"Thank you, Miss Joy!"
"It's nothing, I have to get back to work now," Celadon City's Nurse Joy replied with a smile before turning away.
Sato quickly returned to his room, carrying a small box containing three Mega Stones.
By the time he entered the elevator, he could no longer suppress his excitement. Even through the box, he could feel the energy inside resonating with his Dark Energy!
Upon reaching his room, Sato eagerly opened the box, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the leftmost stone. It emitted a radiant, multicolored glow, with a small sequence of beads inside resembling a genetic code.
A Key Stone!
This wasn't a Mega Stone... this was the Key Stone used by the trainer!
Just as each Mega Stone was specific to a Pokémon, the Key Stone was tied to the trainer!
Sato didn't know how many Pokémon a single trainer could Mega Evolve, but he was certain that a Key Stone was an absolute necessity.
In that instant, he made up his mind: He would claim this Key Stone from the Joy family!
As for the other two stones, his Dark Energy showed no reaction to them whatsoever.
To be thorough, Sato temporarily transferred Gengar over to test the stones, but there was no response either.
Without hesitation, he contacted Joy Lilian again and sent back the two unidentified Mega Stones.
At the same time, he used the excuse that the Key Stone resonated with his special ability to keep it.
Lilian had no doubts whatsoever.
In fact, she was thrilled to inform Sato that her side was already mobilizing fully. It wouldn't be long before they received new Mega Stones.
After ending the call, Sato understood that this wasn't something he could rush. He was more than ten years ahead in discovering this opportunity; there was no way the results would come quickly.
Sato made up his mind. He would only reveal the truth once he had collected at least one usable Mega Stone for one of his partners, along with an additional Key Stone.
That way, he could keep a set for himself while allowing the Joy family to distribute extra Key Stones and Mega Stones to other trainers for experimentation.
---
In Celadon City, after making a quick supply stop and temporarily settling the matter of Mega Evolution, Sato continued his journey toward the Indigo Plateau with his Pokémon.
Heading west, his route would take him through the western outskirts of Celadon City into the wilderness, leading directly into Viridian Forest. From there, he planned to traverse the entire forest and emerge in Viridian City!
As the largest forest in the Kanto Region, Viridian Forest was home to a massive population of Bug-type Pokémon.
More importantly, out of the 151 species found in Kanto, over 120 could be encountered within the forest!
The sheer diversity of Pokémon made it a paradise for trainers looking to hone their skills.
Upon officially entering Viridian Forest, Sato recalled his visibly agitated Umbreon and instead released Houndoom.
With so many Bug Pokémon around, Umbreon wasn't happy!
On the other hand, Houndoom didn't mind at all. After all, dealing with bugs was just a matter of burning them away.
However, the sheer number of bugs could be annoying at times.
The Butterfree families weren't an issue. They were peaceful and wouldn't provoke unless disturbed.
But Beedrill? That was a different story. The moment someone trespassed on their territory, they would go berserk and chase relentlessly.
For a species that spent ten out of twelve months per year in their breeding season, Beedrill simply had no chill.
A small swarm of twenty? Houndoom eliminated them instantly with one well-aimed Flamethrower.
A medium swarm of fifty? It took five Flamethrowers to drive them away!
A large swarm of a hundred? Ten Flamethrowers and one Fire Blast were barely enough to push them back!
A super-swarm of three hundred?
…Why were there still so many?!
RUN!
Sato leaped onto Houndoom's back and bolted in the opposite direction, launching Flamethrowers behind him every few seconds.
---
After twenty exhausting minutes of fleeing, Sato and Houndoom finally lost the relentless Beedrill swarm and arrived at a small riverbank to rest.
And that was when Sato realized…
They were completely lost.
They got carried away.
Returning the way they came was impossible. Looking at the shadowy forest around them, it was clear they had ventured deep into Viridian Forest!
Seeing Houndoom, now fully rested and just waiting for his command to move out, Sato decided not to let it know about this little issue.
There was no choice but to continue in the general direction. As for how to get out, that was no longer something Sato could decide.
Due to the lack of sunlight reaching the ground, the deeper parts of Viridian Forest were noticeably darker and more humid.
However, at the same time, the number of Caterpie and Weedle had sharply decreased, while other Pokémon were becoming more frequent!
Just moments ago, Sato even spotted six or seven Scyther flying in a V-formation, swiftly gliding through the air.
A few rare Exeggutor leisurely walked past him in circles, yet each of their steps remained steady.
Scenes like these amazed Sato, but he wisely continued forward.
---
At night, the glow of the campfire flickered as the Pokémon gathered around, drinking warm soup.
Several wild Pokémon lurked in the shadows, eyes gleaming with hunger, but none dared to make a move under the oppressive aura of Sato's team.
Honestly, he was hoping they would try something. It would at least add some excitement to this dull journey.
Things weren't like before. Back when he was weaker, wild Pokémon would challenge him all the time.
But now, unless they were elite-level Pokémon traveling in packs, they wouldn't even dare to wander near him.
"Umbree~"
Having finished its meal, Umbreon lay lazily on the ground, resting its head on its crossed front paws. Its crimson eyes gazed at the wild Pokémon who were too afraid to approach, looking as if it was contemplating the loneliness of being too powerful.
It was clearly enjoying itself too much.
"Weavile!"
Suddenly, Weavile, who had been resting on a tree branch, jumped down and darted off without a word!
"Weavile, where are you going?"
"Weavile!"
Weavile stopped for a moment, glanced at Sato, then gestured for him to follow before dashing off again!
"Houndoom, Sharpedo, Umbreon. Let's go! Zoroark, Cacturne, you stay here!"
"Zoroark!"
Zoroark nodded, signaling Sato not to worry. Then, it unleashed its aura, keeping the lurking wild Pokémon in check.
Meanwhile, Sato was already riding on Sharpedo. When it came to sudden bursts of speed, Sharpedo was far superior to Houndoom!
As Houndoom sniffed around for Weavile's scent, Umbreon kept pace beside Sharpedo, eyes alert.
"Awooo!"
"Did you find something?!"
Before long, Sato and his Pokémon found Weavile, and beside it lay a blond-haired boy, no older than ten.
The boy's clothes were stained with fresh dirt, his face pale, and he was clearly unconscious!
"Weavile!"
Weavile hurriedly ran up to Sato, pointing anxiously at the boy.
"Don't worry, I'll help him!"
Sato was surprised that even the usually indifferent Weavile would make such a request.
What surprised him even more was that Houndoom, Umbreon, and Sharpedo had all gathered around the boy, each looking concerned.