Kapitel 42: Chapter 42: Who is the hunter and who is the prey?

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After receiving the exact results, Sato didn't find it necessary to make things difficult for these recruits who had been driven to a "dead end." Less than four minutes after the incident began, two patrolling officers arrived "swiftly" on the scene.

At that moment, the recruits were wildly fighting among themselves, displaying a berserk attitude that caught the two patrolling officers off guard. In the end, it was only thanks to their Pokémon that they managed to subdue the "berserkers."

While the patrol officers were restraining the "berserkers," several sneaky Team Rocket recruits were watching from behind. One recruit, sporting yellow hair, quickly left upon seeing the chaotic newcomers being subdued.

"This guy is a disaster; he needs to be eliminated sooner rather than later. Otherwise, similar incidents will keep happening. Should I also recruit some people to help?" After returning to his dormitory, Sato lay on his bed with a sullen expression.

It was clear that Rondo's faction posed a significant disadvantage for Sato, who was still on his own. Sato understood that, in the face of a cohesive team, it would be incredibly difficult to overcome, no matter how strong an individual's power was. This was especially true for him as a relatively weak new trainer.

If Rondo were to establish his own power within Team Rocket in Pewter City, Sato's life would become increasingly difficult. The current situation would seem trivial compared to what lay ahead; the thought of being sabotaged during missions made Sato's expression grow darker.

The rivalry between Sato and Rondo had escalated, and after today's Pokémon battle, any chance of reconciliation was gone. Since Sato had no intention of making peace with his enemy, the best course of action was to eliminate him.

'I have too many secrets; it's not suitable for me to work with others. Forget it; I'll take it step by step. From the looks of it, Rondo isn't that daring to make a move against me himself right now. The most important thing is to quickly improve my own strength. If it's about settling scores, the upcoming new trainer competition is indeed a good opportunity. I must find a way to take him out during that competition,' Sato thought to himself as he got off the bed.

Rondo was undoubtedly a menace, but the current issue was that Sato didn't have enough strength to take him down. Moreover, since he was in the underground base of Team Rocket in Pewter City, even if he had the ability to eliminate Rondo, he wouldn't be able to go against the internal rules of Team Rocket.

Thus, the only thing Sato could do was find ways to rapidly enhance his strength and then look for a chance to eliminate Rondo during the new trainer competition in a month.

Of course, during this time, Rondo wouldn't be idle. He already had a background as a trainer, and given a little time to capture some easy Pokémon, he would quickly regain some strength.

Sato was also well aware that Rondo lost the previous Pokémon battle primarily due to carelessness. If Rondo had gone all out from the beginning, Sato, as a new trainer, wouldn't have stood a chance.

Now, Rondo was like a sword of Damocles hanging over Sato's head, making him feel a very real and intense threat.

"Alright, if it's death that you seek, then I'll ease your way towards it. I, Sato, will accompany you to the end." After sorting everything out in his mind, Sato released Zubat; it was time to start the evening skill training session.

Of course, Sato had nothing to fear. As a transmigrator with foresight, a wealth of Pokémon knowledge, and a combat-supporting system, he now possessed an extraordinarily talented Nidoran. A month from now, who would be the prey and who would be the hunter was still uncertain.

Meanwhile, while Sato was pondering how to deal with Rondo and the others, Rondo was in his room discussing with his three loyal subordinates. After hearing the reports from his subordinates, his expression was quite grim.

"Boss, don't be angry. Those guys are just a bunch of useless fools; there's no need to pay them any mind. That kid, Sato, won't be arrogant for too long. We'll just take him out directly in the upcoming Rookie competition," one Rocket recruit with a pompadour hairstyle said to Rondo, displaying a dismissive attitude.

The Rocket recruit with a pompadour was named Ichiro Ota, one of Rondo's three loyal underlings who had joined Team Rocket with him. The hot-tempered subordinate was named Kro, and the third loyal henchman was Kino, who sported yellow hair and a nose ring.

"Right! Once we catch him, I'll chop him and that annoying Zubat up with a knife," Kro, a tall and burly guy, said menacingly.

"Boss, should we keep targeting Sato? I think that guy is not so simple and quite dangerous. It's best to get rid of him sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it'll be hard to deal with him in the future. Plus, he's ruthless. If he weren't worried about the consequences of killing someone in the base, those newbies might already be dead," Kino said, looking at his two unconcerned brothers, then turned serious as he addressed Rondo.

In reality, Kino had been watching the recruits' interception and everything that followed from the shadows. He clearly saw how Sato commanded Zubat to use Supersonic, throwing the group of newbies into chaos and causing them to turn on each other.

Therefore, Kino understood that Sato was definitely not someone to be underestimated. He acted rationally and knew how to maintain his composure. The fact that Sato had previously been bullied without ever retaliating suggested he was aware of his own limitations. However, things had changed; now that he had a Pokémon, he was no longer afraid of them.

"I know. That guy is much more dangerous than you think, Kino. Just think about the Pokémon battle with me. Although I lost because of carelessness, his performance in that battle was nothing like a new trainer. Compare that to how you both performed during your first battles, and you'll truly see just how dangerous he really is," Rondo said darkly upon hearing Kino's words.

As soon as Rondo spoke, Ichiro Ota and Kro, who had been indifferent, suddenly stiffened, their expressions darkening like Rondo's and Kino's after a few moments of silence.

Indeed, Ichiro and Kro were quite aware of their own abilities. Reflecting on the scene where Sato commanded Zubat during the battle, they realized that Sato had remained calm under pressure and displayed high-level tactics at the last moment.

Ichiro and Kro vividly remembered their first attempts at commanding their Pokémon, which had been nothing short of disastrous. Since they had never attended a Pokémon academy, they didn't even understand the moves their Pokémon had at first.

Compared to Sato's first Pokémon battle, they felt like a pile of mud in a muddy field, while Sato was a fluffy cloud in the sky.

"Make sure to use the points you have to train your Pokémon well, or in a month's time, during the Rookie competition, you won't know who's the one that's hunting and who is the one being hunted. Also, stop fooling those idiots and quit trying to pull anything on that guy. This is Team Rocket, not our own turf. I've received stern a warning: that guy has protection now. Here in the base, we don't have any chance to make a move," Rondo said to his three loyal underlings, his expression unusually serious and grim.

Power is relative. While Sato considered Rondo his greatest threat, Rondo also saw Sato as a significant threat. Rondo was beginning to regret provoking Sato because he realized he didn't have the upper hand against him. Initially, he thought he had the advantage in numbers, but upon realizing Sato had backing, an indescribable sense of panic crept into his mind.

He was just a small-time thug with a bit of cleverness; his status was a joke in an organization as massive as Team Rocket. Any random lone Rocket recruit could easily dismantle the faction he took pride in.

Another thing that troubled him was that since losing the morning's Pokémon battle, the way his Ekans looked at him had become increasingly unsettling—it was a look that could only be described as one reserved for food.