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"What's this for, huh? Do you take me for someone you can just mess with?"
Seeing the ramen shop owner, grinning in that merchant-like way, suddenly block his way, Sato's irritation deepened, and he spoke coldly.
"Please, don't misunderstand, sir. I'd never dream of crossing you," the owner stammered, sweating a bit as he noticed Sato's sharp look and the faint hint of danger in his expression.
Quickly, the owner pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Sato with a nervous smile. "This is from someone who ate here a short while ago; they asked me to pass it to you. I swear I haven't peeked inside."
Sato had chosen this shop because it was still open with few customers on a quiet street nearby. Now, after his meal, the shop was empty except for himself and the owner, who looked ready to close up.
Despite thinking deeply while eating, Sato had remained alert. During his entire time there, no other customers had come in, and those who'd dined earlier were just ordinary people without PokéBalls. However, as he looked at what the owner handed him, his suspicion vanished.
It was an envelope with Sato's name on it, and its seal was unbroken.
"Let's hope that's true. If anything happens, you'll face the consequences."
Sato glanced sharply at the ramen owner, pocketed the envelope, and left the shop with those words.
He recognized the handwriting on the note—it belonged to the person who assigned him his tasks. This detail made Sato suspect that the ramen shop owner might also be a member of Team Rocket, just like himself.
"Understood, sir. I wouldn't dare know anything I shouldn't," the ramen owner replied quickly, watching Sato leave and feigning an apologetic look as he prepared to close.
Once Sato was out of sight, the owner flipped the sign to indicate the shop was closed, locked the door, and turned off all the lights. The moment darkness filled the shop, a pair of red eyes appeared behind the owner.
Meanwhile, Sato moved through the city streets without pause, slipping away from the crowd until he reached a quiet, deserted alley. After making sure Golbat and Growlithe were on alert, he opened the envelope under the faint alley light to read its contents carefully.
"What?!"
As he read the note, Sato's face changed sharply with shock, almost causing him to cry out. The message was short, but the implications were immense, nearly overwhelming him.
The note contained only ten words: "Elite clearance operation in progress; leave immediately to avoid exposure."
Sato wasted no time. He ordered Growlithe to burn the note to ashes, then quickly led his two Pokémon out of the alley, blending back into the bustling crowd.
He had no reason to doubt the message. Team Rocket's intelligence capabilities were on an entirely different level than his own. Their reach had long infiltrated the very core of the League—Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, being the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto, was proof enough. If the higher-ups issued this warning, it was definitely not without cause.
Sato's primary identity right now is as a Team Rocket member, and only secondarily as an unofficial League trainer. To both Team Rocket and the League, he is seen as a Rocket member disguised under the identity of a League trainer.
The term "Elite clearance" on the note clearly signals a significant League operation—especially if two of the Elite Four, the League's strongest fighters, are involved.
It's likely that while Team Rocket has infiltrated the League, the League has done the same to Team Rocket. There's always a chance of traitors inside Team Rocket leaking personnel information to the League.
If an Elite clearance operation kicks off, Sato will inevitably get caught up in it, and the chances of his cover being blown will be high, considering he's shown his true face to several Rocket members already.
Fortunately, as a relatively new recruit assigned originally to Pewter City's Team Rocket base and having no experience in Saffron City's operations, he's kept a low enough profile to avoid attracting the attention of League spies within team Rocket.
"So, as expected, big rewards bring big risks. It's no wonder the League wouldn't just stand by as Team Rocket monopolizes the lucrative Saffron City black market, especially when it means that the Rocket keeps growing stronger," Sato thought, making his way toward the Pokémon Center.
Furthermore, even though only two members of the Elite Four have officially been deployed, there's no telling how many others might be involved undercover. Thinking more deeply, he suspected the Elite Four exhibition match was likely just a cover for gathering trusted League trainers in Saffron City.
With its extensive resources, the League has a huge advantage in both numbers and quality over any dark organization. If they manage to gather enough loyal trainers in Saffron, a crushing raid could be imminent, wiping out the black market and forcing a total reset of the power dynamics.
"I need to get out of this hotspot fast. If I get dragged in, my 'League trainer' cover won't save me with my current strength. I'd be completely done for."
With this realization, any desire Sato had to stay and watch the Elite Four exhibition vanished. As much as he'd like to see their strength firsthand, his survival came first. He knew well enough to prioritize finding a safe, quiet place to train.
Since Saffron was no longer an option, he'd have to leave quickly. With the typhoon in Hoenn still grounding flights in Saffron, his only option was to travel by boat from Vermilion City.
Traveling by sea to Hoenn would be much slower than flying, but he had no other choice.
Waiting a few days for the typhoon to pass and flights to resume wasn't feasible either, especially since the Elite Four exhibition preliminaries would begin in two days. By then, League trainers would be gathering en masse in Saffron.
If he didn't leave now, he might not be able to escape later. To ensure a complete purge of Saffron's dark factions, the League would surely lock down the entire city.
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