Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Sato walked past Ranka, who was seething with hatred. His steps were light and steady—not fast, not slow—and he didn't glance back as he continued forward down the empty corridor.
On the surface, he looked completely nonchalant, but in reality, his right hand remained firmly resting on the PokeBall belt at his waist, staying highly alert in case that mad dog Ranka suddenly snapped and attacked him.
Ranka's gloomy, hawk-like eyes never left Sato's back. But seeing that Sato remained on guard the entire time, offering no opportunity for a sneak attack, he was left with no choice but to watch as Sato disappeared from sight.
After Sato left, several Team Rocket members wearing masks emerged one by one from the shadows. They approached Ranka and bowed respectfully before him.
Ranka's face was dark as he stared at the subordinates who had been lying in ambush nearby. It was because of them that this small section of the base had been temporarily sealed off, allowing him to easily intercept Sato.
From the start, Ranka had never intended to let Sato leave alive. As long as Sato handed over the Reverse Dragon Scale, his fate would have been to die under the hands of these subordinates who were hiding their true identities.
What threw Ranka off, however, was that Sato had seen through his "true" identity. He wasn't swayed in the slightest by Ranka's seductive tricks and remained alert the entire time.
But what ultimately made Ranka hold back was discovering that Sato was a direct subordinate of Giovanni. That identity, combined with Sato's ever-present vigilance, forced Ranka to abandon his plan to silence him completely.
Ranka may have been arrogant, but he wasn't a fool. He knew that if someone had earned Giovanni's favor and become a core subordinate, then that person must possess extraordinary strength.
Such a powerful individual couldn't be killed so easily. If they really fought, Ranka had no confidence in killing Sato silently in this surveillance blind spot.
And if too much noise attracted the attention of the higher-ups within the base, then no matter how strong Ranka's backing was, he would still end up dead—and it would be a pointless death at that.
"Pass down the order. The moment anyone sees him on the island, I want to be notified immediately. I'll make sure he doesn't leave that island alive."
Ranka took a deep breath, forcing down his boiling anger. His delicate face returned to its usual calm expression as he gently ordered his subordinates.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The masked Team Rocket members felt a chill run down their spines at Ranka's current demeanor. But constrained by Ranka's usual domineering and forceful personality, they still obeyed respectfully.
...
Around 1 a.m., inside Sato's temporary dormitory.
Sato lay on the soft bed, but he wasn't even remotely sleepy. In his hand was a shimmering scale that glowed faintly with a blue light in the dark. His eyes reflected both admiration and helplessness.
All for this single Reverse Dragon Scale—he had completely offended Ranka. He could already foresee that during the upcoming island expedition, he would undoubtedly be hunted by members of the Athena faction that Ranka represented.
Still, Sato felt no regret. The importance of the Reverse Dragon Scale was self-evident. There was no way he would throw away the future just because he was afraid of stirring up trouble.
Anyone who abandons the future will inevitably be abandoned by the future in turn.
Of course, the bigger reason was Ranka's behavior. That guy had wanted to reap the reward without paying the price—and even plotted to kill him. Although the ambushers had concealed themselves well, the faint murderous aura leaking from them still gave them away.
That was why Sato had no choice but to reveal the black-and-green badge to intimidate Ranka. When handing it to him, Oka had specifically reminded him: the fewer people who knew his identity, the better.
Thankfully, Giovanni's name carried weight. Because of that, Ranka didn't dare make a reckless move. Otherwise, even if Sato didn't die in an ambush, he'd at least have been seriously injured.
And such an outcome was unacceptable to him. After all, he was entering the island tomorrow. Entering injured would be a terrible choice.
"Ranka, huh… Hmph. Since you want me dead and already know who I am, then I'll have to eliminate you. Yeah, I need to come up with a good plan—can't leave any loose ends."
Sato stored the Reverse Dragon Scale in his storage gear. With both hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and began thinking deeply about how to get rid of Ranka and his subordinates on the island.
Ranka had become a threat to his life. Sato naturally wouldn't let that go. His principle had always been: "I don't strike unless provoked. But if I am, I strike back—hard."
And within Team Rocket, if you're provoked and don't retaliate, then you're dead meat. He would use Ranka's death as a warning to those arrogant, entitled heirs and core members.
People like Ranka who abused their connections were everywhere in Team Rocket. The only way to deal with them was to hurt them—to make them understand that the one they provoked was someone they couldn't afford to mess with.
Only then could he continue to hold his position in Team Rocket securely.
Before long, drowsiness crept in. With a fuzzy, spinning head from overthinking, Sato slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
Around noon the next day, Sato and nearly 300 other participants were gathered in a spacious plaza.
At the center of the plaza, a large number of high-tech devices had been arranged. Several Team Rocket members in white lab coats were busy sweating profusely as they carefully assembled the machines and calibrated data with precision.
Surrounding these machines were numerous Psychic-type Pokémon capable of Teleport. Leading them was a level 72 Alakazam.
All of the Psychic Pokémon present emitted overwhelming psychic energy. Especially that Alakazam—his entire body was enveloped in a glowing blue psychic sphere, and waves of psychic power rippled outward from him in constant pulses.
Each of these Psychic-types wore a strange device on their head. The end of each device was connected to the central equipment via a specially manufactured cable.
According to veteran Team Rocket members, these scientists were building a teleportation gate, and the Psychic-type Pokémon were currently channeling their energy (psychic power) into it.
Once the portal was fully calibrated and charged, the participants would be randomly teleported to the outer regions of the island.
The function of this portal—built from various unknown high-tech components—wasn't just long-distance teleportation. It also drastically enhanced the Teleport abilities of Psychic Pokémon.
Each participant would also be given a special device that served as a locator.
After all, Sato and the others were elite members of Team Rocket's new generation. As long as they grew steadily, they were all destined to become the backbone of the organization.
Thus, each person's life was highly valuable. Team Rocket wouldn't discard them unless absolutely necessary.
So, if a participant were to be eliminated or encounter an uncontrollable event, all they had to do was press the button on that device, and a Psychic-type Pokémon would instantly teleport to their location and bring them back to safety.
That said, every time the portal was activated, it consumed massive amounts of energy and could only remain open for a maximum of three days. After that, it needed one full day to recharge and undergo maintenance before reopening.
In other words, participants had to constantly keep track of the portal's opening and closing times. When the portal was shut, it would be unwise to engage in anything too dangerous.
Otherwise, if something went wrong during that period, even Psychic-types wouldn't be able to perform emergency rescues without the portal's boost to their Teleport abilities.
Roughly half an hour later, a portal radiating intense psychic energy opened at the center of the plaza.
The moment of island entry had arrived.