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To be honest, when Sato heard that a Elite-Four level Altaria was about to lay an egg—and that this egg might even involve a powerful wild Salamence—he was incredibly excited.
However, that excitement lasted for barely ten seconds. Because at this point, for Sato, that Dragon-type Pokémon egg was destined to have nothing to do with him.
The reason was simple. The chaos following the battle between the Super-Legendary Pokémon hadn't fully settled yet, and his identity as Sato could not be exposed at this time. Otherwise, all the effort he'd put into lying low for more than a month would be for nothing.
Worse still, it could expose his other identity—Tyler.
After all, the only thing Tyler and Sato had in common was that both used a Pikachu. If Sato suddenly appeared here, people would inevitably start to suspect the connection between the two identities.
Since he couldn't use the name Sato, he no longer had any way to compete for that Dragon-type Pokémon egg. And he didn't believe for a second that the incident of a Elite-Four level Altaria laying an egg was known only to that bucktoothed man and his group.
He figured those two citizens of Slateport City—who had been kidnapped by the bucktoothed man and whose identities were clearly unusual—must also be aware of this event. Otherwise, why would they foolishly wander deep into the dangerous Slateport Woods for no reason?
'What a tangled mess,' Sato thought with a deep breath, knocking the fat man in front of him unconscious as well. 'Looks like I've stumbled into another major event. An egg born from a Elite-Four Altaria and a wild Salamence... this is going to stir up quite a storm.'
Dragon-type Pokémon are proud by nature, and extremely picky about their mates. A female Dragon-type would never be interested in a male weaker than herself.
So if this Elite-Four level Altaria was pregnant, her partner was definitely that wild Salamence—no doubt about it.
A Salamence was the perfect example of a top-tier, handsome and powerful Dragon-type; while Altaria, elegant and noble, was like the refined beauty among Dragons. The two finding each other attractive wasn't surprising at all.
"Still, even if I can't get the Dragon-type egg, I might be able to get my hands on some rare resources used to raise Dragon-types."
After all, that Elite-Four level Altaria had lived in Slateport Woods for years. Her nest surely contained a trove of symbiotic plants and precious materials that had helped her grow stronger. And for the sake of her offspring, she must have collected additional resources for nurturing hatchlings.
After weighing the pros and cons, Sato decisively gave up on fighting for the egg and instead aimed to raid Altaria's nest for the rare resources related to Dragon-type growth.
He still had a Dratini with him—a real resource devourer. And materials for raising Dragon-type Pokémon were practically priceless; even with money, they were next to impossible to find.
He did have the training notes that Drake had given him, but many of the ingredients listed there—used to accelerate the growth of Dragon-types—were unimaginably rare. He'd spent the last month scouring Slateport City's black market without finding even one.
Now, this Altaria egg incident had presented him with a rare opportunity to obtain the materials he needed.
The egg itself might be the most valuable thing, but there would be too many powerful people competing for it. Since he couldn't expose his true identity, he'd just have to settle for the next best thing—getting a sip of the soup, so to speak.
Once he had made up his mind, Sato promptly knocked the fat man unconscious, then recalled all his Pokémon into their PokeBalls—except for Pikachu and Kecleon.
Next, he removed all the mechanical equipment from the bucktoothed man and the fat man, leaving it on the ground along with a note sealed inside a transparent plastic bag.
Then, using Teleport, he disappeared with the two captives, heading swiftly toward the hollow tree.
He'd already learned the whereabouts of the missing persons tied to his mission, so naturally, he wasn't about to abandon it. The reward for completing this one was quite generous—and once done, he'd have enough contribution points to qualify for the League's outer-member promotion trial.
The bucktoothed man and the fat man were now his bargaining chips to trade for the two kidnapped citizens currently held by an A-rank Pokémon Hunter.
Luckily, the rain was still falling heavily, washing away any potential traces that could be used to track him. Sato didn't have to worry about that A-rank hunter using advanced tracking methods to find his trail.
He had even stripped the captives of all their equipment for that exact reason—to cut off any final means of pursuit.
Sure enough, not long after Sato left, a burly man in a raincoat arrived on a Stantler.
"Those two useless idiots," he growled. "Can't even win a fight, and now they've been captured. Pathetic."
Hook bent down and picked up the plastic bag lying on the ground. Inside was a single white sheet of paper with a few words and a communication number written on it. As soon as he saw it, his expression darkened.
The words on the note were simple—only four characters: "Exchange hostages."
Perhaps due to the rush, Sato had slightly miscalculated this time. Hook, a wanted criminal of the Pokémon League known for his ruthlessness, reacted instantly upon seeing the note—his first thought was to kill everyone involved and flee Slateport Woods as fast as possible.
However, Hook's greed for the Elite-Four Dragon-type egg kept him from discarding the note.
Despite their incompetence, the bucktoothed man and the fat man had always been loyal and reliable. Hook had worked with them for years, and they shared a strong sense of coordination.
Now, with Altaria's egg about to hatch, abandoning them at such a critical juncture would halve the success rate of his egg-stealing plan.
He knew very well that he wasn't the only one eyeing the egg. After all, it was laid by a powerful Elite-Four level Altaria and an even more powerful Salamence—its potential and value were beyond imagination. It would easily fetch an astronomical price.
Now that the Salamence was missing and the Altaria's strength had weakened after laying the egg, this was the perfect time to seize the egg — perhaps even capture the Altaria herself.
Finally, Hook released a well-trained Mightyena. After sniffing around, the Mightyena shook its head, signaling that the rain had washed away all scents.
Without a word, Hook mounted his Stantler and turned back toward his hidden base.
On his way back to the secret base, he used his communicator to dial the number written on the white note.