Chapter 352: Rondo’s Rise

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In Sato's eyes, these Black Serpent Gang members were nothing more than small fry, posing no real threat.

With a single double Gust attack from his Golbat, Sato easily dealt with them and their Pokémon, which averaged around level 10.

Sato didn't let Golbat go all out. When he noticed some of the gang members starting to foam at the mouth from the spinning white whirlwinds, he ordered Golbat to stop the Gust attack.

"Thud, thud, thud~~" 

Following Sato's command, the glow in Golbat's eyes dimmed, and the two white whirlwinds, each with a radius of at least three meters, gradually dissipated.

The Black Serpent Gang members and their Pokémon fell from the air, landing haphazardly on the garbage-strewn alley floor. 

Most of the gang members and their Pokémon had already passed out, with some foaming at the mouth and rolling their eyes. Only a few of the stronger members and Pokémon remained conscious. 

However, those who were still conscious clearly realized they had messed with the wrong person.

They trembled, not daring to look Sato in the eye, their faces filled with deep fear. 

Sato's Golbat had taken down over a dozen of them with just one Gust attack, delivering a harsh reality check to these gang members who had recently become overconfident after their gang took over the southern gray areas of Pewter City. 

Now, as they recalled what had just happened, their fear only grew. 

In their memories, even their revered leader didn't have the ability to defeat over a dozen people at once.

Did that mean the man in front of them was even stronger than their leader? 

And thankfully, he hadn't gone all out. Otherwise, his Golbat could have killed them as easily as slaughtering chickens.

The bald gang leader, though not the brightest, was physically strong and remained conscious. However, he decided to play dead, hoping to avoid Sato's "interrogation." 

Unfortunately for him, Sato had already singled him out and wasn't about to let him off the hook.

Sato first had Golbat knock out the other conscious gang members and their Pokémon. Then, he stomped hard on the bald leader's right knee, the intense pain causing the man to jump up from the ground.

 "Alright, start talking. Tell me everything you know about the Black Serpent Gang and any major events that have happened in Pewter City over the past month. This is Ralts. It can tell if you're lying. If you try to hide anything or lie, you'll be Golbat's midnight snack," Sato said coldly, his Golbat perched menacingly on the bald leader's shoulder.

 At the same time, Sato had his Ditto, disguised as a hat, transform into a Ralts to verify the truthfulness of the bald leader's words.

"Yes, yes, sir! Please spare me! I won't dare hide anything!"

Upon hearing Sato's words and feeling Golbat's hot breath on his neck—along with those four sharp fangs gleaming ominously—the bald underboss turned pale as a sheet.

He immediately knelt on the ground, his face full of terror as he begged for mercy.

Under the influence of sheer fear, he spilled everything he knew without hesitation, down to even the color of his mistress's underwear that day.

Through the interrogation, Sato quickly learned about the origins of the Black Serpent Gang and the major events that had occurred in Pewter City over the past month.

The founder of the Black Serpent Gang turned out to be Rondo, Sato's old enemy from the Pewter City Rocket Base.

Like Sato, Rondo had undergone the rookie wilderness training in Viridian Forest and successfully completed it.

After completing the mission, Rondo's strength had greatly increased. His Ekans had evolved into an Arbok, and he had also captured a Fearow and a Pinsir in Viridian Forest.

Upon returning to Pewter City, he reclaimed the Raticate, Poliwhirl, and Machoke he had previously left in a local breeding house. This dramatically boosted his overall power.

With his newfound strength, Rondo began forming his own faction within the Rocket Team's Pewter City branch, using its resources to further enhance his Pokémon.

In just a short time, he had managed to reach an elite trainer level.

Then, to accelerate the growth of his Pokémon, Rondo returned to his old ways.

He established the Black Serpent Gang as a new underworld force, rising rapidly under the secret support of his mentor—the top instructor of the Rocket Team's underground base in Pewter City.

Just a week ago, Rondo led his subordinates within the Rocket Team to annihilate the once-dominant Spearow Gang, securing his dominance over the city's southern gray zone. 

His name was now soaring in the city's underworld.

"Rondo... So the leader of this suddenly emerging Black Serpent Gang is him. It seems I'm not the only one who's made progress over the past month. In just over a month, this ruthless bastard has not only established his own gang but also taken down the Spearow Gang, a well-established force. He's clearly building his own faction to gather resources for himself. What an ambitious guy," Sato thought, a small hint of concern creeping into his mind as he considered Rondo's rapid rise in both the Pewter City Rocket Base and the city's underworld.

However, that concern was fleeting—Sato quickly crushed it. He was confident that no matter how fast Rondo's strength grew, it wouldn't surpass his own.

His current team was strong and well-prepared. Even if a Quasi-Elite Four level Trainer came after him, Sato believed he could hold his own.

Still, Rondo was now the leader of the Black Serpent Gang and had formed alliances within the Pewter City Rocket Base. He had numbers on his side.

Meanwhile, Sato was a lone wolf. If Rondo decided to target him in secret, it would be a hassle to deal with.

After all, at most, Sato's current strength was at the peak of the Elite Trainer level. He understood the saying, "Two fists are no match for four hands."

"This bastard holds grudges. It seems I won't have a peaceful time once I return to Pewter City. Oh well, if he doesn't come looking for trouble, I won't bother with him. But if he dares to mess with me, I'll crush his Pokémon and finish him off in the rookie competition," Sato thought, his eyes glinting coldly. He had a rough idea of what he might face next.

However, he remained calm, feeling not a trace of fear at his rival's rapid growth. Instead, he felt a strange sense of excitement. 

With that, Sato had Golbat knock out the bald gang leader. 

Glancing at the unconscious Black Serpent Gang members scattered across the ground, Sato sighed. Then, with Golbat following closely behind, he turned and walked away.

In the end, he chose not to kill them. After all, he'd just returned to the city and he didn't want to alert the gang just yet. 

If they still came after him again.... well, then he'd gladly send them on their way to hell.