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What Sato placed on the bar counter wasn't anything particularly eye-catching.
It was simply an identification card issued by the League to bounty hunters. However, this card was inlaid with silver patterns, making it look very much like a specially designed, high-end VIP card from some exclusive establishment.
Yet it was precisely this card that carried enough weight to make the bartender instantly suppress any thought of offending Sato—unless he wanted his own head to end up severed by Sato, just like those vicious wanted criminals.
Previously, when Sato—under the alias Tyler—had captured the buck-toothed man and the obese man, both B-rank League fugitives, he had also obtained a League-issued bounty hunter ID under that identity.
That card, however, was one rank lower than the one he now held as Raiden Suzuki Bounty hunter IDs were generally divided into five tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.
If a bounty hunter wanted to raise the rank of their ID, the best way was to capture higher-ranked League fugitives. In essence, the ID itself was a direct representation of one's strength.
For example, Sato's current bounty hunter ID indicated that he had successfully captured at least one B-rank League fugitive, meaning he possessed, at minimum, the strength of a pseudo Elite-Four Trainer.
In most people's eyes, a pseudo Elite-Four trainer was already far from weak—let alone one capable of capturing a B-rank fugitive.
Before long, led by the bartender, Sato was taken to a small room in the bar's back area.
The lighting in the room was dim. Once inside, all Sato could see were two chairs, a table, and a kerosene lamp burning with a flickering flame.
As Sato entered, a masked figure cloaked in black slowly emerged from a dark corner of the room and sat down on one of the chairs. He then gestured for Sato to take the other seat.
Bang. The door closed behind him.
"Please rest assured, sir. There are only the two of us here, and this room is specially constructed with excellent soundproofing. You may safely ask about any information you desire."
"So, what kind of intelligence are you looking for? As long as we have it, I'll definitely offer you a reasonable price."
Once Sato was seated, the man in the jester mask first explained the environment, then went straight to the point.
"I want all information regarding the stone statues inside the cave northwest of Verdanturf Town."
Sato didn't waste any words and immediately stated his request.
Hearing this, the jester-masked man lowered his head and pondered for a moment, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes as he recalled relevant information.
Sato remained silent, patiently waiting.
"One million PokeDollars. Once the payment goes through, I'll tell you everything I know about the cave statues."
Soon, the masked man raised his head and named an exorbitant price.
"What a ridiculously profitable business. Just opening your mouth and you casually take half the reward I earned by risking my life on the Mauville City power restoration mission."
Hearing the price, Sato frowned slightly, cursing inwardly. To him, intelligence brokers were nothing but shameless bloodsuckers.
But he also knew that since he had come to buy information, the initiative lay with the other party. As long as he wanted the intel, no matter how outrageous the price, he could only swallow it.
"Fine. One million. I'll transfer it."
Unwilling to waste time, Sato quickly took out a League silver card and placed it on the table.
"Sir, you're very decisive. Please wait a moment."
The jester-masked man looked at Sato like a fat lamb ready for slaughter. He promptly pulled out a wireless transfer terminal from beneath the table and spoke with barely concealed delight.
He eagerly picked up the League silver card, inserted it into the terminal's slot, and prompted Sato to enter the password.
A dozen seconds later, Sato's communicator notified him of a transfer of one million PokeDollars. At the same time, a confirmation tone sounded in the tiny earpiece worn by the masked man.
"There isn't a huge amount of information about the cave statues, but rest assured—it's absolutely worth the price."
After receiving confirmation from his associates, the jester-masked man immediately began relaying everything he knew.
Two to three minutes later, Sato emerged from the small room looking preoccupied and quickly left the bar.
From the intelligence he'd purchased, Sato learned that there were indeed several strange-looking stone statues in the cave northwest of Verdanturf Town. However, all of them were located deep within the cave system, spread across multiple areas—some even lying within the territory of the Whismur line.
If Sato wanted to find these statues, it would be best to hire someone extremely familiar with the cave's terrain. Otherwise, relying on maps alone, he could easily become lost in the maze-like tunnels.
For Sato himself, navigating a labyrinthine cave wasn't particularly difficult. The real challenge was the high likelihood of encountering the resident Whismur line.
Whismur evolves into Loudred, whose final evolution is Exploud—Pokémon infamous for their terrifying sound-based attacks.
Just imagine being attacked by their sound-wave moves inside narrow tunnels—it would be nothing short of disastrous.
In confined spaces, sound power is amplified. Even soundproof equipment would be hard-pressed to block it. If he were to run into a large group of Whismur, Loudred, or Exploud, permanent hearing damage would be a very real possibility.
Moreover, these Pokémon were notoriously bad-tempered—especially Loudred and Exploud. A fierce battle would be unavoidable if he encountered them.
"I need to think of a way to explore that cave safely. I don't want to go deaf at such a young age."
After traveling all day, Sato lay exhausted in a single bedroom on the sixth-floor residential level of the Pokémon Center. Staring at the small fan spinning above him and blowing cool air, he thought irritably to himself.