Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Sato had his own thoughts regarding the bug-catching mission. On the surface, it seemed simple: choose one of the three options and complete it to fulfill the mission requirements.
However, the mission details did not explicitly state that selecting multiple options was forbidden.
This meant that as long as the participants were strong enough, they could potentially complete two or even all three options at the same time.
Moreover, the mission only specified that rewards would be given based on the Pokémon submitted. It did not mandate which species had to be placed inside the six PokéBalls.
Realizing this, Sato's heart started racing. A single non-Kanto Bug-type Pokémon was worth 5,000 points—that was an incredibly lucrative deal.
He had six black PokéBalls at his disposal for this task. If he could capture six non-Kanto Bug-types, then 30,000 points would be his without question.
"A single bug-catching task with a maximum reward of 30,000 points... The prize is incredibly generous. This is an opportunity I have to seize. I believe this is exactly what Team Rocket's higher-ups want to see. If I can capture six non-Kanto Bug-types, I'll definitely stand out among the other recruits. This is my chance to make a name for myself—it all depends on whether I have the ability to pull it off."
Delving deeper into the mission's design, Sato was impressed by its ingenuity. At the same time, his determination to complete it grew even stronger.
For him, fulfilling the first two options was relatively easy. The first option required finding a tree occupied by Beedrill, which was a simple task.
As for the second option, that wasn't difficult either. Back in Viridian Forest, during his survival training in Ursaring's territory, he had already encountered Pinsir and Scyther colonies.
He even had a map that marked the location of his previous survival training grounds, so returning to those Pokémon habitats wouldn't be too hard.
However, the third option posed a real challenge. Viridian Forest was vast, and finding a non-Kanto Bug-type Pokémon would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
On top of that, due to his two-day delay, he had even less time left to complete the first phase of the rookie competition.
"I'll take things one step at a time. To avoid wasting time, I should start with the second option first. If I can't find any non-Kanto Bug-types, submitting six Pinsir or Scyther should be an acceptable alternative."
With his decision made, Sato put away his communicator and six PokéBalls, along with the special plastic box and the red gloves on the treetop.
He then pulled out a map of Viridian Forest—the same one Sofia had given him to navigate out of the area. Now, he planned to use it to return to his old survival training grounds.
After carefully studying the map and using the tree formations to orient himself, Sato set out toward the part of the forest where the Pinsir and Scyther colonies resided, with Growlithe, Bellossom, and Golbat accompanying him.
With his strength now far beyond what it used to be, he no longer avoided powerful wild Pokémon or their territories, opting instead to take the direct path.
However, this made his journey far more dangerous. Many territorial wild Pokémon viewed him as an intruder and launched attacks.
Deep within a grove dominated by a Victreebel, Sato and his Pokémon found themselves under siege by the carnivorous plant Pokémon and its minions.
Sharp, vine-like whips lashed out from all directions, accompanied by razor-sharp green leaves slicing through the air.
At the same time, a cloud of multi-colored powder and an intoxicatingly sweet scent rapidly spread through the surroundings.
"Bellossom, use Protect! Golbat, Beautifly, use Air Cutter to blow back the Sleep Powder! Growlithe, hit Victreebel with Flamethrower! Meowth, follow up with Hidden Power!"
Seeing that Victreebel was leading an all-out attack, Sato swiftly commanded his Pokémon to counter.
Bellossom acted first, clapping her hands together as a shimmering green barrier enveloped Sato, shielding him from the incoming Vine Whips and Razor Leaf.
Golbat and his Shiny Beautifly flanked Sato on either side, their wings glowing with a bluish energy before they began flapping violently.
A powerful gust swept through the battlefield, instantly dispersing the Sleep Powder and sweet scent. Even the incoming Razor Leaf attacks were thrown into disarray.
Within the swirling winds, sharp white blades of energy—Air Cutter—sliced through the horde of Bellsprout and Weepinbell.
The weaker ones collapsed immediately, while the sturdier ones fell after taking a few more hits. In an instant, the number of incoming attacks was cut in half.
Meanwhile, Growlithe stood his ground, unfazed by the enemy's ambush. Flames surged around his body as he charged straight toward Victreebel.
The remaining Vine Whips and Razor Leaf disintegrated before they could even touch him.
As he closed the gap to just under five meters, Growlithe unleashed a towering pillar of flames.
Seeing the incoming Flamethrower, the level 40 Victreebel hesitated, a trace of fear flashing in its eyes. It quickly ordered its Bellsprout and Weepinbell minions to shield it while attempting to escape.
Unfortunately for it, the weaker minions stood no chance. Though they desperately launched various Grass- and Poison-type moves to block the flames, they were all incinerated instantly.
The firestorm then engulfed the helpless Bellsprout and Weepinbell, knocking them out in an instant.
Victreebel had managed to avoid the initial blast thanks to its minions, but just as it turned to flee, Meowth leaped down from the trees above, surrounding it with several small orbs of flickering fire.
With a sly grin, Meowth unleashed a barrage of fiery projectiles—Hidden Power (Fire).
Though normally Hidden Power had a base power of 60, thanks to Meowth's Technician ability, its strength was boosted to 90.
Victreebel screeched in agony as the high-temperature flames struck its body.
Realizing it had no chance of escape, the enraged Victreebel decided to go down swinging. With a feral glint in its eyes, it opened its mouth and spewed a jet of corrosive Acid straight at Meowth.
However, Meowth had anticipated this desperate counterattack. Smirking, he conjured a translucent green barrier—Protect—completely nullifying the attack.
By then, Growlithe had already closed in. Without hesitation, he launched a devastating Flame Wheel enhanced by his Flame Charge technique.
With a loud crash, Growlithe slammed into Victreebel, sending it flying backward. Flames consumed its body, dealing massive damage as it let out a pitiful wail.
But before it could recover, Meowth capitalized on the opening, launching another round of Hidden Power (Fire) to finish it off.