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When it came to other people's battles, Sato had absolutely no interest.
As long as neither side dragged him into their mess, he couldn't care less — even if the sky were falling.
As for spectating… he wasn't in the mood.
The rain outside hadn't stopped pouring. Even though he had a high-quality waterproof outfit, he wasn't about to go out and stand under the rain just to watch someone else fight.
"Ignore it. As long as it doesn't involve us, just relax and rest,"
Sato said with a small smile, patting Pikachu on the head after understanding what the little guy meant through telepathy.
"Pika~"
Pikachu nodded obediently, then curled up comfortably on Sato's shoulder again, closing his eyes for another nap.
But, as usual, things never went the way he expected.
Even though Sato didn't go out to watch, the sounds of battle outside were growing louder and louder — which could only mean one thing: the fight was moving closer.
In fact, the battlefield was indeed shifting toward them.
After realizing he couldn't beat the fat man, the blond man had chosen to flee.
Although his escape route didn't head directly toward Sato's position, it was still close enough that the fight was now rapidly approaching.
In the wild, there was no such thing as being too cautious.
The moment Sato and his team noticed the sounds approaching, they became fully alert.
Sato in particular spread his psychic senses outward, scanning the area carefully.
"Huh. So it's him. Guess karma really came knocking fast. Now he gets to experience what it's like to be the one getting crushed by someone stronger."
"Still… what did he even do to piss off that fat guy? The man looks like he's out for blood."
Sato quickly detected the situation with his psychic sense — the blond man being ruthlessly beaten down by the fat man — and couldn't help muttering to himself.
By now, the blond man was a total mess.
Mud covered him from head to toe, his right cheek was swollen, and his once-handsome face looked like a pig's head.
Even so, he was running fast — desperation awakening hidden potential.
Despite being heavily injured, he somehow managed to keep ahead of the fat man and his Breloom, dragging his poisoned Roserade along.
The muddy road, slick under the pouring rain, was treacherous. Puddles hid deep holes, and anyone walking on it risked slipping at any step.
The fat man, despite wearing anti-slip shoes, quickly realized he really needed to lose some weight.
His excess fat was slowing him down, ruining both his speed and balance.
He had already fallen five times in a row, and now looked like a literal mud monster.
To make matters worse, he'd managed to break one of his front teeth in the process — the pain twisting his face into a grimace.
"Stop! You damn dog, stop running—! Agh!"
The fat man, panting heavily, shouted while clutching his aching mouth, spewing curses as he continued to chase.
Then his foot hit another puddle.
He lost balance again and fell face-first into the mud — hard.
This time, he didn't even have time to brace himself. His face made full, wet contact with the ground.
Seeing his trainer down, Breloom immediately stopped chasing the blond man and turned back to help.
He knew his trainer's temper all too well — if he didn't help him up, there'd be no dinner tonight.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fat man constantly dragging him down, Breloom would've caught the blond man long ago. After all, no matter how fit a human was, they couldn't outrun a Fighting-type Pokémon.
Even so, the fat man stubbornly pushed on. He stood up, shook his head to clear it, and resumed the chase as if nothing had happened.
However, the blond man's burst of adrenaline could only last so long.
After sprinting for nearly eight hundred meters, exhaustion hit him hard.
His speed began to plummet rapidly.
To make things worse, another threat appeared ahead — the bucktoothed man, who had shaken off the two Ursaring chasing him, now intercepted him from the front.
Surrounded on both sides — wolves ahead, tigers behind — the blond man was utterly cornered.
"Heh… you little punk. You dared make me your scapegoat? Pretty good plan, I'll admit. Lucky for me, I'm strong enough, or I really would've died because of you."
"Pinsir! Quagsire! Kill him."
The bucktoothed man's eyes burned with fury as he barked his command.
He hadn't planned on killing the blond man — his mission was only to keep watch and confirm whether Sato's group had left.
But after being used as bait, he no longer cared.
Both Pinsir and Quagsire responded to his murderous tone instantly.
Pinsir charged forward, chopping down with Brick Break, while Quagsire unleashed a barrage of Mud Bombs at the blond man.
"Block them! Camerupt, use Protect!"
Desperate, the blond man threw out his final PokeBall, summoning his last remaining Pokémon — a Level 48 Camerupt.
A flash of white light burst forth, and the furious Camerupt appeared before him.
At once, a shimmering green barrier formed, enveloping both trainer and Pokémon.
Pinsir's chop and Quagsire's Mud Bombs exploded harmlessly against the Protect shield.
But everyone knew this was just delaying the inevitable. When the green light faded, Pinsir and Quagsire attacked again without hesitation.
Under the downpour, a Fire- and Ground-type Pokémon like Camerupt was at a severe disadvantage.
Quagsire's Water Pulse, strengthened by the rain, shattered Camerupt's Flamethrower and knocked it flat in one hit.
Meanwhile, Pinsir's Brick Break sent the injured Roserade flying.
At the same time, the fat man and Breloom caught up from behind, sealing every escape route.
The blond man was truly cornered — nowhere left to run.
"Hmph! Ganging up on one guy — how pathetic! You two villains won't get away with this!"
And then, as if fate refused to let him die, a fierce female voice rang out from the nearby bushes.
In the blink of an eye, a Blaziken burst forth like lightning, landing two rapid Double Kicks that sent Pinsir flying.
Immediately after, a Kabutops leapt out from the ground near the fat man's side, its glowing green twin scythes slashing twice in quick succession to send Breloom crashing backward.
"Heh. Guess his luck isn't all bad — running into them right now."
Back by the tree hollow, Sato opened his eyes, his expression twisting with a complicated look.