Pokémon: Above the Top

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tetsuya, Gym Trainer of Olivine City." Having just come out of the Team Rocket base, the same Tetsuya who had previously been complaining about Sato now walked over with a beaming smile.

"In times of urgency, we had to act accordingly. I apologize for not notifying you in advance, Leader Tetsuya," Sato said, shaking his hand. He still knew how to keep up appearances.

Sato didn't know much about Tetsuya, but during his time in charge, the Olivine Gym had remained obscure. It wasn't until his niece Jasmine inherited it that the Olivine Gym was recognized as one of the eight major Gyms of the Johto Region.

The so-called "eight major Gyms" weren't determined simply by strength, but rather based on feedback from Challengers, whether they felt they gained something from the Gym challenge.

Each region conducted a selection of its eight major Gyms once a year. Those selected naturally became the most popular Gyms among Challengers for that year.

The more Challengers, the better the Gym's performance reported to the League, and the more resources it would receive in return.

Most importantly, the invisible benefits that came with the rise in fame were so significant that even powerful clans like the Dragon Clan couldn't ignore them.

Shadownight Gym, being a newly established Gym, didn't need to participate in this year's selection. But Sato would have preferred to participate as soon as possible.

This policy was indeed a good protective measure for other new Gyms. But for Sato, the number of Challengers he received in just the first month was about equivalent to what an average Gym saw in half a year.

And now, with four months left before the next League Conference, if there were any available slots, going for it wouldn't be out of reach.

But there weren't any…

While going over information about the Olivine Gym in his mind, Sato kept up a half-hearted conversation with Tetsuya as they waited for Officer Jenny to wrap things up.

"Speaking of which, I'm curious, Leader Sato. How did you find out that Team Rocket had a secret base here? It's so close to Olivine City, just thinking about it scares me," Tetsuya asked, feigning relief.

Sato glanced at this shifty-eyed, pudgy middle-aged man, thinking to himself, 'Thank goodness your niece Jasmine shares nothing in common with you. Otherwise, Olivine Gym would've never risen up.'

"I found a hideout in Shadownight Town and followed the trail here. I was discovered by accident, so I had no choice but to fight." Aside from already knowing about the base, everything else Sato said was true.

"That simple? Team Rocket sure was careless!" Tetsuya muttered in a resentful tone, then suddenly realized he was still talking in front of Sato.

As expected, Sato turned his head, cold eyes staring directly at Tetsuya.

"…Are you, Gym Leader Tetsuya, implying that I shouldn't have caught Team Rocket?"

"No, no! Team Rocket deserves to be punished! As the Gym Leader of Olivine City, I'm more than grateful, why would I not want them caught?"

Tetsuya was shaken by Sato's gaze and hurried to explain himself. Only when Sato turned away did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

'What the hell! A kid like that actually intimidated me? What kind of monster is this?!' Tetsuya screamed internally, but didn't dare speak up again. He just stood there quietly, wondering why Officer Jenny was taking so long to come out.

The two of them stood on the beach for more than ten minutes, silently letting the night wind blow over them.

"It's all been tallied. This base was a mid-sized Team Rocket facility in the Johto Region, primarily focused on researching tools to capture the super-legendary Pokémon Lugia. No final results have been found so far…

A total of 218 research personnel and 243 grunts were captured this time..."

Officer Jenny, always efficient, came out and reported directly to the two individuals with clearance: Sato and Tetsuya. Hearing the numbers, even Tetsuya couldn't help but gulp.

Each one of these was a merit-worthy capture… and none of them were his. The more Tetsuya looked at Sato, the more displeased he became.

Sensing the resentment and hostility emanating from Tetsuya beside him, Sato didn't care and simply said, "We must thank Officer Jenny and the force for the assistance in this operation. Without you, we couldn't have brought so many criminals to justice!"

"You're too kind, Leader Sato. We only handled support and logistics this time, you're the one who bravely charged ahead."

Officer Jenny smiled. She understood what Sato meant: he was subtly suggesting she could slightly exaggerate her involvement in the operation when filing her report.

Taking part in an event as significant as the destruction of a mid-sized base wasn't a minor accomplishment, and carving out a share of the credit was no small gain for Jenny.

At the side, Tetsuya blinked, eyes wide and eager, looking toward Sato. But he didn't have the thick skin to butt in directly.

Then he turned his hopeful gaze to Officer Jenny, signaling frantically with his eyes. Jenny noticed but hadn't intended to respond. Still, thinking about her long-term work in Olivine City, she realized letting things get too awkward might not be helpful later on.

"Um… Leader Sato…"

"Officer Jenny, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading back now. There's still a Rocket hideout in Shadownight Town that hasn't been dealt with. I need to return quickly." Sato cut her off directly, not giving her the chance to continue.

"It's already so late. Why don't you rest in Olivine City for the night? I'll have someone escort you back tomorrow," Jenny quickly changed the topic.

"Exactly, exactly! Our Olivine City is one of the top port cities in the Johto Region, nowhere else can compare…" Tetsuya quickly chimed in, eager to keep him around for a chat.

'This useless teammate!' Jenny shot him a glare, suddenly grateful that she had been interrupted before saying anything that could backfire.

"…I'll pass. I'd better head back and focus on developing Shadownight Town. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep up with anyone." Sato's face grew colder, but he was laughing inside.

People like this were either truly stupid… or master-level actors.

But none of that concerned Sato. He gave a brief nod to Jenny and turned to stride across the beach.

Above, the giant Honchkrow had already begun its descent. Sato vaulted onto its back and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

"He just left like that? What about me? I came out in the middle of the night and ended up with nothing?" Tetsuya stared wide-eyed at Officer Jenny, full of frustration.

Jenny finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She rolled her eyes hard and walked straight back to the car.

"Hey, hey, wait… you're supposed to give me a ride back!"

---

Sato lay on his back atop the giant Honchkrow, leisurely gazing up at the star-filled sky. Today's operation had been his first true head-on clash with Team Rocket.

From now on, there was no backing out.

But Sato wasn't one to shy away from conflict. And staying a Gym Leader full-time was just too boring; having rivals and stirring up trouble gave him something to do, at least enough to show Drake that he was staying busy.

"Honchkrow, tell me… why can't we see this starry sky from the Forest of Shadows or Shadownight Town? The skies are clear at night, but it's always pitch black there."

"Krow?" Honchkrow tilted its head and thought for a moment. It had been born in the forest and had never once questioned that.

The darkness of the Forest of Shadows… was just how it had always been.

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150 PW = Cha