Chapter 3: The Nightmare Cage

Sato was roughly thrown down once more, his brows furrowing as he feigned grogginess. A cold, indifferent voice soon followed.

"Alakazam, Teleport!"

"Hoo!"

"Whoosh!"

Without resistance, Sato was instantly transported to an extremely dimly lit place. Almost immediately, voices surrounded him, whispering and gossiping.

"Another kid? This one looks like he hasn't even grown all his hair yet."

"Hmph, probably just another orphan without parents."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Look at his pajamas—the fabric isn't something a poor kid would wear."

"Who knows? Maybe he's some illegitimate child, sold off by the main wife. Hahaha…"

There was no longer a need to pretend. Sato opened his eyes and coldly swept his gaze across the crowd. Just one glance was enough to make their mockery catch in their throats.

"Tch, you brat, you looking for trouble?"

The skinny young man who had first spoken was irritated at himself for being intimidated by a mere child's stare. He shot to his feet, intent on teaching Sato a lesson.

Sato remained motionless, simply staring at him with an icy gaze. The young man's frail frame didn't even pique his interest. But as a warning to the others, he might do just fine.

"Enough, stand down!"

A deep voice echoed from the shadows.

The skinny youth immediately froze, throwing Sato a hateful glare before retreating. With the excitement gone, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.

Sato remained unfazed, turning toward the direction of the voice. Unfortunately, all he saw was darkness.

Instead, he shifted his focus to his surroundings. Amid the dim lighting, he could make out iron bars sealing off the space, as well as the pungent mix of sweat, filth, and heavy breathing filling the air.

Slowly, his fragmented memories aligned with reality. Sato moved to a corner, sat down, and rested quietly.

More people were teleported into the cage over time, each reacting differently. Some panicked, some raged, but in the end, they all had no choice but to accept their fate.

Of them all, Sato was the calmest.

Their imprisonment didn't last long.

By the time Sato swallowed his fourth disgusting meal, a blinding white light suddenly illuminated the area, causing an uproar among the captives.

As their eyes adjusted, two men dressed in black stood silently beyond the iron bars.

Sato stood up, observing the two figures.

Their uniforms were identical, but there was a small yet critical difference—the man on the right wore a deep blue insignia on his belt, while the one on the left had a deep red insignia.

Sato knew exactly what these meant.

Red, Green, Blue, Silver, Gold, and Black—

These six colors represented Ghost Ship's assassin ranking system.

In his previous life, he had clawed his way up to become a Gold-rank assassin, relying on reckless determination and the Power of Darkness.

And the two before him? One was a Red-rank assassin, the other was Blue.

"Clang!"

The iron gate creaked open just a fraction.

No command was needed—those nearest rushed out desperately.

As each person passed through, the Red-rank assassin silently handed them a metallic tag.

Engraved on the first tag were three simple digits:

"001."

Seeing that there was no immediate danger, the rest of the prisoners scrambled to leave, eager to escape their cage.

Each person who left received a metal tag, with the numbers steadily increasing.

Sato was the last to exit.

When he took his tag, the number on it was "136."

Clutching the metal plate tightly, he forced himself to remain calm.

In his past life, after his parents' deaths, he had been forcibly dragged into Ghost Ship.

He had been completely lost, confused, and aimless.

Back then, he had been the last person thrown out of the cage— and the tag he received that day bore the exact same number.

"136!"

"Open it."

"Yes, sir!"

The Red-rank assassin gave a respectful nod to the Blue-rank, then retrieved a remote control from his waist.

With a click, a row of blinding white lights flickered on in the distance, illuminating ten iron cages.

At the same time, the iron doors of the cages automatically swung open, releasing an overwhelming stench of blood and decay.

Instantly, the sound of retching filled the air.

"Numbers 1 through 10, step forward and enter!"

The Red-rank assassin's voice was chillingly indifferent, yet a hint of excitement seeped through.

Sato shot him a brief glance.

If he remembered correctly, this man had once been the strongest among their batch.

But in a later assassination mission, his twisted desires led to a fatal mistake— and he was killed.

Sato shook his head.

A dead man.

Not worth remembering.

As long as he didn't get in his way, his vices meant nothing to him.

"Did you hear me? 1 through 10, get in!"

"W-What… what's inside?"

The first man—who had been eager to escape the cage—trembled as he asked.

At this moment, he wished he could chop off his own legs for rushing out first.

"What's inside?"

The Red-rank assassin's voice suddenly turned sickeningly gentle.

Then—

From the darkness, a pair of blood-red eyes flickered to life.

A hellish demon slowly emerged.

"Houndoom!"

The Dark- and Fire-type Pokémon stepped forward without a sound.

No growls, no attacks—yet the first man's legs buckled.

A second later, he abandoned all pride and sprinted toward the nearest cage.

"Whatever's inside those cages... it can't be worse than Houndoom!"

That was his only thought.

The remaining captives needed no further persuasion.

Each of them hurriedly rushed into a cage, despite the unbearable stench.

"Clack!"

"Clack! Clack! Clack…"

Ten iron doors slammed shut.

Then—

A scream pierced the silence.

And was instantly cut off.

"Boom!"

"Clang…"

"Help! Let me out! Let me out!"

Soon, other cages began to echo with screams and frantic banging.

Yet within two minutes, all fell silent.

Among the hundred remaining captives, only a handful kept their composure.

The rest? Pale-faced, trembling, and utterly horrified.

Some collapsed to the ground.

Some broke into sobs.

"Awooo!"

Houndoom's chilling howl silenced the chaos.

Those who had considered escaping—or had already given in to despair—froze in place.

And right then—

The Red-rank assassin spoke again.