Before long, Gastly darted out, unusually excited, its entire body surging with Ghost-type energy.
Without disturbing Sato, who was still modifying the badge, Gastly immediately rushed over to Golbat and Weezing, making sure to "finish them off" again.
Ghost-type Pokémon were feared precisely because they could consume souls to grow stronger; but doing so had serious drawbacks.
Just like now, Gastly's eyes glowed blood-red, its energy surging violently, and even its gaze toward Sato and Zorua seemed somewhat hostile.
Gastly hesitated, struggling internally before finally floating over obediently.
And waiting for it was that same hand it had come to fear.
Dark Energy flooded into Gastly's body, eliminating the unstable energy and residual thoughts generated from absorbing souls.
Although Gastly had not directly absorbed them, the purification process was still agonizing.
After a brief moment, Sato released it and continued adjusting the Red-rank badge.
He needed to send a distress signal to lure the Green-rank assassin... but without alerting the entire camp.
The wording had to be precise.
Meanwhile, Gastly, having barely escaped Sato's grasp, cautiously examined itself. Then, realizing its significant power boost, it quickly became excited, circling Sato with joy.
Gastly discovered that after consuming four souls, its strength had greatly increased. And thanks to Sato's Dark Energy purification, the negative side effects were completely erased.
"You can continue using this method to grow stronger," Sato said, raising his right hand. "But every time, you have to come back to me afterward."
Gastly shuddered, recalling the terror of Sato's hand, and hesitated.
'Why couldn't power come without pain?'
If Fairy-types were closest to the essence of life, then Dark-types embodied pure destruction.
After sending the distress signal, Sato used Dark Energy to erase all battle traces, including the corpses.
Once the Red-rank assassin's badge was completely erased, Sato shouldered the more advanced spatial backpack and moved swiftly deeper into the forest.
A temporary clearing had been established at the forest's edge, where rows of military-green tents stood neatly arranged.
Inside a slightly larger tent, twenty Blue-rank assassins and forty Green-rank assassins sat in silence.
At the center of the group sat a gaunt man clad in black, a Silver-rank badge hanging from his waist.
The sudden vibration of an badge broke the silence.
A Green-rank assassin nervously grabbed his badge, checking the contents.
The Silver-rank assassin asked indifferently.
Even a slight glance from him made the Green-rank assassin even more nervous.
"S-sir... just a minor issue," he stammered. "Some Ordinary-level Pokémon appeared in the outer area... a recruit was caught off guard and died. The assigned Red-rank is requesting backup."
"HL Division," a Blue-rank commander answered, standing up to shield his subordinate, his expression calm and composed.
"So it's your group." The Silver-rank assassin waved dismissively. "Send someone to handle it quickly."
The Green-rank assassin nodded, grateful for the intervention of his superior.
Without hesitation, he left the tent and headed into the forest.
"Gastly, use Hypnosis!"
Now much stronger, Gastly's Hypnosis had become far more effective.
A group of Oddish and Gloom collapsed instantly, falling into deep sleep.
Sato checked the time on his badge, then adjusted his course slightly before continuing forward.
Thirty minutes later, the Green-rank assassin arrived on a large Pidgeot and discovered the message Sato had intentionally left behind on a lone tree.
"Damn it... They're all incompetent!"
His expression darkened.
HL Division had reported casualties first; this meant no rewards for him. And now, he had to clean up after that idiot Red-rank assassin.
A Misdreavus appeared, its voice softly comforting its Trainer. Then, sensing something, it floated toward a small patch of grass.
"Shadow Ball residue?"
The Green-rank assassin frowned.
Misdreavus floated happily, completely clueless about its Trainer's concern.
"This... is strange."
His eyes narrowed as he lifted his badge, considering whether to report this. But after hesitating, he put it away.
"Someone's playing tricks."
Confirming the trail, he mounted Pidgeot and took off in pursuit.
As Sato moved forward, he spotted various signs of rookie movement and some traces of more experienced assassins.
At this stage, all recruits had only learned basic disguise techniques, and the lowest-ranked Red-rank assassins weren't particularly skilled either.
For Sato, who had mastered advanced reconnaissance and disguise, these tracks were as clear as a roadmap.
Had someone observed from above, they would have seen Sato adjusting his course multiple times, weaving through groups undetected.
At one point, he passed within ten meters of another team but none of them noticed him.
"We're almost there."
Sato paused, glancing at Zorua and Gastly.
"Eat these and rest for a bit."
Throughout the journey, Sato had stimulated his body with Dark Energy to maintain peak performance.
Now, confirming their approach to the target location, he chose to stop and recover.
Zorua and Gastly were given high-energy Pokémon supplements, while Sato nibbled on a compressed ration bar.
He remained alert, circulating Dark Energy to relieve the strain on his body. After all, his body was still only ten years old.
Once fully rested, Sato left another marker, a symbol that only Red-rank assassins could recognize.
Then, leading his Pokémon, he vanished into a heavily concealed burrow.
"Gastly, scout ahead."
The tunnel was pitch black, an ideal battlefield for Gastly.
Zorua, naturally adept at moving in the dark, was unaffected.
Meanwhile, Sato equipped a high-grade night vision device, purchased for 20 points. The green-tinted display illuminated his surroundings, allowing him to navigate effortlessly.
Moving with familiarity, he pressed forward deeper into the tunnels.