"Listen to you! You only come to Viridian City once in a blue moon. As your older brother, of course I have to show you some hospitality and personally welcome you. Come on, come on, let's go. We should have a good gathering."
Hearing Sato's words, the newcomer let out several awkward laughs. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Sato by the hand, and pulled him outside.
Seeing how enthusiastic the man was, Sato did not refuse and simply allowed himself to be dragged along. However, there was not the slightest trace of happiness in his eyes. Instead, his expression grew increasingly cold.
The familiar face who had suddenly appeared was none other than Kondo, the acting Gym Leader whom Sato had encountered at the Viridian Gym.
In Sato's impression, this man was extremely unreliable. He was the kind of person who could tell you he was coming to help you one moment, only to turn around and sell you out the next.
Sato had once sought his help over a matter involving a Key Stone and a Mega Stone.
At the time, Sato had clearly given Kondo most of the credit and benefits. Yet this man had actually waited until Sato and the enemy, the Sea Serpent Gang, had fought each other to mutual exhaustion before finally showing up, clearly intending to reap all the benefits himself.
If Sato hadn't been strong enough, he probably would have been killed by Kondo's schemes long ago.
Since then, Sato had never trusted him from the bottom of his heart, nor did he have any liking for him.
The enthusiastic attitude Sato was displaying now, as though greeting an old friend, was nothing more than him maintaining a superficial relationship with Kondo.
Although Sato was now an Elite-Four level Trainer, the person standing behind Kondo was none other than the mighty Giovanni.
Even when beating a dog, one had to consider its master's face.
The only person Sato was showing respect to right now was Giovanni behind Kondo.
As for Kondo himself—a man whom Sato could tell at a glance had not yet reached the Elite-Four level—Sato no longer considered him worthy of attention.
Kondo maintained a smiling expression from beginning to end while facing Sato. But whenever he turned his head away, that smile became somewhat twisted, and his eyes were filled with jealousy and resentment.
Until meeting Sato, Kondo had been unable to believe that the mysterious Trainer of Zapdos who had suddenly become famous online could actually be Sato.
Then a phone call had left him both shocked and furious.
Boss Giovanni had actually ordered him to personally go to the Pokémon Center and receive Sato.
To be honest, when Kondo had first met Sato, he had regarded him merely as a somewhat capable country bumpkin within Team Rocket.
Even though Sato had earned Boss Giovanni's recognition, Kondo had still considered himself superior in terms of status.
Therefore, when Sato had called him for help, Kondo had sold him out without the slightest hesitation.
What surprised him was that Sato had actually survived that naval battle.
That had been the second time Kondo met Sato.
The third time was half a year ago, when Sato had just returned from the mysterious island.
At that time, Kondo had already vaguely sensed a threat emanating from Sato.
Now, this was the fourth time Kondo had encountered him.
What shocked Kondo beyond belief was that the country bumpkin Team Rocket member he had once looked down upon had now become an Elite-Four level Trainer—and he even possessed a powerful Pokémon like Zapdos.
Kondo had always served at Giovanni's side, so naturally he had seen quite a few EElite-Four level Trainers.
Therefore, when he met Sato again and felt that familiar sense of pressure emanating from him, Kondo knew that the rumors circulating online were all true.
And when he noticed the Mega Bracelet on Sato's left wrist, he became even more certain.
Kondo's feelings were naturally complicated.
Of course, jealousy made up a large part of them.
For a time, he simply couldn't accept that Sato had surpassed him.
But what good did refusing to accept it do?
Kondo knew very well that he was completely insignificant in front of Sato now. Moreover, he had once wronged Sato.
Who knew? Perhaps one day Sato would make him pay dearly for it.
Within Team Rocket, the hierarchy was extremely strict.
Although superiors were not supposed to kill people without reason, they could still use the rules to make the people beneath them suffer horribly.
Now that Sato had become an Elite-Four level Trainer, by conventional standards, he had already become a member of Team Rocket's upper ranks.
It probably wouldn't be long before Giovanni appointed him as the branch commander of some region, officially making him one of Team Rocket's executives.
An Elite-Four level Trainer was top-tier combat power in any organization. As long as they didn't betray the organization, almost anything could be negotiated.
Kondo was genuinely afraid that Sato might say something unfavorable about him in front of Giovanni.
Putting himself in Sato's shoes, if someone had screwed him over that badly, he certainly wouldn't let that person off either.
If he ever got the opportunity to kill such a person, he definitely wouldn't hesitate.
Kondo understood his boss's personality better than anyone.
Giovanni was an absolute pragmatist who would stop at nothing to achieve his objectives.
If Kondo's death could satisfy an exceptionally talented Elite-Four level Trainer, Giovanni would absolutely have no qualms about killing him.
There was no doubt about it.
Sato naturally had no idea what Kondo was thinking. However, Kondo's expression whenever he turned his head away had been completely visible to him.
Sato merely sneered inwardly.
He had indeed considered killing Kondo, the petty man who had once betrayed him.
But after thinking it over, he ultimately decided against it.
After all, Giovanni stood behind Kondo. If Sato attacked Kondo, he would inevitably incur Giovanni's displeasure.
Sato had only recently entered the Elite-Four level. Although he already possessed Mega Swampert and Zapdos and could not be considered weak even among Elite-Four level Trainers, he was still far inferior to Giovanni.
Therefore, when facing Giovanni, he still needed to avoid confronting him head-on.
Of course, now that he had reached the Elite-Four level, Sato was no longer someone Giovanni could casually manipulate.
Furthermore, Sato was himself a Psychic.
It was unrealistic to think Giovanni could continue treating him like a pawn that could be ordered around at will.
Elite-Four level Trainers had the pride befitting their strength.
And Sato was an Elite-Four level Psychic Trainer on top of that. If he wanted to leave, then unless Giovanni summoned Sabrina, there was no one in Team Rocket who could stop him.
But Sabrina was the Gym Leader of Saffron City, and she herself was an extremely unstable factor. The League watched her every move closely, making it impossible for her to simply come to Viridian City.
Therefore, Sato was now extremely confident.
Even if he had to face Giovanni, he wouldn't be intimidated.
If Giovanni still treated him as some kind of pawn during this meeting, Sato wouldn't give him a pleasant reception either.
He would do what needed to be done.
At worst, he could simply switch organizations.
Kondo helped Sato into a luxury car and took the driver's seat himself.
Instead of taking Sato to the Viridian Gym, he drove toward a private estate in the eastern part of Viridian City.
Along the way, Kondo repeatedly tried to strike up a conversation with Sato. His attempts to curry favor and ingratiate himself were practically impossible to hide.
Sato found Kondo's two-faced behavior genuinely disgusting.
Nevertheless, he chose not to openly fall out with him. He merely responded occasionally, giving Kondo no opportunity whatsoever to repair their relationship.
Soon, Kondo brought Sato to the entrance of Giovanni's private estate in Viridian City.
"Sir has been waiting inside for quite some time. Brother Sato, please go in."
Kondo personally opened the car door for Sato and ushered him out. Doing his utmost to humble himself, he smiled broadly as he spoke.
"Thank you for escorting me all the way here, Brother Kondo. You don't need to see me off."
Sato continued to maintain the superficial cordiality with Kondo. He nodded and smiled before turning around and walking toward the already-open entrance.
He didn't spare Kondo another glance.
The moment Sato turned his back, the smile disappeared from Kondo's face.
His expression turned livid.
He clenched his fists tightly and stared viciously at Sato's back, his eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.
Sato's lukewarm attitude toward him throughout the journey had already made it clear that reconciliation between them was impossible.
Kondo had also given up on continuing to curry favor with Sato.
Instead, he began thinking about how he could survive this crisis.
Kondo absolutely refused to allow his life to be placed in someone else's hands at their whim.
Finally, he thought of someone.