Since every Poké Ball within the anization was equipped with remote trag permissions, esg meant that none of them could be taken along.

  Before leaving, Sato destroyed his badge and all his Poké Balls, scattering the remnants far from the underground tunnel, discarding them into the undergrowth before esg through the passage Tyranitar had carved out.

  ------

  The night was dim, tree shadows swayed in the wind, and within an unknown forest, a sudden disturbance sent a flock of sleeping Pidgey into flight.

  Underh the t roots of a massive tree, Sato emerged silently alongside Zorua and the others.

  Beh the iwined roots, a small tunnel opening was barely visible.

  This passage was once dug by Tyranitar back when it was still a Pupitar. Though ne, it was just big enough for a ten-year-old child to pass through.

  "Stay close!"

  After sealing the tunrance, Sato called over Zorua, Haunter, and his newly acquired Larvitar, which had yet to be pced into a Poké Ball.

  Without the straints of a Poké Ball, Zorua seemed pletely unbothered.

  However, Haunter, who had once suffered under Sato's training, hesitated. At this moment, it was free—it could simply vanish without being bound to him.

  Sensing Haunter's inner flict, Sato halted his steps, turning back to watch its decision.

  While Haunter possessed Pseudo-Elite Four potential, and had even slightly improved after evolving, it was still only Pseudo-Elite Four-level at best.

  In this new life, Sato's minimum goal was to match his past life's peak at the Pseudo-Elite Four stage. Haunter had only barely met that requirement.

  Over the past months, Haunter's strength had groidly under Sato's training, and its role in his escape had been crucial.

  In a way, they were even now—her side owed the other anything.

  "Kehehe… Kehehehehe!"

  After struggling internally for a moment, Haunter finally floated toward Sato, its usual mischievous gaze repced with determinatioher the fear from Dark Energy purifications nor its usual pyful demeanor remained.

  Maybe it was the desire to grow stronger.

  Maybe it was the reluce to venture alone.

  Or maybe, it was Zorua's expet gaze watg it from the side.

  Ultimately, Haunter chose to stay—willingly, without any coer.

  "You'll bee even stronger."

  Sato's voice was firm, though it wasn't spoken like an oath—it was simply a fact. Then, without hesitatiourned and tinued forward.

  Behind him, Haunter's usual griurned, floating pyfully as it followed along.

  Zorua let out a quiet yip, happy for both Haunter and Sato.

  Meanwhile, Larvitar watched everything in silence, a flicker of fusion and ption in its eyes.

  Without saying a word, it moved its short legs, following Sato's lead.

  In his past life, Sato had participated in new recruit trials multiple times, both as a partit and ter as a pursuer capturing runaways.

  This experience meant he was deeply familiar with the surrounding ndscape.

  The trial forest of the Ghost Ship anization was hidden within a secluded region of the Indigo Pteau, right uhe nose of the Kanto Pokémon League headquarters.

  It was a brilliantly deceptive strategy—hiding in pin sight had allowed the anization to evade dete for years.

  Furthermore, the Indigo Pteau was covered in vast, a forests, and with Ghost Ship operatives using Teleport-capable Pokémon, their movements were almost impossible to track.

  Rather than heading to the own, Sato carefully maneuvered through the dense forest, using his disguise and reaissance skills to avoid powerful wild Pokémon he couldn't handle.

  Whenever possible, he even took time to train his Pokémon, while also gradually rec from the aftereffects of his self-healing process.

  While passing through a small vilge of about a hundred residents, Sato happened upon a otion.

  A swarm of Raticate had emerged from the forest, ravaging the vilgers' crops, leaving them in distress.

  Seizing the opportunity, Sato helped drive the Raticate away and was rewarded by the vilge elder with a simple yet brand-new outfit.

  Sato ran his fingers over the intricate stitg of the new clothes, feeling an ued warmth from the genuine gratitude and kindness he had received after helping others.

  Silently, he pced the vilge elder's hidden savings ba their pce before putting on the warm clothes.

  On an autumn night, as he quietly departed the vilge, strong winds whipped against his new outfit.

  Not cold at all.

  Sato grihe shadows deep in his eyes gradually fading.

  Though he still carried a mature air, there was noark of youthful vigor—something he hadn't realized he had lost.

  "Zor!"

  Zorua, ever sensitive, noticed a ge in him, though it couldn't quite tell what had ged.

  Meanwhile, Haunter tinued floating around carefreely, while Larvitar—who had been silent for most of the jourilted its head upward, catg sight of the unusually wide smile on Sato's face.

  "It looks... bigger than before."

  As he tinued his journey, Sato passed through several more vilges, occasionally helping them deal with troublesome wild Pokémon.

  Iurn, he mao acquire new Poké Balls and enough moo cover his meals for the short term.

  --------

  Oer.

  Sato arrived at Cerulean City's wealthy district, standing before the burnt remains of his former home.

  Since his sudden disappearance, all of his assets had been seized by the polid left uncimed.

  To avoid disturbing the surrounding residents, the charred remains of the vil had been covered by a green protective wall, though a few families had still chosen to move away.

  Sato retrieved the one million Pokédolrs he had hidden before, pg them into his spatial backpack, ready to leave—until he heard the sound from the neighbor's house.

  Quietly approag, he caught the familiar murmuring voice of the old woma door.

  "Sato… no matter where you are, I hope you grow up safe ahy… Grandma is sorry… I didn't know…"

  A weight pressed against Sato's chest.

  Aside from Zorua, had there really been someone else who still worried about him? For a moment, he nearly stepped forward.

  But he stopped himself.

  He couldn't risk dragging her into this.

  What he didn't know was that the Red-rank assassin responsible for rec his data had never uploaded his information into the system.

  Even if he revealed himself now, Ghost Ship would have a hard time trag him.

  But Ghost Ship was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

  On the surface, it appeared to be a pure assassination syndicate, able to infiltrate both the legal and criminal underworlds.

  Yet, after reag Gold-rank assassin in his past life, Sato had e to learruth.

  Ghost Ship wasn't just another underground anization.

  It was the hidden force behind Team Rocket—the true ruler of Kanto's criminal underworld.

  That was why he had been so desperate to escape. The depth of the anization's influence was unfathomable.

  It wasn't something an ordinary person could involve themselves with.

  …Then again, he supposed, he wasly ordinary either.

  "Haunter, give this to the old woman ihe house. And don't scare her."

  "Kehehe~"

  Haunter found the request b, but under Sato's warning gre, it obeyed without question, phasing through the walls.

  Moments ter, the sound of joyous g echoed from inside.

  Satisfied, Sato made a mental o remember Haunter's help for this task. Adjusting the hat over his head, he quied his pace, leaving Cerulean City behind.

  From this moment forward, he had nothio hold him back.

  What kind of life should he live this time?

  Sato already had the answer.

  ------

  Half a month ter…

  In Johto, at the New Bark Town Pokémoer, Sato approached Nurse Joy with Zorua by his side.

  "Please heal my Pokémon. Thank you."

  "Of course! No problem."