"Finally… I, Mark, have finally returned!"
Walking out of the forest and seeing the entrance to Shadownight Town in the distance, Mark was so overwhelmed he burst into tears.
Only Arceus knew how someone with his ridiculous luck could have such a fatal flaw: being absolutely terrible with directions.
It was bad enough that he couldn't navigate, but somehow he even managed to get others lost with him.
Fortunately, from then on, Sato and Joseph strictly forbade him from walking ahead of them. Every few steps, the map had to be double-checked.
After three days, the trio finally returned to Shadownight Town. Their journey through the Forest of Shadows had come to a perfect end.
Sato had captured the most gifted Pokémon he had ever encountered: a baby Murkrow.
Joseph gained Chansey's recognition and was even followed by it voluntarily.
And, of course, they picked up the legendary "Overlord of Talk", Mark: a truly bizarre adventurer.
After traveling with him for three days, Sato and Joseph had come to understand him a bit better.
Unbelievably, Mark only had one Pokémon, his ever-present Arbok, which acted more like a roaming husky than a venomous predator.
Huskies, after all, weren't Pokémon, but their legendary ability to destroy homes and their strong purebred status had still earned them a solid place in the "pet" world.
And yes, huskies were "smart"… in their own way. Sometimes they really could compensate for their owner's lack of intelligence.
Once back in Shadownight Town, the three naturally went their separate ways. Sato and Joseph returned to the Pokémon Center for a brief rest.
Mark, being a local, went home to see his mom and report the information he'd gathered.
That's when Sato and Joseph discovered he hadn't been bluffing; Mark's point score at the Shadownight Intelligence Shop really was extremely high!
And every report he submitted came with photo evidence. The credibility was top-notch.
Even if Trainers didn't end up capturing anything from his intel, most didn't file complaints. They just figured their luck was bad.
Mark was one of the rare few adventurers who had made a fortune solely from intelligence work. He was even treated as a VIP at the information shop.
But knowing the truth, Sato and Joseph could only shake their heads in resignation. This was divine-level luck. No one else could compare, and there was no point in trying.
People with outrageous luck usually fell short in other areas...
Like getting lost.
Like having only one Pokémon.
Like never knowing when, or if, they'd make it out of the Forest of Shadows…
As for why Mark, who had encountered so many rare Pokémon, still only had an Arbok...
Well, judging from the constipated expression on his face, Sato and Joseph wisely chose not to ask.
In their room, Joseph made a call to Lilian Joy, whom he hadn't contacted in a while, to ask about progress on Mega Evolution.
"Recently, we've succeeded with three new Pokémon: Alakazam, Kangaskhan, and Gengar..."
It was clear, from the way Lilian said this and looked toward Sato on the screen, that there was a hint of envy in her expression.
Sato's Houndoom had already achieved Mega Evolution. Now Gengar had been confirmed as well.
Noticing that Sato didn't look particularly excited, Lilian suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Congratulations to all of you. I'm sure plenty of people have been trying to get intel from you lately?"
"I should be congratulating you. But as for Gengar's Mega Stone, I still can't give it to you right now. Ever since the exposure of Mega Evolution, the League has tightened regulations on Mega Stones several times over."
Lilian spoke while observing Joseph's expression carefully through the screen. After a pause, she continued: "Even Aunt Haruka has to follow every single step of protocol to access a Mega Stone. You'll just have to wait a little longer, okay?"
"Mm, it's fine."
Sato nodded lightly, but a small jolt of unease hit his chest.
He still trusted that Matriarch Haruka would keep her promise. But the Joy family was a massive clan.
Though he had mentioned that his unique ability could accelerate their research…
Ever since Mega Evolution was revealed to the public, Sato hadn't received a single new Mega Stone.
At the end of the day, Haruka was still just a regional head. Behind a family with such deep foundations, there were bound to be many "old powerhouses" pulling the strings.
"By the way, how do you like the Joy in Shadownight Town? She's my cousin. Great with medicine."
Lilian suddenly asked. Maybe she also sensed the tension and decided to shift the topic.
"She's fine. I've got no complaints."
---
After a few more awkward lines, they both hung up.
The Joy family already had Gengar's Mega Stone, but hadn't given it to Sato right away. That delay had quietly opened a rift between them.
Haruka, whom he'd spent so much time with, likely wouldn't make such a shortsighted move. But the older, more senior members of the clan? That was another story¹.
After all, it wasn't like they were denying him the stone entirely. Just… delaying.
"Yeah… they're not refusing. Just delaying…"
Sato murmured to himself. He thought about reaching out to someone else, but in the end, chose not to call.
"I'll just wait a little longer..."
The next morning, Sato and Joseph packed up and left the Pokémon Center, planning to head for Goldenrod City, where they would fly out to the Hoenn Region.
But just as they stepped out the door, a familiar mop of messy hair came bouncing their way: Mark, grinning ear to ear, with his ever-bobbing Arbok beside him.
"Mark? What are you doing here?"
Joseph blinked. Clearly, Mark had cleaned up a bit. His signature chicken-nest hair was still there, but at least it didn't look like a bird had just flown out of it.
"I'm going adventuring with you guys! This time, I've packed tons of emergency rations! We'll make it back before we get lost!"
Mark proudly shook his backpack, not that anyone had asked.
"We're leaving. We're not heading into the Forest of Shadows anymore."
"What!"
Mark's eyes widened in disbelief, and his Arbok froze in the exact same stunned pose.
"Yeah, so we won't be traveling together this time."
Joseph tried to hold back a smile and put on a look of false regret.
"Then… where are you going?"
"Hoenn Region!"
"Hoenn? Where's that? Is it fun?"
"Not sure if it's fun, but it does have Pokémon you won't find around here."
"Really? Then I'm coming with you!"
"It's really far. You need a plane to get there."
Sato, who hadn't said much until now, finally chimed in.
"You can fly there?! I'm in! I'm in!"
"..."
"It's not just far. We'll be gone for about half a year. This isn't some casual Forest of Shadows run."
"Whoa! A half-year adventure? I'm in! I'm in!"
"..."
"You're a local. Aren't you going to tell your parents?"
"No need, no need! They trust my luck more than I do. They don't care where I go. I'm in! I'm in!"
"..."
Joseph gave up trying to reason with him and looked helplessly at Sato.
"Then let's go."
Sato thought for a second. He didn't really have a reason to say no… and who knew, maybe Mark would be useful somehow?²
"Yes! YES!"
Mark cheered loudly, lunging forward to hug both of them like a giant plush toy.
"Let's just bring him along as our mascot…"
"What was that, Sato?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
.
.
.
¹. Can't say didn't see it coming…
². For those getting salty about the new travel 'buddy'… chill, bruv! It's just a few chapters, don't get your Pokéballs in a twist!