Chapter 385: A Trustworthy Storage Place & Tough Decisions

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Since he couldn't sleep, Sato decided to shift his focus to other matters. At present, he had a total of thirteen Pokémon in his possession.

While his team had certainly grown stronger, he was starting to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number.

A person's energy is limited, and Sato was no exception. Although the advent of Multi-Space PokeBalls allowed him to carry multiple Pokémon, he still needed to impose some control over the numbers.

Based on his own estimation, he could effectively manage up to eight Pokémon at most—including Ditto and Miltank, who were non-combatants.

That meant, in reality, he could only handle six battle-ready Pokémon at a time. Anything beyond that would be too much for him to manage.

It was undeniable that the League's rule limiting trainers to carrying a maximum of six Pokémon at a time had its reasoning.

"It's time to find a trustworthy place to store some of my Pokémon. Money isn't the issue—the most important thing is that the place has to be reliable. I can't have my Pokémon being used for weird experiments."

Lying in bed with his hands behind his head, Sato pondered the matter deeply. He racked his brain for a solution and, after a while, finally thought of a person—someone who could provide a trustworthy place to temporarily store his Pokémon.

Elsa.

This stunning beauty from Hoenn's Lilycove City had a great relationship with him. She was also a Gym Trainer specializing in Water-type Pokémon and managed a Gym with a rich history.

That meant she was bound to have a specialized facility for storing Pokémon.

Strong connection? Check. Powerful? Check. Specializes in Water-types? Check. Owns a Gym? Check.

Suddenly, Sato felt like he had solved his biggest issue in one go.

"Right! How did I not think of Elsa before? Asking her for help is the perfect solution. She inherited the entire Lilycove Gym and has the backing of the League, so they're definitely loaded. There's no way they wouldn't have their own breeding facility."

"Even though Slateport Gym has declined in recent years, their breeding facility must still be around. And while I might not be able to contribute physically, I can contribute financially. This way, I'll have a legitimate reason to use their facilities. Most importantly, Elsa… She's a lifesaver. She's beautiful, kind, and a powerful trainer. She's definitely trustworthy."

"As long as she's overseeing things, those working at the breeding facility wouldn't dare mess with my Pokémon. Alright, that's settled! The moment I leave Viridian Forest tomorrow, I'll head straight to the Pokémon Center and contact Elsa to finalize everything."

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that this plan would work.

A problem that had been weighing on his mind was suddenly lifted, leaving him feeling as refreshed as drinking a chilled watermelon juice on a hot summer day.

Now that he had a solution, Sato turned his attention to deciding which Pokémon to send over to Elsa. However, this decision brought on a new headache.

For the first time, he realized that he might have a case of decision paralysis.

But when he factored in the Team Rocket Rookie Competition, things started to become clearer.

First of all, his Swampert—his strongest Pokémon—was absolutely staying with him.

Not only did he want to continue personally training this ace Pokémon, but more importantly, Swampert was his greatest safeguard. As long as he had Swampert by his side, he felt at ease.

Secondly, since he was currently in the middle of Team Rocket's Rookie Competition, his Golbat—his very first Pokémon—also had to stay. Golbat was practically a symbol of his identity within Team Rocket.

On the other hand, his Nidorino had yet to evolve into a Nidoking. Since his strength was still somewhat lacking and he was relatively young, Sato decided to send him to Elsa's care for a while.

Bellossom, aside from being an excellent support Pokémon, was also incredibly strong. If type advantages weren't considered, she was undoubtedly second only to Swampert in terms of power. Her importance to the team was undeniable, so she was staying.

As for Growlithe, like Nidorino, he hadn't evolved into Arcanine yet. Compared to the rest of the team, his strength was still a bit behind.

Moreover, Growlithe stood out too much in the Team Rocket Rookie Competition.

He was well-suited for Sato's League Trainer identity but didn't quite fit his identity within Team Rocket.

So, Sato decided to send Growlithe to Elsa's breeding facility for some time. Once the tournament was over, he would take him back and focus on evolving him.

Ditto was another must-keep Pokémon. Even though it wasn't suited for battle, its versatility and utility were unparalleled. In a pinch, it could even save Sato's life.

With Ditto, Sato could survive in any environment, making his safety significantly more assured.

With that, Sato had decided to keep four Pokémon. If he excluded Ditto—who wasn't a battle-focused Pokémon—he still had space for three more battle-ready Pokémon and one additional non-combat Pokémon.

The remaining Pokémon in his possession were: Shiny Pelipper, Shiny Beautifly, Pichu (Egg), Meowth, Arbok, Miltank, and Venipede.

Among them, the Pichu Egg absolutely had to stay. It could hatch at any moment, and there was no way Sato would entrust it to anyone else.

And since Miltank was essentially Pichu's designated caretaker, she had to stay as well. Her Moomoo Milk would be critical to Pichu's healthy growth.

Because this Team Rocket Rookie Competition was no joke, Sato had to pick the remaining Pokémon based on sheer strength. The two he decided to keep were Shiny Beautifly and Arbok.

Even though Shiny Pelipper had undergone a huge power boost thanks to the Mew Gene Enhancement Serum, Shiny Beautifly still outclassed it in terms of potential and strength.

Now that it had its enhanced mutated Supreme Sky Splitting Stone back, its advantage was even more pronounced.

As for Arbok, its strength was among the top three of Sato's chosen battle-ready Pokémon.

Aside from Golbat, Arbok was probably the second Pokémon most representative of his identity within Team Rocket—a classic villain's Pokémon.

Meowth, while cunning, was on the weaker side compared to the others. Plus, he was still recovering from an injury. Sato decided to send him to Elsa's facility for proper rest and care.

He was also tempted to keep Scolipede because of its Speed Boost ability.

However, considering how dangerous the upcoming journey would be and how underdeveloped Scolipede's strength was, he decided it would be better to let it grow in the breeding facility for now.

After carefully thinking things through, Sato finalized his lineup.

Battle Pokémon: Swampert, Golbat, Bellossom, Pichu (Egg), Shiny Beautifly, and Arbok.

Non-Battle Pokémon: Ditto and Miltank.

"Alright, that's settled. This will let me focus entirely on training my Pokémon."

Having made his decision, the restlessness in Sato's heart finally faded away.

At that moment, drowsiness overtook him. A wave of exhaustion crashed down, and before long, he drifted into a deep sleep.