Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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When Sato saw Ranka choose to flee, his expression darkened. But in the end, he decided not to pursue him and instead quickly led Swampert and Bellossom toward the area where Ursaring and Heracross were currently located.

The reason Sato didn't choose to chase after Ranka was actually quite simple:

First, at the moment, he didn't have a single Pokémon fast enough to match the speed of the six-times-boosted Yanmega—let alone one that could effectively stop it. Under such circumstances, trying to catch up to Ranka would be nearly impossible.

Besides, most of his current Pokémon were severely injured. If Ranka were to lure him into some deadly trap in a desperate bid to go down with him, he might very well fall for it and die along with him.

Sato was a cautious man. He wasn't about to make such a reckless trade. His plan had already reached a high degree of completion—there was no need to risk his life to finish off Ranka.

The second reason—and the most important one—was that Sato had already taken down Ranka's Aggron and Zweilous, effectively crippling him. From this point forward, he no longer posed any real threat to him.

Whether it was Aggron or Zweilous, Ranka had undoubtedly poured immense effort and resources into raising those two Pokémon. The amount he had invested was unimaginable—and now, both had been destroyed by Sato.

Especially the Mega Stone on Aggron—its loss was a significant blow. Without that rare item, he could no longer harness the power of Mega Evolution, weakening his overall strength by at least thirty percent.

This battle had essentially reset Ranka to square one. His total combat power was at least halved. Without two to three years of rebuilding his team and some major stroke of fortune, there was no way he could return to his peak.

And by that time, Sato was confident he would've long surpassed him, leaving him far behind.

In truth, Sato was even a bit relieved that Ranka had escaped. If he had actually killed him on the island, it was very likely that Athena—a major Team Rocket faction leader—would have held a grudge against him.

Although Sato had Giovanni backing him, being targeted by a high-ranking faction leader was no laughing matter.

After all, Giovanni wasn't his father. He couldn't protect him every minute of the day. If Athena really wanted him gone, a single word from her would send countless Rocket operatives, eager to earn her favor, to cause him trouble.

But things had turned out well. Sato hadn't killed Ranka—he'd only defeated his ace Pokémon.

From a rules and reasoning standpoint, this was within the bounds of a legitimate match. Athena wouldn't have any grounds to come after him.

If he had killed Ranka, Athena could've used the excuse of avenging her beloved subordinate to make a move—an excuse that many in the organization might accept.

But now? Ranka wasn't dead. He had simply lost his trump cards due to inferior skill. No matter what, Athena wouldn't dare to go to war over something like that.

Team Rocket was a group ruled by the law of the jungle. Power was everything. As a Rocket elder, Athena knew this better than anyone.

Since Ranka had been outmatched, then a loss was a loss. There was nothing more to say.

Even if he had died, Athena might have resented Sato for killing someone she raised—but she would never pity Ranka. If anything, she'd see him as a useless failure.

Besides, now that Ranka had lost both Aggron and Zweilous, Sato was sure that even if he managed to leave the Mysterious Island alive, his days in Team Rocket were numbered.

Ranka was the kind of person who took what he wanted by force. Sato was certain he'd made many enemies along the way. If it weren't for his own strength and Athena's backing, he probably would've died countless times already.

Now his power was crippled, and he no longer had Mega Evolution. Athena would undoubtedly stop giving him the special treatment he once enjoyed.

When that happened, even if Sato didn't lift a finger, those who had suffered under Ranka's abuse would come after him on their own.

While Sato was clearing the battlefield and treating his Pokémon, Ranka had already escaped more than a kilometer away with Yanmega's help. His expression was one of complete defeat.

It was easy to talk tough. But as his emotions cooled, Ranka quickly realized just how dire his situation had become. As a core member groomed by Team Rocket, he fully understood the organization's survival rules.

In fact, it was by following those very rules that he had risen to his current position—stepping over countless others to become one of Athena's chosen. Along the way, he had made more enemies than he could count.

And now, with both Aggron and Zweilous lost, once his enemies found out, he'd be torn apart with no place to bury his body.

"I can't go back… I need to find a place to hide immediately… and somehow recover at least some strength. Otherwise, even the people around me will start turning against me… Sato, you and I are sworn enemies now."

As he thought about the chain reaction caused by losing Aggron and Zweilous, a deep heaviness settled in Ranka's chest—and his hatred for Sato grew even stronger.

But while he was lost in grim thoughts about how to escape hid current crisis, he failed to realize that he had once again entered the territory of a large Aron colony—and this time, he was following Yanmega deeper and deeper inside.

By the time he noticed, he was already well within the heart of their domain. It was too late to turn back.

Not long ago, Ranka had passed through this same area on his way to the gravel plains. His earlier intrusion had already startled the local Aron population.

However, because he had arrived so suddenly—and because of Yanmega's incredible speed—the Aron group hadn't had time to respond and stop him.

Letting an enemy swagger away right under their noses had been an incredible embarrassment. Because of that, the large Aron colony had been ridiculed by several neighboring Rock-type Pokémon groups.

Their leader—an Aggron at Level 79 and of Elite Four level—had been enraged by this humiliation and had personally emerged from the heart of their territory to admonish the others.

Now, Ranka had once again charged straight into their land, as if mocking them. The Aron colony exploded with fury.

Under the thunderous rage of the Elite-Four level Aggron leader, the entire colony sprang into action. Dozens of Aron, Lairon, and Aggron unleashed a barrage of powerful Rock-type moves to intercept him.

As he fled, Ranka was bombarded by relentless Rock Slide attacks, and every now and then a dozen orange beams—Aggron's terrifying Hyper Beams—lit up the sky.

Faced with an all-out assault from the entire colony, even a powerhouse like Yanmega couldn't protect him.

Eventually, under the wide-area Rock Slide attack, Yanmega collapsed after just ten seconds, unable to hold out.

Ranka's end had come.

"My journey can't end here! I haven't had my revenge! I can't die like this! No!!!"

Seven or eight seconds later, Ranka lay badly wounded on the ground. A massive shadow loomed over him. As he looked up at the approaching, ever-deepening footprints, he let out a desperate scream.

Squash~

With the sound of something being squashed, the Elite Aggron leader stepped forward like it was squashing a bug.

Ranka's scream came to a sudden, permanent halt.