Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
In the heart of Cinnabar Island, inside a large battle facility—
On Battlefield B, Sato was now commanding his Growlithe, whose body was engulfed in bright orange flames, in an intense match against a female Trainer's massive Onix.
At present, Growlithe was clearly exhausted, though only lightly injured. Onix, on the other hand, still had some stamina left, but large parts of its body were scorched black—severely burned.
"Finish it. Use Hidden Power."
As Growlithe narrowly dodged another barrage of falling rocks from Rock Slide, Sato immediately issued a counterattack command.
At his trainer's words, the orange flames cloaking Growlithe were swiftly retracted into his thick fur. Then, several emerald green energy orbs formed and began to circle around him.
The next second, under Growlithe's control, the multitude of emerald green orbs—Hidden Power: Grass—shot toward the massive Onix like a machine gun.
Onix had just used Rock Slide with all its strength and was still in the vulnerable gap between old power spent and new strength not yet summoned. Add in the severe burns—it stood no chance of dodging.
Facing Growlithe's Hidden Power: Grass, a move that had quadruple effectiveness against it, the already critically injured Onix couldn't hold on any longer. With a roar of frustration, it collapsed to the ground.
"Well done, Growlithe. You've worked hard—come back and rest."
As the battle ended, Sato immediately recalled the exhausted Growlithe into its PokéBall. Amid loud applause from the spectators, he stepped down from the platform.
Though Sato was eager to level up Growlithe, he also understood the need for balance. Pushing the Pokémon too hard would only ruin it—something he was careful to avoid.
Fortunately, Cinnabar Island was crowded with Trainers, including many elite ones. Sato had no shortage of training opponents here.
So, after 30 battles and 24 wins, Sato allowed his now-level 40 Growlithe to rest and sent him to the Pokémon Center nearby for the most comprehensive premium treatment available.
.....
Around 5 PM, Cinnabar Pokémon Center
"Sir, your Growlithe has been fully healed. However, he's been in too many battles today. Though all the internal injuries have been treated, I strongly advise against any more intense battles within the next 12 hours."
A visibly tired Nurse Joy and her Chansey pushed the now-revitalized Growlithe out of the VIP treatment room on a cart. Her tone held a note of reprimand.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you—both of you."
Sato gently picked Growlithe up from the cart and gave Nurse Joy a sincere nod of gratitude.
Seeing Growlithe happily licking Sato's cheek with his pink tongue, Nurse Joy believed his words. After all, this was a Trainer who willingly spent 100,000 PokeDollars on high-level treatment for his Pokémon, clearly wanting to give them nothing but the best.
With her anger gone, Nurse Joy gave Sato a small nod before turning and heading back to her medical duties.
"12 hours, huh... well, can't argue with a professional. Get some good rest, Growlithe."
Once Nurse Joy had left, Sato set Growlithe down and patted his head helplessly. Then, he walked out of the Pokémon Center with him.
.....
Afterward, Sato prepared dinner for his Pokémon. To reward Growlithe for a hard day's work, he took him to an upscale BBQ restaurant and ordered the finest grilled veal.
When it came to food, Pokémon were always excited—especially when it involved delicious grilled meat. Even Arbok was in a good mood, and with mischievous little Pichu causing a ruckus in the private booth, the atmosphere was full of life.
Unsurprisingly, with the gluttonous Swampert present, the restaurant owner and chefs had a painful yet oddly joyful time serving them.
As always, happy times flew by. After dinner, Sato returned to the Pokémon Center and contacted Elsa, who was all the way in Lilycove City in the Hoenn region.
That's right—because the second stage of the Rookie Competition only allowed six designated Pokémon, Sato had to finalize his team in advance.
After much thought, he made his selection. His six Pokémon for the second stage would be: Swampert, Crobat, Bellossom, Growlithe, Ditto, and Shiny Beautifly.
Swampert, Crobat, Bellossom, and Growlithe were must-haves. As for Ditto and Shiny Beautifly, Sato had added them after thorough consideration.
Ditto had always been central to Sato's disguise strategies. Without Ditto, his survivability would drop by at least 30%.
At the beginning of the tournament, when Trainers were only allowed to use one Pokémon, Sato was extremely vulnerable. Even with two, it was difficult to escape ambushes.
That's why Ditto was crucial. With Ditto's transformation ability and the trainer ID tags of defeated opponents, Sato could effortlessly disguise himself and blend into weak Trainer groups.
Most contestants came from various regions and barely knew each other, so it was easy for Sato to infiltrate those groups.
This way, even in the later stages of the tournament, he could rely on weaker groups as cover and avoid direct confrontations with stronger solo opponents.
Sato deeply understood the principle of "strength in numbers." On such a perilous island, relying solely on one's own strength wasn't enough. Teaming up was almost a necessity.
And more importantly, while the island was full of danger, it was equally rich in opportunity—an undeveloped treasure trove. With the right disguise, Sato could leverage the strength of other Team Rocket members to go treasure hunting.
As for why he chose Shiny Beautifly over Arbok—Sato believed that as the queen of bug-types, Shiny Beautifly would allow him to survive better in a tropical jungle.
Bug-type Pokémon were everywhere in such environments. With her natural authority, Shiny Beautifly could intimidate many of them, helping Sato avoid unnecessary trouble.
Also, Sato intended to use the second stage of the tournament to further train Shiny Beautifly.
Being a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon, she had a huge advantage in the tropical jungle, where Grass- and Bug-types were abundant.
In terms of IV ratings, Shiny Beautifly was second only to Swampert. That said a lot about her capabilities.
Even more important was that Sato trusted Shiny Beautifly far more than Arbok. After all, he hadn't had Arbok for very long.
Arbok was still a wild and unruly serpent. Without the bond built over time—or the pressure of Swampert's authority—Sato found it hard to trust this cold-blooded killer.
Shiny Beautifly was different. Sato had raised her from scratch. Her loyalty was unquestionable. He could trust her to watch his back.
To ensure nothing went wrong, Sato had to consider every detail and eliminate every potential risk for the second stage of the Rookie Competition.