"Houndour, Fmethrower!"

  The scorg fmes roared through the air, sending the opposing Nidorino flying before it colpsed, uo titling.

  "e baidorino, you did great!" Oher side, a traveling trainer quickly recalled his Pokémon, his face full of , before hurrying off toward the Pokémoer.

  "Well done!"

  Sato patted Houndour, who had run back seeking praise, and casually transferred a small amount of Dark Energy into it.

  Houndour let out a pleased hum, its small tail wagging wildly.

  Because of this, Sato quickly gained Houndour's trust and affe. Additionally, Houndour was highly intelligent—often, just a single gnce from Sato was enough for it to react correctly.

  Their bond was strengthening rapidly, and Sato was extremely satisfied with Houndour's performance.

  "Zzz!"

  Spinarak, perched on Sato's shoulder, turs head away in disdain. Before Houndour joined, it had been the only female ieam and had enjoyed exclusive favoritism.

  But Houndour's outstanding performance made it feel an immediate sense of crisis—stronger, smarter, better at seeking attention. Just look at that tail wagging like it was about to snap off!

  Moreover, Houndour didn't hold any goodwill toward Spinarak, who had nearly poisos entire pack. The two female Pokémohe only ones ieam who couldn't stand each other.

  Sato noticed but had no way to fix it. He was skilled at training, battling, and Pokémon development, but when it came to handliionships between his Pokémon, he was utterly clueless.

  Fortunately, his authority withieam was strong enough that the two merely ignored each other rather than causing actual flicts.

  As trainers captured more Pokémon, flicts between them became on. Learning how to maheir retionships was an essential skill for any Pokémon trainer.

  "Maybe I should ask Nurse Joy..." Sato thought to himself. Just as he was sidering it, he felt a light tug on his pants from Houndour.

  "Hmm?"

  Before Sato could finish his sentence, he sensed a otion ahead.

  Following Houndour's lead, he quickly ducked to the side!

  As Sato quietly hid with Spinarak and Houndour behind the bushes, two disheveled figures stumbled past, running frantically.

  Seds ter, two more figures appeared. Uhe first pair, these two moved with ease, each apanied by an Arbok and a Weezing.

  They wore white uniforms, each with a rge red "R" embzoned on the chest.

  Team Rocket!

  Sato muttered internally. After more than a month, he was once again seeing the heavily suppressed Team Rocket in a.

  After the two members passed, Sato recalled Spinarak a out Gengar before quietly following them.

  With Gengar's invisibility, he had no fear of losing them or being discovered. Instead, he circled around the two Team Rocket members to che the people who had been fleeing.

  Up ahead, two middle-aged men in white b coats supported each other as they ran. Their clothes were tattered and covered in dirt.

  One of them wore cracked, crooked gsses that barely hung onto his nose. Both looked utterly exhausted.

  "Escaped researchers from a secret facility?" Sato thought. Team Rocket's research division was quite formidable, but not all of their stists had willingly joined.

  Every year, reports surfaced across different regions about missing researchers who had mysteriously disappeared—kidnapped and forced to duhumane researder threat of death.

  The two Team Rocket members behind them were clearly assigo capture the researchers. However, they seemed to be taking their time, pying cat and mouse with their targets.

  Sato remained hidden, making no move as he quietly trailed both groups.

  It didn't take long before the Team Rocket members grew impatient. One of them anded Arbok to strike, swiftly capturing the researchers.

  The two exhausted researchers, pletely drained of energy, had nth left to resist. Against Arbok's crushing force, they were easily subdued arained.

  "Let's go. We've let them run around long enough—it's time to this up. Things are too sensitive right now," said the darker-skieam Rocket grunt, seg their captives with handcuffs.

  "e on, we finally got a ce to stretch s. Why not have a little fun before heading back? You haven't left the base in three or four months, right?" The youeam Rocket grunt pouted in annoya didn't argue further.

  "Tauros!"

  The darker-skinned grunt released his sed Pokémon. Tauros stood motionless, pletely unbothered as its trainer loaded two full-grown men onto its back.

  "We may not be the stro, but we'll take this time to train ourselves. Team Rocket is merely lying low for now."

  "I get it" the younger grunt responded obediently, urging his Weezing to follow quickly. He seemed eager to listen and learn.

  Sato remained hidden, watg closely. Houndour y quietly beside him, uanding the situation and not making a sound.

  "Follow them."

  As the Team Rocket grunts departed, Sato waved his hand, and Gengar disappeared into the shadows, silently trag them.

  ----------

  Several mier, Sato finally stood up and began following Gengar's subtle signals to stay orail.

  He caught up with the grunts soon enough, but during the pursuit, they repeatedly sed their surroundings, staying highly vigint.

  Over the half-hour, both parties ventured deeper into the forest. Eventually, at an inspicuous grassy patch, the Team Rocket grunts came to a stop.

  A weathered, darkeo firmly embedded in the ground. The grunts gnced around cautiously before one of them lightly tapped a specific spot on the rock.

  Without a sound, arao an underground base smoothly emerged from the grassy terrain. The Team Rocket members led their captive researchers inside, disappearing into the hidden facility.

  Sato, still cealed behind the bushes, sighed internally.

  "Do all Team Rocket's outdoor bases have the same setup?"

  There wasn't a hint inality!

  After waiting in pce for over ten minutes, Gengar reappeared, pointing towards a lower se of the grassnd.

  "Larvitar, dig a tunnel here. Keep the noise down. Gengar, help guide the excavation."

  For Larvitar, digging was effortless. It maniputed its Ground-type energy to soften the surrounding soil before carefully removing ks one by one.

  Meanwhile, Gengar provided precise dires on which areas needed clearing, making the excavation process quid effit.

  Soon, they hit a yer of reinforced metal pting—most likely part of the ventition system.

  Using a trolled fme, Sato carefully melted open a small entrahen, he instructed Larvitar to restore the surface yer before recalling both Houndour and Larvitar.

  Only Gengar remained by his side as he silently infiltrated the hidden base.