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After finishing lunch and taking a short rest, Sato quickly mounted his off-road bicycle and headed toward Route 110, south of Mauville City. The abandoned power plant was located on the eastern side of that route.
Clearly, the allure of Zapdos was immense. Even though grim news had already spread from that area, Trainers' enthusiasm remained extremely high.
Along the way, Sato encountered many Trainers traveling in groups. However, he could tell that most of them were simply there out of curiosity—to catch a glimpse of a Legendary Pokémon. Very few truly intended to capture Zapdos.
When Sato arrived at the entrance to the abandoned power plant, he discovered that the area had already been placed under strict lockdown. A large number of League Trainers in uniform had surrounded the entrance and were preventing others from entering.
As a result, the entrance had become extremely congested. Many unwilling Trainers began causing a commotion, refusing to leave.
"Looks like getting in the normal way won't work."
Sato frowned as he looked at the crowded scene just over a dozen meters ahead, feeling somewhat troubled.
"Hey, kid, you want to get in and make a fortune too? I've got a way. Interested?"
Just as Sato was about to use his psychic detection to locate Wattson and try entering through connections, a shifty-looking middle-aged Trainer quietly approached him and spoke in a low voice with a smile.
"A fortune? I've only heard there's a wild Zapdos here. Is there some kind of treasure inside too?"
Sato wasn't some naive newcomer. The moment he heard this, he already guessed that this guy was most likely a scammer. Still, he didn't expose him. Instead, he pretended to be curious and inexperienced.
After all, even scammers often mixed truth with lies. If everything they said was fake, anyone with a brain would see through it. The best liars always blended real information into their deception.
"You don't know, huh? Zapdos is a Legendary Pokémon! The place it appears—how could it be ordinary? Word's already spreading that some incredible treasure has appeared inside this abandoned power plant. That's what attracted Zapdos here."
"So, interested in going in to get rich? Catching Zapdos is too hard—and there's only one anyway. But I heard there's plenty of that treasure inside. As long as you're lucky, you'll definitely get something. Sell it, and boom—rich overnight!"
Seeing Sato take the bait, the middle-aged man grew delighted and eagerly embellished his story.
"I see. Thanks for telling me something so important, big brother. But the entrance is blocked by League enforcement. Do you have a way in?"
Though Sato inwardly found the explanation mostly meaningless, he continued playing along.
"There are too many people here. Come with me—we'll talk over there. This method can't be widely known, or it won't work."
The middle-aged man's smile widened. He looked around cautiously, acting mysterious, then grabbed Sato's hand and began pulling him toward a quieter spot.
At the same time, he casually gestured toward the crowd.
Sato didn't resist. He was curious to see what trick this man was about to pull.
"Stop right there! You scammer! Give me back my money!"
Before they could go far, a red-haired girl suddenly rushed out of the crowd, furious. One hand on her hip, she pointed at the middle-aged man and shouted.
As soon as she spoke, two young men about Sato's age stepped forward behind her, glaring fiercely at the now pale-faced scammer.
Sato immediately understood—this girl was clearly one of the scammer's previous victims, now here to demand justice.
The middle-aged man also recognized her. At first, he didn't care—but the moment he saw the two young men, he decisively abandoned Sato and bolted.
Clearly experienced in such situations, his speed and explosiveness were impressive. In the blink of an eye, he had already run over ten meters away.
"Don't let him escape! Go—Plusle, catch him!"
"You think you can bully my sister and run? No way! Diglett, use Agility and cut him off!"
"Weepinbell, use Vine Whip to grab him!"
The red-haired girl and the two young men immediately gave chase, sending out their Pokémon while running.
The surrounding crowd quickly understood what was happening—but no one stepped in. Everyone kept their distance, unwilling to get involved.
"Heh, getting scammed by me is your honor. Think of it as a lesson—so you won't get tricked again! Come out, Weezing—use Smokescreen!"
Seeing no one interfering, the middle-aged man relaxed and sneered. He threw out a PokeBall while running.
A well-developed Weezing appeared above him, releasing a large cloud of choking black smoke that instantly engulfed the pursuers.
Caught off guard, the red-haired girl, the two young men, and their Pokémon inhaled the smoke and immediately stopped, coughing violently.
Soon, the smoke was dispersed by Flying-type Pokémon summoned by nearby Trainers who were also affected. But by then, the scammer had already vanished without a trace.
"What a shame."
Left behind, Sato shrugged, feeling slightly bored.
However, just as he was about to continue searching for Wattson to gain entry into the power plant—
"Stop right there! You're definitely that guy's accomplice, aren't you? He ran away, so you'll pay me back instead!"
The red-haired girl, having lost her target, stormed toward Sato in anger. Without listening to any explanation, she pointed at him and accused him outright.
Clearly hot-tempered and furious, she didn't even wait for Sato to respond. She immediately ordered her Plusle to attack him.
The two young men behind her, worried she might be at a disadvantage, also commanded their Pokémon to attack Sato.