Sato swiftly unplugged the external hard drive from the puter, uo suppress the excitement in his eyes.

  For a trainer whose Pokémon had only reached the Elite level, the most logical course of a would be to y low, avoid entas with major fas, and quietly amass strength.

  Yet, this time, he had decisively involved himself in the flict between two powerful forces. One of his primary objectives was to obtain information—knowledge, resources, or more precisely, the means to grow stronger.

  Every Pokémon under his and, including the newly captured Carvanha, possessed immeential.

  Without exaggeration, even ae Four level trainer might not have a stronger lihan his. Some might even fall short.

  However, aside from the four Pokémon he had trained in his past life, Sato cked the fideo fully harhe potential of his eammates—Haunter, Spinarak, and Carvanha.

  The Pokémon Potential Analyzer from Wester had given Sato a s dose of reality. No matter how much effort some Pokémon put in, they would never reach Pseudo-Elite Four, Elite Four, or Champion level—uhey entered araordinary opportunity.

  Otherwise, a Caterpie would never defeat a Dragonite!

  Humans were no different. The only reason Sato had a ce was because he had been reinated.

  Thus, leveraging his knowledge of future events, he took the risk of snatg the proverbial chestnut from the fire, weaving through the struggles of these two powerful fas to gain the ohing he had cked most in his past life—knowledge, experience, and a true path to power.

  "Zoro!"

  "Zor zo!"

  Two simultaneous cries snapped Sato out of his thoughts.

  A violent tremor rocked the grouh him. Looking up, he saw a massive crack splitting through the entrance, sending dust and debris flying as objects toppled chaotically around him.

  "Escape!"

  He swiftly slung his backpack over his shoulders and climbed onto Zoroark.

  His legs cmped tightly around its sides as he unleashed Dark Energy into the Pokémon's body, granting it a temporary surge in strength.

  "Zoro!"

  Zoroark immediately sehe rush of power.

  It hesitated for a brief moment, seemingly sav the intoxig sensation, before croug low and ung forward like a bck blur—barreling straight through the wooden door as if it were paper.

  "Haunter, find a!"

  "Haunt!"

  Haunter asded quickly, phasing through yers of rubble, sing for any possible escape route.

  The moment Sato emerged, he was met with utter chaos.

  Both Team Rocket and League members, caught in the immi colpse of the underground base, had abaheir fights. Each side scrambled to find a way out, their previous hostilities momentarily fotten.

  Sato had no clue where to escape.

  A quake of this scale could only be the work of Bruno and Kaiser, and given that they had been battlihe entra was undoubtedly the first area to cave in. The i was out of the question.

  "Spinarak, String Shot!"

  Perched on Sato's shoulder, Spinarak swiftly fired strong silk threads, intercepting smaller falling debris. Fer ks, Zoroark relied on its agility to dodge with ease.

  Having already experienced a cave-in crisis once before in the Ruins of Alph, Zoroark hahe situation with practiced ease.

  Meanwhile, Spinarak's String Shot proved far more effective at blog falling debris than Haunter's ghostly hands.

  Despite the apparent danger of the colpsing base, Sato moved with ease.

  "Kehehe!"

  Less than half a mier, Haunter phased through the rocks and reappeared. Sato patted Zoroark, who immediately uood and followed Haunter as it desded.

  "Sato, help us!" A League trainer had spotted Sato the moment he emerged.

  Zoroark's agility was too eye-catg, and the sudden appearance of Haunter only drew more attention. With sharp eyes, the trainer quickly called out for help.

  "Anyone willing ride a mount and follow me, but I 't guarantee we'll make it out!"

  Without waiting for a response, Sato gave Zoroark a signal, and it shot forward at full speed while Haunter led the way. He paid no attention to those behind him—survival was their own responsibility.

  A brief otion ensued, but most of the remaining trainers followed Sato's lead, including several Team Rocket members.

  However, in a moment like this, no one had the time to care about such details.

  Zoroark weaved through the fissures and falling debris, its mobility on full dispy. Sato's Dark Energy provided an additional boost, ensuring its endurance.

  Haunter, with its ghostly body, flickered in and out of existence, occasionally phasing through the walls to scout the safest route ahead.

  Giant ks of rock occasionally crashed down, narrowly missing Sato and his group.

  Fortunately, their path was leading them upward. Thirty seds felt like ay, but then—Zoroark leaped and smmed into a ventition grate, sending it flying toward the sky.

  Through the dust and chaos, Sato caught sight of the pale light of dawn.

  So, it was already m…

  "Cough… cough!"

  One of the League trainers who had escaped with Sato stumbled forward, his body covered in deep gashes from jagged steel and stone. Blood flowed tinuously from his wounds.

  Beside him, his Rapidash was in even worse shape. Its elegant horn had been snapped off, its fmes nearly extinguished, and one of its fs was grotesquely bent out of shape.

  "Bze! e on, swallow these!" The trainer desperately forced various potions down his Pokémon's throat, ign his own injuries.

  Meanwhile, the other trainers who had followed Sato crawled out of the exit one by one. Not a single one was unscathed—they were all battered, bruised, and covered in dust.

  Mier, the League trainers had ed all of their emergency field treatment supplies, accelerating their recovery.

  Their medical teology ractically sce fi, allowing them to recover far more effitly thaeam Rocket members.

  With both sides lig their wounds, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

  The air was thick with tension—Sato was the only o choosing a side. Both fas silently regrouped, preparing for another csh.

  "You all take your time fighting—I'm leaving." Sato recalled Spinarak, sigo his barely injured Zoroark and Haunter, and quietly exited the se.

  "Wait, Sato, those are Team Rocket members! Shouldn't we take this ce t them to justice?" The League trainer who had beeing his Rapidash protested.

  Sato turned his head and locked eyes with him.

  "If your Rapidash doesn't receive proper treatment within half an hour, then…" He let his words trail off and turned away, leaving the meaning clear.

  Ign the trainer's rea, Sato walked off without another word.

  The battle between Bruno and Kaiser had colpsed the secret base, but that wasn't the only thing that had beeroyed.

  Above ground, everything north of the Goldenrod Game er had suffered immense damage.

  Entire buildings had colpsed due to the destru of the foundation; others had tilted precariously, threatening to fall at any moment.

  The sun had yet to rise, but the faint m light, bined with the wails of ambunce sirens, had wokeire city.

  Or rather, Goldenrod City had never slept at all.

  Injured civilians, medical teams w tirelessly to provide aid, Team Rocket members desperately fleeing, League enforcers searg for survivors—street thugs taking advantage of the chaos to loot and rob…

  Sato walked along the ruireets, taking in the sight of this living hell.

  For a brief moment, he felt lost.

  Because deep down, he khis disaster had his fingerprints on it.

  In his past life, Team Rocket had unched a destructive atta Goldenrod City before esg through the underground tunnels. Bruno had pursued them, and the ensuing battle caused part of the tuo colpse.

  However, in that version of history, only a small se of the escape route had caved in. The damage to the city had been far less severe than what was unfolding now.

  But this time…