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After Flygon was defeated by Swampert, the raging sandstorm in the surrounding environment quickly dissipated. Soon, the blazing sun and blue sky reappeared above them.
Swampert was clearly furious at Flygon's earlier tactics. Even after Flygon had lost the ability to battle and fallen unconscious, Swampert didn't stop. It continued pummeling Flygon with fists the size of sandbags.
Although Sato himself had been quite disgusted by Flygon's underhanded behavior, he still stepped in to stop Swampert out of consideration for Flygon's value as a rare Dragon-type Pokémon—and one that would be particularly useful in the desert.
Eventually, with Sato's full efforts to calm him, the enraged Swampert gave up on the idea of beating Flygon to death.
By that point, Flygon's face had already been turned into a swollen mess. Still, at least it survived.
Now, when it looked at Swampert, its eyes were filled with fear—gone was any trace of the earlier arrogance it had shown while soaring through the skies.
Flygon had truly felt the presence of death and had experienced firsthand just how terrifying Swampert's punches were.
If not for the strength of its Dragon-type lineage, which gave it far greater durability than most Pokémon, and the fact that the skull was one of the sturdiest parts of its body, it likely wouldn't have just received badly swollen bruises—it would've had its head crushed entirely.
As a result, Flygon developed a grudging admiration for Sato, who had stopped Swampert just in time. So, when Sato took out a PokeBall to capture it, Flygon didn't resist in the slightest. It allowed itself to be caught without struggle.
Meanwhile, Thomas—who had earlier been knocked unconscious by Sato—also came to, groaning and shaking sand off as he sat up.
In truth, he had regained consciousness more than once during the battle between Sato and Flygon.
However, due to Flygon's constant singing, he had chosen to knock himself out again to avoid being lured into another trance and becoming a liability.
Soon, with help from Bellossom—the team's medic—and some rare medical supplies Sato had taken out, Flygon's injuries rapidly healed to a great extent.
As for Swampert, thanks to the continuous healing effect of the mutated Supreme Blue Water Stone embedded in its body, its wounds and dehydration symptoms quickly disappeared, and its skin regained its usual moist luster.
"Flygon, you're the local here. You should know this place well. Take us to the nearest oasis."
Once Flygon had recovered most of its strength, Sato and Thomas mounted it, and Sato instructed it to fly them to a nearby oasis.
"Rooo~"
A Dragon-type Pokémon submits only to those who defeat it. Naturally, Flygon respected the Trainer who could command such a powerful Swampert. With a nod and a call, it flapped its wings and carried Sato and Thomas into the sky.
Flygon was truly the king of the flowing desert. With its help, it took less than ten minutes for them to arrive in the skies above an oasis.
"That's it, Flygon. Land near the oasis."
Using his binoculars, Sato surveyed the area. When he spotted Maya and Tomoki among those at the oasis, he patted Flygon's side and signaled it to descend near them.
As Sato and Thomas arrived in the air above the oasis riding Flygon, the Team Rocket elite recruits stationed there quickly noticed their presence.
Immediately, chatter began to stir among the various smaller groups in the oasis.
Tomoki had invited many people for this expedition, and quite a few had chosen to join the ruins exploration team for various reasons.
But people are naturally social creatures—once the numbers grew, they inevitably formed cliques.
Currently, there were a total of 35 Team Rocket elites at the oasis. Among them, three leaders had formed distinct groups: Tomoki, Ailes, and Rin Akikaze.
Of the three, Tomoki had the largest following, as he was both the strongest contestant in the Rookie Competition and the one with the most knowledge about the ruins.
Aside from himself, 12 others had chosen to gather around him. (13-member group)
Next was Ailes. Though his personality was a bit twisted, as a powerful psychic, he naturally possessed both the strength and charisma to attract followers.
He had 8 people by his side, half of whom were psychics aligned with Sabrina's faction. (9-member group)
Last was Rin Akikaze. Though known for her ruthless and abrasive personality, Team Rocket had never lacked people of her kind.
As the infamous "villain" of the Rookie Competition, her unique charm had drawn in like-minded Team Rocket elites. Coupled with her overwhelming strength, nearly all of them had chosen to follow her lead.
Now, the 5 Team Rocket thugs under her command exuded an unmistakable stench of blood—both they and their Pokémon clearly weren't the kind you'd call good people. (6-member group)
As for the remaining 7 Team Rocket elites, they, like Vanna, were currently unaffiliated lone wolves.
However, without exception, each of these solo trainers possessed extraordinary strength, commanding several pseudo Elite-Four level Pokémon all above Level 50.
"Lord Tomoki, it's Sato. He's arrived."
Maya, now Tomoki's most loyal follower, immediately informed him via telepathy the moment she saw Sato descending on Flygon.
"I see. Go greet him first. I'll be right there. Sato is incredibly strong, and we need capable people right now. We must do everything we can to win him over."
"Sir, you are very powerful, but this ruins expedition is filled with dangers. It would be much safer with a team watching your back. If you don't mind, my group would be honored to welcome you."
Tomoki, who was chatting with a scar-faced loner at the time, quickly exchanged a mental message with Maya, then casually continued his conversation with the visibly intrigued man.
"Yes, my lord."
Receiving the order, Maya bowed respectfully and called over two female companions before heading in the direction of Sato's landing spot.
Meanwhile, both Ailes and Rin, noticing Sato's arrival, paused what they were doing to turn their attention toward him as he descended on Flygon.
"Lord Ailes, is that the so-called 'trash psychic' you mentioned before? He doesn't seem all that bad."
"Indeed. Judging from his mental fluctuations, he's already at the level of a Beginner Psychic. For someone untrained, that's quite decent at his age."
Standing behind Ailes were two beautiful girls dressed in identical maid outfits, distinguished only by the different colors of their hair. They stared curiously at Sato while sending telepathic messages simultaneously.
"How many times have I told you, Eisa, Misa? Don't use telepathy on me at the same time—I get dizzy. I don't know what happened, maybe he had some kind of miracle breakthrough. When I first met him, his mental strength was terrible—worse than even that wretched Maya."
Ailes rubbed his temples and responded to both girls at once via telepathy, a bit irritated.
As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Maya, who was now approaching Sato. His eyes flashed with killing intent.
"Don't be angry, Lord Ailes. With us by your side, that's all you need."
The twin sisters ignored Ailes' annoyance, stepped forward in unison, took one arm each, and sent their thoughts together once more.
"Lady Rin, should we find a chance to off that pretty boy later?"
Meanwhile, over on Rin's side, a bald thug with a brutish face leaned in and spoke suggestively. His eyes were glued shamelessly to Rin's voluptuous figure.
A sharp smack! echoed a second later.
"Hmph. Don't provoke him. None of you are his match."
Rin cracked her whip brutally across the bald thug's face, then glared coldly at the five Team Rocket grunts—each of whom showed a mix of fear and lust toward her.
"Ahahaha~! Sounds like the kid really is something. Now I really want to fight him."
"Yeah, I want to have some fun with him."
"It's settled—once we're in the ruins, I'll make sure to teach him a lesson."
Far from extinguishing their interest, Rin's warning only seemed to ignite it further. The five thugs grinned eagerly, their bloodthirst and twisted nature barely restrained.
Seeing their reactions, Rin smirked in satisfaction, then turned around and walked off toward her Salamence.
As she moved, her amber eyes remained locked on Sato, filled with cold and murderous intent.
"Sato... you won't escape this time. I will not let you slip away again," Rin murmured under her breath.