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Sato was well aware that he was being followed, but since he was on someone else's turf, he had no choice but to endure for now and wait for the right moment to strike.
For those who dwell in the grey areas of society, killing and stealing for treasure was just another ordinary part of life.
Sato figured that his overly weak performance in the black market earlier might have emboldened some ill-intentioned individuals.
Team Rocket's reputation was indeed well-known in the Kanto underworld these days. However, this was a remote region with strong, tightly-knit local grey forces. These forces were extremely xenophobic and even backed by a Trainer of Elite Four-level strength. Team Rocket's influence here was extremely limited.
More importantly, this place was a hub for smuggling—utterly chaotic, with all kinds of factions potentially showing up.
Even if a few Team Rocket members went missing here, the organization wouldn't be able to do much. At most, they'd get some compensation and leave it at that.
However, Sato was somewhat relieved to find that those tailing him didn't seem to be acting under the orders of the Sea Serpent Gang or the Blackfish Gang, the two major powers controlling the local black market. It seemed to be a few individuals acting on their own.
Why was he so sure?
Simple—if the higher-ups of either the Sea Serpent Gang or Blackfish Gang had truly given the order, there was no way Sato would've left that mountain black market alive.
Sure, Sato was strong—but not strong enough to take on a grey force supported by an Elite Four-level Trainer. So, it was clear that these two factions didn't want to offend Team Rocket.
At the very least, Sato couldn't die on their turf (the mountain black market), or it would give Team Rocket the perfect excuse to come after them.
Clearly, the higher-ups in those two gangs understood the consequences of crossing Team Rocket. Ever since they seized control of Saffron City, Team Rocket's power in Kanto had grown rapidly—earning them the undisputed title of top force in the Kanto underworld.
While Team Rocket might not have the time right now to clean up a remote region like this, once they had their eyes on you, it was nothing short of a nightmare for any grey force in Kanto.
On the way out, Sato encountered no trouble from the Sea Serpent or Blackfish members. With the help of his Swampert, he easily left the black market via the same path he came.
However, Swampert, with its radar-like fin, alerted Sato that they were still being followed—and by quite a few people at that.
Soon, Sato exited the mountain market. What surprised him, though, was that his pursuers still didn't act, as if they were sure they had him and could afford to wait.
Sato was more than happy to see their arrogance. Perhaps they didn't want anyone else to know that a Team Rocket member had been ambushed right on their doorstep.
(Note: Even back when it was still a Marshtomp, Swampert could use its fin to detect moisture in the air and scout the environment. Now fully evolved, that ability was even stronger—and it was even more effective in the water.)
"Come on out. No need to hide and sneak around. Let's settle our grudges right here. There's mountains and water—this place will make a decent grave for you."
After dismounting from Swampert onto a beach about seven or eight miles east of Pallet Town's harbor, Sato coldly addressed the mist-covered sea ahead of him—Mist move active.
The next second, a roar came from the misty sea: "Arrogant!"
Then—boom!—dozens of blue tentacles shot out of the sea, thrashing wildly as they tried to grab Sato off the beach.
Before the tentacles could reach him, Swampert intercepted them—but the tentacles adapted quickly, choosing instead to entangle Swampert tightly.
In the blink of an eye, Swampert was wrapped up like a dumpling by those blue tentacles extending from the sea.
But with just a little effort, Swampert flexed—and the tentacles snapped apart one by one. He then grabbed several with both hands and yanked forcefully, dragging a Tentacruel of similar size up onto the shore.
Using the system's scan function, Sato noted that the Tentacruel was only level 37. Losing interest, he let Swampert handle it freely while he kept a sharp eye on the sea's surface.
Behind his back, two PokeBalls silently opened.
"Now! Kill him—Cloyster, use Icicle Spear!"
As Swampert was still occupied tearing the Tentacruel apart, a voice rang out from the sea. The mysterious vendor, still wearing his fox mask, appeared, riding another Tentacruel.
He was not alone—three other masked figures emerged from the dense mist creeping onto the beach, each with their own Pokémon, forming a coordinated pincer formation around Sato.
No sooner had the vendor spoken than a Cloyster, hiding beneath the sand just ten meters to Sato's left, burst out of the ground, firing five sharp icicles straight at Sato's vital points, sealing off all escape routes—intent on giving him no chance to survive.
But the moment Cloyster launched its attack, a massive purple serpent surged up from the ground—Arbok, bearing its defensive pattern on its chest.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Cloyster's five Icicle Spears shattered uselessly against Arbok's now steel-hard scales. The level 38 Cloyster's attack simply couldn't pierce its defense.
While Arbok successfully blocked the ambush, Swampert had already ripped the Tentacruel in half with brute strength, and Bellossom behind Sato had finished charging a terrifyingly powerful energy sphere.
Whoosh!
The Energy Ball shot from Bellossom's hands and struck Cloyster square in the body. A massive explosion followed, sending Cloyster flying a long distance before it collapsed—completely defeated.
In just moments, the mysterious vendor's Tentacruel and Cloyster had both been taken out. The vendor and his three masked allies visibly paled beneath their disguises.
"What are you all waiting for?! Kill him!"
The vendor was the first to recover. He shouted at the others, then released a level 40 Poliwrath, directing it to tie down Swampert.
The three masked individuals also released Water-type Pokémon to join the assault—but Bellossom and Arbok weren't idle either. Bellossom continued bombarding from a distance, while Arbok switched to its speed pattern and went in for clean, surgical strikes.
Faced with Bellossom's relentless bombardment, the Water-types could barely lift their heads. Two were caught off guard and instantly obliterated by Energy Balls.
Meanwhile, Arbok darted through their ranks like lightning, executing a swift assassination style that struck terror into their hearts. The masked attackers suddenly understood the fear Sato had once faced—they panicked, forced to pull their Pokémon back to defend themselves.
But they had overlooked one thing: the threat from above.
From the misty sky, a shadow dove.
With a gleam of metallic wings, Golbat slashed one masked attacker's neck cleanly.
A second later, that man's head hit the sand.
The remaining two masked attackers panicked, diverting their attention upward to see Golbat in the sky, its wings stained with blood, watching them with chilling focus.
Elsewhere, the mysterious vendor's Poliwrath couldn't hold out for even two minutes against Swampert. The moment Swampert saw an opening, it ended the fight with a devastating Hammer Arm.
The ground cracked open with the force of the impact, leaving Poliwrath bruised and unconscious in a crater.
The vendor and his three allies clearly belonged to either the Sea Serpent Gang or the Blackfish Gang. None of their Pokémon exceeded level 41, and most were only in their 30s.
In this battle, Bellossom took the role of main damage dealer. Swampert acted as Sato's bodyguard, while Arbok and Golbat specialized in assassination tactics to pin down enemy forces.
The fight raged for over half an hour—but in the end, Sato stood victorious.
Now, the beach was a total mess. The three masked attackers had all been killed by Golbat. Most of their Pokémon fled after seeing their Trainers die; only a few fought to the end.
Now, only the mysterious vendor remained alive. All his Pokémon were defeated—but he was still breathing only because Sato hadn't yet decided to kill him.
On Sato's side, Arbok had been defeated and could no longer fight. Bellossom, Golbat, and Swampert were only lightly injured, and Sato himself bore a few bloody cuts.