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Sato carefully placed the glass vial containing the Toxic Extract into his storage device, securing it properly. He looked up at the gradually darkening sky, a thoughtful glint flashing in his eyes.
It was getting late — should he continue forward or retreat for now?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Sato pulled out his PokeBalls and recalled Arbok, Bellossom, and the Shiny Beautifly one by one. Then, he released his Crobat.
"I'll be relying on you, Crobat. Take me back to Cinnabar Island," Sato said to the Crobat hovering in midair.
The next second, Crobat gripped Sato's shoulders with its strong feet, lifting him into the air and flying above the tropical rainforest. With Crobat's help, Sato swiftly headed toward the direction of Cinnabar Island.
Although today's survival trial in the tropical jungle didn't end with him capturing the unexpected encounter — a Sceptile — he had still gained valuable firsthand experience of the jungle's environment and, unexpectedly, obtained a piece of Toxic Extract. It could be considered a fruitful day.
The tropical jungle's environment was far more dangerous than Sato had initially imagined. Not only were the number and variety of Bug-type and Grass-type Pokémon astonishingly high, but their levels were also formidable.
The biggest challenge for Sato was that his ace, Swampert, struggled to perform freely in the jungle. Especially against the agile Grass-types that could move swiftly among the dense trees, Swampert constantly faced the risk of being defeated.
Swampert's quadruple weakness to Grass-type moves became an even greater liability in the tropical jungle, where almost every wild Pokémon seemed to know at least one Grass-type move.
Thus, Sato concluded that if he ventured deeper into the jungle with his current team, his overall strength would drop by at least a quarter — and Swampert would be far from easy to use in that environment.
Fortunately, his Crobat and Shiny Beautifly could exert significant influence in the jungle. Most Bug-type and Grass-type Pokémon simply couldn't compete against them.
The only downside was that neither Crobat nor Shiny Beautifly possessed Swampert's overwhelming power to instantly crush opponents, allowing many wild Pokémon, well-versed in the jungle terrain, to escape easily.
Additionally, Sato realized that if he intended to explore the tropical jungle thoroughly or stay there for extended periods, he would absolutely need a strong Fire-type Pokémon.
The tropical jungle was teeming with snakes, insects, and rodents. Frequent short rain showers kept the humidity high, and ordinary humans who lingered too long were prone to developing all sorts of strange illnesses.
In such a harsh environment, a strong Fire-type Pokémon became invaluable. Whether it was for repelling pests at night, driving away moisture, or making campfires, a Fire-type could handle all these tasks with ease.
Moreover, Fire-types were formidable in combat within the tropical jungle. Against Bug-types or Grass-types, they naturally had the upper hand.
This time, when Sato returned to Cinnabar Island, he planned to bring his Growlithe back and help him undergo his final baptism, further strengthening his team.
As for the upcoming Rookie Competition, Sato no longer aimed just to break into the top ten. Ever since he became one of Giovanni's trusted members, he understood that he could finally go all out.
After all, standing behind him now was the most powerful man in Team Rocket. There was no need to fear retaliation from other high-ranking figures within the organization — any move against him would be seen as a direct challenge to Giovanni's authority.
Within Team Rocket, Giovanni's rule was absolute. No one dared oppose his will — at least for now. Without his wise leadership, Team Rocket could never have risen to power so swiftly in just seven or eight years.
At present, over half of Team Rocket's elite forces were loyal to Giovanni. Among them, many were his staunch supporters.
Now that Sato stood among Giovanni's people, how could he possibly allow himself to tarnish his benefactor's reputation in the Rookie Competition? Just squeezing into the top ten might barely be acceptable, but it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Sato.
He was fully aware: in this Rookie Competition, he was a dark horse — a wild card that had unexpectedly appeared. Now that he had finally caught the attention of a great patron, he had to perform to the best of his ability.
After all, Giovanni surely had his eyes on more than just one promising candidate — it was highly likely that he had been nurturing several promising talents for a long time.
When the time came to fight, Sato knew he had to go all in.
This was his chance, and he would fight for it no matter what — because the prize for first place was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon!
Such a reward — what ambitious Trainer wouldn't covet it?
Indeed, pseudo-legendary Pokémon were synonymous with power. In the world of Pokémon, there was no doubt about that.
Especially after Sato witnessed Professor Oak's terrifying Dragonite, which had reached a staggering Level 96, he was even more convinced of the connection between strength and pseudo-legendaries. For the sake of that first-place prize, he had to give it his all.
Crobat's speed was incredible. Just as the sun's last rays disappeared beneath the ocean horizon, Sato arrived back at Cinnabar Island.
Cinnabar Island was a technological powerhouse located at the foot of an active volcano in the Kanto region. Cinnabar Island actually covered a larger area than Pewter City, complete with a medium-sized seaport built along its coast.
In terms of economic prosperity, Cinnabar Island ranked among the top cities in Kanto. Its booming economy largely stemmed from its technological advancements.
In Kanto, Cinnabar Island's status was akin to that of Silicon Valley in America — a hub where top tech talents gathered.
The island housed the largest Pokémon Research Institute in Kanto and was considered the holy land of high technology.
Just imagine how many groundbreaking new technologies emerged each year in a place teeming with so much genius.
Of course, technological research was notoriously expensive.
Cinnabar Island's annual research funding exceeded hundreds of billions of PokeDollars.
However, the scientists on Cinnabar Island never had to worry about running out of funds.
Thanks to the island's reputation, it attracted wealthy investors from all over the world. As long as there were results, investors were more than happy to bankroll the island's army of eccentric scientists.
Thus, driven by the lure of wealth, Cinnabar Island rapidly transformed from a barren, uninhabited volcanic island into a thriving technological powerhouse with an annual influx of over 300,000 newcomers.
But beneath the bright and bustling surface of this flourishing tech city...
What dark secrets might be lurking in the shadows?