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Before long, when Thomas saw Sato riding his Arcanine up ahead, he finally realized he had made a huge mistake.
It wasn't that Ranka was chasing him from behind—he was simply getting closer and closer to the other participants. And the fact that he had even accelerated in this direction made Thomas feel an overwhelming mix of emotions.
At this point, he had suffered heavy losses. Aside from his Rapidash and a newly captured but disobedient Houndoom, all of his other Pokémon had fallen during the battle with Ranka.
Meanwhile, Sato finally laid eyes on the Rapidash-mounted Thomas in the distance.
However, his keen focus allowed him to immediately notice the panic-stricken look that had just been on Thomas's face. This instantly made Sato suspicious.
From the previous panic to the current stunned expression, Sato deduced that Thomas was not the strong competitor intentionally approaching him as he had assumed—rather, the guy seemed to be running for his life and had just now realized his mistake.
"Looks like I've run into a startled bird. Whatever, I'll just catch him and ask. That'll clear everything up."
"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed! Don't let him get away."
Sato didn't know what Thomas had gone through, but he knew one thing for sure—he couldn't afford to let this participant go. Without even a greeting, he ordered Arcanine to launch an attack.
At his command, Arcanine's paws erupted in flames, instantly turning it into a red streak of light as it dashed toward Thomas and Rapidash, who were just about to turn and flee in another direction.
In terms of endurance, Arcanine might not match Rapidash, but in terms of explosive power? A Pokémon that had mastered Extreme Speed wasn't something Rapidash could compare to.
The next second, Arcanine appeared behind Rapidash with Sato on its back, and its front right paw smacked down hard on Rapidash's hindquarters.
"Neighhhh!"
"AHHH!!"
With a mix of horse screams and human yells, Rapidash was sent flying forward from the heavy blow, and Thomas was thrown from its back.
Arcanine gave Rapidash no time to recover. It once again used Extreme Speed, instantly appearing in front of the staggering horse and slamming a claw into its head.
Already terrified by the sneak attack, the timid Rapidash saw Arcanine appear again with claws raised and instantly stretched out all four limbs and "fainted" from fear before the blow could even land.
But Arcanine didn't hesitate. Its paw slammed heavily into Rapidash's skull. This time, the Pokémon pretending to faint really passed out for real.
"I surrender! Please don't hurt me!"
Seeing how easily Arcanine subdued Rapidash, Thomas, who had originally planned to release Houndoom and resist a little, immediately changed his mind. He tossed the PokéBall aside, knelt on the ground, raised both hands high, and shouted sincerely.
In response, he received a heavy thump from Sato's baton and was knocked out cold, just like Rapidash.
...…
Over ten minutes later, Thomas finally regained consciousness. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Sato's cold, stern face and sharp eyes. Instinctively, he averted his gaze, not daring to meet Sato's eyes.
Soon, Thomas grasped his situation. He was now firmly bound to the trunk of a large tree by Ariados's web. Everything on his person except his clothes had been thoroughly searched and confiscated by Sato.
All in all, he was now Sato's prisoner—and a completely powerless one at that.
Still, being the optimist that he was, Thomas quickly accepted his current predicament. After calming down, he noticed that the man who had captured him looked very familiar.
'Wait… Isn't this the guy Ranka put a huge bounty on? I think his name is Sato… That means he must be Ranka's enemy!'
The moment he remembered who Sato was, Thomas's previously hopeless heart suddenly ignited with renewed hope, and his expression brightened.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend—that was the truth Thomas wholeheartedly believed in at this moment. He was certain that if Sato knew he was also one of Ranka's enemies, his treatment would improve.
"Hello, Mr. Sato! I know you're Ranka's enemy. To tell you the truth, I just escaped from Ranka not long ago. I thought it was him chasing me from behind—but I didn't expect it to be you, sir."
Without waiting for Sato to interrogate him, Thomas blurted out the full account of his conflict with Ranka and all the information he knew.
Seeing how cooperative Thomas was, Sato didn't feel the need to use force. As Thomas continued to speak, Sato's expression gradually darkened with the severity of the information he was learning.
He hadn't expected Ranka to be so close already—or that he would be so powerful. Just relying on his Mega Aggron, Ranka had achieved the unbelievable feat of fighting sixteen Pokémon with only four.
And it wasn't just sixteen wild Pokémon— most of these were well-trained Pokémon commanded by elite Rocket rookies.
The fact that they had been overwhelmed so easily didn't mean they were weak. It only proved one thing—Ranka was too strong.
A Mega Aggron capable of both wide-area bombardment and close-range dominance was nearly unbeatable in head-to-head combat. If Sato encountered that thing right now, even he would probably have to retreat.
However, what pleased Sato was that Ranka was currently acting alone. His only main Pokémon were Aggron and, possibly, Zweilous.
There was no doubt—Ranka was now at his weakest. And now that Sato had learned Aggron's battle style, he slowly realized the steel monster wasn't completely invincible.
After thinking things over, Sato found that there were three conditions that, if met, would allow him to defeat Ranka's Mega Aggron—even at its full strength.
The desire to kill Ranka started to grow uncontrollably in Sato's heart. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Ranka rejoined his subordinates, the chance to eliminate him would practically vanish.
Having made up his mind, Sato decided to hunt down Ranka. Even if he couldn't finish him off right now, he had to at least deal heavy damage to prevent future trouble.
Then, Sato's gaze shifted toward Thomas. His plan would be too difficult to execute alone.
For that, he needed a helper. And the man in front of him, who had been crushed by Ranka and was still terrified, seemed like an ideal choice.
"So… you're also one of Ranka's enemies, huh? That must mean you hate him too, right?"
Sato gave Thomas—who immediately felt a deep sense of foreboding—a friendly smile and spoke with a cheerful tone.