questioning their existence.

'They were both Houndoom… so how could there be such a massive gap?'

Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~

Capture Balls hit the six Houndoom with perfect precision. None of them dared resist. All "obediently" allowed themselves to be caught.

As for the hesitant Houndour…

"Perfect timing, we just happen to need a road patrol squad. I'll leave them under your command," Sato said as he gave Houndoom a strong pat, handing over the team.

In the Pokémon world where strength reigns supreme, the Houndour had no objections. In fact, they were thrilled to have a stronger boss.

After all, their previous leader had only been captured -not killed- and once released, would still be six loyal hounds.

And as a former Houndour leader, Sato's Houndoom was no stranger to commanding a pack.

Just a second ago, it had been envying Murkrow for having "subordinates". Now, Sato had given it a squad of its own.

The feeling? Absolutely exhilarating!

With the addition of the Houndour reinforcements, Sato's sweep efficiency skyrocketed.

And from the moment he captured Houndoom, Sato knew its intelligence was quite high. It had natural talent for leading a pack.

Now that a group of "followers" had been delivered to him, Sato was more than happy to let Houndoom put its abilities to use.

Sure enough, under Houndoom's orders, the Houndour began taking down the wild Pokémon targeted for clearing, then dragging them over to Sato for capture.

When a tougher opponent appeared, Houndoom would step in personally, and it barely needed any commands from Sato to do so, as it had strong autonomy in battle.

At this point, even the pressure on Murkrow and its flock eased significantly. With Houndour on the ground, they only needed to scout and occasionally assist from the air.

'A Sweep Operation that only requires me to throw Balls? This is no pressure at all,' Sato mused as he strolled along.

The entire morning, Sato really did look like a Trainer on a long scenic hike; except he was clearing his path with terrifying efficiency.

At a regular Trainer's pace, walking this public road would take a week, five days of which would be spent in the Forest of Shadows.

But at Sato's current rate, he might clear the entire route in just three days.

However, it seemed even Arceus couldn't stand watching Sato slacking off in broad daylight and decided to spice things up a bit.

In the shade along the roadside, Sato stopped for a short rest and had some lunch.

Halfway through his meal, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Cracks opened up across the terrain.

Though the Houndour quickly steadied themselves, the Ground-type threat still hit them hard due to type disadvantage.

"Gen~"

Gengar phased up from the ground. It had also been slightly affected, but had managed to locate the source of the disturbance.

"Steelix? A wild Steelix in the Forest of Shadows?" Sato was stunned. According to Gengar, the Pokémon wreaking havoc underground was one that's extremely rare in the wild.

Currently, trade-based evolution hadn't become widespread knowledge. Pokémon like Alakazam, Gengar, Steelix, and Machamp had to train and push their limits for ages before reaching their final forms.

And Steelix's evolution, under normal rules, required not only a trade but also holding a Metal Coat.

Otherwise, it would have had to tunnel deep underground and consume iron ore to temper its body, slowly accumulating power over time to evolve on its own.

Steelix born through the latter method might not be incredibly powerful overall, but their energy control was unbelievably precise.

"A real heavyweight, huh… Gengar, lure it out and be careful! Murkrow, help the Houndour retreat into the trees. Houndoom, take command," Sato issued rapid orders while climbing up a tall tree himself.

With an average of two Murkrow per Houndour, they easily lifted them up. Under Houndoom's calming influence, the Houndour didn't resist at all, the process went smoothly.

Meanwhile, the tremors on the ground hadn't stopped. Sato couldn't see the battle, so all he could do was wait patiently for Gengar to bring the opponent into view.

As a Pokémon's power grows and the battle pace quickens, it becomes harder and harder for Trainers to issue precise "micro-commands".

That's why in high-level battles, a Pokémon's autonomous combat ability becomes crucial.

At such levels, Trainers often only provide tactical guidance, point out weaknesses, or issue a couple of key commands at critical moments.

Just like now, Sato could only rely on Gengar. He was in no position to provide any assistance.

The tremors grew more violent, and Sato had to hug the trunk tightly just to keep from falling.

Suddenly, Gengar shot out of the ground. A massive hole burst open beneath it, and a head the size of a car followed right behind.

"Gengar, multiple Shadow Balls. Houndoom, Fire Blast. Murkrow, Heat Wave!"

Sato didn't care about fairness. It was just a temporary capture anyway.

The three Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously.

And so quickly that Steelix didn't even have time to react.

"STEEEEEL!"

Steelix let out a wretched cry. Its first instinct under the assault was to escape, there was no desire to fight.

"You're not getting away. Mean Look!"

Gengar pressed its palms together and blinked its golden eyes. In a flash, golden eyes filled the space around Steelix, staring it down, unblinking.

At this point, calling it "Mean Look" wasn't even accurate. "Golden Gaze" might be more fitting.

"Steeel!" Steelix thrashed its giant head, trying to shake off the sea of golden eyes.

But the eyes didn't vanish, and the second wave of attacks was already crashing down.

The Fire-type moves turned Steelix's entire body red-hot, as if it were being forged in extreme heat. If it couldn't endure it, it might melt.

Realizing escape was impossible, Steelix stopped caring where its enemies were and simply lashed out in all directions, relying solely on its enormous nine-meter-long body.

Houndoom and the others dodged easily… but the trees around them weren't so lucky.

As the trees came crashing down, the Houndour in them stared in terror, then fell one by one to the ground with heavy thuds.

Steelix's vision might've been poor, but its hearing was top-notch.

Upon hearing the unmistakable sound of bodies hitting the ground, it didn't hesitate. It charged straight in with Double-Edge.

There was no way a Houndour without even Elite level strength could dodge an enraged Steelix's wild charge. The blow could be lethal.

"Awoo!"

Just as the Houndour was about to be smashed, Houndoom threw itself in front of it.

Protect formed a shield of energy, and the terrifying Double-Edge struck right on cue!

BOOOOOOOOM-

…nnn~nnngh nnngh~

Ting!

…Capture successful.