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Han was the personal assassin of Carterga, the boss of the Viper Mafias — and at the sa ti, he was also a novice Psychic.
During Carterga's rise to power, Han had handled plenty of dirty work for him — including the rivals who had competed for the boss's seat at the sa ti.
Han's na wasn't well-known in Goldenrod's underworld, but if you ntioned his alias, the "Psychic Killer," every faction leader would shudder in fear.
After all, in people's mory, the Psychic Killer was an assassin who had once even successfully slain an Elite Four–level Trainer.
The reason Han beca Carterga's personal assassin was simple: back when Han was just an ordinary Trainer, Carterga had once helped him.
Though at the ti it was just a casual act of kindness, that little bit of aid kept Han from starving to death on the streets — and also allowed him to obtain his very first Psychic Pokémon: a Hypno.
A drop of kindness should be repaid with a fountain of gratitude. Because of that, Han decided to do three tasks for Carterga free of charge, within his abilities. After that, every job would be priced according to the value of the target's head.
Over the past decade, Han had long since finished those three free favors. He had also accepted over ten more paid assignnts from Carterga — and every ti, he had executed them flawlessly.
Now, with Carterga once again commissioning a kill, Han did not refuse.
Of course, there could be no discounts whatsoever. This ti, the target was one of his own kind — a Psychic. That made the task far more dangerous than any of his past jobs.
And even the quoted price was only an estimate. If Sato's true strength exceeded his expectations, Han fully intended to demand more money from Carterga.
"That price is far too high."
Hearing Han's quote, Carterga raised his eyebrows, showing clear dissatisfaction toward his old friend.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it. As the Viper Mafias's leader for the past five or six years, his personal accounts each contained more than nine digits. Paying an assassin's fee was no problem at all.
He simply thought Sato wasn't worth the money. After all, one hundred million PokeDollars was one-twentieth of his personal wealth.
That was by no ans a small number — especially since the money would co entirely out of his own pocket, unrelated to the Mafia's funds.
Carterga, as the boss, knew full well the Viper Mafias was already being crushed under the weight of Team Rocket.
If not for several veteran elders still holding the line, the Vipers might already have been wiped out by them.
Even so, the Viper Mafias were on the losing side. In every clash, their mid- and low-level mbers were no match for Team Rocket's forces. Casualties piled up in staggering numbers.
The endless waves of death benefits and compensation had nearly drained the funds the Viper Mafias had accumulated over the years.
In such circumstances, without foreign aid, Carterga could already foresee the Viper Mafias bleak end.
He was old now, and his youthful ambition was gone. What he desired most was simply to preserve the Viper Mafias until the day he died.
But the arrival of Team Rocket had shattered that hope. And Sato — he was just a small factor accelerating its collapse. Was paying one-twentieth of his assets to remove such a small factor really worth it?
[Not high at all — not in the least. You know full well how troubleso Psychics are. And this target is one of my kind. Worse, the Pokémon he's revealed are too few — his strength is hard to evaluate. This mission carries enormous risk for .]
Han shook his head at Carterga's words, answering by telepathy.
This ti, he was speaking the truth. As a Psychic, he often had special insights. And when he agreed to take the job, he had suddenly felt a brief but intense sense of looming disaster.
It lasted only an instant — but it was enough to make him wary. That was why he suddenly raised his price tenfold.
In fact, it was his way of stalling. Deep down, Han was hoping Carterga would reject the commission.
"Then let's wait and see."
Seeing Han so firm about the price, Carterga had no choice. In the end, he still felt that paying one hundred million PokeDollars from his personal assets to eliminate such a small factor wasn't worth it. He nodded reluctantly.
[Very well. If you have other instructions, just give them.]
[But Carterga, as an old friend, let remind you — this target is not simple. I have a strong feeling: if we don't eliminate him early, then in the future, it may be him who eliminates you — or all of us.]
[Of course, that's only my intuition. Whether you heed it or not is up to you.]
Han gave his telepathic reply, and before leaving, spoke aloud to Carterga. As soon as the words left his mouth, he vanished from the room with Teleport.
"Hmph. 'Intuition'? Thanks for the warning, Han."
"But in the end, you'll always just be a Beginner Psychic — one who'll never advance to the Interdiate level. All these years, your so-called intuition has never once been right."
"When it cos to intuition, only Interdiate or higher-level Psychics are worth listening to."
As Han disappeared, Carterga glanced at the Hypno by his side. Seeing it nod, he spoke dismissively.
...
At a little past 11:30 p.m., Sato — blissfully unaware how close he had co to losing his life — was happily feasting at a roadside restaurant still open late into the night, surrounded by his Pokémon.
But halfway through the al, an uninvited guest suddenly entered the private room. To his surprise, it was none other than the powerful opponent he had faced earlier that day — Dragon Tar Clair.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Miss Clair. What brings you here at such a late hour? I don't believe we've ever formally t, have we?"
Seeing Clair walk in left Sato dumbfounded. His first thought was that she'd co to cause trouble. But noticing she wasn't accompanied by anyone else, he relaxed slightly, pretending not to recognize her.
"Your real na is Sato, isn't it, Mr. Kira Hayashi?"
Clair, dressed in a blue casual outfit and wearing large sunglasses, didn't answer his question imdiately. Instead, she removed her shades, glanced briefly at Nidoking and Swampert in the room, then turned to Sato with a displeased expression.
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