"The Sweep Operation is basically a full-scale cleanup of public roads that connect cities. Pokémon that exceed a certain danger level are to be either driven off or caught.
Since you're in Shadownight Town, you only need to sweep the roads that connect to its 'subordinate' villages and nearby major cities.
Hmm… just Olivine City and Ecruteak City. Your task is pretty light. Now look at the surroundings of Goldenrod Cit- never mind… forget it!"
The more Howard talked, the more worked up he got. By the end, just thinking of his own overwhelming workload made him too annoyed to keep speaking.
"That's what the 'Sweep Operation' is?" Sato was speechless after hearing the explanation. He'd thought it was about "cleaning up" underground organizations or sothing.
"What did you think it was? Wiping out Team Rocket? They're not so kind of weeds you can just cut down again and again," Howard rolled his eyes, leaving Sato with no coback.
"One last reminder, kid. Don't assu your task will be easy. Shadownight Town is a newly developed town, and its old public roads were only cleared once every three years. A lot of wild Pokémon are still left behind. Don't get caught off guard."
Apparently worried that Sato might not take it seriously, Howard gave a final word of warning.
"Got it, thanks Leader Howard!" Sato nodded, chatted a bit more, then hung up.
"…Really don't get a break, huh…" he muttered as he stared at the darkened screen.
He used to think that every ti the League Conference ca around, it ant a long break for Gym Leaders.
Who would've thought the League already had the next task lined up for them?
Or maybe he just wouldn't do it…? 'Impossible!' Even if Howard hadn't emphasized the importance of the task, Sato would've figured it out on his own.
Rookie Trainers have very limited strength. If they run into a group of three to five wild Pokémon in the wild, their only option is to flee.
That's why the League's public roads exist, to give these rookies a buffer period, so they don't get wiped out the mont they leave the city.
So, the closer you are to a city, the weaker the Pokémon along the road are supposed to be. That way, new Trainers can "grind" and level up safely. Once they pass their weakest stage, wherever they go next, the League no longer interferes.
Because of that, public roads are usually built while being surveyed at the sa ti, with routes that avoid clusters of large Pokémon as much as possible. Safety cos first.
Which ans following public roads makes the journey longer than taking a straight path, but much safer.
That's why "Sweep Operations" on public roads are extrely important. If Sato wanted to continue developing Shadownight Town, this was sothing he had to handle properly.
'Once the League issues the official notice, I'll gather everyone for a eting and reassign tasks,' Sato had already made up his mind.
With new goals and responsibilities, Sato's mind gradually settled. Every day, he trained when it was ti to train and disciplined rookies when it was ti to discipline.
He didn't look for trouble anymore. Staying focused and improving his strength was what mattered most.
And just like that, two months passed smoothly. All the Gyms under the League had gradually entered a "dormant" phase.
As Sato and his group walked through town, they barely saw any visiting Trainers.
Now and then, they'd hear about so kid from a local family who failed to collect all the Badges this year and couldn't participate in the League Conference.
----
There was nothing to be done, Shadownight Town was still a small place. Even though plenty of new buildings had sprung up, the warmth of close-knit human interaction hadn't disappeared.
And that was exactly the kind of atmosphere Sato liked. Cold steel cities were heartless, but the gossip and small talk of a town could always bring a knowing smile.
A week ago, the official docunt for the Sweep Operation had already been delivered to Sato.
Just as Howard had predicted, the roads Sato was responsible for weren't many: two small public roads connecting to subordinate villages, and two dium roads heading to Olivine City and Ecruteak City.
At the sa ti, the League also sought Sato's opinion. Considering Shadownight Town's location, there was the possibility of opening two new public roads in the future.
One would extend south to Goldenrod City, the other east to Violet City.
Sato accepted imdiately. Only by doing this would Shadownight Town be fully integrated into the Johto Region's road system, connected in all directions.
In the backyard of the Shadownight Gym, Sato had gathered everyone together. Even Amber, who was still managing the Intelligence Shop, had been called over.
"The reason I called everyone here today is to assign our work focus for the next two months. This is the official notice from the League, please take a look."
Sato handed out the copied docunts. As he looked at the now fully seated eting room, a strange sense of accomplishnt welled up inside him.
"Since the Shadownight Gym is newly established, we're responsible for most of the cleanup along the roads to both Olivine City and Ecruteak City…"
"Why?" As expected, Mark interrupted before Sato could finish.
"There's no helping it. Previously, they only had to sweep once every three years. Now that the Shadownight Gym is here, they'll have to do it once a year along with us from now on.So for this first year, it makes sense for us to handle the bulk of the work."
"Oh." Mark nodded and sat back down. He just didn't want to think about it too much, anyone could figure this out with a little effort.
Still, even though Sato had explained it that way, once he thought of his two current Gym neighbors, he wasn't too enthusiastic.
Tetsuya of Olivine City only barely passed the Gym Leader Qualification Tournant in middle age thanks to his connections.
The Rocket Hideout incident made it clear he wasn't soone worth investing ti in.
As for Morty of Ecruteak City, he was indeed powerful, but a year ago Sato had clashed with him over a dispute about Haunter's evolution.
Sato cleared those distracting thoughts from his mind and continued, "The hardest parts of the two dium public roads to clean up are all in the Forest of Shadows. Once you get past that, it gets much easier.
The two small roads are relatively simpler, but since they're vital for the developnt of the two villages, the operation must be thorough."
Hearing that, no one was happier than Ponyo and Sosuke. Both were Trainers from Shadow Water and Shadowgrass Village, and of course they hoped to see their hotowns thrive.
"Right now, my plan is this: Joseph and Akira, Mark and Sina, you'll each take one of the dium roads, excluding the Forest of Shadows sections.
Sia, Ponyo, and Sosuke, you three will handle the two small roads, one at a ti. No rush. Amber will be nearby to assist. If you run into anything you can't handle, he'll step in."
"What about the parts in the Forest of Shadows?" …Once again, unsurprisingly, Mark asked the question that everyone already knew the answer to.
"Did I forget to assign those? Want to take them on yourself?" Sato asked deliberately.
"Oh! I get it now. Boss is handling those himself," Mark imdiately caught on.
"Heh… During the sweep, Sina, keep an eye on Mark. Make sure he doesn't get lost," Sato rolled his eyes and added a well-ant warning.
"Yes, Gym Leader!"
"Hey, are you all looking down on , Mark? I'm a grown man! You think I'd just go missing?"
"Yeah!" Everyone nodded at once.
Mark: ヽ(#`Д)ノ
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