"Sato, come have dinner at my house today," the old woman from next door knocked on the door and called out loudly.
Sato opened the door and saw the elderly neighbor, who had aged even more since he last saw her.
"No need, Grandma. I want to spend some time with my parents."
"You silly child, you can spend time with them after eating. I made dumplings today, so you must come! If you don't, I'll be upset. Back then, you disappeared without a word..."
As she spoke, tears started streaming down the old woman's face, making Sato feel completely at a loss. Dealing with this was more troublesome for him than facing another assassination attempt.
"I'll come, I'll come! I promise!"
"Alright then, you said it! Come over as soon as it gets dark. I'll go finish making the dumplings now!"
The old woman wiped her tears away and turned around briskly, walking off with a surprisingly light step.
Sato chuckled but felt a warm sensation in his heart.
Closing the door, he walked to the living room, where a framed photo of his parents was placed.
Having lived two lives, his memories of his parents were becoming blurry. Now, he could only stare at their picture and recall fragments of their past.
----
The company staff had started becoming restless. When Sato had disappeared, they had been able to divide up the company's profits as they pleased, but now that he had returned, things were different.
For the past few days, Gengar had been shadowing the company's top shareholders. It was only a matter of time before they made their move.
As night fell, Sato, not wanting the old woman to come and drag him over, earnestly paid his respects to his parents for the new year. Then, he picked up some of the gifts people had sent him over the past few days and headed to the old woman's house.
The old woman had children and grandchildren, and the household was filled with warmth and laughter.
Although she had said they would be making dumplings, it was actually her daughters and daughters-in-law who were busy preparing the New Year's Eve feast.
They all knew about Sato's past, and while they welcomed him warmly, they showed no pity. Just genuine kindness.
"Sato big brother, can I… see your Pokémon?"
A chubby little boy timidly ran up to him, clinging to his father's leg while looking at Sato with bright, expectant eyes.
"Don't be rude. When you grow up, I'll get you your own Pokémon, alright?"
"But… I want to see one now." The boy pouted, ignoring his father and instead looking at Sato with shining eyes.
"Alright, I'll let you see Eevee," Sato thought about his Pokémon. Aside from Cacnea and Eevee, all the others looked fierce and intimidating.
Cacnea was covered in spikes and could hurt the kids, so Eevee was the safest choice.
Sure enough, as soon as Eevee appeared, the four children in the room were instantly captivated and ran over to Sato.
"Big brother, can I pet it?"
"Be gentle. Eevee is a very important partner to me. When you have your own Pokémon in the future, you must treat them well too."
"Okay!" x4
The four little kids answered in unison, their adorable voices melting hearts.
At first, Eevee was furious that Sato had allowed strangers to pet it and wanted to give him a scratch or two.
But when she heard him say "important partner," she immediately calmed down, curling up contentedly in Sato's arms as the kids cautiously reached out to stroke her fur.
After finishing the dumplings, Sato bid farewell and left. Under the reluctant gazes of the little ones, he returned home.
This year, despite everything, still felt warm.
With the new year beginning, it was time to resolve unfinished matters.
----
Having Pokémon made everything much easier. After days of surveillance, Gengar's efforts finally bore fruit.
The two major shareholders who held the most company stock, aside from Sato himself, had secretly met after the New Year. Once Gengar reported back, Sato hurried over.
Their discussion revolved around how to use the company as a cover to withdraw the last remaining funds before vanishing completely.
In truth, the company that Yuga Katsuro had left behind was already an empty shell. Whether Sato had returned or not, it was only a matter of time before it collapsed.
But now that the legal owner had returned, they saw an opportunity to manipulate him and extract even more money.
"That brat sure is lucky. Even after such a huge fire, he didn't die. Now, he's become an Elite Trainer. Honestly, he should be thanking us!"
"Exactly! So let's make sure he helps us get even richer!"
"..."
Sato quietly left without confronting them. A vague recording of their conversation wasn't enough to convict them.
But since they had started making moves, there would be loopholes to exploit.
To ensure nothing was overlooked, Sato borrowed a Ghost-type Pokémon skilled in tracking from Wester. Alongside Gengar, they continued their surveillance without rest.
Once all the evidence was collected, and on the very day the two were about to flee with the stolen money, Sato called the police.
Everything fell into place.
Although Officer Jenny didn't entirely approve of using Pokémon for covert tracking, when faced with millions in corporate fraud, such concerns became irrelevant.
Sato also brought up his parents' deaths again. After multiple interrogations, the two executives finally confessed.
At the time, disputes over company profits had caused deep resentment toward Yuga Katsuro. In response, they had hired an underground organization in Cerulean City to eliminate him and his family.
Sato's unexpected escape had caught them off guard. When they tried to hire the underground group again, they were told the issue had been "perfectly handled."
However, what they didn't realize was that their definition of "perfectly handled" was not killing Sato but selling him off to the Ghost Ship Organization.
Sato's return had shocked them, but by then, the underground organization had already been dismantled by League enforcers.
Initially, they had feared that Sato would seek revenge. But seeing how he had ignored the company's affairs, their greed overcame their fear.
The timid starve, while the bold feast.
And then… they died.
Sato had interrupted his training at Johto's Joy Town and spent his time back home unraveling the mystery. After an entire week, he had finally identified his parents' killers.
Without any talent for business, nor trustworthy people to manage the company, Sato simply sold off the entire enterprise.
Then, he returned to Joy Town to resume his studies and training.
----
Time Skip – Approaching the Gym Challenge
Winter passed, spring arrived, and now the heat of early summer was creeping in.
For half a year, Sato had lived in Joy Town, attending classes and training.
And now, only one month remained before the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament.
At this moment, Sato sat at his desk, reviewing his notes.
A sleek, black-furred feline lay sprawled across the desk, occasionally scratching at his arm to distract him.
"Stop that, Umbreon."
"Umbre!"
Annoyed, Umbreon huffed and leaped down from the desk, trotting off to the courtyard to play with the others.
Outside, in the garden, a golden scarecrow-like figure stood motionless in the sunlight, basking in its warmth.
It was the newly evolved Shiny Cacturne...
END OF VOLUME 1