Chapter 347: Organizing the Harvest

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Around 2:30 AM, with the help of an Alakazam, Sato successfully returned to the surface of Saffron City.

Just like last time, he was teleported to a secluded and empty alley. Three to four seconds later, as he shook off the dizziness from the teleportation, he immediately released Golbat to guard him and scan the surroundings.

After confirming the area was safe, Sato swiftly changed into an elite trainer's outfit.

With Golbat acting as his biological radar, he navigated through the maze-like streets and alleys, making his way toward the nearest bustling main road.

After walking for about two to three minutes, he finally reached the edge of a busy avenue teeming with vehicles. Hailing a taxi, he instructed the driver to take him to the Saffron City bus terminal.

That's right—Sato was preparing to leave Saffron City. He had less than two days left before he was due back at Team Rocket's base in Pewter City for his debriefing.

Now that the crucial underground black market auction in Saffron City had concluded smoothly, it was time to move on.

After over half an hour of travel—delayed multiple times by traffic congestion—Sato finally arrived at the Saffron City bus terminal.

As a city that never sleeps, Saffron still had buses running to various destinations even at this late hour.

With the assistance of a rather irritable female staff member working the night shift, Sato successfully purchased a train ticket for a direct route from Saffron City to Pewter City.

The departure time was set for 3:30 AM.

Pewter City was a well-known mining hub in Kanto, producing nearly half of the region's coal supply.

To facilitate the faster and more cost-effective transportation of resources from Pewter City, Saffron had built a railway connecting the two cities.

Thanks to this railway, Pewter's mineral resources could be transported swiftly to Saffron. Additionally, it provided a convenient travel option for Pewter City's residents, as the line also connected to several other important towns in Kanto.

Sitting in the waiting hall, Sato took the opportunity to order some late-night takeout using one of the menus available on the tables.

During the auction, he had been so focused that he hadn't even thought about eating, but now hunger was catching up with him.

As he waited for his food, he began mentally organizing everything he had gained from this auction.

This time, he had acquired quite a number of valuable items. If he could make full use of them, his strength would undoubtedly skyrocket.

The first notable item was the Float Stone.

This peculiar artifact had given Sato the idea of capturing a heavyweight Pokémon. Most bulky Pokémon were natural tanks with incredible endurance.

While they were also capable of dishing out damage, their sluggish speed was a major drawback, making them vulnerable to being kited by opponents.

However, with the Float Stone, this weakness could be significantly mitigated.

At present, the heavyweight Pokémon that caught Sato's attention the most was Scizor.

Before evolving, Scyther was a high-speed assassin with powerful attacks, but upon evolving into Scizor, it transformed into a heavily armored warrior.

Although Scizor was considerably faster than the average heavyweight Pokémon, its base Speed stat of 65, combined with its weight of at least 118 kg, meant that it could no longer be considered a high-speed attacker.

For comparison, Scyther had a base Speed stat of 105 and weighed only about 56 kg.

So why did Scyther undergo such a drastic change after evolving into Scizor?

The answer lay in the steel armor covering its body. While it sacrificed its speed, its durability saw a tremendous boost.

As a Bug/Steel-type, Scizor had excellent resistances. Apart from its glaring 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, none of the remaining 17 types were super effective against it.

In fact, it could counter nine of those types itself.

With such strong defensive typing, combined with its solid base stats—70 in HP, 100 in Defense, and 80 in Special Defense—Scizor was the very definition of a bulky attacker, a stark contrast to its previous role as a fragile assassin.

But what if Scizor were equipped with the Float Stone? What kind of synergy would that create?

The moment Sato obtained the Float Stone, the first Pokémon that came to his mind was Scizor.

He was eager to see the potential chemistry between the two.

So why was Sato so interested in Scizor? Because he believed it would be a perfect defensive pivot in a Rain Team.

Rain-based teams typically struggled against Grass-type Pokémon, but Scizor could completely neutralize that threat. At the same time, the rain would minimize Scizor's biggest weakness—Fire-type attacks.

Sato had already planned out his potential Rain Team lineup:

- Swampert as the ace.

- Shiny Pelipper as the rain setter.

- Scizor as the defensive pivot against Grass-types.

- A future Pikachu with the Lightning Rod ability to counter opposing Electric- and Water-types.

As for the remaining two slots, he was still considering his options. Among the Pokémon that interested him, Poliwrath and Ludicolo were strong candidates.

However, after acquiring Kingdra's Reverse Scale, he had added Kingdra to his list of potential team members.

That said, Sato hadn't yet decided whether to use the Reverse Scale on a future Kingdra. In fact, he was more inclined to use it on Scizor instead.

If Scizor could establish a symbiotic connection with the Reverse Scale, it would gain a fraction of the abilities of an Elite Four-level Kingdra.

(Scizor could learn Rain Dance, after all.) This would allow it to fulfill its role as a Rain Team pivot even more effectively.

Of course, if Sato instead used the Reverse Scale on an actual Kingdra, it would be able to evolve from Seadra and inherit the full potential of the Elite Four-level Dragon Scale's legacy. (The reverse Scale is essentially a Dragon Scale on steroids)

Both choices had their merits, making it a tough decision. Unable to reach a conclusion for now, Sato set the matter aside and moved on to considering his other gains.

Among them were two abridged Pokémon breeding manuals.

These would give him the knowledge needed to prepare specialized food for his Nidorino and Shiny Beautifly, though he currently lacked the necessary ingredients to proceed.

Aside from these valuable items, two other important acquisitions stood out: Argus's Warblade and a jade pendant—a mid-tier Life Jade. 

The Battle Blade of Augustin was undoubtedly the most precious item he had obtained from this auction.

Embedded in the blade were two gemstones containing traces of the primal energy of two Super Legendary Pokemon.

These gems might just be the key to unlocking the system shop in Sato's mysterious system.

He still vividly remembered that his system had been locked due to insufficient energy.

While he had no idea what kind of items the system shop contained or what currency was required for exchanges, he was eager to find out.

Finally, there was the jade pendant. Sato valued this item highly because it meant he could safely train a Ghost-type Pokémon. At the moment, Gengar was at the top of his list.

Through the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, he had learned that Gengar possessed exceptional abilities.

Not only did it excel in stealth, but its expertise in Hypnosis and Dream Eater also granted it formidable illusionary and dream-manipulating capabilities.

In short, Gengar embodied nearly all the natural talents of Ghost-type Pokémon in one powerful package.

Most importantly, Gengar could undergo Mega Evolution.

Sato believed it would be a perfect addition to his roster under his Team Rocket alias, fulfilling the role of a Mega Evolution ace.