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From the perspective of the identity he had assumed — Tyler — Sato's arrival in Slateport City was supposedly to "seek refuge with relatives." Specifically, an uncle he hadn't contacted in many years.
In fact, when Tyler was at his lowest, he had once reached out to this uncle he had never met in person to ask for help.
Unfortunately, this uncle, who had already made a solid living in Slateport, looked down on his poor relative. The moment Tyler mentioned borrowing money, the man simply "played dead," unwilling to lend even a single coin.
In the end, even when Tyler ended up hospitalized in a vegetative state, his uncle never came to see him — a textbook case of "when a man's down, even his kin abandon him."
That was how little regard this uncle had for his impoverished relative.
Because of this, Sato had no intention of actually seeking him out. His real reason for coming to Slateport, the most prosperous city in the Hoenn region, was to use it as a starting point for his new journey — the Hoenn League challenge.
But before beginning that journey, he needed to first register as an official League Trainer. Only registered Trainers could participate in the League Conference, and the same applied to promotions within the League system.
Put simply, the League was just like any other major organization: exclusive and strict about qualifications.
So here was the question: how could a civilian Trainer with no background, like Tyler, become an official League Trainer?
Normally, there was only one path. Sato would first need to register at a Pokémon Center to be entered into the League's records. After that, he'd complete various League-assigned tasks. Once he completed enough, he would automatically become an "outer member" of the League — in other words, a non-core Trainer.
Even as an outer member, he would gain the right to compete in League tournaments, choose from League-issued missions, and use internal League currency to buy exclusive goods.
But now, things had changed.
Sato had in his possession a powerful letter of introduction. With this letter, he could skip the beginner's steps and immediately become an outer member — or perhaps even a core League Trainer.
Of course, this letter was from none other than Captain Reggie. As a former Elite Four level Trainer, Reggie still held considerable influence within the League.
That was why Sato was confident he could quickly become a registered League Trainer — and one with the backing of a former Elite-Four tier trainer.
According to Reggie's instructions before they parted ways, Sato now needed to go to the Slateport Oceanic Research Institute and find a Pokémon Professor named Todd, then deliver Reggie's letter to him.
Reggie had explained that Todd was an old comrade from the chaotic days of their youth — they had fought side by side through life-and-death battles. Todd's hometown was Slateport, and within the field of marine Pokémon studies, he was considered one of the top experts, publishing many renowned papers. Within the League, his status was even higher than Reggie's.
Therefore, Reggie had assured him: as long as he gave the letter to Todd, becoming a League Trainer would be no problem at all.
The Oceanic Research Institute was located in the upper-right of Slateport, perched on the seaside cliffs along the eastern coast. Since Sato was unfamiliar with the city, it took him a long time and many inquiries before he finally found the secluded institute.
But when he arrived, he was surprised to see that the entire facility was sealed off. Even after pressing the doorbell for a long time, no one came to open the gate.
With no other choice, Sato used his psychic power to scan through the gates. To his shock, the institute was completely empty — not a single person inside.
"What the…? What happened here? How could such a large institute be totally deserted?"
Staring at the silent, empty research center, his expression grew troubled.
It was pointless to wait around, so he left with disappointment in his heart.
Still, he wasn't ready to give up just yet. After circling the area, he finally found an old man in a nearby fishing village who knew something about the situation.
"Sir, are you saying… the people from that institute mysteriously disappeared?"
Standing in front of the small village shop, Sato handed over a bottle of premium beer — worth 50 PokeDollars — to the greedy elder, asking with wide-eyed surprise.
"That's right. It only happened a few days ago. Very strange business. One night, everyone in the institute just vanished. If it weren't for the supply delivery the next morning, it might have gone unnoticed for days."
The old man eagerly snatched the beer, gulped a few mouthfuls, then explained the reason for the institute's emptiness.
"Just my luck… of all times, they vanish right when I arrive. What a rotten stroke of fate. Don't tell me opening that treasure chest drained all my built-up luck?"
Sato sighed, feeling both disappointed and annoyed.
According to the old man, the researchers were still missing without a trace. The Slateport police had mobilized almost completely, and even one of the current Elite Four had gotten involved — but so far, there were no leads on where the institute's staff had gone.
"There's no way they just vanished without a reason. Most likely, they were kidnapped — and without even the chance to resist. If that's true, then this situation is far beyond my abilities to handle."
Analyzing the clues, Sato reached a helpless conclusion.
After all, Todd had once been a comrade of Captain Reggie — his strength was definitely formidable. Even if age had dulled him, he should still be at least at the pseudo Elite-Four level. According to the old man, and based on Sato's psychic scan of the institute, there were no signs of any struggle.
That meant the staff had been taken either without resisting, or completely unable to resist.
Just then, the old fisherman, now finishing off the entire 500ml bottle of premium beer, hiccupped and added with a drunken slur:
"Oh, right… that night when the people disappeared, I happened to be walking by the shore. I think I saw a ship speeding away across the sea. Fast as lightning it was — gone in the blink of an eye."