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Around 6 PM, the sun was gradually sinking beneath the horizon, casting a blood-red glow across the surface of the sea.
"Speak. Do you have any last words?"
Sato stood expressionlessly in front of the mysterious seller, his eyes icy cold. He held a sharp hunting knife to the man's throat.
The other man was also covered in injuries, blood flowing constantly from his body. Even if Sato didn't strike, he wouldn't last much longer—he'd eventually bleed out and die.
"Hmph, I, Haiduo, was simply outmatched. Since I've fallen into your hands, there's nothing more to say. But my actions today represent me alone. They have nothing to do with the Sea Serpent Gang. Do it."
The fox mask on the mysterious seller's face had already shattered, revealing a pale young face drained of blood from heavy bleeding.
He looked a little defeated as he met Sato's gaze, but even facing death, he remained defiant and loyal—voluntarily distancing his gang from the incident.
"Don't worry. Since the Sea Serpent Gang let me walk away unharmed from the black market, I already figured they had nothing to do with this. This was all you. I won't blame them for it."
Sato gave a small nod in response, and when he looked at Haiduo again, his gaze had lost some of its previous chill.
The man had shown something Sato respected—a valuable trait: loyalty.
"…"
Haiduo remained silent at that, closing his eyes and preparing to meet the blade at his throat.
But a minute passed, and the knife never fell. This puzzled Haiduo enough that he opened his eyes again—only to see that Sato had already sheathed the hunting knife.
"To be honest, I don't like killing people. After all, we've got no grudge—past or present. But your stupid move this time pissed me off. I wanted to kill you. Still… if you can answer a few of my questions to my satisfaction, I might let you buy your life back—for a price."
Sato spoke calmly as Haiduo opened his eyes, his expression tight with tension. Sato's gaze, however, drifted—subtly but deliberately—toward the nearby sea.
In truth, it wasn't just Haiduo's loyalty that saved him. Sato had run into another, much bigger problem.
Both his Swampert and Golbat had their eyes locked on the surface of the sea, staring intently as if something terrifying was about to emerge.
When Haiduo had made such a strong statement distancing the Sea Serpent Gang from the ambush, a powerful sense of danger had surged in Sato's heart.
And the behavior of Golbat and Swampert confirmed it: someone else had arrived.
Sato didn't need to guess—he knew a powerful member of the Sea Serpent Gang was nearby.
Clearly, the person had been lying in wait the entire time. They were probably there just as a precaution. They hadn't interfered in Haiduo's fight—choosing not to bully the weak with strength—but if Haiduo lost, their job was to silence him and eliminate any potential threat to the gang.
As for why they were now warning Sato, he guessed it was probably because Haiduo had displayed such impressive loyalty just now.
Haiduo looked around eighteen—an elite young Trainer.
And judging by his demeanor, he was clearly from a humble background. For someone like him, his strength was pretty impressive. He was definitely a key member of a mid-sized grey organization like the Sea Serpent Gang.
Now that he had proven his loyalty, even though he was a bit hot-headed—understandable for someone so young—he showed potential.
With the right guidance, he could very well become a future successor to the Sea Serpent Gang.
To a leader, loyalty is more important than talent. With enough loyalty, most things can be forgiven.
Right now, it was that very trait that had earned Haiduo the protection of the Sea Serpent Gang elite hiding nearby—who was now secretly intervening to keep him alive.
"Whatever it is… as long as it's not a Sea Serpent Gang secret, I'll tell you."
Haiduo really wasn't the brightest, and his observational skills weren't great either. He hadn't noticed anything strange about Sato or his Pokémon. The moment he heard Sato might let him live, he responded without hesitation.
Haiduo's reaction only made the sense of danger in Sato's chest even stronger—but he forced himself to remain calm and collected as he asked his question.
In truth, the question was simple and had nothing to do with the Sea Serpent Gang's secrets.
Q: What exactly had Team Rocket been doing recently in the mountain black market?
Sato couldn't deny his curiosity. And now that he had the chance to ask, he wasn't going to let it go.
When Haiduo heard the question, a flash of anger crossed his face. But then he remembered he was now a prisoner, and the fire quickly dimmed.
He gritted his teeth as he began recounting everything to Sato, furious and frustrated the entire time.
"…Damn. No wonder the Sea Serpent Gang hates Team Rocket so much. Someone stole billions from them!"
After hearing the full story from Haiduo, Sato was stunned.
It turned out that not long ago, Haiduo and a few other Sea Serpent Gang members had been chasing a Water-type Pokémon in the sea. By pure chance, they discovered an ancient sunken ship in the nearby seabed—and inside it, a huge treasure hoard.
Among the treasure, the most valuable items were a Key Stone and a Mega Evolution Stone—and it was Haiduo who had found them.
He and the others had split the loot amongst themselves.
Of course, as someone from a common background, Haiduo had no idea what the Key Stone and Mega Evolution Stone actually were.
At first, he just assumed they were fancy treasures, so he casually placed them with other valuables at his stall in the black market and started selling them.
That's when a few passing Team Rocket members spotted the colorful spiral-marked stones among the wares and rushed to buy them.
Haiduo wasn't dumb in business—he noticed how eager those Team Rocket members were and immediately held off, deciding to get them appraised before selling.
But that move angered the Team Rocket members and led to an explosive conflict.
Sato knew the true value of a Key Stone and Mega Evolution Stone pair—it could easily be worth billions of PokeDollars.
And if the Mega Evolution Stone corresponded to a Pokémon like Garchomp, Salamence, or Lucario? That value would skyrocket several times over.
If Sato had been in their shoes, he probably would've gone red-eyed too. Taking the risk wouldn't have been out of the question.
Those Team Rocket members did go red-eyed—and they took that risk. That's how the Key Stone and Mega Evolution Stone ended up being stolen from Haiduo.