Sinnoh Region, Eterna City Airport.
Sato and Cynthia walked side by side, leaving the airport together.
"Commander Cynthia! Second Lieutenant Micah reporting in! The Mt. Coronet purge operation is fully prepared. We're just waiting for your arrival to begin command!"
Just as they stepped outside, a League Trainer in a dark green combat uniform came hurrying over; his tone respectful but also laced with a hint of flattery.
"Mm. Let me introduce you. This is Sato, an Independent Investigator from the Johto League. He's here to assist in our operation."
"Commander Sato!" Micah immediately snapped to a formal salute, though the subtle curiosity and skepticism in his eyes didn't escape Sato's notice.
People are forgetful. Sato's chaos-stirring escapades in Sinnoh hadn't been that long ago, but most had already forgotten how he once dominated the trending topics…
But Sato didn't mind. Once your strength reached a certain level, fame became nothing more than a ornament.
"Alright, let's head straight to the base."
Among the three, Cynthia's word naturally carried the most weight. Sato only had to play the role of a "professional enforcer".
Micah responded promptly, then led the two into a military vehicle assigned for their mission.
With Micah driving, Sato and Cynthia both chose to sit in the back.
From the corner of his eye, Sato glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed Micah was sneaking looks at him.
He frowned slightly. 'What… did my new haircut yesterday end up looking too good? So good it's even drawing in other men now?'
On the other hand, while Micah's face looked expressionless, his mind was in complete turmoil.
'The pride of Sinnoh… the next Elite Four! Had gone to Kanto and come back… WITH A MAN!?
This guy named Sato… what did he have besides being a bit paler, a bit taller, a bit better looking… and a slightly higher rank…?
Emmm… SO WHAT?
Why would someone like Cynthia, goddess to thousands, dream girl of all! PERSONALLY BRING THIS GUY BACK TO SINNOH!?'
Second Lieutenant Micah couldn't understand. He wanted to see just what was so special about Sato…
"Eyes on the road."
At that moment, Cynthia "gently" reminded him, nearly scaring Micah into flinging the steering wheel out of his hands.
Thankfully, he managed to rely on his natural "pokér-mon face¹[1]" to barely keep his composure… and the vehicle. But his eyes didn't dare glance backward again.
Then Cynthia spoke again. She actually pulled out the mission plan and began briefing Sato on the specific arrangement of the purge operation, leaving Micah utterly stunned.
'GODDESS… no, Commander!
…Those are classified files! How could you just share them with an outsider like that!?'
"Our plan is this, this, and then that… finally we'll finish like this and take them all out in one move. What do you think?"
'Wait a minute…'
Micah's pupils were already dilating. He started doubting his ears… Cynthia was actually asking Sato for his opinion!
"Hmm, overall it sounds good. But maybe here, we could try this first, then that… wouldn't that make the outcome even better?"
"Mm… you're right. Oh! That's a solid adjustment!"
Listening to the two of them converse so naturally, Micah was once again shaken to the core… yet his hands stayed firmly on the wheel, and the car only drove smoother and steadier!
Soon, the military vehicle left the main city and headed northeast toward Mt. Coronet. The road turned bumpy, and only then did Sato and Cynthia pause their conversation.
Micah gripped the steering wheel tightly, but with the rocky dirt road ahead, driving smoothly was nearly impossible…
Seeing that the two in the back had stopped talking, Micah went all in and floored the gas pedal, speeding the two of them straight to the operation base!
…Drive transition…
"Reporting in, Commander. We've arrived at the destination!"
"Mm. Good work." Cynthia stepped out of the vehicle and responded with a courteous nod. The temporary base commander quickly approached and formally handed over command authority to Cynthia.
"I need to handle some arrangements. Let Micah show you around the base. We'll call you when it's time to deploy."
Holding a thick stack of documents, Cynthia turned to Sato with a slightly apologetic expression.
…In that moment, everyone nearby turned to look at Sato in shock, wondering how this handsome -pale- guy -pretty boy- had earned Commander Cynthia's favor.
But seeing this, Micah suddenly felt a lot better; turns out he wasn't the only one who had never seen this kind of scene!
"Mmh, no problem. Go ahead. I'm just here as a combat asset," Sato replied with a light smile.
"Alright… Second Lieutenant Micah, I'm relying on you."
Bang!
Micah reflexively snapped into another perfect salute and responded loudly, "MISSION WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED!"
'Hm…? Why so enthusiastic all of a sudden?'
Sato raised an eyebrow. 'Maybe I'm just overthinking things… right?'
Soon after, surrounded by a group of officers, Cynthia entered the base's sole command tent.
Once they were out of sight, Micah finally extended his left arm to lead the way.
"COMMANDER SATO, THIS WAY PLEASE!"
Seeing Micah so enthusiastic, Sato instinctively adjusted the backpack on his shoulders… but still moved forward.
Gengar was hiding in the shadow. There was no need to feel threatened!
---◓---
"Commander Sato, this is the living quarters of the base. This is where the soldiers eat, sleep, and handle everything else."
---
"Not much to say about the rest, but the food at the cafeteria is really good. Rumor has it that Commander Cynthia personally arranged it.
Commander Cynthia is truly considerate!"
"…"
---
"Commander Sato, this is the medical zone. It looks empty now, but once the fighting starts, it'll be filled in an instant!
But it's said that Commander Cynthia used her connections to assign us a military Nurse Joy, which greatly improves our survival chances.
Commander Cynthia is truly kind!"
"…"
---
"This is our training area. All of our soldiers this time are Elite level Trainers, so the training usually involves 1v1 or multi-Trainer drills.
But they've all undergone rigorous group training and can follow orders without hesitation. And of course, Commander Cynthia sometimes steps in to personally instruct us.
Commander Cynthia is truly responsible!"
Watching the soldiers sweating on the field, Sato finally felt at ease.
Every word out of Micah's mouth was about Cynthia… 'He must have a crush.' That meant Sato was safe.
But… why did it still feel a little IRRITATING?
"Commander Sato, shall we continue the tour?"
Micah wasn't great in most areas, but his perception was sharp. Noticing Sato's brief daze, he spoke up again.
"No need. Let's head into the training field. I was planning to do some training with a few of my… little ones."
"Little… ones…?" Micah repeated expressionlessly, but deep down his brows were furrowing.
'Was this… A JAB AT OUR UNIT?
Why not use your big ones instead?'
Thinking that, Micah realized the curiosity and tension he'd been holding in all along finally had a direction to be released…
'Let the soldiers test him and find out… just how strong is this Sato guy, really?'
•
•
¹.In case it translates odd in other languages: Pokémon + Pokerface…
✚❹🅞 CH's 🅿️🅰️✝️🆁 🅴🅾️🅽 / 🅁🄾🄼🄴🄻🄾🄵🄵
[1] In case it translates odd in other languages: Pokémon + Pokerface…