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"That's exactly why our boss decided to give you just a warning," the one-eyed young man said, his expression darkening. "Otherwise, the ones who came for you at the start wouldn't have been those idiots — it would've been more people like me."
Hearing this, Sato's face — hidden beneath the mask — took on a look of amusement. "Really? More likely, you Viper Mafias just don't have the time to deal with a small fry like me right now."
He smiled faintly. "That's only natural. Compared to me, you've got far scarier enemies to worry about."
As he spoke, memories stirred in Sato's mind — the orders Giovanni had given him before departure, along with intelligence reports on Team Rocket's development in Johto.
Up to now, Johto had never had a single dark faction capable of unifying the entire region's underworld. Each city was ruled by its own locally grown criminal organizations. Goldenrod was no exception: in this bustling international metropolis, countless dark groups existed, but four major ones stood above the rest.
These four factions were somewhat evenly matched in power; any war between two would leave both weakened and the others benefiting. After a series of bloody negotiations, they'd carved the city into four territories — each controlling the underworld of one district.
Goldenrod's four native powers were:
Eastern District — the Viper Mafias.
Southern District — the Thunder Rider Gang.
Western District — the Rampaging Bull Gang.
Northern District — the Iron Hand Society.
Among them, the Iron Hand Society was the strongest, followed by the Thunder Rider Gang, then the Rampaging Bull Gang, with the Viper Mafias being the weakest. For years, the four factions ruled their domains with only occasional skirmishes.
But over the past year, a new power had emerged — Team Rocket from Kanto.
From the start, Team Rocket's ambitions were vast, with branches in multiple regions. Johto, being closest to Kanto, received more investment of manpower and resources than most. Now that Team Rocket had cemented itself as Kanto's number one underworld force, its presence in Johto grew rapidly.
Goldenrod, an economic hub rivaling Celadon and Saffron City, had long been in Team Rocket's sights. Infiltration efforts had begun years ago, but the four native powers kept them at bay. With Kanto headquarters unable to spare more forces, Team Rocket had to settle for smaller Johto towns.
So far, Team Rocket had established a major base in Mahogany Town and several smaller bases in mid-tier cities. Some of the first Johto locals recruited had risen to become key members — like Vicious, future commander of Team Rocket's Johto operations and currently a Mahogany base Cadre.
Goldenrod's Rocket forces were led by Apollo, the influential faction leader who had realized Giovanni's grip on Kanto's Rockets was unshakable. Seeing no chance at leadership there, Apollo had invested heavily in the "undeveloped" Johto territory. Years of effort had finally secured Rocket a foothold in Goldenrod.
Still, the city's native factions were formidable. Apollo's forces could match any one of them, but not all four united. Forced to seek allies, he shared spoils with another Rocket faction leader — Athena — who eagerly agreed, aiming to divide Goldenrod and all of Johto's underworld.
With Athena's support, Apollo could finally challenge the city's four native powers, and his first target was the weakest: the Viper Mafias.
"…Who exactly are you? What's your game?" the one-eyed youth asked, pupils narrowing in sudden realization.
Until now, he'd assumed Sato was just some newcomer ignorant of local politics. But from Sato's words, it was obvious he had chosen the Eastern District deliberately.
The idea hit him like ice water — this "justice-seeking" powerhouse might actually be a Team Rocket plant sent to stir trouble, weakening the Viper Mafias's standing.
The thought chilled him. Slowly, his hand drifted toward the PokeBall at his waist.
It barely moved before he froze — his shoulders suddenly heavy, two glowing purple wings hovering at either side of his neck. Crobat.
'Should I kill him?' Sato wondered. 'Hmm… maybe not. If he's gone, the Viper Mafias will have less strength to resist Apollo's Rocket forces. Giovanni wouldn't like that… and neither would I.'
Recalling Giovanni's briefing on Johto's Rocket situation, Sato looked at the one-eyed youth, whose expression was now one of grim resignation, and decided to let him live.
"Listen carefully," Sato said, stepping close and patting the man's cheek. His voice entered directly into the other's mind through telepathy. [Go back and tell your boss — I don't want to be enemies with the Viper Mafias. But don't interfere with my work. We keep out of each other's way. If you disagree… I won't be polite.]
With that, Sato stepped off the edge of the rooftop, free-falling into the darkness.
Crobat, which had been standing on the man's shoulders, took off instantly, catching Sato mid-drop and carrying him away into the night sky.