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Facing the vicious thugs, Sato wasn't afraid — but neither did he want a direct confrontation, especially since they had numbers on their side.
Fortunately, the thugs were overly confident in their own strength and chose to split up to search. This gave Sato the chance to pick them off one by one. In a one-on-one fight, he was confident he could handle them.
For his disguise, Sato settled on a member of the Blood Axe Squad named Baku.
Coincidentally, Baku's main Pokémon was also a Swampert. Most importantly, its size and build were nearly identical to Sato's own Swampert.
Baku himself was extremely violent. In the bloody suppression at the sea market earlier, he had been one of the main attackers. Without hesitation, he ordered his Swampert to smash the heads of both rioters and victims alike — even crippling their Pokémon one by one.
Sato had also noticed something off about him: Baku seemed to have a mental problem. The sight of blood made him excited and manic, almost deranged.
Because of this, several innocent bystanders nearby were badly injured before Captain Kux intervened to stop him. If not, Sato thought, Baku might have gone on a full-blown massacre at the market.
Clearly, because of his unstable mind, Baku wasn't well-liked by his teammates. Other than exchanging a few words with Kux, who was stronger than him, he was deliberately kept at a distance by the rest of the squad.
For Sato, the factors lined up perfectly: Swampert as his ace, mental instability, and isolation from the group — Baku was the ideal target for his disguise.
That said, while Baku was unstable, his years of slaughter had made his instincts razor-sharp.
On the surface, he rode his Swampert to search the seas. But secretly, he had a Sharpedo, Gyarados, and Crawdaunt lurking beneath the water in a triangular formation around him, while a Pelipper shadowed him from the air.
Such a tight defense meant that any disturbance around him would be instantly detected, and he could react at once.
"This is tricky… defeating him quickly without drawing too much attention won't be easy."
In the night sky, Sato trailed behind on his Crobat. With his psychic detection, he could see Baku surrounded and protected by his Pokémon, and frowned in thought.
Currently, his own Pokémon were Swampert, Crobat, Kecleon, Pikachu, Ditto, Duskull, and Misdreavus. In reality, only Swampert, Crobat, and Pikachu had real combat strength.
Kecleon, Ditto, Duskull, and Misdreavus could only serve as support — little actual firepower.
Even so, Sato didn't think he would lose. In fact, victory was certain.
His Swampert was already Level 63, while Baku's strongest — his Swampert — was only Level 58, with an individual value of 152. In terms of sheer strength, Sato's Swampert alone could wipe Baku's entire team if given enough time.
"I'll just have to wait until he's far enough from his teammates before striking."
Calculating the gap between their teams, Sato quickly ruled out ending the fight in an instant. Instead, he waited for the right chance to ambush.
But Baku's vigilance was a headache. He stopped about two kilometers from the abandoned ships, refusing to explore further.
When Sato realized Baku was preparing to turn back, he knew his chance was slipping away. If he didn't act now, he might never get another opportunity.
Once he decided, Sato hurled two PokeBalls. Midair, they burst open — Swampert and Pikachu appeared in the sky.
The next instant, under Sato's telepathic command, Pikachu floated with Magnet Rise and unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt at Baku.
Baku truly lived up to being a battle-hardened, pseudo Elite Four level Trainer. The moment Swampert and Pikachu appeared, he sensed the mortal danger. Without hesitation, he ordered his Swampert to use Protect.
The barrier blocked Pikachu's Thunderbolt, sparing Baku himself.
But the sheer power of the Thunderbolt was overwhelming. The current surged through the shield and spread into the sea.
At once, Baku's Sharpedo, Gyarados, and Crawdaunt suffered — the Gyarados especially, taking heavy damage in an instant.
Meanwhile, Sato's Swampert dove from the sky like a meteor. Locking onto Crawdaunt, it brought down a devastating Hammer Arm, crushing it in one blow.
"Damn it! Swampert, use Mud Bomb on Pikachu! Gyarados, Sharpedo — stall their Swampert! Pelipper, kill the one in the air!"
Baku roared, his face twisted as he watched his Crawdaunt fall. His Pokémon, as ruthless as their Trainer, went berserk at his command, charging fiercely into battle.
But his resistance was doomed. Pikachu, airborne with Magnet Rise, easily dodged Swampert's Mud Bomb, then countered with another Thunderbolt at the incoming Pelipper.
Before it could even reach Sato, the poor Pelipper was fried black, plummeting helplessly into the sea.
As for Baku's Level 50 Gyarados and Level 48 Sharpedo — they couldn't possibly restrain Sato's Swampert. Sharpedo was smashed aside with a single Hammer Arm, just like Crawdaunt.
Gyarados, already crippled by Pikachu's earlier Thunderbolt, barely put up resistance before Swampert's Ice Punch froze it out of the fight and sent it crashing into the ocean.
"Go, Swampert — use Hammer Arm!"
Seeing his Pokémon unable to even withstand a single exchange, Baku's heart sank. He knew this was an unbeatable enemy. But instead of fear, it ignited his bloodlust — he howled madly at his Swampert.
"Swamp!!"
Baku's Swampert bellowed, charging recklessly at Sato's Swampert. Its fist gleamed with pure Fighting-type energy as it swung a Hammer Arm.
Sato's Swampert only looked at it with disdain. Without even calling a move, it threw a punch of its own, meeting the attack head-on.
The fists collided with a deafening crack. Baku's Swampert screamed as bones shattered.
In the same motion, Sato's Swampert's fist smashed aside its arm, then hammered into its skull.
With a single blow, Baku's Swampert was sent flying, unconscious, crashing into the sea.
At the same time, Sato teleported with psychic power to appear directly in front of Baku. His overwhelming telekinesis seized the man, immobilizing him completely.