Sato swiftly unplugged the external hard drive from the computer, unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes.
For a trainer whose Pokémon had only reached the Elite level, the most logical course of action would be to lay low, avoid entanglements with major factions, and quietly amass strength.
Yet, this time, he had decisively involved himself in the conflict between two powerful forces. One of his primary objectives was to obtain information: knowledge, resources, or more precisely, the means to grow stronger.
Every Pokémon under his command, including the newly captured Carvanha, possessed immense potential.
Without exaggeration, even an Elite Four level Trainer might not have a stronger lineup than his. Some might even fall short.
However, aside from the four Pokémon he had trained in his past life, Sato lacked the confidence to fully harness the potential of his newer teammates: Haunter, Spinarak, and Carvanha.
The Pokémon Potential Analyzer from Wester had given Sato a sobering dose of reality.
No matter how much effort some Pokémon put in, they would never reach Pseudo-Elite Four, Elite Four, or Champion level... unless they encountered an extraordinary opportunity.
Otherwise, a Caterpie would never defeat a Dragonite.
Humans were no different. The only reason Sato had a chance was because he had been reborned.
Thus, leveraging his knowledge of future events, he took the risk of snatching the proverbial chestnut from the fire, weaving through the struggles of these two powerful factions to gain the one thing he had lacked most in his past life: knowledge, experience, and a true path to power.
Two simultaneous cries snapped Sato out of his thoughts.
A violent tremor rocked the ground beneath him. Looking up, he saw a massive crack splitting through the entrance, sending dust and debris flying as objects toppled chaotically around him.
He swiftly slung his backpack over his shoulders and climbed onto Zoroark.
His legs clamped tightly around its sides as he unleashed Dark Energy into the Pokémon's body, granting it a temporary surge in strength.
Zoroark immediately sensed the rush of power.
It hesitated for a brief moment, seemingly savoring the intoxicating sensation, before crouching low and launching forward like a black blur, barreling straight through the wooden door as if it were paper.
"Haunter, find an exit!"
Haunter ascended quickly, phasing through layers of rubble, scanning for any possible escape route.
The moment Sato emerged, he was met with utter chaos.
Both Team Rocket and League members, caught in the imminent collapse of the underground base, had abandoned their fights. Each side scrambled to find a way out, their previous hostilities momentarily forgotten.
Sato had no clue where to escape.
A quake of this scale could only be the work of Bruno and Kaiser, and given that they had been battling near the entrance, it was undoubtedly the first area to cave in. The original exit was out of the question.
"Spinarak, String Shot!"
Perched on Sato's shoulder, Spinarak swiftly fired strong silk threads, intercepting smaller falling debris. For larger chunks, Zoroark relied on its agility to dodge with ease.
Having already experienced a cave-in crisis once before in the Ruins of Alph, Zoroark handled the situation with practiced ease.
Meanwhile, Spinarak's String Shot proved far more effective at blocking falling debris than Haunter's ghostly hands.
Despite the apparent danger of the collapsing base, Sato moved with ease.
Less than half a minute later, Haunter phased through the rocks and reappeared. Sato patted Zoroark, who immediately understood and followed Haunter as it descended.
"Sato, help us!" A League trainer had spotted Sato the moment he emerged.
Zoroark's agility was too eye-catching, and the sudden appearance of Haunter only drew more attention. With sharp eyes, the trainer quickly called out for help.
"Anyone willing can ride a mount and follow me, but I can't guarantee we'll make it out..."
Without waiting for a response, Sato gave Zoroark a signal, and it shot forward at full speed while Haunter led the way. He paid no attention to those behind him, survival was their own responsibility.
A brief commotion ensued, but most of the remaining trainers followed Sato's lead, including several Team Rocket members.
However, in a moment , no one had the time to care about such details.
Zoroark weaved through the fissures and falling debris, its mobility on full display. Sato's Dark Energy provided an additional boost, ensuring its endurance.
Haunter, with its ghostly body, flickered in and out of existence, occasionally phasing through the walls to scout the safest route ahead.
Giant chunks of rock occasionally crashed down, narrowly missing Sato and his group.
Fortunately, their path was leading them upward. Thirty seconds felt like an eternity, but then, Zoroark leaped and slammed into a ventilation grate, sending it flying toward the sky.
Through the dust and chaos, Sato caught sight of the pale light of dawn.
So, it was already morning...
One of the League trainers who had escaped with Sato stumbled forward, his body covered in deep gashes from jagged steel and stone. Blood flowed continuously from his wounds.
Beside him, his Rapidash was in even worse shape. Its elegant horn had been snapped clean off, its flames nearly extinguished, and one of its forelegs was grotesquely bent out of shape.
"Blaze! Come on, swallow these!" The trainer desperately forced various potions down his Pokémon's throat, ignoring his own injuries.
Meanwhile, the other trainers who had followed Sato crawled out of the exit one by one. Not a single one was unscathed, hey were all battered, bruised, and covered in dust.
Minutes later, the League trainers had consumed all of their emergency field treatment supplies, accelerating their recovery.
Their medical technology was practically science fiction, allowing them to recover far more efficiently than the Team Rocket members.
With both sides licking their wounds, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
The air was thick with tension, Sato was the only one not choosing a side. Both factions silently regrouped, preparing for another clash.
"You all take your time fighting. I'm leaving." Sato recalled Spinarak, signaled to his barely injured Zoroark and Haunter, and quietly exited the scene.
"Wait, Sato, those are Team Rocket members! Shouldn't we take this chance to bring them to justice?" The League trainer who had been treating his Rapidash protested.
Sato turned his head and locked eyes with him.
"If your Rapidash doesn't receive proper treatment within half an hour, then..." He let his words trail off and turned away, leaving the meaning clear.
Ignoring the trainer's reaction, Sato walked off without another word.
The battle between Bruno and Kaiser had collapsed the secret base, but that wasn't the only thing that had been destroyed.
Above ground, everything north of the Goldenrod Game Corner had suffered immense damage.
Entire buildings had collapsed due to the destruction of the foundation; others had tilted precariously, threatening to fall at any moment.
The sun had yet to rise, but the faint morning light, combined with the wails of ambulance sirens, had woken the entire city.
Or rather, Goldenrod City had never slept at all.
Injured civilians, medical teams working tirelessly to provide aid, Team Rocket members desperately fleeing, League enforcers searching for survivors, street thugs taking advantage of the chaos to loot and rob...
Sato walked along the ruined streets, taking in the sight of this living hell.
For a brief moment, he felt lost.
Because deep down, he knew, this disaster had his fingerprints on it.
In his past life, Team Rocket had launched a destructive attack on Goldenrod City before escaping through the underground tunnels. Bruno had pursued them, and the ensuing battle caused part of the tunnels to collapse.
However, in that version of history, only a small section of the escape route had caved in. The damage to the city had been far less severe than what was unfolding now.