Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Another Encounter

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It was past 2 PM when Sato made his way back to the public market, retracing his steps. By this time, due to the shift change of the guards, the number of stalls and people in the market had noticeably increased.

Following his memory, Sato arrived at the stall that sold skill discs (TMs). The stall owner was a male Team Rocket squad captain, a heavyset man with a chubby face, always wearing a somewhat insincere smile, but appearing very friendly at the moment.

The variety of move discs at the stall wasn't large—about ten or so in total—but there were plenty of each type. However, all of the TMs being sold were for fairly basic skills, like Vine Whip, Water Gun, and Ember.

The most valuable and expensive TM on display was for the move "Thunder," priced at 3500 credits, which was 500 points less than the price in the internal Team Rocket points exchange system.

A brief explanation—TMs in this world are used in conjunction with a device called a Learning Machine (self-invented in this world). You place a PokeBall into the designated slot on the Learning Machine and insert the desired TM (as long as the Pokémon can learn the move), and the machine uses a special process to transmit the skill information from the disc directly into the Pokémon's mind. Afterward, the Pokémon will have a basic understanding of how to use the move.

In summary, TMs are a scientific breakthrough made by human researchers after thoroughly studying Pokémon moves. When used together with Learning Machines and PokeBalls, these scientific marvels allow Pokémon to quickly acquire new skills.

However, the moves learned through TMs are far from mastery; the Pokémon only gains the rudimentary knowledge of how to perform the move. They still needs to undergo rigorous training before they can truly master the technique.

Since this was the only stall selling TMs, the chubby Team Rocket captain was doing brisk business. By the time Sato arrived, the number of remaining TMs was already quite low—at least half had been sold, by Sato's estimation.

Fortunately, the "Protect" and "Gust" TMs weren't very popular, or rather, many newbies couldn't afford it, and there were still plenty left. This was good news for Sato.

What surprised Sato, though, was that he ran into the two Team Rocket grunts who had blocked his way earlier: Tanya and Kanjiro.

Judging by their positions—Tanya in front and Kanjiro behind—and their conversation, Sato could tell that Tanya was the leader, while Kanjiro acted more like a subordinate.

When Sato noticed them, Tanya and Kanjiro also spotted him. Possibly due to Sato's previous harsh attitude toward them, they both wore expressions of hostility when they looked at him.

'If I'm not mistaken, these two must be the ones who captured their Pokémon just before I did—first and second place. Oh well, I'll deal with whatever comes my way. Who knows what the future holds?' Sato thought as he watched them coldly turn their heads away.

At that time, surrounded by the three of them and watched by veteran Team Rocket members, Sato had no choice but to respond with strength. In the cutthroat environment of Team Rocket, those who are seen as weak or easy to bully usually meet a terrible fate.

On the contrary, showing a bit of fierceness might actually earn you respect and caution from others. After all, no one wants to mess with a madman who's not afraid of anything, and even a little respect and face must be given.

Clearly, Sato had displayed a very tough side of himself in that situation, earning the fear of his enemies and the respect of the veterans.

Perhaps due to Tanya's starter Pokémon being a Spearow, she chose the exact same TMs as Sato—"Protect" and "Gust."

(Note: According to Pokemon Database, Spearow, like Zubat, can only learn Gust through inheritance. However, due to previous settings, Spearow can also learn Gust via TM.)

The transaction went smoothly for Sato, who spent 700 points to acquire the "Protect" and "Gust" TMs. This left him with only 39 points, but he had effectively used his third-place reward.

After completing his transaction, Sato patiently waited. The stall had a small Learning Machine on-site, which the chubby stall owner had prepared for all customers who purchased TMs. There was also a spacious open area next to the stall, where customers could test out their new moves in real-time after using the TM.

Based on the demonstration results, the chubby stall owner's stock clearly came from some special source. The quality was decent, and it was rare for a TM to fail. If a failure did occur, the owner would either let the customer choose another TM or offer a refund.

Sato stood in line behind Kanjiro, who seemed to act as Tanya's bodyguard. Kanjiro spent a hefty 1500 credits to purchase a "Rock Slide" TM.

(Note: Rock Slide is a long-range Rock-type physical move with 75 base power and 90% accuracy. It involves hurling large rocks at the opponent and has a chance of causing flinching.)

After waiting for nearly 10 minutes, it was finally Sato's turn to use the Learning Machine. The machine looked somewhat like a bulky DVD player, except it was heavier and had a slot for placing a PokeBall.

Using the experience he had gained from watching others, Sato followed the typical steps. He placed Zubat's PokeBall in the slot on the machine, then inserted the "Protect" and "Gust" TMs one by one.

Once the machine's red light turned green, it signaled that the TMs had been successfully used. Afterward, the TMs were ejected, but they were shattered into useless fragments. The stall owner quickly came over to collect the fragments, explaining that they needed to be recycled to avoid environmental pollution.

When Kanjiro's Geodude successfully used Rock Slide and he left with his Pokémon, Sato stood on the now-empty field. He released Zubat to demonstrate the newly learned moves.

To Sato's satisfaction, both TMs had worked. Zubat successfully performed a small green energy shield for "Protect" and created a mini whirlwind for "Gust."

'With Protect and Gust, Zubat's survival and attack capabilities are now somewhat secured. The next step is to undergo strict training and turn him into a key member of my team,' Sato thought as he returned Zubat to it's PokeBall.