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"Tyler, you're here. My apologies for disturbing you so late at night—come, over this way."
Turning around, Reggie looked at Sato, who stood before him with respectful deference, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. He nodded, then spoke kindly to Sato.
What Reggie appreciated most about "Tyler" was his sense of reverence.
From the very first day they had met, Sato's attitude toward him had never changed. Even though Reggie often treated him warmly, Sato always addressed him with honorifics, never daring to overstep.
In this day and age, young people who understood reverence were few and far between.
Moreover, through the matter of retrieving treasures from the vault, Reggie had learned that Sato was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat, what to take and what to leave. What should be claimed, he would claim; what shouldn't, he would never touch.
Lastly, Sato was never arrogant nor rash—he steadily improved his Pokémon's strength, yet at critical moments, he was never lacking in the courage to stake everything in battle.
It was only after weighing all these qualities that Reggie had decided to entrust this mission—sneaking into Team Aqua's base to rescue Todd—to Sato.
Still, Sato had too many good points, and he was perhaps excessively rational.
Reggie knew that as long as this young man did not die prematurely, his future achievements would be limitless. Even without Reggie's guidance, Sato was highly likely to surpass his own peak strength one day.
Because of this, Reggie was not entirely confident about entrusting such a dangerous infiltration mission to him.
But it had to be tried. If it didn't work, he would be forced to spend heavily to hire bounty hunters to take the risk instead.
Once Sato came to his side, Reggie slowly began explaining why he had summoned him so late. At the same time, he revealed information he had obtained through his connections—about the League's imminent strike on Team Aqua's base, as well as intelligence regarding the stolen treasure.
"Captain, my abilities are limited. I'm afraid I can't help you with this. You know I'm not a professional infiltrator, and disguises aren't my strong suit. If I went, I might not come back alive."
Suppressing the shock in his heart after hearing Reggie's words, Sato feigned helplessness as he replied.
Truthfully, the mission Reggie wanted him to carry out was indeed very difficult—for the real Tyler, and for most ordinary Trainers. But for Sato, this infiltration was not especially hard.
The reason was simple: in terms of acting and disguise, Sato was more than competent. After all, he had been flawlessly playing the role of "Tyler" all along. On top of that, he was a Psychic with the ability to teleport. To him, rescuing someone from Team Aqua's base would be almost too easy.
Unfortunately, he had to keep playing the part of Tyler faithfully. Acting skills, disguise ability, teleportation—these were not things "Tyler" should possess. If Sato didn't want to expose himself, he couldn't reveal them.
"Ah… I know this is forcing you into a corner. You're right—missions like this should be handled by professionals. If you went, it would be far too dangerous."
Though Reggie had mentally prepared himself for refusal, hearing Sato reject without hesitation still pained him, and he sighed heavily.
"Captain, while I can't help you myself, I've recently come to know a very powerful Psychic. Perhaps he could help you."
"However, his personality is… eccentric, and he's greedy by nature. To secure his help, he must take a liking to the matter, and the price will be enormous."
Seeing Reggie's disappointment, Sato smiled faintly inside. Outwardly, however, he put on a conflicted expression, speaking with hesitant uncertainty.
The moment he had heard from Reggie that the League was about to launch a strike against Team Aqua and that a stolen treasure was involved, Sato had already decided he would intervene.
Though he could not yet be certain, from Reggie's hints Sato judged that the stolen item from the Oceanic Research Institute was most likely connected to Kyogre.
He knew Team Aqua better than most. Their ultimate goal was to control Kyogre and thereby expand the seas—a "grand ideal" that Sato thought was rather foolish.
But in truth, only this explanation could account for how Team Aqua was able to control wild Water-type Pokémon of the ocean. In this world, only Kyogre, the sovereign of the seas, had the authority to command ordinary wild Water-types.
Now, upon learning of the League's imminent strike, Sato knew his chance to fish in troubled waters had come. With luck, he might be able to seize this treasure connected to Kyogre from Team Aqua's base.
As for Todd's rescue, that was merely incidental. Sato's true target was the item linked to Kyogre.
Of course, Reggie also had something tempting to offer—such as a feather from Lugia. If Reggie were willing to pay such a price, Sato would gladly lend his strength.
But Sato also knew that it could not be "Tyler" who intervened in this League operation and rescue mission.
In most people's eyes, Tyler was still just a rookie. How could he possibly accomplish such a perilous task? If he succeeded, many would inevitably suspect the authenticity of his identity.
After all, Tyler's record was far too spotless. To suddenly show the ability to complete a mission requiring professionals would be more suspicious than anything else.
However, while Tyler could not take on Reggie's mission, Sato—as a mysterious Psychic—could do so without issue. All that remained was a proper introduction.
"Is that true? Tyler, you know a Psychic? Quickly—introduce me! As long as he can help me rescue Todd, whatever I possess, I'll give him!"
Reggie, until now sunk in disappointment from his lack of available options, brightened immediately. The moment Sato mentioned a mysterious Psychic, his spirits surged, and he pressed Sato urgently for details.
Of course Reggie knew about Psychics—special humans whose abilities were almost miraculous. If one with teleportation were to help him, all of his current problems could be solved at once.
In fact, when he had first planned Todd's rescue, Reggie had already thought of seeking a Psychic's aid. But such people were exceedingly rare and elusive, and he had no way to find one.
Now, hearing Sato claim to know a powerful Psychic, Reggie could not help but feel overjoyed.