Cynthia… had gotten even busier.
Before their conversation, she would at least lower her head and slip past Sato with a flimsy excuse like "A bit busy~".
But after their "talk", Cynthia would glance coldly at Sato with a frosty face each time, then stride past him without saying a single extra word… "Busy."
"…Oh."
Sato blinked, trying hard to recall when exactly he had offended her.
'There's nothing wrong… right? Could it be that she's now so strong she can't be bothered to train with me anymore?'
His small head filled with big question marks.
Was it that he wasn't standing high enough…? Not strong enough…?
---◓---
Finally, a sharp alarm signaled the start of the operation, and everyone in the base began eagerly preparing.
Within thirty seconds, all combat personnel had assembled, including the four top-tier combatants. Sato among them.
Sato looked over at the other three "top-tier" combat personnel besides himself.
'Hm…' None of them were younger than him, let alone better looking. He could ignore them.
Soon, Cynthia, the highest-ranking commander of the base, stepped forward and began issuing orders methodically.
"First Platoon, Squads 2, 4, 6, and 8 form the First Assault Unit. Squad Leader Ryan, you're responsible for guarding the area within a three-kilometer radius west of the camp. Trainer Touka will assist in combat!
First Platoon, Squads 1, 3, 5, and 9 form the Second Unit… Trainer Renjiro will assist in combat!
Second Platoon, Squads 2, 4, 6, and 8 form the Third Assault Unit. Squad Leader Isaac Clarke, you're in charge of securing the area from three to six kilometers east of the camp. Trainer Sato will assist in combat!"
Upon hearing his name, Sato perked up and quickly spotted Clarke in the crowd. Clarke even winked at him.
Clarke was the deputy squad leader of the Second Platoon and had held his ground against Sato for quite a while in their earlier battle.
If the teams were being split into four units, it was only natural for him to be appointed a squad leader.
Next, Cynthia continued issuing assignments in an orderly fashion -emergency medical teams, mobile support units, scout squads… gradually completing a massive tactical net, ready to close in for the final strike!
"The ultimate goal of this operation is to arrest all underground operatives who enter Mt. Coronet. Leave no one behind!
Now, begin the operation!"
"YES, MA'AM!!!"
Everyone on the field responded in unison, then began organizing into teams, collecting supplies, and confirming their routes.
And with that, the whole force moved out!
Sato naturally joined the Third Assault Unit and quietly waited for Clarke to issue orders, refusing to meddle or interfere.
"Hm?"
Sensing someone approaching from behind, Sato turned around instinctively.
It was Cynthia…
"Be careful… Your safety is the most important thing," she said softly with a frown, her eyes no longer as cold as they had been over the past two days.
Sato chuckled. "Shouldn't completing the mission be the most important thing? Heh! Don't worry, I won't let anyone escape past me!"
Cynthia frowned even harder. She suddenly had the urge to knock open Sato's skull and check if it was filled with steel rods.
"…Do whatever you want."
With that, Cynthia turned and left, not wanting to stay even a second longer!
Then Sato called out to her.
"You too! Be careful."
Cynthia paused mid-step, turned her head slightly, and gave a small nod, then strode away at full speed.
As the person in charge of one-fourth of this entire "tactical net," Cynthia had an enormous amount of coordinating to do.
Still, Cynthia had made time to seek out Sato, worried that her "cold demeanor" over the past two days might have left him distracted and vulnerable in battle.
Logically, Cynthia knew that someone like Sato would never be affected by something like that.
But… she still came anyway.
After watching Cynthia leave, Sato turned back to the Third Assault Unit… only to find that everyone was staring straight at him!
"Leader Sato, you and our commander… seem pretty close, huh~?"
The gossiping fire in Clarke's heart was burning strong, but since he couldn't win in a fight, he didn't dare make his comment too… obvious.
"Mmh, we're alright. Just former travel companions," Sato replied casually. But it was clear he'd hit a nerve; everyone started looking at him with knowingly curious eyes.
"Ahem, the other teams have already moved out. We should be going too!"
Eventually, Clarke, as the squad leader, called off the speculation about their relationship and pulled everyone's focus back to the mission.
"All members of Third Unit, prepare your Ride Pokémon!"
"YES, SIR!"
Flashes of red light lit up across the field as a unified group of Dodrio appeared beside the soldiers.
Dodrio were numerous, easy to raise, had soft feathers, strong endurance, excellent speed on land, and solid battle potential. All these advantages made Dodrio the most widely used mount/Ride Pokémon in the League.
The top Elite level soldiers of the Sinnoh League in front of him were uniformly outfitted with Dodrio as their mounts.
Sato, on the other hand, sent out his Hydreigon, whose Levitate Ability allowed it to fly freely over any terrain.
"Do! Dri! Oh!" "Do-Dri!…"
Hydreigon's overwhelming presence immediately caused a stir among the Dodrio, prompting Sato to signal it to suppress its aura.
"Leader Sato, that must be one of your main Pokémon, right? As expected, it's incredibly strong!"
Clarke said enviously while calming his own Dodrio.
Before Sato could even offer a "modest" reply, Lefty, Righty, and Middy all nodded eagerly in agreement!
"Hah! Alright, cut it out." Sato laughed as he patted Hydreigon's three heads, signaling them to quiet down. Then he turned to Clarke. "Leader, give the order."
"Ahh! Right. Third Assault Unit… MOVE OUT!"
Dust billowed as the Third Unit set off at full speed along their predetermined route toward the destination.
Sato rode atop Hydreigon, instructing it to stay half a body's length behind Clarke, leisurely following along.
A three-kilometer journey was only about ten minutes for a Dodrio. Before long, the Third Assault Unit arrived at their assigned defensive position.
Clarke immediately began executing the plan, assigning two soldiers to stop and stand guard at regular intervals, stretching a full three kilometers to form the encirclement.
Once the perimeter was fully deployed, only Sato and five members remained at Clarke's side.
Each of those five still had tasks, and one of them had sent out a Vespiquen.
"Earlier, every soldier was given a Combee. By using the unique link between Combee and Vespiquen, we can detect any changes in their situation as quickly as possible.
In the wild, Pokémon abilities are far more practical and reliable than technology!"
Clarke explained with pride, and Sato fully agreed with that sentiment.
The giant tactical net was in place. Now, all they had to do was quietly wait for the Magikarp to swim in.
And as for Sato's job? It was to catch the big sharks hidden among the small fry!