The Shadownight Intelligence Shop provided large amounts of both true and false information to Trainers and Adventurers exploring the Forest of Shadows. Although people often got scammed, compared to blindly searching through the forest alone, many were still willing to buy intel first to increase their chances of success.
Because of its long-term monopoly, the shop raked in huge profits daily. And the Trainers who got scammed usually didn't blame the shop, simply thinking they were just unlucky.
It was a business of guaranteed profit. For someone to own such an enterprise in Shadownight Town, the shop's owner clearly wasn't just some incompetent fool.
Sato had even heard that the man was quite powerful himself; powerful enough to keep all the local crooks and outlaws in check.
Sato and Kirlia went straight to the Intelligence Shop owner's office. In the brightly lit room, the only sound came from a fountain pen scratching paper.
Click~
The snap of the pen cap broke the silence. The owner, Victor, looked up with a calm smile and gazed directly at the suddenly appeared Sato.
"A visit from the Gym Leader, what an honor. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. I just finished steeping some fine coffe. Why not sit and have a chat?"
His magnetic voice rang out. Victor exuded the charm of a mature man, and his tailored suit made him look more like a successful businessman.
"When did the Ghost Ship get in touch with you?" Sato sat down on the nearby sofa without hesitation. Victor's handsomeness irritated him.
"So that group's called Ghost Ship, huh? They threatened me using the lives of my wife and daughter. I had no choice but to send you that letter. I know nothing else."
Victor stood and sat at the coffe table, carefully beginning the coffe preparation process step by step, as if sincerely trying to offer Sato a proper cup.
"The Ghost Ship Organization never threatens others like that to achieve their goals. They're pure assassins. Don't forget… I was once one of them too," Sato said coolly, watching Victor's performance with interest.
"You don't believe me? But I'm telling the truth. You can have someone check, the two assassins were hiding right next to my house so they could monitor my wife and daughter and use them to threaten me."
Victor was getting worked up. His coffe-making movements sped up, as if he truly felt wronged.
"You slipped up again. Assassins from the organization may act together, but they always work solo. And your wife and daughter aren't Trainers; why would it take two people to watch them?" Sato bared his teeth slightly, his tone playful.
"They were setting up an ambush tonight, that's why-" Victor blurted out in a panic.
"…So, you knew they were setting a trap for me tonight, yet you didn't report it to the League to give me a heads-up?" Sato's voice turned cold.
"I… I didn't…" Victor panicked. He stopped making coffe and stood up, trying to walk over to Sato and explain.
But just then, a black-glowing needle suddenly sprang from Victor's suit collar, shooting straight at Sato without warning.
Victor's expression changed at the same time. His look of panic vanished, replaced by mockery and a hint of pity.
Ting~
The needle stopped in front of Sato's chest, unable to go any further. Sato held a cup, and it just happened to block the needle's path.
He looked innocently at Victor. "Your sneak attack… seems to have failed?"
"Hmph! Old Ghost, TAKE HIM!" Victor shouted as he leapt backward. At the same moment, a Gengar appeared beneath Sato's feet and grabbed at his legs, trying to pull him down.
"Kirlia!"
Kirlia sprang into action. This Gengar dared to ignore it and attack Sato directly? No way! "BEEDRILL!" Victor continued shouting. Clearly, Gengar wasn't the only one in on the ambush.
Bzzzz~
A Beedrill suddenly attacked from behind Sato, its sharp twin stingers aiming straight for his head.
Sato didn't move at all and simply stared coldly at the retreating Victor. He had Kirlia, who was he afraid of?
In the next moment, near-solid Psychic power erupted from Kirlia's body, and everything nearby seemed to freeze in place under its control.
Beedrill's wings stopped flapping mid-air. Sato could clearly see the patterns on them. The Gengar beneath his feet was also frozen in pain, unable to escape.
A second later, the Psychic burst out. Beedrill was flung back the same way it had charged in and slammed hard into the wall. When it slid to the ground, its eyes were spirals. Gengar was also forced back into the floor.
Watching Victor, whose only moving parts were his pupils, Sato slowly walked up to him, tapped his neck, and peeled off a fake skin mask.
"Where's the real owner of the shop?"
"MMPH! Mmm-mm…"
"Oh, Kirlia, loosen his mouth."
"Cough, cough… Y-You know the rules of the organization so well. Where do you think he is right now?" the fake Victor said with a vicious glare.
"What a shame. Rebuilding all this will take time… Kirlia, take care of it," Sato said with a shake of his head, sounding regretful.
"MMPH!"
Sato crouched down, not bothering to look at the man's final terrified expression. While he was at it, he took the man's Poké Balls.
"Three assassins still aren't enough. Looks like I'll need to go after them myself sometime. How many times has this been already? And then there's Team Rocket…"
He weighed the four Poké Balls in his hand, then retrieved Beedrill and Gengar before turning and leaving.
Once outside the Shadownight Intelligence Shop, Sato looked toward the forest outside Shadownight Town. He wondered whether the fighting over there had ended yet.
But according to the original plan, Sato had Kirlia use Teleport to bring him straight to the Pokémon Center.
----
"BOOOSS!"
The moment he arrived at the Pokémon Center entrance, Mark shouted loudly, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Ignoring the curious stares from others, Sato walked over to Mark.
"Injured?"
He frowned when he saw the bandages wrapped around Mark's neck.
"Heh, it's nothing. That hag Voya tried to burn me, but I used myself as bait and landed a heavy hit on her. Joseph already checked me out, it's no big deal," Mark grinned, acting unconcerned.
"What about Voya? Did you catch her?"
"Ahem… We had her, but then that Team Rocket Admin, Ariana, showed up and rescued her," Mark said, clearly upset.
"As long as you're okay. How's Joseph? I'll go check on him," Sato patted Mark's shoulder, but noticed the boy flinched slightly, clearly the injury was worse than it looked. Still, Sato said nothing.
"I'm okay too, but Ariana also got Mika out. I couldn't stop her…" Joseph rushed over and said with some regret.
"Among Team Rocket's Admins, Ariana's escape skills are top-tier. If we didn't catch them, then we didn't. Dawn is coming soon, and we've got more important things to do. Can you still keep going?"
"Don't worry, boss!"
"No problem!"