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What Sato didn't know was that his battle and conversation with the burly man had already been recorded and turned into a video.
At this moment, several high-ranking members of the Team Rocket underground base in Pewter City were watching it.
In the central area of the Pewter City Team Rocket underground base, inside a luxuriously decorated room, Caesar was sitting intimately on a large sofa with his lover, Alice (different Alice, lol).
To his left, on a single-seater sofa, sat a burly man with a buzz cut—his trusted aide, Ryoichi Sakata. On his right, on another single-seater sofa, sat an icy beauty in a white dress—his younger sister, Sophia.
The four of them were watching the footage on a large screen in front of them, casually snacking on the variety of delicacies laid out on the table while discussing the person in the video.
The footage being played was none other than the battle between Sato and the burly man from earlier.
Throughout the recording, Sato's facial expressions and the battle process of each of his Pokémon were replayed from different angles, giving the viewers an immersive experience.
"Sophia, so this is the person you trained? Not bad at all. With this level of strength, securing a spot in the top 100 of the recruit competition is almost guaranteed. But if this is all he has, breaking into the top 50 might be a bit tough. Want me to give him a little help?"
After watching the video of Sato's battle, Caesar turned his head to look at his somewhat absent-minded sister with a fond expression before smiling and making the suggestion.
Although Caesar was still a reserve Cadre-rank operative in Team Rocket, he already possessed five Pokémon over level 50. His strength was firmly in the realm of veteran pseudo-Elite-Four level trainers, just a step away from becoming a true Elite-Four level Trainer himself.
With his sharp eyes, he could tell that Sato had improved at an astonishing rate in just one month. Both his Nidorino and his Shiny Pelipper were excellent Pokémon, each already surpassing level 30.
Caesar remembered clearly that Sato's starter Pokémon was a Zubat with decent potential. Based on this, he estimated that Sato had at least three Pokémon over level 30, barely making him a 'low tier Elite Trainer.'
Going from a complete rookie trainer with no background to a battle-hardened 'lower Elite Trainer' in just a month—calling this progress "rapid" was an understatement. Caesar was highly impressed.
At the same time, he was pleased with his sister for nurturing such a promising talent for him.
His sister had always been a quiet and reserved person. In fact, while Sato was away on missions, he had asked her multiple times for updates about him, but she had always brushed him off, saying she had simply tossed Sato into Hoenn to fend for himself and knew nothing else.
With the recruit competition already underway for two days, and Sato still absent, Caesar had even started to worry that his capricious sister had wasted this rare talent.
But judging from Sato's current performance, Sophia had indeed been paying attention and had put in considerable effort to train him.
Otherwise, Caesar couldn't believe that a civilian-born trainer like Sato could make such rapid progress in a single month.
"He's just average. Whether you help him or not, that's up to you."
Hearing her brother's words, Sophia rolled her eyes at him, who was now grinning like a fool, before replying indifferently. Then, she turned her gaze back to Sato on the screen, a playful smile appearing on her face.
Over the past month, she had mostly left Sato to fend for himself, but his growth speed was truly astonishing.
Having observed his progress firsthand, she knew his actual strength far exceeded what was currently displayed on the screen.
Neither Nidorino nor Pelipper were Sato's main Pokémon. And just thinking about that insane Swampert in his team—born with overwhelming strength—made Sophia feel a slight sense of pressure.
She had a strong hunch that Sato was going to be a breakout star in this recruit competition.
As an Elite ranked Team Rocket operative who currently reported directly to Giovanni in secret, Sophia knew far more about this rookie competition than the burly man Sato had questioned earlier.
In truth, this competition wasn't limited to Pewter City, Cerulean City, and Viridian City—it involved nearly all the major cities in Kanto.
However, this information was still a secret, known only to a select few.
As for why this recruit competition was so special, Sophia wasn't entirely sure.
The only thing she had learned from her fellow Elite members under Giovanni was that, due to the success of Team Rocket's operation in Saffron City, Giovanni was now seeking to further infiltrate the Pokémon League.
"Hahaha! It's rare to get even an 'average' rating from you. That means you really think highly of him. Alright, since you're so optimistic about him, I won't be stingy. After all, if he performs well in this competition, I can finally shed this reserve Cadre title sooner."
Hearing his sister's response, Caesar burst into laughter. Then, he leaned to the left and whispered a few words to Ryoichi Sakata, who had already moved closer to listen.
"Understood, Lord Caesar. I'll make the necessary arrangements right away."
After receiving his orders, Ryoichi Sakata immediately stood up and respectfully bowed before quickly leaving the lavishly decorated room.
Meanwhile, Sato had finished asking all the questions he needed. Seeing how quickly the burly man's attitude had shifted, and how cooperative he was, Sato didn't make things too difficult for him when taking his 'ransom money.'
In the end, Sato collected 3,000 points and a low-quality Dusk Stone from the burly man before considering the matter settled.
Then, he mounted his shiny Pelipper and swiftly headed toward Pewter City.
"Phew... finally got rid of that monster. Looks like I really need to work on my reckless tendencies."
Watching Sato fly off on his Pelipper, the burly man let out a sigh of relief. As he took out healing potions to treat his injured Pokémon, he muttered to himself.
Thanks to Pelipper's speed, Sato quickly arrived in Pewter City's eastern district. Following the signs, he soon stood in front of a massive department store that was at least the size of a football field.
This was the largest shopping complex in Pewter City. Besides everyday necessities, it also sold the latest Pokémon-related products from Silph Co. in Saffron City.
Both the quality and variety of goods here were the best in Pewter.
At the same time, this department store was one of the secret entrances to Team Rocket's underground base in Pewter City.
Using the information provided by the burly man, Sato quickly made contact with a Team Rocket logistics officer disguised as a store manager.
With the help of this logistics officer and a Kadabra, he successfully teleported back into the Team Rocket underground base.