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At 5:10 p.m., after leaving the battle area, Sato went straight back to his room and enjoyed an early, hearty dinner with his Pokémon.
While savoring the meal, he took the chance to send several messages to Captain Reggie to renegotiate his mission rewards.
Originally, the mission had only one objective — to rescue Prof. Todd. But because Captain Reggie wanted to convince the Dragon-type Elite Four Drake to take action, the mission requirements had now expanded: rescue Prof. Todd and either recover or destroy the stolen artifact.
Sato had no reason to agree to such a last-minute addition so easily. He had no obligation to take on an extra task that came with significantly more risk.
Unless he was promised greater compensation, he would only guarantee Prof. Todd's rescue from Team Aqua's base — nothing more.
So, he intended to have a serious talk with Captain Reggie — or rather, with the one behind him who had added the new mission condition without warning.
It didn't take long before Sato learned the identity of that person — the Dragon-type Elite Four of Hoenn, Drake.
Far above the ocean, thousands of meters in the air, a massive airship floated silently. Inside its strategy room, Drake was speaking to Sato through a communicator.
"What a sly little fox. He's trying to get something precious from me just like that... Still, it's fine. You can't take these things with you when you die anyway. Think of it as helping out a promising junior."
A few minutes later, Drake ended the call. Turning to face the monitor that displayed a desolate island, he muttered thoughtfully to himself.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Sato couldn't suppress the wide grin spreading across his face as he put away the communicator. If not for the setting, he would've burst into laughter right there.
In his view, Hoenn's Dragon-type Elite Four turned out to be surprisingly easy to talk to. Through this unexpected negotiation, Sato had secured something immensely valuable — a method for raising a Pokémon species. He was absolutely thrilled.
Knowledge was priceless, and knowledge from a Dragon-type Elite Four was even more so.
Sato had agreed to fulfill the added mission condition. In return, if he succeeded, Drake would give him a detailed training method for raising Dratini.
It was, without question, a deal heavily in Sato's favor — one that would make him a fortune in knowledge.
After all, this was a Dragon-type training method held by Hoenn's most senior Dragon Master — something far more refined than the "cheap manuals" Sato had previously spent heavily on.
So, after sealing the deal and finishing dinner, Sato quickly made his way to the bar area on the third floor of the recreation zone.
Most men of the sea were heavy drinkers — a day without alcohol left them restless. As such, the bar area was crowded nearly every night.
The man Sato was impersonating, Baku, was known to suffer from frequent headaches, often using alcohol to numb himself. Sato had found a stash of extremely strong liquor in Baku's spatial gear — proof enough that he was a regular customer at the bars.
So walking in here under Baku's name was perfectly natural. Not coming would've been suspicious.
Of course, Sato hadn't come here to drink. Besides keeping up Baku's persona, his real goal was to find someone.
Specifically, one of the research staff from the submarine division on the fifth floor — ideally, one who was still passed out from drinking.
Scientists usually preferred to keep their minds sharp, and alcohol was the enemy of clear thought. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't drink.
But every rule had exceptions. Researchers were human too, and in a base where nearly everyone was a drunkard, it was impossible not to be influenced by their drinking friends.
As the saying went — it's easy to pick up bad habits, hard to shake them off. Once someone started drinking, it was difficult to stop, especially when alcohol provided such an easy escape from stress and frustration.
As soon as Sato, disguised as Baku, entered the largest tavern in the bar district, he spotted several Team Aqua members in white lab coats sprawled over tables — or outright lying on the floor — reeking of alcohol.
Normally, unless someone woke them, they wouldn't stir until the next morning. No matter what happened around them, they'd sleep through it.
Sato's luck was good. Just as he was deciding which one of the drunken scientists to drag off, one of them suddenly began showing clear signs of nausea.
In this kind of tavern, bartenders needed sharp eyes — or they wouldn't last long in such a high-paying job.
The moment the scientist started to retch, a nearby bartender immediately signaled his Poliwrath to carry the man into a special restroom designed for such incidents.
Seeing this, Sato knew his opportunity had come. But he didn't rush straight to the restroom. Instead, he went to the counter and ordered a drink — Baku's usual.
Since Baku was a notorious regular, the bartender immediately recognized him as the fierce ex–Blood Axe Squad member.
When Sato, keeping a cold expression, said, "Give me my usual," the bartender nodded at once. He turned, grabbed a few bottles and special berries from the shelf, and placed them into a jug — his "mixer," a Shuckle.
Under Shuckle's Rapid Spin, the liquor and berries blended together quickly. Within moments, a glass of crystal-red mixed liquor appeared before Sato.
Who knew what the drink was actually made of — Sato certainly didn't intend to drink it. Using his telekinetic ability, he subtly caused the bartender to lose his balance.
As a result, the freshly mixed drink "accidentally" splashed all over Sato's head.
The bartender turned pale as a sheet, horrified that he'd just spilled alcohol on "Baku." He immediately began apologizing profusely, grabbing napkins to wipe Sato's face.
This was Sato's cue to act.
He exploded with anger, cursing the bartender viciously and slapping him hard across the face — perfectly in character for Baku — before storming off toward the restroom.
Everything looked perfectly natural, drawing no suspicion from anyone watching the scene.
The tavern restroom was, unsurprisingly, disgusting — filled with the stench of fermented vomit. Under normal circumstances, no sane person would linger there.
Even before stepping in, Sato caught a whiff of the sour odor, making his stomach churn. Still, for the sake of the lucrative rescue mission's new reward, he steeled himself and went inside.