To be honest, Sato hadn't expected things to be resolved so easily. He had originally thought he would have to engage in a tough battle against Kees—the Magma Team elite known as the "Poison Man" of Mauville City's underworld—but instead, he had ended up reaping the rewards as a fisherman watching others fight.
Sato didn't linger for even a moment. After defeating Kees, he immediately recalled all his Pokémon into their PokeBalls, then used Teleport to take Kees away from the abandoned building—one that would soon become a bustling scene.
Not long after Sato left, the young man who had previously fled returned with several helpers. However, by then, the place was already deserted.
Soon after, sharp alarm sirens rang out nearby. The young man and his companions' expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly searched the scene for clues.
Although there weren't many residents near the abandoned building, the earlier battle had still drawn some attention. After reports reached the local police, League security personnel on night duty rushed toward the area.
In the end, the young man and his group found nothing and had no choice but to leave in frustration before the League police arrived.
...
More than ten minutes later, Sato had already arrived at the second-floor lobby of the Pokémon Center in the city center. At this moment, he was using the identity of the League bounty hunter Raiden Suzuki, and in his hand, he was dragging Kees—the Magma Team elite.
By now, Sato had already confiscated all of Kees's belongings. His purpose in coming to the Pokémon Center was simple: to squeeze out the remaining value from Kees. He was certain the League would be very pleased with this "gift."
After all, Kees was a core member of the Mauville City branch of Team Magma. If the League could extract intelligence from him, the gains would be substantial.
Sure enough, Kees's notoriety within Mauville's League circles was considerable. The moment Sato revealed Kees's identity, several high-ranking League officials rushed over, including Wattson, the Gym Leader.
"It's you."
Wattson immediately recognized Sato—the bounty hunter who had recently captured Zapdos—and his expression turned serious.
"That's right. Thanks again for your help last time, Mr. Wattson. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been lucky enough to obtain Zapdos. So, I'm returning the favor—consider this a gift to the League."
Sato admitted his identity as Raiden Suzuki without hesitation and spoke half-jokingly.
The atmosphere instantly became tense among the League officials present.
However, the League had already lifted its pursuit of Raiden Suzuki. For now, Sato was still considered an ally.
Moreover, by bringing in Kees alive, Sato had clearly demonstrated that he stood on the League's side.
Thus, the tension quickly eased as one of the officials lightened the mood. Wattson and the others gradually became more amicable toward Sato.
Sato didn't waste time exchanging pleasantries. Since Kees was alive, the League showed sufficient sincerity. In the end, Sato successfully exchanged Kees for 20,000 League contribution points.
Immediately afterward, he used Teleport to disappear from in front of Wattson and the others. When he reappeared, he was already back in his room at the Pokémon Center.
...….
Upon returning, Sato first used his psychic power to scan the room and its surroundings. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he took out Kees's storage equipment and thoroughly searched through it.
Before long, he found what he had been longing for—the Toxic Essence.
"Finally… mission accomplished. Kees really wasn't simple. This chunk of Toxic Essence… it's at least 80 grams. He was just one step away from gathering all the core materials needed to make Black Sludge."
Looking at the large piece of purple-glowing Toxic Essence in the glass container, Sato felt a surge of excitement.
But the real surprise came afterward.
After putting away the Toxic Essence, Sato carefully sorted through the remaining items. To his astonishment, the most valuable item Kees possessed wasn't the Toxic Essence—but a strange orb emitting a bewitching purple glow.
Yes—this item was called a Toxic Orb, one of the most famous Poison-type treasures, just like Black Sludge.
Compared to Black Sludge—which allows Poison-type Pokémon to continuously recover health—the Toxic Orb was less attractive to most trainers because of its negative effect.
Any Pokémon that wasn't Poison- or Steel-type would inevitably be inflicted with severe poisoning if it held the Toxic Orb.
However, for Poison-type Pokémon, it was an excellent training aid. Carrying it would continuously refine and strengthen the toxins within their bodies.
Moreover, as a support item for advancing to Elite-Four level strength, it was extremely suitable.
In addition, Kees truly lived up to his reputation as a trainer devoted to Poison-types. Having spent years operating in Mauville's gray market under the protection of Team Magma, he had accumulated significant resources.
Inside his spatial equipment, Sato found an excellent book on training Poison-type Pokémon, along with a large quantity of materials used to produce specialized food for Poison-types.
Even more importantly, Kees had already prepared all the auxiliary ingredients required to create Black Sludge.
"No wonder people say killing and looting makes you rich… Taking from others is always faster than gathering everything yourself. With this book and these materials, Nidoking and the others finally have a fast path to growth."
After organizing all the spoils, Sato was genuinely amazed at how rich this unexpected harvest had been. It also reinforced his belief in the importance of maintaining the identity of Raiden Suzuki.
After finishing his inspection, Sato shared a hearty late-night meal with his Pokémon before returning to his room at the Pokémon Center to begin his nightly meditation training.
The next morning at 9 a.m., Sato resumed using the identity of Tyler and met up with Lucy and Hughes at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
Just as Hughes had said, he arrived driving an extremely imposing off-road vehicle.
He quickly took Sato and Lucy toward Route 111.
According to Hughes, the vehicle—almost like a mobile home—was a high-tech product custom-made by the Devon Corporation. It could traverse any terrain with ease.
With such a flashy vehicle, the journey was naturally far from peaceful.
Not long after leaving Mauville City, they were attacked by a group of bandits.
However, Sato and his companions were all powerful trainers. Unless Elite-Four level opponents appeared, they posed little threat. The bandits were swiftly driven off, and the trio continued onward.
The errand Sato had accepted wasn't particularly difficult. With Hughes's off-road vehicle and the occasional help from passersby, he quickly located the objective and completed the task smoothly.
After another day and a half of travel, the three of them finally arrived at the expedition base established in the desert by the ruins exploration team.