With the addition of Sosuke and Ponyo, the number of registered Trainers at the Gym reached eight. Together with Sato as the Gym Leader, that was enough to handle the essential operations.
Over the past three months, under Amber's arrangements, Sato had also visited the mayor, deputy mayor, village heads, Officer Jenny, and others in his official capacity as Gym Leader.
He even got to know the owner of the "Shadownight Intelligence Shop".
Fortunately, Sato's reputation preceded him, and his recent accomplishments in the Unova Region had already reached the League's internal network.
Plus, having Amber -a man who looked wise and experienced- at his side, all the surface-level meetings went smoothly, with everyone wearing polite smiles.
But honestly, Sato didn't need to guess to know that some of them were definitely just watching and waiting, even if they didn't say so outright.
After all, a Gym Leader's position in the League hierarchy was much higher than that of a mayor. Gym Leaders didn't handle city planning, but any requests or suggestions they made had to be taken seriously, and as long as they didn't violate core principles, they had to be prioritized.
Any city that had a Gym would never have low development potential. Some towns could even eventually be upgraded to cities.
In fact, the League had coordinated with Sato to officially announce on websites and forums that a new Gym would soon open in Shadownight Town. As a result, large numbers of Trainers, shops, and companies had already started moving in, and the town was beginning to show signs of prosperity.
For leaders who valued political power, this was a double-edged sword, there was both joy and anxiety, with many restless and tossing in their beds at night.
During this time, Sato had also sent out a large number of invitations. Basically, anyone he knew and could exchange a few words with received one.
And now, there were only two days left until the Gym's opening.
At this point, some of Sato's friends had already arrived early.
…Like the various Nurse Joys.
Looking at this group of identical-looking sisters, Sato could only recognize Ria and Lilian, who he communicated with most often. As for the rest, he really had no way of telling them apart.
Thankfully, they were used to people not being able to distinguish them. So aside from teasing Sato a bit on the first day, they went out to explore on their own.
Clearly, quite a few of them were using the opening ceremony as an excuse to take a longer vacation.
In addition, Wester had also arrived early at Shadownight Gym. Sato was genuinely happy to see him, as Wester had helped him a lot early on.
Back when they first met, Wester had taken the initiative to support him in many ways. Now, with Sato as the official Gym Leader, associating with him would bring Wester plenty of benefits.
Even Wester's family acknowledged that he had invested in the right person and told him to maintain that relationship well.
After reviewing the Gym's opening day schedule in detail once more, Sato and Amber finally headed to the cafeteria and arrived just in time for lunch.
"Boss, the owner of the Shadownight Intelligence Shop sent someone over with a letter today. Said it had to be read by you personally," Mark said eagerly as soon as Sato sat down, pulling out an envelope and handing it over.
Sato reached out to take it, thoughtfully gauging its thickness before slipping it into his pocket.
Lunch came first!
After the meal, Sato called Joseph, Mark, and Amber into the meeting room. There, in front of them, he opened the envelope.
[To the attention of the Gym Leader: Recently, a large number of suspicious strangers have appeared in Shadownight Town. Attached are a few photos taken by chance, hope they may be of help.]
It was a simple letter with a few photos, but they made Sato furrow his brow. He did indeed recognize a few familiar faces in those pictures.
Sato passed the letter and photos around, letting the three of them take turns looking while he gave a brief explanation.
"The two wearing black casual clothes, older in appearance, are Kalo, a Blue-Rank Assassin of the Ghost Ship Organization, and Alva, a Silver-Rank Assassin."
"The other three are members of Team Rocket's 'Seven-Star Hunters': Fire-type specialist Voya, Ice-type specialist Froston, and Rock-type specialist Mika."
As Sato spoke, the first thought that crossed his mind was 'Thank goodness Deadfish Eyes didn't show up.'
"I'll handle the two assassins. You don't need to know too much about them. As for the three from Team Rocket, they're each known for using powerful Pokémon of Fire, Ice, and Rock types. Extremely dangerous individuals with destructive power.
Among them, Mika is the most dangerous. He's infamous for using Explosion, terrifying his enemies. He's ruthless to both others and himself.
Voya is next. She's a master tactician: cunning and strategic. Her Pokémon all possess incredible offensive power. Don't underestimate her.
Froston is a bit weaker, but only relatively speaking. His strength is at least at Peak Elite level, otherwise, he wouldn't be one of Team Rocket's Seven-Star Hunters."
"Boss, should we strike first and take them all down before the Gym's opening ceremony?" Mark asked eagerly, eyes glued to the photos of the five targets.
"Don't worry about whether we catch them. Wiping them out is even better," Sato said softly, but the tone made Joseph and the others realize how seriously he was taking this.
"Amber, you'll stay behind to guard the base. Sina and the others have made great progress, but it's still far too soon for them to face enemies like this."
"Understood, Leader. I'll protect the kids at all costs," Amber responded firmly.
"Boss, is it really just the three of us? Isn't that too risky?" Mark quickly interjected, sounding anxious.
"Of course not. Lance and the others will arrive tonight. For him, this is practically a free win."
Sato smirked. Back when he was traveling in the Johto Region, he'd stirred up plenty of trouble for Team Rocket. So this situation didn't come as a surprise.
"But we can't be sure these are the only enemies, right? If we don't catch them all in one go, we could alert the others," Joseph said calmly, analyzing the situation.
Sato didn't respond right away. He let out a quiet sigh.
"To the underground forces, the establishment of a Gym represents the League hammering a nail into a city, clearly asserting control. So from now on, there will be many more conflicts like this. Yes, Gym Leaders and registered Trainers enjoy great benefits, but they also carry heavy burdens.
City defense isn't just about guarding against wild Pokémon attacks. More often, it's about battles between people, between organizations, between power struggles.
If one day, a Gym Leader joins an underground org, it's almost as if the entire city has already fallen."
Sato's words made the three fall into deep thought. But before they could process it further, Sato continued assigning missions and tasks, leaving them no choice but to listen attentively.
"…Unless something unexpected happens, none of us will be sleeping the night before the opening ceremony. Rest up well tonight," Sato concluded.