Chapter 426: Incredible Reward!

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The next day, 2 PM, on a tiny island roughly seven or eight kilometers from the island where Cinnabar Island Town was located.

"Boom! Boom! Boom~~"

At that moment, a series of deafening explosions rang out from the eastern beach of the island.

On the sand now partially submerged by seawater, a Swampert the size of a small mountain stood tall, furiously punching the oncoming waves with full force.

Astonishingly, each punch from this Swampert carried monstrous power. Every time it swung its fist, it created a massive void in the crashing wave, blasting it apart.

The intermittent blasts echoing across the beach were the result of Swampert shattering wave after wave with brute strength.

Just offshore, a Crobat and a Beautifly flitted through the air, their wings glowing with a soft cyan light.

The two Pokémon were manipulating vast amounts of Flying-type energy to generate multiple massive white cyclones, hurling them toward each other in a fierce midair clash.

When these white cyclones landed on the water's surface, they formed giant waterspouts, agitating the surrounding sea into chaos.

It was precisely because of the intense aerial battle between Crobat and Beautifly that one massive wave after another rose and slammed against the tiny island with such ferocity.

With every punch Swampert threw at the waves, the gaps it blasted into them grew larger and larger. The sheer power in its arms, combined with its rapid punches, caused immense air pressure that created powerful shockwaves.

(Vacuum Wave, a Fighting-type special move, base power 40. Effect: The user throws a punch that creates a shockwave of compressed air. Always strikes first.)

By all accounts, Swampert should not have been able to learn Vacuum Wave.

However, its raw strength was far beyond the norm, and because of its love for punching, after practicing the motion countless times, it began to understand how to concentrate its internal power and release it with precision.

Then, just last night, Swampert unintentionally unleashed its first successful Vacuum Wave.

As a result, it had managed to punch a massive hole through a giant tidal wave conjured by Gyarados's tail.

"Good, keep punching like that. Focus your strength into your fists and strike fast—like lightning. It may not be the textbook version of Vacuum Wave, but it still makes for an excellent long-range attack. Once you master this, your raw power will finally have range."

As Swampert finally paused to catch its breath, a man in a black-and-white Elite Trainer uniform stepped out from the nearby trees. He handed a bucket-sized bottle of Moomoo Milk to the exhausted Pokémon as he spoke.

This man was none other than Sato, who had arrived in Cinnabar Town just the night before.

During last night's battle, he'd discovered by chance that his Swampert had developed the ability to unleash a surprisingly potent Vacuum Wave. So, he dedicated today's training to helping it perfect the move.

A ridiculously cute Pichu sat perched on Sato's shoulder, watching with wide, curious eyes as a trembling Kingler tried to hide itself in the sand nearby.

"Swamp~"

Swampert gave a nod, then eagerly picked up the Moomoo Milk and downed it in one go.

The two-liter bucket of Moomoo Milk had been enhanced with several gem-grade PokeBlocks. Thanks to its boosted properties, Swampert felt its stamina and energy rapidly returning.

Just ten minutes later, it was back on the shoreline, bursting with energy and punching waves all over again.

Meanwhile, Pichu had finished digging the Kingler out of the sand and was now riding atop it, using a smiling electric whip to gleefully steer it around the beach.

Sato, the one who'd given Swampert the Moomoo Milk, was simply spending time overseeing his Pokémon's daily training. He had plenty of free time now for certain reasons.

"Giovanni is really generous, huh? He actually gave me this. It's not quite a Mega Stone, but it's still pretty damn nice."

Seeing that Swampert had resumed training, Sato walked over to a chair under a coconut tree. Sitting down, he pulled a stone from his bag—one with a dazzling swirl of rainbow-colored spirals inside—and a joyful smile lit up his face.

Last night, Team Rocket's reinforcements had arrived via a stealth aircraft.

Yes—truth be told, the reinforcements had been watching the chaotic battle unfold from several thousand meters in the air long before they intervened.

Of course, they hadn't spent all that time just watching. On their way, they'd captured one of the Sea Serpent Gang's top fighters—someone nearly at the Elite Four level strength—before arriving at the battlefield.

They only began to reveal themselves when Sato, Janine, Maya, and Marlos—the four key members of Team Rocket holding the line in that melee—started to show signs of fatigue.

Because their ship had been destroyed, and likely also as a reward for securing victory in that chaotic battle, Sato and the dozen or so other surviving Rocket recruits were granted a ride to Cinnabar Island aboard the stealth aircraft.

And thanks to both his critical intel report and his standout contributions during the battle, Sato was awarded a Key Stone after everything ended.

He was beyond thrilled!

Even though it wasn't the ultra-rare Mega Stone he'd dreamed of, the Key Stone still had a value in the billions of PokeDollars—far beyond what he expected.

He'd been riding high all night, inwardly showering Giovanni with endless praise.

Compared to small ships, stealth aircraft were on a whole other level. Within just a few hours, Sato had arrived at Cinnabar around 4 AM and then peacefully enjoyed a good nap in one of the town's inns.

As for why Sato was currently on this small offshore island—simple: he had arrived too early thanks to catching a ride on the supersonic express.

Cinnabar Island marked the endpoint of Phase One of the rookie competition, and there were still two more days before the first phase officially ended.

In two days, Team Rocket would send people to escort Sato and the other rookies who had successfully reached Cinnabar to the site of Phase Two.

As for the location of Phase Two?

Sato wasn't entirely sure yet, but based on his guess, it would probably be somewhere on one of the uninhabited islands near Cinnabar.

That's why he came here early—to acclimate himself to the tropical jungle environment and give his Pokémon some intense pre-competition training.