Chapter 327: Team Rocket’s Black Market Auction

Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof

-----------------

At noon today, while attending the welcome party for Meowth, Sato received a message from Mia. The content of the message was simple, yet the implications were enormous, immediately piquing Sato's interest.

The message read: "A black market auction featuring the Golden Gang's legacy will be held the night after tomorrow. Do you want to participate? I have an auction invitation, 5 million PokeDollars, no bargaining."

Sato was quite familiar with the Golden Gang by now. It was a once-dominant local dark force in Saffron City, comparable in its prime to the current Rocket Team, and had once been the undisputed number one dark organization in the Kanto region.

However, in recent years, the Kanto League had intensified its crackdown on criminal organizations. Coupled with the rapid rise of the Rocket Team, which attacked them from both legal and illegal fronts, the Golden Gang declined at an alarming rate. 

Not long ago, the League even dispatched several Elite Four members to lead a final assault.

In reality, that operation wasn't just a League initiative—many forces, both lawful and unlawful, took action behind the scenes.

For instance, the Rocket Team and several influential families in and around Saffron City joined in. When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push, and countless groups seized the opportunity to strike while the Golden Gang was vulnerable.

Even in its decline, the Golden Gang was still a formidable entity. Having been entrenched in Saffron City for so long, its hidden resources likely surpassed even those of the Rocket Team.

Thus, the operation to exterminate them became a feast for all involved. Any trainer who thought they had the capability participated in the raid. In the end, the Golden Gang was annihilated—the League took the lion's share, but many others profited handsomely.

Following the fall of the Golden Gang, Saffron City's underground black market was forced to shut down due to the continued presence of League forces.

It wasn't until recently, when the last stationed Elite Four member, Bruno, was reassigned, that the underground black market reopened.

Now under the control of the Rocket Team—Kanto's new dominant dark force—the black market quickly regained its former prosperity.

In fact, under the Rocket Team's firm and highly organized management, the underground black market seemed to be thriving even more than before.

Currently, the Rocket Team had essentially taken full control of Saffron City's underground black market. With the market stabilizing, they decided to capitalize on their spoils from the Golden Gang raid.

To maximize their profits, the Rocket Team chose to leverage their reputation and host an auction in the underground black market. This decision was immediately met with widespread support from various factions.

Many individuals and groups had looted their share from the Golden Gang but lacked a legitimate avenue to sell their spoils for substantial gains.

After all, these assets were all acquired illegally, tainted and unsellable through legal channels. Selling them through illicit means was too risky, as they could easily be double-crossed or robbed.

Thus, many forces and individuals were stuck holding onto these illicit goods, unable to convert them into clean money.

Now, with the Rocket Team—who controlled the underground black market—stepping forward, these people finally had a secure venue to offload their loot at high prices.

Though many refused to admit it, the Rocket Team was now undeniably powerful. Countless factions in Kanto's dark underworld had set their sights on the lucrative underground black market in Saffron City.

However, any hand that dared reach for this prize was mercilessly severed by the Rocket Team.

Without relying on any elaborate schemes, the Rocket Team simply used raw strength to crush all rival dark forces vying for the Saffron black market. 

Their overwhelming power forced every Kanto faction—except for the League itself—to submit.

With their dominance established and control over the black market secured, the Rocket Team now had the confidence to host an auction showcasing their plunder from the Golden Gang.

 Additionally, they sought to use this event to solidify their position as the supreme power in Kanto's dark underworld.

This underground black market auction in Saffron City could be seen as the Rocket Team's way of inviting various underworld factions to a grand feast—an opportunity to dine, entertain, and make money together. 

Alternatively, it could also be seen as the Rocket Team forcing these factions to take a stand, determining who would acknowledge their authority and who would dare defy them.

Sato had no insight into the deeper political implications of this auction. All he knew was that it would undoubtedly be a high-level event containing valuable items he needed.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sato agreed to Mia's offer and purchased an invitation for 5 million PokeDollars.

However, when he finally received the invitation, he realized that Mia had only given him the lowest-tier entry pass for the auction.

In other words, with this invitation, he could only attend the lowest-level auction of the Rocket Team's event in the underground black market.

Despite this, Sato felt no dissatisfaction—on the contrary, he was somewhat grateful to Mia.

He was well aware of his own capabilities. Even if Mia could have obtained a high-tier invitation for him, he lacked the resources and influence to compete with major factions and powerful individuals for the treasures inside.

Recently, through a reputable broker recommended by Mia, Sato managed to sell 81 gold game tokens, earning 73 million PokeDollars after commission.

Combined with the 15 million PokeDollars he had won from betting on Pokémon battles at a high-end battling venue, his total funds now exceeded 130 million PokeDollars.

At this moment, Sato was incredibly wealthy.

However, compared to large organizations with thousands of members, his wealth was insignificant. Even if he attended a high-level auction, he would likely just be a spectator with no real purchasing power.

Understanding his place, Sato recognized that the Rocket Team had carefully structured the auction, ensuring that both major factions and lone operatives had fair opportunities to conduct transactions.

In this scenario, disregarding his Rocket Team affiliation, Sato was merely a powerful lone trainer. The lower-tier auction suited him perfectly, as it would still feature items valuable to trainers of his caliber.

His next priority was to continue accumulating funds, ensuring he had ample resources to acquire the best possible items at the auction.

If luck was on his side, this event could significantly enhance both his strength and his assets.

After resting for about ten minutes, an announcement came through the speakers in his private lounge, calling his name. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sato called out to Meowth, who had been pretending to nap at his feet.

Straightening his appearance, he left the lounge with Meowth and stepped into the contestant tunnel—another battle was about to begin.