However, whenever Kondo thought about that person, he felt somewhat uneasy.
There was no other reason for it. Although that person was related to his BOSS, their relationship was now practically that of sworn enemies. If his BOSS found out that he had betrayed Sato, who belonged to the same faction, and handed him over to that person, he would definitely suffer terribly for it.
"Hmph. That bastard has already forced me into this situation. If I don't destroy him while I still have the chance, then with his monstrous rate of growth, won't I have to live in his shadow for the rest of my life? I absolutely won't allow that."
Kondo returned to the driver's seat and stared through the glass window at Sato's gradually receding figure, gritting his teeth as he thought.
The realization that his life was now being held in the hands of a country bumpkin he had once looked down upon filled Kondo, a second-generation member of Team Rocket's upper ranks, with an intense and uncontrollable hatred.
In the end, he stopped hesitating. He took out a communicator and dialed one of the numbers in his contacts labeled Second-in-Command.
Leaving aside the fact that Kondo was secretly plotting to cause trouble for Sato, Sato himself was already beginning to encounter trouble.
Giovanni's long-term residence was an enormous estate. Once inside, it felt almost like entering a palace. Sato had barely stepped inside when he encountered an unreasonable obstacle blocking his path.
"If you want to continue forward, you must defeat me."
The man standing in the middle of the passage immediately spoke when he saw Sato. Without giving Sato any chance to respond, he immediately threw a PokeBall at him.
The next moment, a heavily scarred Scyther appeared in midair.
Scyther's gaze toward Sato was cold and murderous. The moment it appeared, it rapidly beat its wings and charged toward Sato with its razor-sharp blades raised, radiating killing intent.
Unfortunately, this murderous Scyther couldn't even get close to Sato.
The instant it displayed hostility toward him, a thick black bolt of lightning shot out from Pikachu, perched on Sato's shoulder.
Under the horrified gaze of the man blocking the way, Scyther, its entire body charred black, crashed onto the spacious corridor floor.
After Pikachu defeated Scyther in a single move, the man fell completely silent. He immediately recalled Scyther into its PokeBall, then respectfully bowed to Sato.
Without saying another word, he lowered his head and stepped aside, voluntarily clearing the path.
Sato's eyes flickered slightly at this, but ultimately he didn't bother asking the man anything. He simply strode past him and continued down the corridor.
However, after turning a corner, another man appeared in the middle of the passage.
Just like the previous one, the moment he saw Sato, he immediately threw out a PokeBall and forcibly initiated a battle.
This man's strength was roughly comparable to the previous one's. He was merely a pseudo Elite-Four level Trainer, and Sato once again had Pikachu effortlessly defeat the Muk he sent out.
Sato continued forward.
Along the way, he encountered another seven or eight such obstacles, and the farther he went, the stronger these opponents became.
"So this is a warning, huh? Boss Giovanni, it seems you really don't want to let me escape your grasp."
After defeating the ninth opponent blocking his path, Sato looked toward the gradually opening doors ahead. After using his psychic power to sense what lay beyond them, he couldn't help but sigh.
The current situation was remarkably similar to the first time he had gone to meet Giovanni.
Back then, just like today, he had fought his way through obstacle after obstacle, advancing smoothly and confidently until he finally stood before Giovanni.
But in the end, he had been utterly defeated in front of Giovanni and had no choice but to lower his head and accept Giovanni's mission.
Now, once again, he had encountered deliberate obstacles on his way to meet Giovanni.
It was obvious what Giovanni was trying to do.
He wanted to use the same old trick to pressure Sato, making him remember once again how he had been forced to bow his head before him back then.
Behind the doors was a gigantic indoor battle arena.
And the person standing in the middle of the battlefield was also someone Sato knew.
It was Sophia, whom he had encountered several times in the past.
Sophia had changed very little from the woman Sato remembered.
She was still cold as ice, her blue hair still flowing down her back, and she was still dressed in simple clothing. Standing tall and graceful, she remained an astonishingly beautiful, cold-looking woman.
What made Sato slightly apprehensive, however, was the fact that she had also become an Elite-Four level Trainer.
The familiar oppressive aura radiating from her made that fact unmistakable.
"You've come. Then, let's have another battle."
Upon seeing Sato, Sophia actually took the initiative to speak, addressing him in her clear, pleasant voice.
The instant she finished speaking, the indoor battlefield immediately began transforming.
An icy battlefield covered in snow and ice rapidly appeared before the two of them.
"Are you the last one?"
Hearing Sophia's words, Sato nodded. As he walked toward the opposite side of the battlefield, he asked her.
"No."
Sophia answered simply and decisively.
The next moment, she threw a PokeBall onto the battlefield.
A Weavile radiating a fierce aura immediately appeared on the snow-covered ground.
"She really has advanced to the Elite-Four level. Looks like she encountered quite a few great opportunities over the past few months."
Sato immediately used his system's scanning ability to examine Weavile.
Its level had already reached 73, and it had also learned a large number of additional moves.
"Not the last one? Looks like Boss Giovanni really thinks highly of me."
"That's fine. I only recently became an Elite-Four level Trainer, and I haven't had the chance to battle another Elite-Four level Trainer yet."
"Sophia, you're the first Elite-Four level Trainer I've encountered since my breakthrough. So let me properly experience the thrill of battling an Elite-Four level Trainer."
After receiving Sophia's definite answer, Sato took a deep breath.
His blood gradually began to boil, and his fighting spirit surged.
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a PokeBall into the air and released Zapdos.
"REEEE!"
The moment Zapdos appeared, it immediately let out a provocative cry at Weavile below.
At the same time, massive amounts of lightning erupted from its body, rapidly raining down in all directions onto the icy battlefield.
For a moment, the entire battlefield was engulfed by a brief thunderstorm.
The lightning struck the snow-covered ground and immediately blasted enormous craters into it. In just a few seconds, the previously pristine, snow-white battlefield had become a devastated wasteland.
However, an Elite-Four level Weavile possessed an astonishing reaction speed.
Even when faced with the sudden thunderstorm unleashed by Zapdos, it remained completely calm. Not a single bolt of lightning managed to hit it.
Although Sophia had already learned from Giovanni that Sato possessed Zapdos, actually witnessing him release the Legendary Pokémon still left her deeply shocked.
Of course, more than anything else, Sophia felt an overwhelming mixture of emotions.
She had personally witnessed Sato's rise from beginning to end.
She had once thought that she had caught up with him—or perhaps even surpassed him.
Who could have imagined that things would turn out like this?
Zapdos.
A Legendary Pokémon.
Sato had actually acquired the ability to subdue such a powerful Pokémon.
It was simply unbelievable.
"Hmph. Weavile, Blizzard."
Shock was one thing, but Sophia, now an Elite-Four level Trainer herself, showed no fear whatsoever in the face of Zapdos.
Nor was she someone accustomed to simply taking a beating.
Once the thunderstorm ended, she immediately ordered Weavile to attack.
Weavile crossed its long arms and swept them outward.
A bone-chilling Blizzard suddenly materialized from thin air, rapidly covering the entire sky above the indoor battlefield.
For a moment, Zapdos had nowhere to hide.
"Such a trivial trick. Use Heat Wave."
Seeing this, Sato immediately gave Zapdos the command through telepathy.
Zapdos was an extremely proud Pokémon.
After losing its bet to Sato, it would never go back on its word.
Upon hearing Sato's command, it immediately unleashed Heat Wave to counter the attack.
A layer of fiery red Fire-type energy instantly enveloped its wings.
With a powerful beat of both wings, a scorching gale suddenly swept outward.
The next moment, the two opposing currents of air—one freezing cold and the other blazing hot—collided violently.
A tremendous energy explosion erupted instantly.
At the same time, a vast cloud of white steam rapidly appeared and, carried by the expanding winds, swept throughout the entire battlefield.
For a moment, the visibility of both sides was severely affected.