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Among the four Golduck, Sato chose only one. Without a doubt, to better handle a dangerous enemy like Ranka, he naturally picked the one with the highest level.
This Golduck was at Level 46, had decent potential, and had learned a wide range of moves—perfectly meeting Sato's requirements. With just a bit of training, it could quickly become a usable Pokémon in his lineup.
The only thing Sato found regretful was that this Golduck's Ability was Damp, not the Hidden Ability Cloud Nine that he preferred.
...…
Golduck's Information:
Pokémon: Golduck
Level: 46
Type: Water
Ability:Damp
Gender: Male
Known Moves: Quick Attack, Aqua Jet, Water Sport, Scratch, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Confusion, Fury Swipes, Water Pulse, Disable, Screech, Zen Headbutt, Aqua Tail, Soak, Psych Up, Amnesia, Hydro Pump
Egg Move:Hypnosis
Tutor Moves:Psychic, Protect, Light Screen, Hyper Beam, Rain Dance
Held Item: None
IVs (out of 31):
HP: 24
Attack: 23
Defense: 25
Special Attack: 26
Special Defense: 21
Speed: 23
Overall IV Rating: Purple (Total IV: 142)
...…
After the battle, Sato had Bellossom give all four severely injured Golduck a round of simple healing. This gesture earned him a sliver of goodwill from the Level 46 Golduck he had captured.
"Sorry, but I need to borrow your strength for now. If everything goes well, it'll be over in a day or two at most. If you then want to return to your group afterward, I'll let you go."
Sato took out a PokeBall and made this solemn promise to the Golduck that had willingly stepped forward from its group to stand before him.
"Gol~"
Upon hearing this, the Golduck—leader of the local Psyduck group—immediately brightened and nodded at Sato. Much of the resistance in its heart instantly melted away.
As a Pokémon with intelligence no less than that of a human, Golduck didn't have a favorable impression of Sato, who wasn't much of a threat on his own. Even though Sato had defeated it head-on, Golduck had not truly acknowledged him.
"At least things are stable for now. A high level brings advantages but also comes with drawbacks. I just hope nothing goes wrong. With its strength, it should be able to impact Aggron."
Seeing that the hostility in Golduck's eyes had largely faded, Sato felt relieved. He knew that healing the group with Bellossom and his sincere promise had worked.
This plan to deal with Ranka was critical. If even one of the three key components failed, the entire operation would end in failure.
Golduck was the second most important part of the plan. Sato could not afford any slip-ups. He feared Golduck might slack off or even sabotage the plan out of resentment, especially since it was freshly captured.
After all, this Golduck was not only high-leveled but also the leader of its group. Moreover, as a Psychic-type, it had the typical aloof and self-centered temperament common among its kind.
A Pokémon like this getting along perfectly with Sato right from the start would have been stranger. Thinking back to the red Gyarados—he had no time now to gradually bond with Golduck.
So, the best move Sato had was to give it a promise, in hopes it would take things seriously.
Truthfully, thanks to the system, Sato had very high standards when selecting a Pokémon, and this Golduck didn't fully meet them.
First, its IV ratings were slightly lacking. Second, its personality wasn't ideal. Third, it was older and lacked growth potential.
So yes, Sato truly planned to release it back into the wild after defeating Ranka.
The same went for Ariados and Ursaring—if they wished to return to nature, Sato would let them go.
Honestly, aside from the red Shiny Gyarados and Kecleon—who acted as support—Sato never felt fully at ease using Pokémon he hadn't trained personally from the start.
Part of it came from a lack of synchronization between them. But more so, these Pokémon already had ingrained battle styles and thought processes that didn't mesh well with Sato's command style.
It was different with Arcanine and Bellossom. These two had been raised by Sato himself and could effortlessly bring out 100% of their power—sometimes even more—allowing them to battle and win against higher-level opponents.
With Golduck's capture complete, Sato began preparing to return to the Tauros Mountain to rendezvous with Thomas. This time, to return faster, he chose to travel via water.
From the map, his current location was northwest of the Tauros Mountain. The river beside him connected to the Carvanha River, which ran through the Tauros Mountain.
All Sato needed to do was follow this river upstream to the north, then veer southeast. He could then ride the current downstream and get back to the foothills of the Tauros Mountain as quickly as possible.
"Let's go, Gyarados. Take me upstream."
After finalizing his plan, Sato released the red Gyarados. Once on its back, he instructed it to start moving upstream.
True to its title as the "Terror of the Waters," the red Gyarados plowed through the river boldly. Weaker Water-types scattered in fear, and even stronger ones turned a blind eye once they realized the Gyarados was merely passing through.
Aside from a few hot-tempered Water-types that came to provoke them slightly, Sato's upstream journey was largely uneventful.
According to the map, he successfully guided the red Gyarados into the river that connected to the Carvanha River, and they began their downstream journey.
Unlike the calm upstream ride, the trip downstream proved a bit more turbulent—but that was exactly what Sato had hoped for.
"Beep beep beep~~"
Suddenly, a soft beeping came from Sato's pocket. The unexpected noise sharpened his focus, and his eyes grew alert.
"A signal? Could it be Maitel? No point guessing. I'll know when I see him. Gyarados, head to the right bank!"
"Come out, Arcanine. Full speed—take me southwest!"
Sato quickly pulled the flashing, beeping detector from his pocket. Once he confirmed the signal's direction, he had the red Gyarados make landfall and released Arcanine.
Mounting Arcanine, he dashed off at top speed toward the southwest.
At the same time, about 7–8 kilometers southwest in a dry cave, Maitel—who had been resting—was roused by the sound of his communicator. He immediately jumped up, a look of alarm on his face.
"They got here way too fast. Damn it! Pidgeot, hurry, get me out of here!"
Maitel watched the signal light on his detector flashing more and more rapidly. His expression darkened as he hastily released his still-injured Pidgeot and climbed on.
His two main Pokémon hadn't recovered from their serious injuries. If he ran into another contestant now, he'd almost certainly be eliminated. He couldn't worry about Pidgeot's injuries—he had to escape immediately.
Unfortunately, a 7–8 km distance was just a matter of a minute or two for a sprinting Arcanine. Before Maitel could take off on Pidgeot, Sato—riding Arcanine—had already appeared before him.