The middle-aged man stumbled out of the underground passage, his breathing ragged. As he looked at the collapsed ruins of the research facility, now a massive crater in the forest, he took an instinctive step back.
A mix of hatred and sorrow filled his eyes as he glared at the completely buried entrance.
Clutching the only remaining Poké Ball in his hand, an indescribable sense of desolation crept into his heart. He had once been just an ordinary trainer.
In his youth, he had also dreamed of becoming an Elite Four member, even a Champion.
For three long years, he had struggled through countless hardships alongside his first Pokémon, a Teddiursa, earning Gym Badges one by one. Eventually, he had barely managed to qualify for the Silver Conference of the Johto League.
It was only then that he truly realized...
In a world full of prodigies, where some trainers had deep family legacies and unparalleled talent, he was nothing more than a weak, ignorant fool.
Then, a "kind-hearted person" had pointed something out to him, the Pokémon he had cherished, those he had fought beside with all his heart, were ultimately limited by their potential.
'It's not that I'm weak... it's that my Pokémon are too weak!'
And so, he had given them away. Some were sold, others were simply discarded.
With the money he gathered, and with the help of his new "connections," he purchased Pokémon that had high potential, Pokémon with power that could be bought.
The only one he never replaced was his Teddiursa, who had been born with Elite-level potential. But every other Pokémon by his side had been exchanged multiple times.
When he saw his Pokémon's strength growing with every change, he became obsessed.
And this time... after years of building the right connections, he had finally been entrusted with the highly lucrative task of guarding this secret underground facility.
As part of his reward, he had obtained his first Pokémon with Pseudo-Elite Four potential!
'As long as I can fully train this Quagsire, my strength will keep growing, just like before!'
'Nothing else matters!'
Pushing aside the last traces of hesitation in his heart, the middle-aged man forcibly erased any lingering affection for his Ursaring. He turned his back on the ruined lab, his mind already set on the future.
"Nothing else matters!"
"Does that include your own life?"
A tired voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Startled, the man snapped his head up. Sato leaned against a tree nearby, exhaustion evident in his posture. But beside him stood a rare and powerful Psychic-type Pokémon.
The man's composure shattered. Every ounce of mental preparation, every rationalization for his actions? Gone in an instant.
The monster he thought had been buried alive... was standing right in front of him.
Despite the cuts and bruises covering his body, despite his torn and tattered clothes, Sato stood there with an almost casual ease.
To the middle-aged man, it felt as if Sato was completely unscathed.
Sato didn't waste another word.
From the man's own shadow, Haunter silently emerged; its eerie grin stretching wider as it licked its lips. One of its ghostly claws plunged directly into the man's chest.
The man's eyes widened in horror, his lips trembling. But his body...
It wouldn't move. His voice died in his throat as his organs were shredded from the inside.
No visible wounds. No blood. Yet the life drained from his body in mere seconds.
His lifeless corpse crumpled to the ground.
Haunter let out a delighted giggle. The man's soul... all it had to do was extend its tongue, and it could savor the lingering fear and despair.
But one glance at Sato made it stop. It hesitated, then reluctantly withdrew its tongue.
Alakazam didn't react in the slightest. With an intelligence surpassing 5,000 IQ, it had no illusions about the world.
It had saved Sato once. Not because of kindness, but because Sato had freed it, allowed it to return to its children.
"The area won't be safe for a while," Sato said simply. "Find a secure place to live."
Alakazam nodded in understanding. And with that, the matter was settled.
As for following him voluntarily? A Dark-type Pokémon might, but a Psychic-type like Alakazam, especially one as powerful as this, would avoid someone like Sato at all costs.
With the immense Dark Energy emanating from his body, Alakazam had no reason to stick around.
With a flicker of light, Alakazam vanished using Teleport.
Sato wasted no time. He quickly searched the middle-aged man's body, taking anything of value: cash, Poké Balls, and any useful items.
Once finished, he skillfully buried the corpse and left without a trace.
By the time Sato returned to the competition grounds of the Bug-Catching Contest, he looked no different from when he had first left.
But the situation underground was bound to be discovered soon. If that happened, the longer the Rocket agent failed to report back, the more suspicion it would raise.
To avoid drawing attention to himself, Sato had no choice but to endure his injuries and play along.
That meant catching at least one seemingly valuable Bug-type Pokémon to divert any potential suspicion.
As the evening approached, Sato, just like the other participants, walked out of the contest area appearing excited as he handed over his captured Beautifly.
As he waited for the results, Sato felt a pair of scrutinizing eyes on him.
Pretending not to notice, he waited patiently. Only when the gaze moved away did he casually turn, blending into a conversation with other trainers while subtly glancing toward the source.
"As expected... League officials?"
Two individuals in Pokémon League Investigator uniforms were scanning the contestants with sharp, probing eyes. Their presence was anything but subtle.
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering if the League sponsors these contests."
"Ha! Of course! I've entered these contests so many times, I know how this works!"
A local Bug Catcher, thrilled to share his knowledge, began passionately explaining the rumors he had heard. His animated storytelling quickly attracted the attention of those nearby.
Sato kept listening, nodding along with an interested expression. All the while, he ignored the two investigators, who were essentially searching for a needle in a haystack.
Then, to his mild surprise.
Sato was declared the winner of the contest.
Apparently, his Beautifly had earned him first place, surpassing even trainers who had caught Scyther.
It was obvious, the contest organizers wanted to hype up the event, making it seem like any Pokémon could win.
Even if he hadn't caught a Beautifly, they probably would have awarded first place to someone who had captured a Kakuna.
The grand prize for this Bug-Catching Contest was a Dusk Stone, along with the captured Beautifly.
There was no reason for Sato to refuse.
That night, he remained silent. The next morning, he left the National Park early, traveling to a small nearby town to lay low.
After locating the only -stingy- town doctor, Sato went through the grueling process of having his fractured bones rebroken and reset properly. The pain was excruciating, but he endured it.
Returning to the home where he had arranged temporary lodging, he finally took stock of his recent gains.
A rare Beautifly -common in Hoenn but unusual in Johto-.
A Pseudo-Elite Four potential Wooper.
Several thousand in cash.
A handful of miscellaneous items, such as Repels.
After a moment of contemplation, Sato decided against keeping Wooper.
While its evolved form, Quagsire, had strong resistances, its naturally sluggish nature made it completely incompatible with Sato's style.
Not to mention, its Water-type potential was Pseudo-Elite Four, but its Ground-type potential was only Ordinary.
For someone with high standards like Sato, that simply wasn't worth it.
Lastly, considering that the Rocket agent had been working for the League, it was likely that Wooper's existence was already on record. Using it in the future could expose him.
With his thoughts settled, Sato prepared for his next move.