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"I heard from Horne that you went to the abandoned power plant on a mission. Because of Zapdos, I originally wanted to go take a look as well—and maybe help you out along the way."
"But unfortunately, the entrance was sealed off by the League enforcement team at the time, and I couldn't reach you through your communicator either, so I had no choice but to leave early."
"I didn't expect you to come back so quickly. But judging by your expression, the mission didn't go very smoothly, did it? What exactly happened in there?"
Sato took a glass of iced lemonade from Horne. After taking a sip, he spoke to Wattson, who looked rather dejected.
Although he was asking knowingly, Wattson was the main person in charge of this mission. Sato still wanted to probe him for information—to get a glimpse of the League's attitude toward him.
"Ah, don't even mention it. It's a good thing you didn't go in—otherwise, as a Trainer specializing in Water-type Pokémon, you'd have been in serious danger. That Zapdos was way too powerful. If not for a strong expert showing up at the critical moment, I might not have made it back."
"Unfortunately, Zapdos was still captured by someone else in the end. I just got back from being chewed out. Talk about bad luck."
"This mission was clearly beyond our capabilities from the start. The fact that we managed to retrieve the treasure and retreat safely is already impressive. But those old guys sitting in their offices all day only know how to criticize—they don't treat people like us, who fight on the front lines, like human beings at all."
Wattson was clearly holding in a lot of frustration. He had just been venting to Horne earlier, and now that Horne had slipped away—and since Sato was both his friend and now a member of the League—he had no reservations and explained everything in detail.
"I see… then it really isn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it should be those enemies who infiltrated the League team. If they hadn't caused trouble at the critical moment, Zapdos would've been yours."
"As for that mysterious expert who ended up getting Zapdos, you can only say they were lucky—but they also had the strength. Otherwise, they would've been killed by Zapdos long ago."
"And Zapdos is a Legendary Pokémon. What Trainer wouldn't want it? Something that valuable—if that person were willing to hand it over so easily, that would be pure fantasy. So honestly, this responsibility doesn't fall entirely on you."
After listening to nearly half an hour of complaints, Sato felt like he couldn't take it anymore. Seizing the moment when Wattson paused to drink, he quickly voiced his opinion.
Although most of Wattson's words were complaints about the League's punishment, Sato had already gleaned the key point—the League's attitude toward the one who took Zapdos was extremely unfriendly.
As it turned out, the League executive who had ordered Wattson to capture Zapdos flew into a rage upon learning that it had been taken by Sato. Not only did he harshly reprimand Wattson and the other mission leaders on the spot, but—just as Professor Oak had predicted—he immediately applied to dispatch a special task force to track Sato down.
"This is troublesome… I just hope Professor Oak has good news. Otherwise, I'd better keep a low profile for a while."
Learning that the League had sent a special team after him, Sato's heart sank.
"Exactly! You're the only one who understands, little brother. If only that guy thought like you. Ah, forget it—come on, drink with me. Tonight, we won't stop until we're drunk!"
Hearing Sato's words, Wattson perked up and nodded enthusiastically. He drained his glass in one go and reached for the bottle to pour more for Sato.
"Hey! Are you treating my ice cream shop like a bar now? That's enough drinking! Tyler, help me out here—if this guy gets completely drunk and something urgent happens in Mauville City, he's really going to be in trouble."
Horne, who had been watching closely, quickly came out from behind the counter and snatched the bottle from Wattson, speaking irritably.
Sato knew that letting Wattson continue drinking was a bad idea. Horne was still running a business, and he was right—Wattson had just been reprimanded and punished. If anything else went wrong, he might even lose his position as Gym Leader.
So as soon as Horne spoke, Sato joined in persuading Wattson. After some effort, the two of them finally escorted him back to his residence.
Afterward, Sato bid farewell to Horne. Then, in a secluded spot nearby, he changed his clothes and put on a human-skin mask transformed by Ditto, taking on an ordinary, unremarkable face. After that, he hailed a taxi and headed toward the western suburbs.
Nearly an hour had passed since his communication with Professor Oak ended, yet he still hadn't received any reply. This suggested that negotiations with the Hoenn League's upper management were not going smoothly.
From Wattson, he had also learned that the League had already dispatched a special task force to track him down. Since they knew he was a Psychic, the fact that they still sent this team meant they must possess highly advanced tracking methods.
To avoid exposing the identity of "Tyler," Sato decided it would be safer to maintain his identity as Raiden Suzuki for now and leave the city to lie low.
...….....
While Sato was riding in a taxi toward Route 117, two groups of men and women dressed in black League uniforms appeared at the place where he had previously rested in the forest outside the abandoned power plant.
"The scent trail ends here. I'm guessing he rested here briefly before flying into the sky on a flying Pokémon. My Houndoom can't find any trace of his scent nearby anymore."
One of them, a stern-looking green-haired man, crouched down and examined the footprints on the ground. After patting his Houndoom, which had just finished sniffing around and shaking its head, he spoke to his teammates.
"Looks like normal methods won't work. Yunzi, it's your turn."
Another man with a burly build and red hair frowned slightly and turned to a pale-faced black-haired woman standing to the side.
"Hmph. Let me be clear—I can't guarantee I'll find him. He's a Psychic, and judging from this, his mental strength isn't weak. Divination results could be heavily interfered with."
The black-haired woman slowly opened her dull, lifeless eyes and spoke in a weak tone.
As soon as she finished speaking, a Gengar emerged from her shadow. It opened its mouth and pulled out a purple crystal ball from within.
The woman took the crystal ball, held it reverently with both hands, and slowly closed her eyes.
At that moment, the magatama pendant around her neck began to glow with a strange light. A powerful aura emanated from her body, causing her long black hair to move without wind.
In an instant, the purple crystal ball in her hands shone brightly—before quickly dimming again.
The next moment, an incredible scene appeared within the crystal ball:
An image of Sato sitting in a taxi.
However, the image was extremely vague and abstract—his appearance could not be discerned at all.