The investigation into the counterfeit items had more or less come to an end once it reached the West Family.
Although Sato knew there had to be others behind those parasites in the West Family, under the current circumstances, they would never expose any leads for Sato to seize again.
But after this incident, Sato had firmly remembered one person.
The Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge!
So, once matters in Goldenrod City had ended, Sato returned to Vermilion City with almost no hesitation.
It was still that same Private Gym. Lt. Surge, drenched in sweat, was still working out with grunts, trying to ease the frustration in his heart.
He had completely underestimated Sato, thinking he would foolishly go stir up trouble with the West Family.
Who would have thought that Sato would turn around and head to the Goldenrod Gym, then clap his hands and say he would stop investigating?
When a familiar friend or partner made a mistake of principle, turning on them would make people look down on you, but covering for them was no better a choice.
The most common and rational approach was to avoid suspicion.
Though Sato had rushed to Goldenrod City, from the moment he landed until he boarded another plane to leave, he had not stepped outside the Goldenrod Gym even once.
When it came to avoiding suspicion, Sato had done it almost flawlessly.
Of course, that did not include contacting West in advance through Master Yasumura's encrypted phone. No one else knew about that anyway.
Now that Sato had returned to Vermilion City again, seeming determined to butt heads with the place, Lt. Surge—who already had quite a record—fell into anxiety once more.
Yet just as Lt. Surge was distracted and unsettled, Sato made no moves at all for an entire