Chapter 137: Changing Plans

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Soon, those who had picked up the coins gathered around again. This time, however, the butler's face turned cold. He took out a PokéBall and released the Pokémon inside.

The next second, as everyone saw the Pokémon emerging from the PokéBall, their expressions changed dramatically.

Those who had initially intended to approach now froze, quickly bowing their heads and backing away, terrified of catching the attention of this formidable creature.

The Pokémon before Sato was a Dragon-type, covered in orange scales with an adorable large head and small wings that seemed out of place on its massive body.

Yes, combining all these features, the Pokémon released by the butler was none other than the pseudo-legendary Pokemon of Kanto: Dragonite.

With its piercing, icy stare and the overwhelming aura it emanated, this Dragonite looked anything but cute.

Everyone who made eye contact with the fierce Dragon-type instantly felt as if they'd been struck by a hammer to the head, their minds pounding with fear to the point where many of them fainted on the spot.

"Oh man, who exactly is this Alice Sasaki? To have such a powerful protector by her side…why didn't he show up during the match? Wait, I remember now—wasn't James from the anime also a Sasaki? Could she really be from that super-rich family?"

Staring at the Dragonite in awe, Sato's eyes filled with apprehension as he glanced back at the black-haired girl who continued her furious "assault" on the slot machine.

It was evident that Alice's outburst likely stemmed from their earlier encounter. If she happened to recognize him, a word from her would be enough for the butler to deal with him effortlessly.

And Sato's sense of unease was well-founded. The butler's Dragonite, which he quickly analyzed with his system's detection ability, was indeed a formidable force.

Dragonite Information:

Pokémon: Dragonite

Level: 69

Type: Dragon/Flying

Ability: Inner Focus

Gender: Male

Known Moves: Wing Attack, Hurricane, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Roost, Bind, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister, Dragon Rage, Slam, Agility, Dragon Tail, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Safeguard, Dragon Dance, Dragon Breath (Egg Move), Dragon Pulse (Egg Move), Dragon Claw (TM), Hidden Power – Steel (TM), Ice Beam (TM), Blizzard (TM), Flamethrower (TM), Fire Blast (TM), Thunderbolt (TM), Thunder (TM), Hyper Beam (TM), Protect (TM)

Undoubtedly, any Dragonair that evolves into a Dragonite is no lightweight, and at level 69, with such an extensive list of moves, this Dragonite was clearly powerful.

Combined with the natural strength and combat abilities of a Dragon-type, this Dragonite had the strength of an Elite-level battler.

In short, with just this Dragonite, the butler could easily wipe the floor with Sato if he wanted.

Like the others around him, Sato quickly averted his gaze, focusing back on his slot machine. Whatever Alice Sasaki was up to was no concern of his. He had to concentrate on earning enough game coins.

The butler had no intention of causing trouble either. After intimidating those with ill intent, he swiftly returned the commanding Dragonite to its PokéBall and resumed his vigilant position behind Alice.

After seeing the crowd disperse, scared off by the butler's Dragonite, Alice's expression became even more smug. Yet, seeing that no one dared approach anymore, a hint of boredom flashed in her eyes.

After a bit more "aggressive interaction" with the slot machine, she seemed to tire and turned to say a few words to the butler before leaving the gaming hall with him.

Of course, before she left, Alice made sure to cash in her game coins.

The staff quickly presented the items she'd requested, and it was clear they'd received orders from above; despite knowing she lacked sufficient coins, they handed over her desired items without a word.

"Finally, she's gone. That was way too close for comfort," Sato muttered, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw Alice and the butler leave, his face tight with worry.

Though this was undoubtedly unlucky, it was also a narrow escape. Sato's unexpected encounter with Alice Sasaki revealed her vengeful nature and the presence of an elite protector at her side, giving him time to rethink his plans.

There was no question now—the luxury liner S. S. Anne was off-limits. Boarding that ship would almost guarantee another "coincidental meeting" with Alice, and he'd be courting disaster if that happened.

"Ditto saved me big time this round. Thankfully, I'm using a different face now and didn't head straight to the Pokémon Center; otherwise, they probably would've already found me," Sato thought, breaking into a cold sweat as he imagined a worse scenario.

In reality, Alice Sasaki wasn't as cruel as Sato imagined. Due to her pride, she hadn't told anyone about her humiliating encounter with him earlier and hadn't called on her family's influence to pursue him. Instead, she resolved to settle the score personally.

Leveraging her family's resources, Alice quickly secured a luxurious ticket aboard the S. S. Anne. But this came at a price—her plan for an unsupervised adventure was dashed when her family found her immediately.

The elderly butler was one of the few Elite Four-tier guardians in her family and her longtime personal protector, whom she fondly called Grandpa Pino.

After some persuasion, Alice managed to secure her family's approval for a one-month trip, though only with the condition that she be accompanied.

Her outburst on the slot machine stemmed entirely from her frustration over this restriction on her freedom.

"Sato, don't think you can hide forever! Unless you plan never to go to the Pokémon Center, I'll find you, and then I'll give you and your Pokémon a serious beatdown to make you respect me!" Alice thought, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she sat in the backseat of a luxury car, angrily punching the air.

To Alice, the day's events had marked the biggest humiliation of her life, one she vowed to erase with her own hands.

"It seems Alice was truly shaken up this time. That Sato kid… well, he can be left alone for now. Letting him become a training ground for Alice might do her some good," thought Grandpa Pino from the driver's seat, aware of Alice's earlier defeat thanks to the powerful intelligence network of the Sasaki family.

Though Alice hadn't mentioned anything, Pino had quickly gathered the details of her loss to Sato and reported his perspective to the family head, securing permission for Alice to avoid an immediate return home.

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