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"Here it comes… the main event is finally about to begin."
When Sato heard Alice suddenly bring up that topic, he immediately realized that tonight's real negotiation had begun. His gaze sharpened slightly, then he lowered his eyelids, pretending to be deep in thought.
"Although I was born in the Johto region, I've long heard of the great name of the Sasaki family during my studies. However, I still wish to continue traveling and broaden my horizons. If I accept Miss Alice's invitation, I'm afraid I won't be able to remain so free."
After more than ten seconds, Sato looked at Alice and slowly voiced his concerns.
Freedom was extremely important to him. He still had many things to accomplish, and staying in one place for too long would only limit his growth.
Therefore, unless there was sufficient freedom, he would generally not consider such offers.
"You don't need to worry about that, Mr. Tyler. The Sasaki family will not force you to stay. This is simply an investment in your potential. We only hope that when you achieve great success in the future, you won't forget the Sasaki family."
"A yearly sum of 20 million PokeDollars—and if your strength improves further or you win important competitions, the level of investment will increase accordingly. What do you think, Mr. Tyler? Are you satisfied?"
Hearing Sato's hesitation, Alice's gemstone-like eyes lit up. She smiled gently as she explained.
"That doesn't seem appropriate… How can I take money without doing anything? If that's the case, I'm afraid I can't accept it."
Instead of feeling pleased, Sato's heart tightened slightly. He showed a troubled expression as he responded.
He understood perfectly well—money from the Sasaki family was not so easy to take. If they were willing to invest without immediate returns, it meant they valued him highly and expected even greater benefits from him in the future.
But why did they value him so much?
Sato was deeply curious about this. If it were merely because of his eighteen consecutive wins in the battle arena, he didn't believe that alone was enough to earn such generous terms.
In negotiations, the best way to gain an advantage is to understand the other party's cards.
Sato suspected that Alice had noticed something during his battles. That was likely the reason behind her favorable treatment.
Of course, he also knew that if Alice truly understood his full value, the current offer was probably just the lowest starting point. After all, the goal of negotiation is always to achieve the greatest gain with the least cost.
Thus, Sato chose to advance by retreating—hoping to extract even greater benefits from the Sasaki family.
He knew very well what the Sasaki family represented: a colossal force in the Kanto region, with immeasurable wealth. Even a tiny fraction of their resources could make someone rich overnight.
Moreover, both the Kanto League and Team Rocket had to show them respect.
If he truly intended to join the Sasaki family, then not taking advantage of this moment to secure more benefits would simply be foolish.
Sato was extremely confident in his own potential. Leaving aside the fact that his true strength was already close to Elite Four level, his identity as a Psychic alone was enough to command a far higher price than what Alice had just offered.
"Mr. Tyler truly has integrity. In that case, if the Sasaki family ever needs your help, you may choose whether or not to assist."
Alice frowned slightly upon hearing his response, but quickly relaxed, pretending not to notice that Sato was bargaining.
"With such a generous investment from you, how could I not help? If you ever need me, I'll definitely be there."
Sato wasn't in a hurry. He nodded firmly, speaking with conviction.
At the same time, as soon as he finished speaking, a faint blue light flashed in his eyes. A powerful wave of psychic energy rippled outward from his body. Then, with a slight lift of his hand, a bright red crab from the table floated into his grasp.
"Oh my god… this country bumpkin really is a Psychic!"
Sonoko, who had been unable to join the conversation, widened her eyes in shock at Sato's display of telekinesis.
Alice had long suspected that Sato was a Psychic, but she had never seen proof. That was why she hadn't increased her offer earlier.
Now, seeing him use psychic power firsthand—and hearing from Gallade that Sato had already reached the beginner level of Psychic ability—she was equally astonished.
Alice had thoroughly investigated the identity Sato was using as "Tyler." Based on her findings, she believed his psychic awakening occurred after he miraculously recovered from a vegetative state.
It had to be said—Sakaki's methods were flawless. The traces had been cleaned so thoroughly that no one suspected anything about Tyler's identity.
If that were true, then in less than two months after awakening, Tyler had already advanced to the beginner Psychic level.
What did that mean?
It meant his psychic talent was extraordinary—he had a high chance of reaching advanced Psychic levels in the future.
"No wonder a rare Psychic-type Pokémon like Kadabra, which has extremely strict requirements for its Trainer, chose him. It seems… the offer must be increased."
Alice's thoughts raced. The more she considered it, the more she valued Sato.
If a Psychic with such talent could become an ally of the Sasaki family, their prosperity would only grow stronger.
"Mr. Tyler, let's not beat around the bush anymore. Your abilities are exactly what the Sasaki family needs. I sincerely hope you will join us."
"State your terms. As long as they're reasonable, I can make the decision myself."
With that, Alice took a deep breath and laid everything out directly.
She was confident—given the wealth of the Sasaki family, winning over a newly risen Psychic was absolutely within reach.
"Since Miss Alice has the authority to decide, then I won't hold back…"
Seeing Alice's decisiveness, Sato knew it was time to make his move. His gaze sharpened as he slowly began stating his conditions.