Pokémon: Above the Top

"The owner of Villa No. 8 in Azure Heights District, Yuga Katsuro, has been confirmed deceased. After verification, all assets under his name will now be inherited by his son, Yuga Sato."

A very formal Officer Jenny from Cerulean City held a stack of documents as she addressed Sato.

"Here are the property deeds under your parents' names, details of their frozen bank accounts, unprocessed company shares, investment portfolios, and insurance claims. Everything is now transferred to you. If everything checks out, just sign here."

"Alright, thank you."

After nearly a year, Sato had finally returned to Cerulean City without hiding, contacted the local police department, and reclaimed all the assets left behind by his parents.

As a relatively successful businessman, Sato's father, Yuga Katsuro, had accumulated a substantial amount of wealth. In addition to a villa, he also owned four commercial storefronts.

These storefronts had remained rented out, and Sato now had copies of the lease agreements in hand. However, upon reviewing the recent rent payments, it was clear that these tenants had been squatting for a long time.

His parents' bank accounts contained roughly several hundred thousand Pokédollars in liquid cash. The rest had either been invested into their company or tied up in financial products.

Additionally, due to the accidental deaths of his parents, the insurance payout awarded Sato a compensation of around two million Pokédollars.

However, aside from the bank deposits he could immediately access, Sato would need to personally recover each asset one by one.

Recovering financial investments was the easiest task. With clear, legally binding contracts and his father's reputable investment firm, a quick phone call was enough to initiate the transfers.

Meanwhile, Villa No. 8 had burned down. To maintain the overall aesthetic of the residential district, the original real estate company had reconstructed the house at their own expense.

Upon his return, the real estate company immediately approached Sato, demanding that he pay for the reconstruction.

Sato didn't bother arguing. Instead, he used his connections with the Joy family to find a reliable lawyer to determine whether he was obligated to pay, and if so, how much.

Then came the storefront tenants. Sato called all of them.

Only one responded positively, an owner of a clothing franchise who had a good relationship with Sato's father. Since rent wasn't a major concern for them, they readily agreed to settle the back payments.

The other three?

One questioned Sato's identity, another outright ignored him, and the last one threatened him, warning him to watch his back.

Hanging up, Sato dug into their backgrounds.

A restaurant, a supermarket, and an arcade.

He then compared their rental payment history and found no major irregularities in how their rent had been increasing over time.

After some thought, Sato decided to personally visit each business.

He wasn't just here to reclaim his inheritance.

---

Arriving at the restaurant, Sato blended in as an ordinary customer. It was lunchtime, and business was booming; proof that they could absolutely afford to pay rent.

After finishing a surprisingly decent meal, he calmly entered the kitchen and approached the owner.

When Sato produced the lease contract, the fat, greasy owner was momentarily stunned. However, his shifty eyes quickly revealed that he intended to weasel his way out of paying, after all, Sato was just an eleven-year-old kid.

A classic street rat mentality.

Sato shook his head. This guy was no murderer. His thriving business meant he had no motive to kill over rent money.

"Ariados, Poison Sting."

Sato didn't waste words. He simply released Ariados.

A barrage of Poison Stings pierced through the iron cooking pots, melting them into bubbling craters of toxic residue!

"Transfer the full rent to the original account by tomorrow." Sato's tone was casual as he walked away with Ariados.

Behind him, the fat owner collapsed to the floor, trembling as he stared at the corroded cookware.

A Trainer and an ordinary civilian were simply not on the same level.

This wasn't extortion, Sato was legally collecting rent and hadn't harmed anyone. This didn't violate any Pokémon League laws.

The supermarket owner reacted similarly. After a brief resistance, Sato bluntly demanded the rent, then moved on to his final stop: the arcade.

Arcade owners usually had some shady connections.

They weren't afraid of Sato, in fact, they mocked him outright, claiming that even his father had been forced to grovel in the past.

They flatly refused to pay, telling Sato he could dream on.

Sato didn't argue.

He simply released Ariados, and within seconds, every manager and employee in the arcade's back office had been tied up in webs, including the boss himself!

Then, the "connections" arrived.

A sharp-dressed man in a tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses stepped in, representing the arcade's so-called background.

However, he didn't come empty-handed.

He brought the outstanding rent payment... doubled!

Clearly, this man had done his research and discovered Sato's true backing.

He knew better than to make an enemy here.

Sato carefully observed everyone's reactions but saw no unusual expressions, nor did he sense any of the same eerie emotions he had felt back in his parents' villa.

However… Just in case, Sato secretly had Gengar tail the sharp-dressed man.

Rather than heading straight to his father's company, Sato returned to the Pokémon Center.

----

The next morning, Gengar reported nothing suspicious.

That meant only one target remained: his father's company.

Sato had already collected his inheritance from the police station and forced the shopkeepers to pay their rent, yet not a single representative from the company had reached out to him.

Fine. If they won't come to me, I'll go to them.

His father's company specialized in producing official Pokémon tournament merchandise; an industry that seemed insignificant but was actually incredibly lucrative.

Could this have been a corporate assassination?

Sato wasn't sure. But one thing was certain... He didn't want to rely on the Joy family's influence for this.

He wanted to find his family's murderer with his own hands.

When Sato arrived, the entire company was caught off guard. They had already heard rumors. The chairman's son had returned!

And not just that. He was a powerful Trainer, not someone they could deceive.

---

Seated at the head of the conference room, Sato casually observed the uncleared ashtrays and unfinished cups, evidence that they had been holding emergency meetings before his arrival.

Following his father's death, the company's profits had been quietly redistributed among the board members.

Now, Sato only needed to focus on one thing—Who had benefited the most?

Whoever gained the most had the strongest motive.

The room was filled with anxious, wary executives.

But to their surprise, Sato didn't review the financial statements. He simply demanded his rightful share and left the company untouched.

As he exited, the board enthusiastically bid him farewell, secretly mocking him as an ignorant brat.

"Mock me. Stretch your filthy hands out as far as you dare."

Sitting in a luxury car temporarily loaned to him by a board member, Sato gazed at the snow-covered streets of Cerulean City, his heart growing colder.

Another year had come to an end.

New Year was approaching…