Pokémon: Above the Top

Over here, while Mark was still racking his brain trying to find something for Sato to do, Sato was already strolling leisurely toward the hideout of the group with the documents in hand.

He flipped through the materials carefully from start to finish and realized things weren't so simple after all.

There were a total of five individuals listed, all born and raised in Shadownight. In fact, two of them had once been the pride of Shadownight Town.

They were considered the "pride" because they had once placed well in the League Conference, making it the first time people in the Johto Region learned that a place called Shadownight Town even existed.

So, these two had always had considerable influence in Shadownight Town. Precisely because of that, they were able to gather a sizable group, intending to make a big move.

…Unfortunately, they'd chosen the wrong path from the start.

---

Before long, Sato arrived at the entrance of the Forest of Shadows.

"…More people again," Sato murmured to himself as he observed the steady stream of foot traffic.

Ever since the Shadownight Intelligence Shop had stabilized, everyone had to rely on real ability to make a living, so naturally, the number of people entering the forest had increased.

He bypassed the main entrance and turned toward a different direction on the outskirts. Following the directions on the map, he soon arrived at a dilapidated warehouse.

The front door of the warehouse was locked, but the lock was brand new; clearly just installed recently.

Sato didn't force his way in. Instead, he circled around the building, and soon found the real entrance: an inconspicuous little iron door.

Just then, the little door creaked open from the inside.

"…Gengar, go invisible," Sato ordered softly. Gengar immediately created a space barrier that hide Sato's presence.

"…That's strange, I swear I heard footsteps at the front door just now…"

A scruffy-looking middle-aged man stepped out from the small door and then circled around to the front of the warehouse, muttering to himself as he walked.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sato slipped in through the small door, lowering his footsteps as much as possible. Since he'd snuck in anyway, he might as well see what they were planning.

Clang~

The small door was shut and locked. The scruffy man walked inside at a relaxed pace, and Sato followed right behind him, silently stepping into his exact footprints.

"Boss, no one's outside. Aren't we being a bit too cautious?" After passing through a narrow corridor filled with stacked goods, the scruffy man led Sato into a dimly lit room that looked like a living room.

Sato slipped into a corner of the room and quietly observed. The space was no more than thirty square meters, yet it was crammed with over twenty people.

The oldest looked to be in their forties, while the youngest were only in their teens, around Sato's age.

Most of them stood around the sofa, while only two people were seated, seemingly deep in discussion.

"If there's no one, then get back in line. It took a lot of effort to get everyone together today. There's a lot to announce. In the future, for safety reasons, meetings like this probably won't be possible anymore."

The young man sitting on the right side of the sofa spoke impatiently. Sato recognized him instantly, he was one of the former "prides" of Shadownight Town: Miles.

"Alright, let's get started!"

At that moment, the man on the left side of the sofa also stood up, holding a stack of documents. He looked like he was about to begin a pre-mission briefing.

Clearly, the man who appeared slightly more composed was the other "pride" of Shadownight: Ashford.

"Ever since the Intelligence Shop was taken over by its new boss, I haven't been able to reach Victor. And with the drastic overhaul of the Intelligence Shop, we were all crushed in one fell swoop.

Many of us have wives and children. Now that we've lost our income, how are our families supposed to survive? The reason we secretly gathered everyone here today is to find a way forward. Maybe we won't be as carefree as before, but at least we should be able to live decent lives."

As Sato listened to Ashford's speech, full of self-justification, he couldn't help but sneer inside. Selling fake intel to adventurers for real money, and they still managed to make it sound noble and righteous.

But their luck was indeed impressive. They finally held a big group meeting and just happened to be infiltrated.

…By none other than their "archenemy".

Just as Ashford was about to explain the detailed operational plan, Sato had no intention of letting him finish. If even one of these people escaped in the future, they'd all be potential threats.

"…Gengar, Umbreon, Psychic." Sato sent out Umbreon and gave the command. He couldn't always rely on Ralts.

Though Gengar and Umbreon weren't Psychic-type Pokémon, together they were more than enough to control this group.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

The sudden psychic control threw everyone into panic. Sato stepped out from the corner and looked at the two immobilized figures on the sofa.

"Miles, Ashford, the 'pride' of Shadownight Town?" Sato looked like just a kid, but the "presence" he gave off was on par with an Elite Four.

"Y-you-you…"

"How did you know we were here?"

Unlike Miles, who was too panicked to speak, Ashford managed to remain somewhat calm.

From another angle, if it had been Ralts in control, they might not have even had the chance to open their mouths.

"Obviously through the Intelligence Shop. Such a good asset… and you guys used it to peddle fake intel for personal gain, ultimately tarnishing Shadownight Town's reputation."

"Woah! So high and mighty~ Then let me ask you, where's Victor? Didn't you people have him killed too?"

Ashford sneered. He was already a prisoner, so he might as well say whatever he wanted.

"Did you and Victor have a good relationship? Still got time to care whether he's alive or dead?" Sato didn't mind hearing some backstory.

"He's not dead?" Ashford suddenly froze, his face lighting up with hope.

"He's dead." Sato shook his head, not hiding anything.

Ashford fell silent. His eyes lost focus, and he began muttering to himself as if he'd suffered a major blow.

By then, Miles had also mostly calmed down. He looked up at Sato and suddenly got smart.

"You can't kill all of us. You're a Gym Leader with the Pokémon League, not Team Rocket or some underground force, right? Besides… this was just a failed plan. The Intelligence Shop didn't actually suffer any damage!"

"You got one thing right. I'm a Gym Leader… the Gym Leader of Shadownight Town. So this is my territory, and here, I call the shots! Gengar, tie them all up and take them to the Intelligence Shop."

With that, Sato turned and walked out of the warehouse, while Gengar use its powers to bind their arms and legs and haul them out.