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"I challenge you!" Rondo publicly issued a challenge to Sato, causing Sato's pupils to narrow as a serious expression crossed his face.
What is the most popular activity among humans in the Pokémon world? Undoubtedly, it's the intense and thrilling Pokémon battles. For every trainer, battling is something that cannot be avoided.
No matter where you are or who you are, if someone challenges you to a Pokémon battle, it's right and proper to respond. This is simply a truth known by everyone in the Pokémon world, from a hundred-year-old elder to a three-year-old child. In this world, this was a common sense.
"A Pokémon battle? Interesting. What format will it be?" Sato said, staring at Rondo's ugly face with a blank expression.
To be honest, Sato felt uneasy the moment Rondo challenged him. This was essentially an unavoidable trap.
Why is it an unavoidable trap? Well, there are two primary reasons.
First, in the predatory environment of Team Rocket, how do you think the members, like wolves, would view someone who chooses to decline a challenge?
Unless the power gap between the two parties is too great, with the stronger side finding the challenge boring and refusing, those who choose to decline will undoubtedly be looked down upon by other Team Rocket members. In Team Rocket, those who are despised by others often face dire consequences.
Second, Sato knew that Rondo was originally a trainer, and his ability to lead a group of delinquents implied that he must possess solid training skills. Sato, on the other hand, was just a rookie trainer starting out.
Although Sato had rich experience playing games in his past life, he couldn't guarantee that he could outperform Rondo, who had undoubtedly experienced countless Pokémon battles.
"A formal Pokémon battle, no conditions attached. Do you choose to accept my challenge, Sato?" As soon as Sato finished speaking, Rondo wore a triumphant smile and answered loudly.
Rondo's intentional loudness made the nearby Team Rocket members, who were watching, realize that a Pokémon battle was about to unfold, and they all displayed expressions of interest.
At the same time, Rondo's Ekans glared coldly at Sato and Zubat on his shoulder, making them both feel very uncomfortable.
Sato had noticed the large purple snake beside Rondo long ago and used the system's scanning ability to analyze its data.
Pokemon Data:
Pokémon: Ekans
Level: 15
Type: Poison
Ability: Intimidate
Gender: Male
Moves: Leer, Glare, Poison Sting, Bite, Wrap, Poison Tail (Egg Move), Rock Tomb (TM)
After reviewing Rondo's Ekans data, especially seeing Rock Tomb—a Rock-type move that was particularly effective against Zubat—Sato felt a slight heaviness in his heart.
(For clarification, Rock Tomb is a Rock-type physical attack move with the effect of creating rocks to attack the enemy and restrict their movement, thereby reducing their speed.)
However, Sato was already in a difficult position. If he refused this battle, his future in Team Rocket would be far from pleasant, and trouble would continuously find its way to him.
"No problem, I accept your challenge, but my Zubat just finished an intense flying training session, so I need a minute to prepare," Sato replied flatly after giving Rondo a deep look.
"Good, straightforward. Let's meet on the battlefield later," Rondo said, a cruel smile spreading across his face as he responded. He then left with his three subordinates, their arrogance on full display.
As Sato had just thought, Rondo was trying to bully him while he was still a rookie trainer, using external pressure to force Sato into accepting the Pokémon battle.
"Heh, thinking I'm just a rookie trainer and easy to bully? You couldn't be more wrong. I'll make you regret this," Sato thought with a cold smile as he watched Rondo and the others swagger away.
After some contemplation, Sato felt that his chances of winning this Pokémon battle were relatively high, for three reasons.
First, Zubat is a Flying-type Pokémon, giving it an advantage over the grounded Ekans. Additionally, it possessed the long-range moves Shadow Ball and Gust, making its kite-fighting capabilities strong.
Second, there was no doubt that Ekans was a Pokémon Rondo had recently obtained. No matter how skilled he was, he wouldn't be able to fully master such a cold-blooded snake in just one day.
Third, while Rondo had more experience in real Pokémon battles, Sato wasn't lacking either. With his past life experience and the help of the system, he had a significant edge in this upcoming battle.
Since they were going to battle, a battlefield was necessary. The public training ground had plenty of open spaces, and it wasn't uncommon for challenges to occur there, so several standard battlefields were available.
A minute later, Sato and Rondo stood at opposite corners of one of the battlefields, surrounded by a considerable number of spectators. Most of them were low-ranking members of Team Rocket, with only one or two squad leaders present.
One squad leader among the onlookers even initiated a betting pool, with the stakes being the outcome of the battle between Sato and Rondo. Based on the amount bet, the current odds were 10 to 1 in favor of Rondo against Sato.
It was clear from the odds that most people were not optimistic about Sato. In fact, while starting the betting, this squad leader briefly explained the strengths of both sides.
When the gamblers heard that Sato was merely a rookie trainer and that Rondo was the leader of a gang, controlling a street in Pewter City, nearly everyone placed their bets on Rondo, with only a few daring enough to bet on Sato due to the low odds.
Notably, Sato decided to place all his remaining 104 points on himself.
As the two sides prepared to face off and the betting was about to close, Tanya walked up to the squad leader managing the bets and placed all her remaining 500 points on Sato. Kanjiro, who was like a bodyguard to her, thought for a moment and also placed all his remaining 200 points on Sato.
"Do you really have that much faith in this kid? These are our last points. If we lose, our plans will be ruined," Kanjiro said with an ugly expression on his face after the betting closed.
"Hmph, I'm not forcing you to bet. All I can say is, that guy is not to be underestimated. If you underestimate him, you'll suffer a big loss. This is too good of an opportunity to pass up," Tanya replied coldly, shooting a glare at Kanjiro.
As soon as she finished speaking, the battle was announced to begin.
In the next second, Sato and Rondo simultaneously threw their PokéBalls into the air. The two PokéBalls opened in mid-air, and two beams of white light shot out, landing on the ground and in the air.
As the white light dissipated, Zubat in the air and Ekans on the ground immediately locked eyes, both glaring intensely at each other.
The tension in the battlefield thickened instantly.