Affectionate Horseplay

"Brother Mo, look! This is my Starter Pokemon, Hoppip!" Zhuzhen hugged the adorably clueless-looking Hoppip, bursting with excitement.

"Did you catch it yourself?" Sato ignored little Zhuzhen's overly familiar way of addressing him. Calling him Uncle would have been more appropriate.

"No, Grandpa Yamada gave it to me!"

Sato nodded. Since Grandpa Yamada's Jumpluff was a Grass-type Pokemon, it had a relatively long lifespan. Still, having offspring at such an advanced age... wasn't easy.

"Have you caught it?"

"Mm!" Zhuzhen obediently took out the Poké Ball, gripping it tightly.

"Return Hoppip to its Poké Ball. I'll take a look at its abilities."

Sato placed the Poké Ball containing Hoppip onto the Talent Analysis Machine, and a series of detailed data quickly appeared.

Pokemon: Hoppip
Gender: Male
Strength: Ordinary Beginner
Potential: Elite (Grass) + Elite (Flying) Ability: Chlorophyll
Skills: Splash, Synthesis, Confusion (Inherited)

"Not bad talent. It suits you well right now." Sato did not clearly explain Hoppip's talent level. Saying too much would only create a psychological gap for little Zhuzhen.

Still, Hoppip really was a Pokemon well suited for commoner trainers. It had three evolutionary stages, was easy to raise, common and easy to catch, and had a gentle temperament.

"Really? That's great! Grandpa Yamada didn't lie to me. He said this Hoppip was very strong!"

Well, it was the descendant of a Jumpluff that was several decades old, and it had even inherited Confusion. The truly impressive one was its father.

All told, Sato stayed in Spirit Fruit Town for half a month. Little Zhuzhen also began trying to train Hoppip using Sato's methods, though he was still rather confused about them.

"Although Hoppip inherited Confusion, the Hoppip family has never been good at attacking." Sato did not finish his sentence. Some things could only be understood through personal experience.

"Mm..." Little Zhuzhen obediently had Hoppip stop training the power of its Confusion and began thinking seriously.

He could sense a little from Sato's training that Sato was strong—very strong. That black Pokemon called Zoroark was even more powerful than the rampaging Nidoking.

So, Sato's willingness to guide him made little Zhuzhen both happy and nervous. As long as he could solve the problem Sato had raised this time, there would be another opportunity for guidance. But if he failed, perhaps he would have to figure things out on his own from then on.

Little Zhuzhen was still young and did not have such strong utilitarian desires. Yet his sensitive and sincere heart allowed him to make the most correct choices through instinct.

"Hoppip, we won't use Confusion to lift rocks anymore. Let's practice our activation speed!"

After thinking for several minutes, little Zhuzhen spoke seriously, though with a hint of hesitation. As he spoke, he kept glancing at Sato, not hiding his little intentions at all.

"Mm." Sato nodded. Little Zhuzhen was quick-witted and willing to think, making him easy to teach. Sato even felt a trace of accomplishment that he had not noticed.

A week later, Sato's right hand was basically fine. As long as he did not engage in intense exercise, there would be no issue. After removing the splint and packing his backpack, Sato headed out of town under Takenō and Yamada's reluctant gazes.

Although it had initially been because of Sato's generous lodging fee, later on, Sato truly felt the concern the two elderly people had for him.

"Brother Mo!"

Sato paused. In all of Spirit Fruit Town, only little Zhuzhen called him that. Without turning back, Sato raised his right hand and gave a light wave.

Unfortunately, little Zhuzhen gave him no chance to look cool. Looking pitiful, he stopped Sato, while behind him, a middle-aged couple dressed as fruit farmers came running over, panting heavily.

"I heard from my little Zhen about it. Thank you very much for teaching him about being a trainer. When he heard you were leaving, he insisted on coming to see you off." It was clear that little Zhen's father was not very good with words, but he still thanked Sato earnestly.

"Brother Mo, are you leaving so soon?" Little Zhuzhen's eyes brimmed with tears. During this period of time, every day had been fulfilling and happy. When he had not seen Sato at their usual place early that morning, panic had immediately risen in his heart.

"I'm a trainer. I won't stay in one place for too long." Sato nodded to little Zhuzhen's parents before continuing.

"Sato, our family doesn't have anything good. Please take this. Consider it a small token of gratitude for looking after little Zhuzhen." Zhuzhen's mother stepped forward and handed Sato a jar of crystal-clear honey.

Seeing that it was not anything valuable, Sato did not refuse. He turned to little Zhuzhen and said, "Keep training. When you travel in the future, staying alive will be the most important thing."

"Mm!" Little Zhuzhen hugged Hoppip, trying his best not to cry.

"I'm leaving!" Without lingering any longer, Sato turned around and left cleanly.

Continuing south, Sato arrived at the Johto Region's most prosperous metropolis, Goldenrod City, in just two days.

Using his navigator, Sato first found the Silph Game Corner, then settled into a hotel with a decent environment nearby.

Goldenrod City was enormous, and Pokemon Centers were spread throughout its four major districts—East, South, West, and North. Sato chose one nearby.

After giving his Four Pokemon a thorough examination and confirming that none of them had any lingering hidden injuries, Sato began gathering all kinds of rumors and information about Goldenrod City from recent times.

More than half a month had passed, yet the incident at National Park had not died down. Instead, it was growing increasingly intense. It was obvious that someone with intentions had created this situation, and Sato did not need to think to know who was responsible.

But this also made him even more certain that something major would definitely happen in Goldenrod City soon. However, because of the National Park incident, Sato was unsure whether it would still happen at the point in time he remembered.

"I need more information!"

Sato kept typing on the computer, letting Spinarak hang from its String Shot and swing back and forth in front of him.

"Kuu~"

Zoroark sat cross-legged on the carpet in a humanlike manner. During this period of time, it had been "cultivating its mind and body" in order to learn the skill Nasty Plot. From time to time, Zoroark would let out a couple of cold chuckles, as though it were plotting something bad.

"Jiejie~"

Haunter stretched out its Ghost Hand and silently cut Spinarak's String Shot. Caught off guard, Spinarak was flung straight into the wall.

"Chirp!" Spinarak ran up to Boss Zoroark in anger, keeping its complaint against Haunter deliberately quiet.

Matched with the cold smirk that had just appeared, Haunter's icy gaze flickered awkwardly as he avoided eye contact.

Larvitar sat to one side and shook his head helplessly. A bunch of brat Pokémon, Playing Around all day long—how undignified. As a future pseudo-legendary Pokémon, he absolutely could not stoop to their level.

"Smack!"

Larvitar tore the String Shot off his face with his Small Short Hands, then angrily pointed at Haunter.

"Larvi!"

A Glass Marble-sized stone Appeared Out Of Thin Air and shot toward the snickering Haunter at high speed—a miniature Rock Slide.

"Enough playing around. We're heading out," Sato said, stopping their affectionate horseplay and recalling them all into their Poké Balls.

Tonight, he was going to Silph Game Corner to have some fun!