Chapter 387: An Unexpected Task

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Sato put down the receiver and looked at the now-dark screen, feeling a lingering reluctance in his heart.

It was only when he had to part from the Pokémon he had spent every day with that he realized just how much he had grown attached to them.

After a brief moment of sentimentality, Sato turned and left. He went to the front desk of the Pokémon Center and handed over Golbat and his other five battle-ready Pokémon to Nurse Joy for treatment.

Though Sato wasn't sure what awaited him at the Viridian Gym, he had a strong premonition that a tough battle was inevitable.

So, before heading there, it was best to ensure his Pokémon were in peak condition.

About ten minutes later, he retrieved his fully healed Pokémon from Nurse Joy and quickly left the Viridian City Pokémon Center.

The Viridian Gym was located in the city center. As one of Viridian City's landmark buildings, it wasn't hard to find. Riding his bike, Sato followed the signs and soon arrived at the gym's entrance.

At this time, the gym was open, and many ambitious trainers were entering one after another.

However, perhaps because this was known as the strongest gym in the Kanto region, most of those who entered left disappointed.

Only a handful of trainers emerged with triumphant expressions, proudly holding up the green badge that signified they had passed the gym's trial.

Sato followed the crowd inside and took a seat in the spectator area of the battle arena. On the rocky battlefield below, an intense Pokémon battle was underway.

To Sato's surprise, the one battling the challenger was not Giovanni, the official Gym Leader, but rather a young trainer in a black uniform.

The young man had delicate features, a buzz-cut hairstyle similar to Sato's, and appeared to be around the same age as him.

What stood out the most was his striking blue eyes—clear proof that he was of mixed heritage.

After inquiring with nearby trainers who were both spectators and challengers, Sato learned that Giovanni was currently away on a journey.

For now, the young trainer, named Joe, was acting as the interim Gym Leader. It was said that he was one of Giovanni's final disciples.

Though Sato wasn't sure whether Joe being Giovanni's final disciple was true or not, from the ongoing battle, it was evident that Joe was an extremely skilled trainer.

Under Joe's sharp commands, his Level 42 Golem had already defeated two Water-type Pokémon in a row.

In this three-on-three match, the challenger was now down to their last Pokémon—a Level 36 Vileplume.

Yet, despite having fought two consecutive battles, Golem showed no signs of exhaustion. Its mastery of Rollout was exceptional.

Perhaps due to its familiarity with the Viridian Gym's rocky terrain, Golem moved across the battlefield with incredible agility, almost as if it were a race car drifting through a mountain pass. Vileplume's attacks all missed due to Golem's precise evasive maneuvers.

Finally, under Joe's command, Golem, with its Rock Head ability, used Double-Edge—enhanced by the speed boost from Rollout—delivering a collision as powerful as a runaway train, instantly knocking out the challenger's Vileplume.

As Joe secured victory over the challenger, the communicator Sato had kept in his pocket suddenly vibrated, displaying a new message on its screen.

Noticing the vibration, Sato immediately moved to a secluded corner of the spectator area and pulled out the device.

Reading the new message on the screen, his expression changed drastically. His gaze quickly shifted back to the battlefield.

At that moment, Joe was looking directly at him. When their eyes met, Joe gave him a nod and then flashed a peculiar smile.

This mission's details were completely unexpected. Instead of battling Giovanni or Joe as he had anticipated, he was being instructed to replace Joe as the new interim Gym Leader.

Not only that, but he was required to complete ten battles against challengers—and to pass, he had to win at least eight of them.

"This is quite an unusual task requirement... Winning eight out of ten battles won't be easy. After all, the trainers who dare to challenge the Viridian Gym aren't weak. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them had participated in multiple regional Pokémon League tournaments. That would make things even tougher."

Looking at the task details on the communicator, Sato felt a headache coming on. Whoever assigned this task sure had high expectations of him.

"Wait... Being appointed as the interim Gym Leader of Viridian Gym—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! A position like this isn't given to just anyone; it requires the Gym Leader's trust. And this is Viridian Gym, no less! Could it be that this task was personally assigned by Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket?"

As he thought deeper about the significance of the interim Gym Leader role, Sato suddenly shuddered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Half an hour later, Sato met with Joe in the Viridian Gym's break room. In truth, Joe had actively sought him out after finishing the morning's battles and led him here.

"You're Sato, right? I know you have a lot of questions, but don't worry. I'll explain everything in detail soon. First, let me introduce myself. I'm Joe Kondo, a direct subordinate of Leader Giovanni."

"I've already heard about your mission from others. The afternoon challengers' battles will be your test for this rookie trial task. As someone who's been through it, here's my advice—go all out! It's best not to lose a single match. If you perform exceptionally, Leader Giovanni's impression of you will improve greatly."

"Yes, Leader Giovanni is also a Team Rocket member, and in fact—"

Joe was a cheerful and talkative person. Right from the start, he took the initiative to explain things to Sato, subtly revealing some inside information.

Throughout the conversation, Sato first acted shocked upon "learning" that Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader, was actually the Leader of Team Rocket.

Then, he put on an excited expression, as if thrilled at the prospect of meeting Giovanni.

Based on the information Joe had let slip, Sato confirmed that this mission had indeed been assigned by Giovanni himself.

And to Sato's simultaneous shock and delight, his guess had been right—this task came directly from Giovanni.

Moreover, from what Joe had revealed, those chosen for this mission were essentially being marked as Giovanni's direct subordinates.

"What's going on? This good fortune came too suddenly... Looks like I can't hold back on this task. I have to give it my all and ensure I don't lose a single match. If I excel here, I might actually get the chance to become Giovanni's direct subordinate and meet him face-to-face."

Sato tightly gripped the ornate box Joe had handed him, which contained ten green badges, a trace of "fervor" flashing across his face.

Clenching his teeth, he silently resolved to ensure that this box would remain unopened.

At that moment, a miniature camera hidden in an inconspicuous decoration in the room was recording his every move, transmitting the footage to a laptop in a room at the top floor of an old mansion in the northwestern part of Viridian City.

"Come now, let me see your true strength."

Watching the footage of Sato's "shocked" and "enthusiastic" expression on his screen, Giovanni, dressed in a sharp suit, nodded in satisfaction.

Stroking the head of the Persian beside him, he mused to himself in amusement.