Sato and the others fastened their seatbelts tightly, trying to ease the discomfort caused by the sudden descent of the aircraft.
After eight hours of flight, they finally returned to Johto. Seeing that Goldenrod City didn't show signs of chaos, Sato and the others couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
At least not every city had fallen into war. Goldenrod City, which had previously endured Team Rocket's riot, was one of the few that hadn't suffered much damage during this raid.
As the plane landed, they were greeted by a grim-faced Officer Jenny and the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City, Howard.
"Thank you all for traveling such a long way to support us. I'll skip the pleasantries, your assignments have already been decided, so please listen carefully."
Without wasting time, Officer Jenny immediately began briefing them. Of course, Sato and the others knew the urgency of the situation and didn't show much emotion.
Sato merely took a moment to nod in acknowledgment to his old friend, Howard.
"Gym Leader Sato, based on our previous remote communication, we've prepared a helicopter to escort your partner Mark back to Shadownight Town to assume guard duty."
"Understood."
Sato nodded. At the same time, two officers stepped out from behind Officer Jenny and led Mark directly toward a nearby helicopter.
"I'm off~ Leave Shadownight Town to me!" Mark pounded his chest, full of confidence.
…But no matter how he looked, he didn't exactly inspire peace of mind.
Still, there was no time to worry. Officer Jenny quickly announced everyone else's assignments.
"Leader Sato, due to your strong capabilities and previous experience dealing with Team Rocket, you and your partner Joseph will be sent to Olivine City, which is currently the most war-torn.
Mr. Flint, Mr. Volkner, the two of you will be heading to Ecruteak City. Miss Cynthia, you've been assigned to New Bark Town.
The situations in those cities are also quite dire. If there are no other urgent matters, please depart with us immediately."
Sato and the others exchanged glances. They had clearly expected to be assigned to different cities, so they nodded in acknowledgment and were each led to separate helicopters.
"There's some food prepared on board. You two can rest a bit. Once we reach Olivine City, you'll be going straight into combat."
The helicopter's co-pilot turned around and spoke respectfully but firmly.
"Mhm, we understand," Joseph replied with a smile, then handed some of the bread beside him to Sato.
---
Two hours later, Sato and Joseph -who had been resting with their eyes closed[1]- were awakened. Looking out the helicopter window, they saw Olivine City just below.
"Sato, there's fighting over there!"
Sato followed Joseph's voice and saw a large group of Trainers and Pokémon gathered around the lighthouse area of Olivine City.
About half of them were wearing black combat uniforms, each stamped with a big, bright red "R."
"Should we head straight over there?" The helicopter pilot asked quickly.
"It's too late. The enemy's already on us."
Sato suddenly turned to the other side. An armored Skarmory was charging toward them at high speed.
Whoosh~
The helicopter door was flung open by Sato, and in a flash of red light, Sharpedo appeared in the sky.
"Quick and clean, Hydro Pump."
"Shaaa!"
Using Aqua Jet to stabilize itself mid-air, Sharpedo didn't hesitate. Its jaws opened wide and fired off a powerful Hydro Pump.
The approaching Skarmory was only at High Elite, and with low Special Defense, the Hydro Pump nearly took it out in one blow.
"SKAAAAR!"
With a miserable screech, Skarmory turned tail and tried to flee to the ground!
But Sharpedo wouldn't let it. A second Hydro Pump followed instantly, accelerating its crash to the ground.
"If there's no one on the ground to receive you, don't land recklessly; we're going down!" Joseph instructed the two pilots, then immediately released Gallade, disappearing from the cabin with a Teleport.
Seeing this, Sato didn't hesitate either. To the pilots' shock, he simply leapt out of the helicopter.
A dark figure flashed through the air, Sharpedo caught Sato precisely and carried him rapidly toward the battlefield.
The two pilots exchanged glances, each seeing both shock and excitement in the other's eyes.
"GO GET 'EM, LEADER[2]!"
---
Down on the battlefield, many had seen the Skarmory fall, and now Sato was flying in atop Sharpedo without hiding his presence, drawing countless eyes.
"I KNOW HIM! THAT'S YUGA SATO, THE GYM LEADER OF SHADOWNIGHT GYM! OUR REINFORCEMENTS ARE HERE!" a League Trainer suddenly shouted.
"Reinforcements are here! Hold the line!"
"Die, Team Rocket! All of you, GO TO HELL!"
The League's morale surged, while panic spread among the Team Rocket grunts. With the shift in momentum, several more Pokémon were taken down in the blink of an eye.
"He's just one man. I'll stop him!"
A man in a white combat uniform -clearly a Team Rocket captain of some kind- stepped forward, staring solemnly at Sato in the air.
"Fearow, Drill Peck! Electabuzz, Thunder!"
"An Elite member…?" Sato also noticed the man in the white uniform below and disdain flashed in his eyes.
"Surf."
"Shaaa!"
Being a coastal city, Olivine was rich in Water-type energy, especially near the lighthouse.
In just a blink, a massive wave surged beneath Sharpedo, towering like a curtain that blocked out the sky, crashing down on the Rocket Elite and his two Pokémon!
SPLAAASH!
The tsunami-like Surf not only eliminated the Elite on the spot, it also shocked all other nearby grunts still fighting.
"Sharpedo, Hidden Power."
Sato had no intention of letting them recover. He immediately commanded Sharpedo to launch a precision strike. This time targeting not the Pokémon, but the Team Rocket members themselves!
"RUUUUN!"
"HEEEEELP! Somebody help!"
"I s-surrender… Don't kill me…"
In an instant, the Team Rocket grunts around Sato collapsed under the pressure, their screams filling the air.
Five minutes later, every nearby grunt was either dead, crippled, or captured… not one escaped.
Just then, a League Trainer covered in blood and looking completely ragged staggered toward Sato.
As he ran, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "S-Sir! Please… GO SUPPORT OLIVINE GYM IMMEDIATELY! LEADER TETSUYA IS DEAD, BUT THERE ARE STILL LOTS OF TEAM ROCKET MEMBERS THERE! We don't know if anyone else has survived…"
"Tetsuya… is dead?" Sato froze. He'd had past grievances with the man, even secretly tried to get rid of him. But he hadn't expected Tetsuya to be killed outright in a Team Rocket raid.
Still, thinking about Tetsuya's pitiful strength, it wasn't all that surprising.
He'd been in charge of Olivine City -such a prosperous port city- and yet his own strength barely reached Elite level. No wonder Team Rocket had prioritized attacking Olivine.
An innocent man may have no guilt, but fortune paints a target on his back…
But what puzzled Sato even more was… where was the Elite Four who was supposed to be stationed in Olivine City? Why hadn't they shown up at all?
.
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Hey!
Anyone here got a recommendation for a Beast Taming novel? I'm looking for one that's either fully translated but barely readable, or one that's been abandoned… or new. I want to try translating one myself.
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150 Ps - Ch
[1] Quiet wakefulness
[2] "Go get'em, tiger!" -MJ