Having stayed in Goldenrod City long enough and gained plenty from his time there, Sato bid farewell to Howard and Whitney, setting off towards Ecruteak City.
As he looked at the letter of recommendation for the Ecruteak Gym that Howard had handed him before parting, a subtle sense of gratitude welled up in his heart.
Spinarak perched on Sato's shoulder, curiously glancing at the densely written text on the letter, but after failing to understand a single word, it quickly lost interest and looked away.
By noon, when Sato turned back, he could no longer see the towering buildings of Goldenrod City.
After a brief rest, he pressed forward, eager to reach Ecruteak City as soon as possible and complete Haunter's evolution.
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Pure white silk shot wildly from Spinarak's body, swiftly forming a massive web that spread outward in all directions.
From within the low shrubs, a Furret suddenly appeared, frantically hopping away deeper into the forest.
However, Sato didn't relax in the slightest. His eyes remained sharply focused on his surroundings.
At some point, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects had completely vanished. The forest had gone eerily silent.
"Spinarak, Toxic Spikes!"
Dark purple toxic liquid spheres shot into the air before bursting open, evenly scattering around Sato.
With the web above and the toxic spikes below, Sato smirked and simply stood there, waiting in silence.
One minute passed... Two minutes... Ten minutes...
Sato remained motionless, completely still; clearly, both sides were exceptionally patient. He lifted his foot slightly...
Three small, fast-flying darts shot towards him from different angles!
At some point, Spinarak had already crawled onto Sato's left hand, all six of its legs gripping tightly.
With a crisp "Ding! Ding!" two of the darts were deflected by the protective barrier, while the last dart was intercepted by an empty Poké Ball that Sato casually tossed!
"Found you!" Sato thought to himself. Although the moment the darts were thrown, his attackers had already changed positions, as an assassin himself, he knew these tricks all too well!
"Spinarak, Poison Sting! Haunter, Psychic! Zoroark, Extrasensory!"
Sato swiftly tossed Haunter and Zoroark in two different directions while he charged straight toward the third hidden enemy with Spinarak!
A Golbat shot out from the bushes ahead at high speed, clearly sent out to block Sato.
Clinging tightly to Sato's shoulder, Spinarak's pitch-black eyes suddenly glowed red. A massive Ariados-like shadow emerged behind it, lunging fiercely at Golbat!
Golbat's movements stalled for just a second, but that was all Sato needed. His fist, wrapped in Dark Energy, struck hard at Golbat's fragile wing joints!
Spinarak reacted instantly, wildly spraying Toxic over a three-meter radius in front of them, covering the bushes in a toxic mist.
Spinarak's venom was ordinary spider-based insect poison, unrefined, but even so, it was not something an average person could endure.
A man dressed in black tactical gear stumbled out of the bushes, panicked, his body covered in corrosive wounds from the poison. The sight was horrifying.
Sato pursued without hesitation, showing no mercy. The order to kill had already been given!
With the assassin already poisoned, Venoshock's power doubled. The man didn't even have time to scream before being doused in the attack. The sound of flesh corroding filled the air, accompanied by a putrid stench.
Turning his gaze, Sato saw that Zoroark and Haunter had also located their respective targets.
Seeing their companion die a gruesome death, the two remaining assassins, the only visible parts of their faces, their eyes, were filled with sheer terror!
"Zoroark, Night Daze! Haunter, Shadow Ball barrage!"
As Sato rushed toward them, he issued his command. He couldn't afford to let a single one escape!
Nine Shadow Balls formed at once, swirling in the air before darting toward one of the assassins. Their only Pokémon, a severely injured Weezing of merely High Ordinary, stood no chance!
Meanwhile, Night Daze struck even faster. The sheer force of the overwhelming Dark Energy swallowed up the other assassin, sending him flying.
"If I'm dying, I'm taking you all with me! Weezing, Self-Destruct!"
Sato stopped in his tracks, watching as the Weezing swelled, glowing white as it rapidly expanded before violently exploding, taking its own trainer as the first victim.
The deafening explosion sent shockwaves through the area. But when the smoke cleared, Haunter floated out completely unscathed, grinning playfully as if nothing had happened.
Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal-type attacks, so Self-Destruct had... no effect on Haunter.
The assassins came swiftly and left just as fast, though not back where they came from, but down below.
After cleaning off the minor poison that had gotten on Zoroark, Sato slowly dragged the three assassins' bodies together into a pile.
"Ghost Ship... three Red-Rank assassins, huh?"
Finding the inconspicuous red badges on each of them, Sato felt a mix of emotions.
In his past life as an assassin, he had ambushed others in the same way, using the skills he had learned in the Ghost Ship organization. Killing targets above his level was just standard practice.
After all, most trainers relied on the strength of their Pokémon rather than their own combat skills. That's why, even after revealing two Elite-level Pokémon, they had only sent three Red-Rank assassins.
From Ghost Ship's perspective, such an arrangement was more than sufficient. Assassins killed people, not Pokémon; there was no need for a head-on battle.
Unfortunately for them, this time they had encountered Sato. Even if they had sent three Green-Rank assassins instead, success was far from guaranteed.
Looking at the three dead assassins, Sato didn't even need to guess who had sent them.
With Team Rocket having lost control of the situation in Goldenrod City, a nobody with no backing, yet performing exceptionally well, had naturally become the perfect scapegoat for their frustration.
Direct attacks? The Joy family had shielded him.
Hidden threats? He could only rely on himself to push through!
"Larvitar, bury them."
Larvitar manipulated its Ground-type energy, causing the soil ahead to sink, easily covering the three bodies. Its technique was remarkably practiced.
Without lingering, Sato quickly left the scene. In reality, he wasn't too concerned about reinforcements arriving anytime soon.
On the surface, Ghost Ship was purely a mercenary assassination organization. Every mission required a client to pay upfront, and each attack was meticulously planned in advance.
As for failed missions? Sending more assassins? Sorry, that would cost extra.
Ghost Ship never sought revenge. Even if the employer was a hidden big shot in the shadows, they wouldn't break their own rules.
However, if another assassination attempt did come... the opponent Sato would face next time would be far more dangerous than this.
'I need to get stronger.'
A sharp sense of urgency reignited within him. The peaceful days he had enjoyed might be gone for good.
But Sato's eyes gleamed with excitement!
Red, Green, Blue, Silver, Gold, and Black