Chapter 78: Special Ability

If it were a Charcoal or Black Glasses, Houndour could carry it to boost its move power.

But this Flame Orb, which continuously emitted immense heat and inflicted a burn status on the Pokémon holding it, seemed only suitable for Pokémon with Guts or Quick Feet.

Seeing that Sato wasn't taking it, Charmeleon rolled its eyes, then shoved the Flame Orb into his hands. It chattered away at Houndour for a while before lazily wandering off with two Magmar.

The other Pokémon also began to leave. Though exhausted, they couldn't hide their joy. In the end, only the Houndour pack remained.

After being rejected once more, they could only lower their heads in disappointment and leave.

Sato gently stroked Houndour, who stood motionless, but he said nothing. He was never good at offering comfort, nor did he think it was necessary.

Houndour's talent wasn't as outstanding as his other Pokémon, but when it came to intelligence, it was the smartest Pokémon Sato had ever seen.

Psychic-type Pokémon were generally high in intelligence, but intelligence didn't always equate to wisdom. and in this, Houndour surpassed 99% of all Pokémon...

"Let's go. We need to leave quickly."

"Woof woof!"

Houndour bit the hem of Sato's pants, signaling him to wait a moment.

Sato watched as Houndour picked up the Flame Orb and placed it on a rock. Then, it raised a paw and pressed it down.

No one knew exactly what Houndour was doing, but suddenly, its body began to glow red, deepening in color until it turned a dark crimson, radiating with increasing intensity!

"Awooo!"

A blazing inferno erupted from Houndour's mouth, striking a nearby rock.

An astonishing scene unfolded. the area directly hit by the flames began to melt, turning into magma-like molten material!

Sato's eyes widened in shock. This level of firepower reminded him of something. Voya's Ninetales… and its special ability… twenty years from now.

They were identical!

"Charmeleon taught you this?"

"Woof!"

Houndour nodded before coughing twice. It was clear that such a powerful attack wasn't something it could fully control yet.

Blessing in disguise.

If it had been the old Sato, he would have never cared about these unfortunate Pokémon. But after accepting Houndour's request, he had chosen to defy Team Rocket outright.

Ironically, he had originally planned to obtain Ninetales' special ability in secret.

Yet now, because he had rescued these Pokémon, he had abandoned that plan. only for this unique ability to end up in Houndour's possession anyway.

"Let's go. You've earned this."

Sato smiled, patting Houndour on the head before recalling all his Pokémon except Zoroark.

"Head south!"

"Zoruu!"

Zoroark let out a howl to the moon, then carried Sato as they dashed away at high speed.

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Three days later, Sato, covered in dust and exhaustion, arrived in Olivine City.

He immediately booked a luxury suite at the Pokémon Center, enjoying the special treatment reserved for him by the Joy family.

"Miss Joy, it's me, Sato. Could you contact Matriarch Haruka? I have something important to report!"

Sato found Miss Joy of Olivine City. Team Rocket's activities needed to be reported to the Pokémon League.

But first, he had to inform the Joy family that had taken care of him.

"Something important?"

Joy tilted her head, pouting in thought. Instantly, half the people in the lobby shot hostile glares at Sato.

"Follow me."

Joy giggled and winked at Sato. That did it.

Now, almost every person in the room was glaring at him. including many of the women. Sato sighed in defeat.

The Joy of Olivine City… was a mischievous troublemaker!

The communication screen connected, revealing Haruka, the Matriarch of Johto's Joy family, reviewing documents.

She softly issued a few instructions to someone beside her before turning to Sato, speaking in a warm tone:

"Sato, what brings you to me? Did Kin-kin bully you?"

"Aunt Haruka!"

The Joy who had brought Sato inside pouted in protest. she was the "Kin-kin" mentioned by the Matriarch.

Her full name: Joy Kiki.

"Matriarch Haruka, while traveling from Goldenrod City to Olivine City, I accidentally discovered a secret Team Rocket base…"

On the other side of the video call, Haruka sat up slightly. Sato addressing her this way was a subconscious signal that this was an important matter.

"My Houndour was once the leader of its pack and has strong commanding abilities. Thanks to its help, Team Rocket's forces were completely defeated by the Fire-type brigade. I also managed to defeat their base leader, Voya, allowing me to escape."

"It seems Team Rocket has truly been weakened recently… A base this important, and yet it was led by a girl only seventeen or eighteen years old?"

Sato was momentarily stunned. A sudden feeling of relief washed over him...Good thing I faced Voya from twenty years ago…

Considering Team Rocket's weakened state, escaping so easily had been possible this time. But at another time? Under different circumstances? It would have been impossible.

"By the way, Sato, hand over the Potential Enhancement Serum to Kiki. She can help you test if it has any side effects. Too bad this thing can't be replicated, otherwise, you'd be making a huge contribution to the League."

Haruka chuckled lightly.

"Why can't it be replicated?"

A thought flashed through Sato's mind, and he pressed for more details.

"The League actually obtained Electric-type and Poison-type versions of the serum before. They invested massive resources into research… and still haven't figured out anything."

"Aunt Haruka, this time, I might actually make a big contribution."

Sato grinned, showing his white teeth, then pulled out a USB drive from his bag.

"Before I left, I copied the entire base's data records. Here, everything's in here."

He casually waved the USB drive, acting as if it was no big deal.

"You… you… you…"

Behind him, Kiki, who had been quietly listening, suddenly pointed at Sato, but was too stunned to speak.

"Yes, yes, yes, me, me, me."

Sato grinned, flashing his teeth.

"He… he… he…!"

Kiki turned toward Haruka, torn between frustration, urgency, and amusement.

"Alright, alright. Give the data to Kiki. She knows who to hand it over to. Once we get results, I'll make sure you receive an even better reward."

Haruka chuckled before giving some final instructions, then ended the call.

"Kiki, catch!"

Sato purposely tossed the USB drive toward her, forcing Kiki into a frantic scramble to grab it.

"Ugh, I'm so exhausted… I'm going back to rest!"

After teasing Kiki, Sato quickly slipped away.

Standing there, Kiki could only laugh in frustration before obediently clutching the USB drive and heading off to handle it.

Back in his luxurious apartment, Sato leaned comfortably in a lounge chair, finally enjoying a moment of peace.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Sato shot upright.

Lost in thought, his mind had unexpectedly made a connection, if the Flame Orb could be used in this way… Then what about the Toxic Orb?!

"Maybe Spinarak could enhance its abilities the same way!"

He ran the thought through his mind over and over. If the opportunity arose, it might be worth finding a Toxic Orb and testing it.

Lying back down, Sato decided to enjoy his rare moment of relaxation. Such opportunities didn't come often.

Ding-dong!