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The next second, a crisp "Pa~" sound rang out.
Since Sato didn't move to catch it, the scroll landed on the sandy ground in front of him, scattering some grains of sand as it fell.
Seeing that Sato hadn't taken the scroll, Marlos' expression grew even more unsightly. He gritted his teeth but ultimately held back from remaining silent.
He already had enough trouble on his plate—if he were to offend this direct subordinate of Boss Giovanni's, he might not even make it out of the Rookie Competition in one piece.
Although Marlos was usually brash and headstrong, he wasn't stupid. While he preferred to solve problems with his fists, when it came to situations that couldn't be handled by brute force alone, he did know how to employ the art of compromise.
Right now, he was facing something fists alone couldn't solve.
Because he had sabotaged the relationship between Janine and Maya, Marlos was now being relentlessly hunted by the two—more accurately, it was a hunt led by Janine, with Maya as backup.
In truth, Marlos didn't fear Maya. What gave him a massive headache was Janine—the female ninja proficient in assassination and stealth techniques, who now tailed him like a shadow.
If he hadn't been extra cautious, and if Janine hadn't been wary of killing too openly, he would've been poisoned to death several times by now.
Marlos was like a startled bird at this point. He had finally realized just how terrifying it was to provoke a kunoichi like Janine.
Now, he constantly carried powerful antidotes on him and distrusted any outside food—unless it had been tested with a silver needle, he wouldn't dare touch it.
As one of the few "second-generation elites" in Team Rocket, Marlos knew much more about the Rookie Competition than Sato did. Even before Stage Two had officially begun, he had already received precise intel.
This next stage would be held on an uninhabited island somewhere within the Orange Islands.
(Note: The Orange Islands is the region where Ash once competed in the Orange League. Located in the southern part of the Kanto region, it's made up of many islands, most of which are uninhabited. Due to the sparse population and widely dispersed islands, the League has minimal presence in this area, making it a haven for pirates and smugglers.)
Of course, since Marlos knew this, Janine—an even more legitimate "second-generation elite" of Team Rocket—would definitely know as well.
And that's why Marlos knew that in the upcoming Rookie Competition, Janine would not pass up this chance to take him out within the bounds of the rules.
So, he had decided to find a capable ally to help eliminate this dangerous nuisance.
Currently, many powerful Rocket agents were gathered on Cinnabar Island, all awaiting the second stage of the Rookie Competition. Among them were direct disciples raised by the major faction leaders within Team Rocket.
As one of the few second-generation elites in Team Rocket, Marlos naturally knew many of these faction-trained elites.
However, whether it was because he'd gone too far this time, or because Janine was simply too formidable, or maybe just because his reputation among the younger generation was absolute trash—Marlos couldn't find a single person willing to help him, no matter how tempting an offer he made.
Marlos wasn't someone who would just sit around and wait to die. Left with no other choice, he remembered Sato—the guy he'd fought on the Team Rocket aircraft not long ago.
After his Electabuzz had actually lost to Sato's Arbok, Marlos had someone investigate Sato. At first, all he got was that Sato was a civilian Trainer with a clean record.
But Marlos wasn't blind—he had seen how Sato and Joe Kondo interacted on the plane, casually and closely.
And he knew who Joe Kondo was—one of Boss Giovanni's most trusted people. That alone told Marlos all he needed to know: anyone who could chat so intimately with Joe definitely had backing.
More importantly, Marlos simply couldn't believe that some no-name civilian Trainer could grow to such strength in just over a month—and even defeat him—unless, of course, the guy had used the terrain to his advantage like a coward.
Later, through his cousin Lt. Surge, Marlos managed to obtain an updated file on Sato. Just as he'd suspected—Sato was one of Boss Giovanni's direct subordinates.
However, it was also confirmed that Sato was of civilian origin. Marlos also knew that Giovanni had a preference for raising loyal civilian Trainers with clean records.
So, in Marlos' eyes, Sato was someone lucky enough to be handpicked and secretly nurtured by Boss Giovanni.
And when it came to civilian Trainers, Marlos had only two words to describe them: "poor" and "weak."
Of course, after having fought Sato himself, Marlos no longer believed he was weak. But he did still believe that Sato was poor.
With that in mind, and with nowhere else to turn, Marlos decided to take a chance with Sato—hoping that a generous enough reward would buy his help. And even if he couldn't get Sato's help, he figured he might at least drag him into the mess to split the heat.
As for the fact that he had previously acted rude and disrespectful toward Sato? In Marlos' mind, his offer was enough to make any small-time civilian forget a trivial slight.
To win Sato over, Marlos had brought something of real value—namely, the scroll he'd just tossed over. To Sato, that scroll was worth a fortune.
Why? Because the scroll was a map. A detailed map of the very island where Stage Two of the Rookie Competition would be held.
It was no exaggeration to say that any Rocket member participating in the second stage would increase their chances of success by at least 50% if they had this map.
This particular map had been obtained for Marlos by his cousin Lt. Surge at great cost. As for how it had been procured, Marlos only knew it came from Team Rocket's Poseidon faction.
While the Orange Islands had many islands, years of exploration by smugglers had exposed the locations of most of them—including the one selected for the Rookie Competition.
The Poseidon faction was one of the three most powerful groups within Team Rocket, controlling the organization's maritime trade and having close ties with various smugglers. For them, getting an island map like this was a piece of cake.
When his cousin handed over the map, he had done so with grave seriousness, and Marlos knew from his tone that the cost of acquiring this map had been enormous.
Sato, being Giovanni's man, wouldn't have access to this information—Marlos was certain of that.
Giovanni had a strict reputation within Team Rocket, and he had gone to great lengths to organize this Rookie Competition. There was no way he'd allow even a hint of cheating if he was aware of it.
And if he didn't allow others to cheat, then naturally, he wouldn't cheat either. That's why Marlos believed that Sato definitely didn't know about the map.
In fact, Marlos had initially considered using the map to win over other faction-raised elites, but he didn't trust them enough to show it.
And after facing rejection after rejection, he gave up on that idea altogether—he figured they'd probably prefer to see Janine kill him off. If he had shown the map, they might've just turned around and sold him out.
So why was he willing to show it to Sato now?
Simple—Marlos knew Sato didn't have the map. And he believed that Sato, as a civilian-born Trainer, wanted to rise through the ranks.
And if Sato wanted to rise up, he wouldn't be foolish enough to report this map to his superiors—doing so wouldn't be in his best interest.
Yes, Marlos was gambling. Gambling that Sato didn't know about the map, and also gambling on the fact that Sato wouldn't turn him in.
And when he saw the change in Sato's expression as he unrolled the scroll and took in its annotated contents, Marlos knew—his gamble had paid off. Sato hadn't known about the map.
"Are you sure this is real?"
Sato stared at the map, his expression shifting. After a deep breath, he looked seriously at Marlos and asked.
Seeing Sato's reaction, the darkness on Marlos' face instantly vanished. He smiled again and pulled out a green stone with a lightning bolt pattern etched into it.
"Of course. And if you agree to my terms, not only will you get this map, but you'll also get this little gem. It's a great item—your Pichu would definitely love it."
Marlos waved the stone in front of Sato, smiling as he spoke.