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Around 7 p.m., in a private phone booth inside the Pokémon Center at the heart of Cinnabar Town.
"Elsa, I've already received the PokeBalls for Growlithe and Meowth. I'll leave Beautifly and Miltank in your care."
Standing beside the communication phone, Sato took the PokeBalls containing Growlithe and Meowth from the Pokémon Capsule Transfer Machine and smiled at Elsa, who appeared on the screen.
"No problem. I've just received the PokeBalls for Beautifly and Miltank too. Well then, Mr. Sato, I need to go soon. I have a little mess to clean up—those little troublemakers have caused trouble again."
Elsa waved the PokeBalls she had just received, showing Sato the shiny Beautifly and Miltank inside. Then, she started to complain about the recent headaches they had been giving her.
Sato listened patiently, occasionally offering a few words of comfort. Before long, their conversation ended with mutual smiles.
The main reason Sato had contacted Elsa was to retrieve Growlithe. However, to his surprise and mild frustration, Elsa subtly hinted that he should also take Meowth back. So, the transfer ended up including both Growlithe and Meowth.
Although Elsa hadn't explained outright why she suggested he take Meowth back, Sato understood Meowth's personality well enough. He could easily guess that Meowth must have caused significant trouble for her.
Sato figured that without his supervision, Meowth had probably gone wild again, succumbing to his "professional habits."
In fact, things had gone exactly as Sato suspected. Since arriving at the Breeding House near Lilycove Gym where Elsa was stationed, thefts had started to occur frequently in the neighboring houses.
And Meowth, like a mafia boss, had used the stolen valuables to build his own gang inside the Breeding House.
Within just a few days, he had recruited many underlings through bribery and intimidation, severely corrupting the atmosphere of the place.
That was precisely why Elsa had subtly urged Sato to take Meowth back.
If Sato hadn't called today, she would have called him herself within a few more days.
Glancing at the two PokeBalls in his hand, Sato quickly pressed the buttons and released Growlithe and Meowth.
The next second, two beams of white light shot out from the PokeBalls, revealing Growlithe and Meowth on the floor.
"Woof woof woof~~!"
Though it had only been a few days, Growlithe clearly missed Sato a lot. He immediately pounced on Sato, happily licking his face with his tongue.
As for Meowth, he appeared much colder. He seemed very displeased about being back with Sato, a trace of frustration flashing across his face.
Still, Meowth's sharp, crafty eyes never rested; as soon as he came out, he began scanning his surroundings. When he spotted a shiny decorative ornament in the room, his eyes gleamed.
After calming Growlithe down, Sato noticed Meowth staring intently at the decoration on the wall and immediately guessed what was going through his mind. His face twitched slightly.
Cinnabar Town had extremely advanced technology, resulting in top-tier infrastructure. And because the residents were so wealthy, much of the infrastructure was not only free to use but also astonishingly valuable.
Take this Pokémon Center, for example—its standard rivaled that of a five-star hotel. Every room was adorned with luxurious decorations.
Naturally, because the facilities were so excellent, there were also countless modern surveillance devices (like high-tech cameras) scattered everywhere. If Meowth dared to steal anything here, he would be caught within minutes.
It wouldn't just be Meowth getting into trouble; Sato, as his trainer, would also have to take responsibility. So seeing Meowth's obvious "about to steal" expression left Sato mentally collapsing a little.
"No funny business. If you dare steal something, I'll make you spar with Swampert every day."
Before leaving, Sato formed a hook with his two fingers and knocked Meowth sharply on the head, speaking sternly.
"Meow~~"
Meowth clutched the back of his head, wincing in pain, and looked up at Sato with a pitiful, innocent expression, letting out a miserable cry.
However, when he saw that Sato's face remained serious, Meowth instantly recalled the terror of being crushed by Swampert. Fear flashed across his sly cat eyes, and he quickly lowered his head in defeat, signaling his obedience.
"Woof woof woof~~"
At that moment, Growlithe also gave Meowth a stern look, his face full of the determination to keep an eye on him for their trainer.
"Meow~"
Seeing Growlithe's smug face, Meowth instantly became annoyed. His expression turned fierce as he glared back at Growlithe, looking ready to fight at the slightest provocation. After all the training and physical recovery he had undergone recently, he no longer feared Growlithe like he once did.
Growlithe clearly didn't back down either. Seeing Meowth ready to brawl, he immediately bared his fangs.
The next moment, as if they had rehearsed it many times, Meowth and Growlithe leapt back, each glaring fiercely at the other.
A basketball-sized swirling Water Pulse quickly formed in front of Meowth's mouth, his raised tail flickering with tiny electric sparks, while Growlithe's body burst into brilliant orange flames.
Sato, watching the two Pokémon about to clash, wasn't too surprised. After all, cats and dogs had been natural enemies since ancient times.
But he was slightly impressed to notice that in just a few days, Meowth's level had quietly risen to 34, and Growlithe's level had gone up as well, reaching 38.
From the look of things now, the gap between Meowth and Growlithe wasn't that big anymore. Considering that Meowth had an individual value totaling 180—a gold-tier Pokémon—plus the fact that Nurse Joy had recently healed all his hidden injuries, his physical condition had likely improved greatly over the past few days.
Sato knew Meowth's personality well—cunning and proud. When Meowth first joined the team, he might have been a little cautious around Growlithe, but now, he clearly no longer feared him.
"Knock it off, or there will be no dinner for either of you tonight."
Seeing the fight about to break out, Sato immediately barked at them with a stern face.
Hearing that their dinner would be canceled, both Growlithe and Meowth instantly wilted. They immediately broke out of their battle stances and looked at Sato with flattering expressions.
After all, the food at the Breeding House in Lilycove City couldn't compare to what they got when they were with Sato. Both Growlithe and Meowth had been missing the delicious meals they had enjoyed under his care.
Especially Meowth—no matter how sly and proud he was, having once gone through long periods of hunger, he would never turn down good food.