"Cheep-cheep-cheep!"
Sato sighed and picked up the baby Murkrow, then took out a high-calcium milk stick and held it up to its beak.
The baby Murkrow crunched it down with a few bites, then stared pitifully at Sato again. 'I want more! I want more!'
"Later. Too much will upset your digestion."
Sato patted the baby Murkrow gently and spoke with a serious tone.
"Cheep-cheep!"
The baby Murkrow chirped in protest, but still accepted the petting obediently, rubbing close with affection.
On the other side, the giant Murkrow stood dejectedly, holding a large bundle of carefully chosen Berries.
But the baby Murkrow had been eating Joseph's specially prepared nutritious and delicious food since birth. Naturally, it had no interest in wild fruit.
It had been three days since the baby Murkrow hatched. At a loss for what to do, Sato had decided to stay here for now to figure things out.
He didn't deny it… he really wanted to capture the baby Murkrow. With the Dark Energy he had infused into it, the hatchling's potential had now reached a terrifying near Champion level!
In fact, before it hatched, Sato had already raised its Dark-type potential to an unprecedented Champion level using Dark Energy.
But perhaps, no matter how carefully something is repaired, it would never be as perfect as it originally was. After hatching, its potential dropped just slightly.
And that slight difference… was the gap between Champion and near Champion.
Even so, this Murkrow was the most talented Pokémon Sato had encountered in either lifetime, and it shared a very special connection with him.
Over the past two days, Sato had also taken the time to reflect on why Dark Energy could directly enhance a Pokémon Egg's potential.
First of all, Dark Energy inherently had the ability to improve potential. The use of blood-infused feeding was proof of this. It just worked slowly, requiring long-term accumulation to be effective.
Also, it had been a matter of timing, environment, and people; the cracked shell, the combination of Dark Energy and Viridian Power, all were essential!
Humans with 'special abilities' were rare. As far as Sato knew, he was the only one with Dark Energy, and the only known people with Viridian Power were Joseph and Giovanni.
So truly, blessings and misfortunes had both played out dramatically in the baby Murkrow's fate.
Call it ambition, call it selfishness… Sato didn't want to miss this chance!
Over these two days, he also observed closely. The baby Murkrow was friendly with Joseph, but that affection was no different from how other Pokémon responded to a user of Viridian Power.
It also acknowledged the giant Murkrow… but compared to Sato, the bond was just a little bit weaker.
Had this been the Sato who just fled from the organization, he would have taken the baby Murkrow without hesitation, not caring how the giant Murkrow felt.
But now, having slowly become a more 'normal' Pokémon Trainer, Sato no longer acted recklessly.
His hostility had gradually faded. He now thought things through, in a complex, and exhaustive way.
This shift in mindset couldn't be labeled good or bad, but Sato didn't reject the change.
So the baby Murkrow's feelings? He would take them seriously.
While Sato was lost in thought, trying to come up with a solution that worked for everyone, the baby Murkrow had already started playing happily with its fellow chicks.
The fledglings chirped and tumbled over each other as they practiced running, flapping their wings, and even using basic moves.
"Have you made your decision?"
Joseph sat down beside Sato. Two days ago, Sato had already shared the full story of the baby Murkrow with him.
Anyone who encountered a Pokémon with Elite Four-level potential would be overwhelmed with excitement and do everything they could to obtain it.
Yes, Sato had not told Joseph the baby Murkrow's true potential was at near Champion level. Some things were better left untested.
"Let the baby Murkrow choose for itself. But before that, I'll capture it first."
As Sato spoke, he took out a Poké Ball and began walking directly toward the baby Murkrow.
Joseph blinked in confusion. He hadn't understood what Sato meant at all.
Sato's actions immediately triggered the giant Murkrow's vigilance… especially that shiny Poké Ball in his hand, which finally ignited the fury it had been suppressing for days!
"Krow!"
A powerful gust blew forth as the giant Murkrow flew between Sato and the baby Murkrow, eyes bloodshot as it glared at Sato, demanding to know what he was doing!
"I'm going to capture the baby Murkrow."
Sato narrowed his eyes. A dark aura rose to cover his body, shielding him from the rage-infused pressure of the giant Murkrow.
"You know very well… if I really wanted to take it, you wouldn't be able to stop me."
"Krow-krow!"
The giant Murkrow was both furious and anxious. It didn't want to admit that this human was right, but it couldn't deny that Sato could do exactly that.
"I'll take a step back."
"Krow?"
"I'll use an unbound Poké Ball to capture the baby Murkrow first, only to make sure no one else can capture it."
Sato looked into the now slightly more rational eyes of the giant Murkrow and continued calmly.
"Then I'll let the baby Murkrow choose. It can either stay with me, and I'll raise it to become stronger or… stay here with your flock, and once it's strong enough that even you can't defeat it, I'll come back for it and help it grow even further."
The giant Murkrow clearly hesitated.
These past two days, it had been constantly worrying that Sato would just take the baby Murkrow by force. Hearing him offer to compromise had stirred an unexpected sliver of hope.
Now Sato was leaving the decision to the baby Murkrow itself; but remembering how the baby had clung to Sato and ignored it… it felt incredibly unsure.
"Krow-krow!"
In the end, the giant Murkrow still didn't agree. Its eyes were filled with resolve. For its child, it was ready to fight with everything it had!
"Wait. Let's not fight just yet. Why don't we hear what the baby Murkrow thinks first? If it's not what you feared, then we can settle it afterward."
Sato spoke again, forcing the giant Murkrow to hesitate once more.
It knew it couldn't defeat Sato. Even if it fought to the death, it would only make the human work a little harder to take its child.
But… what if the baby Murkrow… really chose it? The thought surfaced quietly, and then refused to go away.
"Krow-krow! Krow!"
The giant Murkrow called out gently to the baby Murkrow, clearly asking it to choose.
The baby Murkrow, already frozen in place, looked blankly back and forth between Sato and the giant Murkrow.
It was too young to understand how to make such a painful decision. Why… why could it only choose one?
"Baby Murkrow, stay here and grow up happily. I'll come back for you later."
"Sato! You-"
"Krow!"