"Look, look! Mareep and Flaaffy… and there's an Ampharos too!"
...
"Over there! Is that a Wobbuffet? It looks so cheerful!"
...
"Wow, is that a Natu? It's so tiny… but it flies so fast!"
On the road from Shadownight Town to Goldenrod City, Mark was like a bird let out of its cage, chattering non-stop.
Every time he spotted a Pokémon that was rare in the Forest of Shadows, he couldn't help shouting about it.
But Sato and Joseph both quickly realized something surprising. The odds of encountering rare Pokémon on this road were… abnormally high!
Wobbuffet, Natu… these were Pokémon that many Trainers wouldn't even see after traveling the entire Johto region.
And yet, within just one morning of travel, they had seen all of them.
And not just those!
If they had been the type of Trainers who liked catching everything in sight, they'd be passed out from exhaustion by now.
Luckily, Sato had high standards for who he captured, and Joseph followed the philosophy of "let fate decide." Even when wild Pokémon came up to him, he didn't always take action.
As for Mark, though he shouted at every encounter, he never actually made a move to capture anything. This only made Sato and Joseph more curious about him¹.[1]
"An Eevee! That's an Eevee!"
At that moment, another rare Pokémon appeared! One of the most beloved ones: Eevee!
"If you like it, why don't you catch it?"
Sato suddenly spoke up. Mark froze, then turned away and ignored the Eevee entirely.
"..."
From that point on, Mark clearly quieted down. Whether it was because of what Sato said, neither Sato nor Joseph could be sure, but Mark looked visibly deflated.
At first, when they learned Mark only had an Arbok, they'd just assumed he wasn't strong enough for battles.
But now... it seemed like there was more to the story.
It made sense. While the Pokémon in the Forest of Shadows weren't as strong as those in Mt. Silver, the average strength was still quite high.
For Mark to survive alone in there with just an Arbok, even while constantly getting lost, meant he couldn't be weak… not completely.
Still, the time they'd known Mark was short, and it didn't feel right to pry. If he wanted to talk about it, he would.
Just because Mark didn't want to catch anything didn't mean Sato wasn't interested.
Although the days of catching Pokémon for money as a side-job were long behind him, Pokémon like Ampharos -final evolution forms- were rare in the wild.
They were perfect for battle and training!
There was one difference, however. When Sato was traveling alone, he'd simply defeat the wild Pokémon and move on.
Now, with Joseph around, every fallen Pokémon was treated and healed afterward, thanks to Chansey and his other Pokémon.
According to Joseph, this was also a form of training.
So the group naturally fell into a system: Mark attracted the Pokémon, Sato took them down, and Joseph healed them… and smoothed over any lingering hostility.
A perfect one-stop system!
Sato nodded to himself. Mark really was a lucky charm.
...
Meanwhile, deep in an underground base, several Team Rocket members moved briskly through the halls. It had been just over six months since the "Rocket Purge", but they had already rebuilt a new base.
"Reporting to the Commander: Sato's group has departed. Preliminary destination: Goldenrod City. We've identified three ideal locations for an ambush. Please advise!"
A Rocket member in a white uniform gave his report seriously. In front of him stood a voluptuous blonde with bright blue eyes… an absolute stunner!
"Watch your tone. We're inviting them, not ambushing. Got it?"
"Yes! I mean… Commander, where should we… invite the targets?"
"As soon as possible. It's been too long since my last vacation. Once this job is done, I want sunshine, beaches, and hot guys."
The blonde waved her hand in delight, her face full of anticipation, and swayed as she walked away.
Behind her, the white-uniformed Rocket member kept a perfectly straight face until she was gone; only then did he exhale sharply like he'd been holding his breath the whole time.
She was gorgeous, sure… but she was a deadly rose. Aside from the Boss and maybe the "Vice Leader", even the other two Team Rocket Admins avoided dealing with her.
----
As for the mascot… he was, overall, still pretty cheerful. Once the subject of catching Pokémon was dropped, his mood bounced back quickly like sunshine after rain.
The distance between Shadownight Town and Goldenrod City wasn't too far, but the terrain was difficult.
Rather than taking the longer route, the trio decided to go straight, cutting directly across the map. But as it often goes, taking the direct route doesn't always mean it's the fastest… or the easiest.
After two days, the group arrived at a canyon fault. From a distance, it looked like there was only a narrow slit in the center through which they could pass.
"Maybe we should go around?"
Mark paused when he saw Joseph and Sato walking straight toward the crevice without hesitation.
"Hmm? Is there something wrong with this canyon crack?"
Sato's expression sharpened. He turned to Mark seriously.
"Uh? N–Not really, I guess. I just… don't feel like going that way."
Mark scratched his wild hair. Faced with Sato's seriousness, he suddenly felt embarrassed.
"Gengar, scout ahead!"
"Gen~"
Gengar emerged silently from Sato's shadow, its glowing golden eyes as striking as ever.
Mark flinched in surprise. But once he realized it was a Gengar, he looked at Sato with newfound admiration.
Gengar vanished quickly, and the group didn't stop. Still heading toward the canyon crack, but now at a slower pace.
One minute passed… then two… almost ten minutes, and Gengar hadn't returned.
Sato's brows furrowed tightly. If something really was wrong with this narrow passage, and they got blocked in from both sides, escape would be impossible.
Suddenly, Sato's head jerked down… Gengar emerged from his shadow, panting heavily. It gave a soft cry and then collapsed!
"Gengar!"
Sato's heart dropped. He knelt immediately to examine Gengar, only to see a severe slash wound across its belly. Despite its gaseous body, the wound couldn't close!
"I've got this!"
No need for Sato to speak. Joseph was already at his side, right hand glowing with Viridian Power.
A sharp hissing sound rose from Gengar's injury, but thankfully, within moments, the wound began to close.
Clearly, something had been lingering on the wound. Something Gengar itself couldn't remove.
Sato stood back up, his eyes scanning the surroundings. A flash of blue light signaled him to release Houndoom -his most vigilant partner- as a precaution.
Mark and Arbok were equally alert, and when serious, Arbok's Mid Elite strength was no joke.
"It's okay now, but Gengar needs to rest."
Joseph's voice brought a wave of relief to Sato's tense mind.
Honestly, with Joseph's power, as long as a Pokémon wasn't instantly killed, death was extremely unlikely.
With the worry eased, what remained… was pure fury.
Ever since becoming a Trainer in this life, this was the first time Gengar had been injured so severely.
.
.
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¹. MF is Mew????
[1] Mf is Mew????