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Sato returned to his dormitory with the Pokemon Egg, glancing at the clock that read 5:43. After placing the egg securely on his desk, he lay down for a brief rest.
As it approached 6:30, Sato woke from his nap and began preparing dinner for Zubat. Once Zubat had finished drinking 5 liters of fresh blood and devoured two calcium tablets, Sato left the dormitory, following the biological clock of his stomach toward the cafeteria.
He entered the cafeteria smoothly and treated himself to a dinner for 5 points to nourish his underfed body. After enjoying a hearty meal, he decided to return to his dormitory along the same route.
However, on his way back, Sato ran into some trouble. As he passed by the new recruits' dormitory and turned a quiet corner, five individuals in rookie uniforms emerged from the entrance, blocking his path, wielding iron rods.
"Is there a problem? I don't like being blocked," Sato said, his expression cold and voice flat upon seeing the five recruits with weapons in his way.
In the next moment, Sato pressed the button on his waist to release Zubat from its PokeBall. The instant Zubat appeared, it flapped its wings powerfully, enveloped in a green light. Harnessing the Flying-type energy in the environment, it created a strong gust comparable to level 6 winds that rushed forward.
Facing the sudden gust created by Zubat, the five recruits, who were less than five meters away from Sato, were immediately blown off balance, unable to open their eyes. Their previously coordinated formation fell apart in an instant.
Sato and Zubat were completely different from their selves two days ago, especially after the battle with Rondo's Pokémon that morning. Both had quickly shed their previous naivety, and the victory boosted their confidence even further. The shadow of the recruits had long since faded away.
After intimidating the weaklings blocking his path, Zubat obediently landed on Sato's outstretched arm, turning its head to look at the recruits who dared not advance.
Sato didn't mind Zubat teaching the recruits a lesson; instead, he patted its head in praise. After all, he was now a member of Team Rocket, and these recruits daring to block his path was an act of defiance. Teaching them a lesson was mild; if they dared to attack, Sato had the right to eliminate them.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Master Sato! We're not here to cause trouble; we need your help! Please, don't let your Pokémon attack us!" One brave recruit raised his hands in surrender after the wind died down.
"Help? Your way of asking for help is quite special. Tell me the truth, or I'll ensure you all fail this Rookie assessment and end up doing menial tasks," Sato replied, his expression unchanged but his eyes growing colder.
Requesting help in such a shady manner—blocking someone in a secluded area that happened to be a blind spot for surveillance—was indeed an unusual way to ask for assistance.
Sensing Sato's displeasure, Zubat took off from his arm and darted toward the bravest recruit, its mouth open wide, clearly ready to inflict some serious damage.
"It's true! Rondo is forcing us! Please spare me!" The recruit, seeing Zubat charge toward him, panicked and immediately dropped to his knees, begging Sato for mercy.
However, Sato did not order Zubat to stop. Instead, he allowed Zubat's teeth to sink into the recruit's neck, coldly listening to the terrified screams that echoed, sounding like a pig being slaughtered.
Team Rocket was a place governed by the law of the jungle, where showing appropriate force could deter scoundrels. Upon hearing Rondo's name, Sato had a pretty good idea of what was happening. Clearly, these recruits were being used as pawns by Rondo, though he couldn't quite grasp why they were willing to be used in that way.
Soon, after about seven or eight seconds, the unfortunate recruit lost consciousness. Zubat removed its teeth from the recruit's neck, disdainfully spat out a small mouthful of blood, and then flew back to perch on Sato's right shoulder.
In truth, Zubat hadn't even drawn any blood, as the recruit was scrawny, and the blood's vitality was nowhere near the fresh blood Zubat usually drank. Overall, it was just hard to swallow.
"Now, spill the beans about what's going on, or you'll share his fate. Don't even think about escaping if you believe you can outrun him," Sato said to the surrounding group of frightened Team Rocket recruits. Time was running short, and he needed to resolve the situation before the patrolling guards arrived.
Under Sato's pressure, the terrified recruits quickly began to relay the events that had transpired. After hearing their account, Sato realized the severity of the situation.
It turned out that after Rondo had been defeated, he faced threats from numerous gamblers who had lost their bets. He and his three subordinates had lost all their points, and to avoid further threats and regain points, Rondo had directed his focus toward the larger, weaker group of new recruits.
As the current weak demographic, it was only natural for the newcomers to band together for support. Rondo, a seasoned thug with considerable leadership skills, began recruiting among the new recruits and collecting protection fees.
Rondo's method of recruiting was quite effective; he targeted those new recruits who had lost their points and saw no hope of advancing to the next rank. By offering to help them capture Pokémon, he successfully drew these recruits into his group. In just one afternoon, he had gathered ten new recruits as his subordinates.
Such cliques were entirely normal in an organization as corrupt as Team Rocket, but the emergence of new factions would inevitably attract the wrath of the established powers. Rondo's open recruitment clearly encroached on the interests of the old veterans.
In fact, Rondo was well-versed in the intricacies of the gray area in Pewter City, having been a thug for years. After gathering his ten new subordinates, he stopped expanding his ranks and even had the savvy to hand over some of the points he had taken from other newcomers without asking for anything in return.
The individuals who participated in the attack against Sato were those who had been swindled out of their points by the veterans and found themselves at a dead end. They saw a glimmer of hope for advancing to the rank of soldier by aligning with Rondo and the others, which prompted them to seek assistance.
Rondo exploited these recruits' desperation by offering to help them capture Pokémon in exchange for them causing trouble for Sato. He even taught them how to ambush Sato in the blind spots he frequently passed.
In reality, Rondo had spun tales to convince these recruits to trouble Sato, never revealing Sato's true background. He simply told them that Sato was a country bumpkin with no connections and merely a frail 15-year-old boy.
The fact that these desperate newcomers had fallen for Rondo's lies showed how easily they could be manipulated. Under Rondo's coercion and temptation, they were quickly swayed.
However, Rondo was disappointed when the recruits, clearly the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, immediately faltered upon seeing Sato in his soldier uniform. When they witnessed Sato's command over Zubat, all that remained in their hearts was fear.
And then, this scene unfolded.