Joseph heard Sato say that on his own initiative and couldn't help wanting to speak up and warn him. But something stopped him… his mouth opened slightly, yet no words came out[1]¹.
"Cheep…?"
The baby Murkrow's eyes instantly welled with tears. In its mind, Sato was abandoning it!
"You're the one I hatched with my own hands. How could I abandon you? Do you know what this is?"
Ignoring the stunned giant Murkrow, Sato walked directly over to the baby Murkrow and gently picked it up. As he spoke, he held the Poké Ball in front of it.
"Cheep… cheep?"
The baby Murkrow sniffled, curiously staring at the Poké Ball.
Sato chuckled inwardly. 'Kids sure are easy to distract.' Then, seriously, he added: "This is something that forms a bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon. With this, our connection will never be broken."
The baby Murkrow's eyes lit up. It didn't understand what "bond" meant, but it knew one thing… it wanted to stay with Sato forever!
And just as both Sato and the giant Murkrow were still processing what was happening. The baby Murkrow tapped its beak to the Poké Ball!
In an instant, the baby Murkrow turned into red light and was absorbed into the Poké Ball. The ball shook slightly, then stilled.
Sato smiled as he ran his hand over the newly claimed Poké Ball. Before the giant Murkrow could explode again, he immediately released the baby Murkrow.
"Cheep-cheep!"
The baby Murkrow curiously nudged the Poké Ball with its head, seemingly puzzled as to how such a thing could store it inside. But thankfully, it didn't seem to mind.
Seeing that its child was safe and sound, the giant Murkrow relaxed slightly; but couldn't help but feel a bit defeated. At this point, it could only hope that this human would keep his word.
Sato placed the Murkrow back on the ground and didn't mention leaving again.
Some things couldn't be rushed. Everything that needed to be done had been done; now he just had to wait and let things unfold.
"Krow~"
The giant Murkrow let out a complicated cry toward Sato. Though some distrust still lingered in its eyes, there was also a trace of something else… gratitude. It hadn't even realized was forming.
Sato felt somewhat relieved. Everything he'd done was for this: easing the Murkrow's hostility.
Leaving the baby Murkrow in the wild to grow freely had been a carefully thought-out decision.
Considering it's feelings, Sato didn't want to stand in front of it, defeat the giant Murkrow, and take it away by force.
Besides, the giant Murkrow had made it clear with its every action: it was stubborn, to the point of recklessness.
Soft or hard methods wouldn't work. Sato had to find another way.
And that's when another possibility had occurred to him: Totem Pokémon.
With the baby Murkrow's exceptional potential, and a Totem mother, maybe it could one day inherit the mantle and become a Totem Pokémon itself.
And if that happened, wouldn't that mean Sato had directly cultivated a future Totem Pokémon?
What's more, Sato would eventually return to Shadownight Town to become a Gym Leader. If he had a Totem Pokémon ruling the Forest of Shadows... and if the Murkrow grew stronger…
Strong enough to rule the forest? Based on its potential, the baby Murkrow could do it.
Sato was playing a long game.
Thinking this far ahead, he figured it was best to act easygoing now to win the giant Murkrow's favor.
If the baby Murkrow had been forced to choose to live in the forest, the giant Murkrow would have felt no gratitude toward Sato at all.
In fact, it might have used the child's upbringing to slander humans, slander Trainers, and slander Sato himself at every turn.
And when the day came for Sato to return and retrieve the Murkrow, he would've faced nothing but violent resistance. Even if he did take it with a Poké Ball, it wouldn't listen to him.
'Bringing life into the world isn't as meaningful as raising it,' he thought.
Huh? That sounded kind of weird… but more or less got the point across.
So, while the giant Murkrow was a rare Totem Pokémon among Pokémon, and intellectually among the top, it still couldn't outmaneuver the sly Sato.
Now, after Sato pulled off this deviously subtle move, the giant Murkrow even felt a faint sense of gratitude toward him. For a Pokémon whose emotions were so direct, this at least guaranteed it wouldn't badmouth Sato.
That was enough.
---
After that, Sato and Joseph stayed another week with the Murkrow flock.
During that week, Sato led the baby Murkrow around, stirring up trouble and seeking opponents, helping it get its first real taste of the joy of growing stronger.
Then, Sato openly trained the baby Murkrow right in front of the entire flock.
With Joseph's help -well… manipulation- they even convinced the other Murkrow to join the training.
As the whole flock began to feel noticeable improvement in their strength, their attitude toward Sato significantly improved!
And that wasn't all.
Sato made a trip back to Shadownight Town, where he ordered a large supply of wood and had sturdy, wind- and moisture-resistant wooden nests made to help the Murkrow rebuild their home.
Through it all, Joseph silently supported Sato… but couldn't help muttering under his breath: "How scheming this kid² is."
One week later, Sato and Joseph bid farewell to the warmly grateful Murkrow flock. The baby Murkrow, having grown at an astonishing rate, was now practically indistinguishable from a regular Murkrow.
This secretly delighted Sato. Its increasing size was already a certainty, but whether it could become a Totem Pokémon would be up to itself.
Over the week, Sato had also made sure the baby Murkrow knew he hadn't abandoned it. Once it became strong enough, he'd return to bring it home.
Or maybe… he wouldn't even need to leave.
The Forest of Shadows bordered directly with Shadownight Town. Maybe he really would just stay.
After parting with the baby Murkrow, Sato and Joseph didn't leave the forest but instead headed deeper in from a different direction.
Sato had received valuable intel from the report about the Murkrow flock, so naturally, Joseph, who had also bought a few reports, held high expectations too.
All of Joseph's reports pointed to a single Pokémon: Chansey.
Chansey appearing in the Forest of Shadows? The information sounded dubious at best.
Joseph had only bought it for fun at first… but with such a shining example beside him, he couldn't help but take it seriously. The two of them decided to give it a proper try.
Joseph had been instrumental in helping Sato with the baby Murkrow. Now that it was his turn, Sato would help too.
They spent the entire day walking, and by evening, they arrived at a patch of barren land with sparse vegetation; quite rare in the eerie Forest of Shadows.
But after a full day and night of searching, they had only seen common Pokémon like Sandslash and Rhydon, not even a glimpse of Chansey.
"Let's try the next area tomorrow. No rush," Sato said casually while enjoying the delicious dinner Joseph had made.
"Yeah. Capturing Pokémon depends on fate. I won't force it."
Joseph nodded calmly. But there was something in his tone that made Sato feel vaguely uneasy.
"Right… no pressure."
After all, he'd already captured the Murkrow he wanted most. Everything else? No pressure. No pressure at all.
Sato smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
"Heh~"
.
.
.
¹. Em notes: He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out. He's chokin' how everybody's jokin' now… fug!
². The bro talking like he's not ten (or eleven? I forgot!)
[1] He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin' how everybody's jokin' now… fug!