Around 8 PM, Sato retrieved his well-rested three Pokémon into their Poké Balls, gathered the "extra inco" he needed to deal with, and made his way toward the more remote outskirts of the city.
By this point, Sato looked completely different.
His height was harder to alter, but his face and body shape had already changed drastically.
With broad shoulders, a round belly, and a short stature, he now resembled nothing more than an overweight, greasy middle-aged man.
Sato was quite satisfied with the disguise; a child's fra was far too frail, making it easier to expose flaws. He had no choice but to bulk himself up for better concealnt.
---------
The underground market wasn't actually underground. It was set up inside an abandoned factory in Cherrygrove City.
At night, the area beca lively, with nightclubs and entertainnt venues booming, while the trading district itself remained relatively quiet.
Sato knew that all the activity outside was just a smokescreen.
After checking the surrounding temporary stalls and recognizing a specific marker, he headed straight into one of the shops.
There was no one at the front counter, and a half-closed door led to a dimly lit passageway at the back.
After walking a little further down the dark corridor, Sato finally arrived at the true underground market.
Despite the "underground" label, the market was surprisingly clean. The bright neon lights illuminated the entire venue, making it as clear as day.
None of the shops had actual nas, but Sato picked a more secluded one and walked in.
The store's shelves were filled with various Pokémon-held items. At first glance, he couldn't tell their quality, but the inventory was massive.
His eyes landed on an item of interest.
"Black Glasses?"
It was a held item similar in function to the Spell Tag, boosting Dark-type moves.
"Hey there, brother! That's Black Glasses increases the power of Dark-type moves. Interested?"
The store owner, a young man in his mid-twenties, was surprised; his custor looked like an overweight uncle but spoke with surprising sharpness.
"How much for it?"
Sato put on his best 'sleazy rchant' act, squinting as he closely examined the item, checking for any defects.
"Flat price: 500,000 Pokédollars."
The shopkeeper didn't hesitate, his tone firm and unwavering.
"500,000?! What, are you robbing ?!"
Sato shouted exaggeratedly, his voice drawing attention.
A potential custor who had just stepped into the store hesitated for a mont, then turned away to find another shop.
"You... Do you even know what you're looking at?!"
The shopkeeper's voice rose with frustration.
"Even the cheapest held items start at 500,000! This is a rare Black Glasses! If Dark-types weren't so scarce in Johto, I wouldn't be selling it for such a low price!"
Watching the shopkeeper's flustered reaction, Sato remained calm.
The price was indeed lower than expected... and that alone made it suspicious.
From there, a heated round of bargaining ensued.
Eventually, Sato noticed a slight defect: a small chip on the Black Glasses.
Using this as leverage, he successfully pushed the price down to 450,000 Pokédollars. The absolute lowest he could go.
"Wrap it up. Also... you guys here..."
Sato pretended to hesitate, acting as though he was contemplating sothing important.
"What is it? Got so junk you want to get rid of?"
The young shopkeeper caught on imdiately.
Most people who visited the underground market weren't here to buy; they were here to sell off goods.
"Yeah, got so things I don't need anymore. Special Poké Balls, high-grade Pokémon supplents... you take those?"
"Of course! We take everything!"
Seeing that the mont was right, Sato glanced around, then subtly gestured to the backpack on his back.
Understanding the signal, the shopkeeper imdiately led him to a private negotiation room.
"Here, take a look. There's a lot inside, I didn't bother sorting it."
"Got it! I'll handle everything here, you can just sit back and relax."
The young shopkeeper spoke casually as he started pulling items out of the backpack.
A few minutes later, he quickly tapped away on a calculator, then turned to Sato with a final number.
"730,000?"
Sato rubbed his round belly, falling into montary silence.
He had roughly estimated that these items were worth around 1,000,000, but black market rules dictated that sellers typically only received 70% of the actual value.
"Fine, but I'll add two more things. Give a full 1,000,000."
Without hesitation, Sato produced two Pokédexes and placed them on the table with a look that brooked no argunt.
"Pokédexes?"
The young shopkeeper's voice wavered slightly, suddenly avoiding eye contact with Sato.
This was tricky.
"What's the problem? You scared to take them?"
"Take them? Of course I'll take them! 1,000,000. Cash or transfer?"
Gritting his teeth, the shopkeeper scooped up the Pokédexes without hesitation.
For ordinary people, a Pokédex was just another device, but for underground organizations and private research labs, they were highly valuable research tools.
"Cash."
Wire transfers were out of the question, they left too many tracks. With a spatial backpack, carrying even 1,000,000 in cash was no issue.
After securing the money, Sato wasted no ti lingering, he left imdiately.
------
A forest under the moonlight was the perfect place for an ambush.
Sure enough, the mont he stepped out of the marketplace, Sato imdiately sensed at least three different groups tailing him.
Smirking disdainfully, he released Zorua and Haunter.
Zorua transford into his current disguised form and bolted in the opposite direction, sending a flock of Pidgey scattering into the night sky.
Haunter, anwhile, let out a creepy chuckle and vanished on the spot.
Within seconds, one of the groups unknowingly fell into a deep sleep under Hypnosis.
That left only one team still in pursuit. Sato had no interest in dragging things out.
His three Pokémon were still not strong enough to take unnecessary risks. He needed to lay low for now.
Besides, unless it was soone he absolutely had to eliminate, Sato had no desire to stain his hands with too much blood in this lifeti.
A few quick turns, and he lost them easily. His escape skills were maxed out, after all.
"Zor!"
"Kehehehehe~"
"Good job. I'll give you both extra snacks when we get back."
After retrieving his two Pokémon, Sato circled back to his hotel room.
There, he organized his new earnings, fed his Pokémon a late-night al and then spent two hours quietly ditating.
By the ti he opened his eyes, morning had arrived.
Switching to a new backpack he had purchased earlier, Sato now looked just like any other rookie trainer starting their journey.
After stocking up in Cherrygrove City, he set off for the next town.
Upon re-entering the forest, Sato pulled out the three Poké Balls he had taken from the underground hunter.
He started by releasing the only peak Ordinary-level Pokémon: Sandslash.
"Sandslash?"
The mont Sandslash appeared, it imdiately tensed up, growing wary as it found itself face-to-face with a stranger instead of its trainer.
"Your trainer..."
Sato didn't bother fabricating a story, he simply stated that its owner was dead.
The reason why? Unimportant. He was just doing a good deed by setting it free.
"Sandslash..."
Though still confused, Sandslash instinctively looked toward its Poké Ball. Understanding the gesture, Sato tossed the ball toward it.
Crack!
With a swipe, Sandslash split the Poké Ball in two.
Sato found this odd. The underground hunter had been so ruthless, yet none of his Pokémon seed to have been particularly loyal to him?
Next, he released Victreebel.
Without hesitation, it too, shattered its Poké Ball and left.
Finally, Sato released Fearow, and this ti, things took a turn.
"ROOOOW!"
Fearow was far more aggressive, lunging at Sato imdiately, not even giving him a chance to explain.
Then...
He recalled it straight back into its Poké Ball. With a click, he locked it shut.
A rideable Pokémon was always valuable. Even if Fearow wasn't particularly strong, it was still worth more than an average Pokémon of its level. He might as well sell it.
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