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Due to the pressing ti constraints, Sato didn't pause his next move even after hearing the sudden voice behind him. Instead, he calmly took out a PokeBall containing Bellossom and released her.
Once Bellossom began using Grassy Terrain at the spot to heal him and he finished bandaging his injuries, Sato finally turned around slowly, his gaze falling upon the uninvited guest who was now being tightly watched by Crobat.
That unexpected visitor was a stunningly beautiful woman—soone Sato recognized as the only familiar face among the gathered participants: Tanya.
Perhaps because of Sato's indifference, or the fact that she was being stared down by a massive bat Pokémon, the woman in the pale yellow elite trainer uniform looked visibly displeased.
"Long ti no see, Tanya. What brings you to now? But let remind you—we're competitors now. So things are better left unsaid, lest they sour the mood."
Sato had never been one to judge by appearances. Though Tanya was undeniably beautiful, that didn't affect his attitude in the slightest. He rely gave her a curt nod and responded in a slightly distant tone.
They may have known each other, but their only real interaction had been a simple transaction—he'd sold her so PokeBlocks. There was no real familiarity between them.
In fact, much like Sato, Tanya was one of the few participants who managed to keep up with the elite Rocket operative leading the challenge. Her flying mount was a Pidgeot—and a high-level one at that, reaching level 42.
Among all the competitors with Pidgeot, hers was the strongest. Throughout the entire flight, Tanya had been the closest one trailing behind the elite Rocket trainer.
Naturally, Sato had noticed her early on, and it went without saying that Tanya had also identified him by the Crobat he used as a flying mount.
Yet, along the way, Sato noticed she never once tried to acknowledge or approach him. In fact, she had even shown a strange hint of hostility.
Several tis, Sato had attempted to follow behind her Pidgeot to conserve Crobat's stamina, but she'd quickly instructed her Pokémon to shake him off.
Sato didn't take offense at Tanya's unwillingness to let him tail her. After all, they weren't close, and more importantly, they were direct competitors. But now, seeing Tanya suddenly greet him with such warmth, Sato couldn't help but feel annoyed—and he didn't bother hiding it.
What's more, Sato saw through her intentions imdiately. She was here because she wanted sothing from him.
It was obvious—this long-distance flight had been incredibly draining on all flying Pokémon, even on robust mounts like Pidgeot. Tanya's Pidgeot was no exception; Sato had seen it gasping for breath, clearly worn out.
The Rocket elite had just said they'd be resting for only thirty minutes. That ant this location wasn't the final destination—another grueling flight likely lay ahead.
So, for every participant, the most critical thing right now was helping their flying mounts recover stamina.
Otherwise, if their Pokémon ran out of strength mid-flight, elimination would be inevitable.
Combining the current situation with the one prior occasion he'd interacted with her, Sato took less than a few seconds to deduce what she wanted: his PokeBlocks—the ones that could rapidly restore a Pokémon's stamina.
But Sato had no intention of helping soone who had ignored him before and now suddenly acted friendly when she needed sothing. So, before she could even speak, he cut her off with a clear rejection.
"…I'll admit I was in the wrong earlier. Please don't take it to heart," Tanya said, smiling sweetly as the irritation faded from her face. "Actually, I don't need that many PokeBlocks—just fifty would do. I'm willing to trade 5,000 points for them."
Tanya, as sharp as ever, had clearly understood the aning behind Sato's earlier words. Her expression softened completely, and she lowered her tone with visible humility.
This long-distance trial had made sothing clear to her—this fellow rookie from Pewter City was no longer the sa person she once knew.
Gone was the poor trainer who only had a pathetically low-level Zubat. Now, she faced soone she had to regard as a formidable opponent.
When Tanya saw Sato again, she had been deeply shocked. She had assud he'd died during the Viridian Forest trial. It never crossed her mind that he had actually gone out on a mission.
To her—and to most others from their Rocket intake class—it was normal to assu Sato had perished in that forest. Over the past month, aside from occasionally missing the efficiency of his PokeBlocks during training, she had all but forgotten him.
But now, not only had his Zubat evolved into a powerful Crobat in just over a month, that Crobat had even managed to rival her painstakingly trained Pidgeot in terms of flight speed during this grueling trial.
His growth was terrifying—and as shaken as she was, she couldn't help feeling a deep pang of jealousy.
That was exactly why she had acted cold and distant during the flight.
Now, however, seeing Sato summon a Bellossom capable of healing him, and sensing that this Bellossom's aura was on par with Crobat's, her shock turned to pure dread.
As for that brief flicker of jealousy earlier, Tanya had already shoved it aside.
She was a pragmatic person. When facing soone of equal strength, she would show them due respect. And now that Sato clearly had at least two Pokémon at level 40 or above, he was undeniably an opponent deserving of it.
Especially since she needed his help.
So, Tanya had no problem lowering herself temporarily and offering enough sincerity to not only obtain the PokeBlocks—but also rekindle a trace of their past "friendship."
Offering 5,000 Rocket points in exchange for 50 dium-grade PokeBlocks—Tanya's proposal was indeed sincere.
For context, in Team Rocket's internal economy, one Rocket point could be exchanged for 1,000 PokeDollars. That made 5,000 points equivalent to 5 million PokeDollars. Buying 50 mid-tier PokeBlocks for that much was an extrely generous deal.
Most others would've jumped at the chance for such a profit.
Unfortunately for Tanya, today she was facing Sato—the man who currently held more than 130,000 Rocket points. He had no interest in such a small sum.
In fact, if giving up 5,000 points ant he could easily eliminate a powerful competitor like Tanya, Sato would be more than happy to make that trade.
So, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. He flat-out rejected her.
In this situation, helping a rival was out of the question.
Of course, if the benefits were high enough… Sato was not entirely above doing so.
And when Tanya gritted her teeth and pulled out a certain item from her person, Sato's mind imdiately changed—along with the hasty decision he'd made just monts earlier.
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