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"Come out, Swampert."
By the riverbank, Sato—still riding on Arcanine—pressed the button on a Luxury Ball in his hand and released the Pokémon inside.
The next second, a flash of white light shot from the opened Luxury Ball and landed in the river before Sato.
As the light faded, a familiar, hulking figure emerged. Seeing this mountain-like body, clearly well-fed and healthy, Sato smiled with satisfaction.
Thanks to a hefty bribe in the form of two packs of high-grade Pokémon food, the Xatu had promptly returned the Swampert that Sato had exchanged for with his number tag.
Swampert hadn't seen Sato in nearly three days, and he missed him dearly. Though the food at the base had been abundant, it hadn't suited his taste at all.
He longed for the personal meals Sato prepared just for him—especially the delicious grilled meats.
"Swamp~~!"
The moment he saw Sato, Swampert bellowed in excitement and began slapping the river surface with powerful force.
BOOM!
Swampert's strength erupted underwater like a naval mine. Water exploded into the air with tremendous force.
"Welcome home, Swampert."
Sato, seeing Swampert's enthusiasm, was deeply pleased. He dismounted from Arcanine, walked to the river's edge, and held out his right fist.
"Swamp~~"
Swampert immediately understood the gesture. He reached out with his own clenched fist and bumped it gently against Sato's with appropriate force.
"Alright, let's go meet the others. There are some teammates you need to get acquainted with."
After the fist bump, Sato brought out the rest of his PokéBalls and released his other Pokémon.
Beams of white light shot from the PokéBalls, and one by one, Bellossom and the rest appeared on the ground around him.
Aside from Arcanine and Bellossom, none of the others had met Swampert—Sato's undisputed ace.
So, while Arcanine and Bellossom excitedly approached to greet Swampert, the rest—like Ursaring—stood stiffly in place, cautious and serious.
It was Swampert's first meeting with these unfamiliar teammates, and he naturally had to establish his dominance. He released his full aura without holding anything back.
Instantly, the atmosphere around Swampert turned oppressive.
These Pokémon, all of whom had grown up surviving the harsh environment of the mysterious island, were extremely sensitive to the pressure released by others. Now, their fur and feathers stood on end from Swampert's overwhelming presence.
Especially Ursaring and Golduck—both high-level Pokémon. In their perception, Swampert was like a volcano on the verge of eruption: steady, yet terrifying.
A cold sweat broke out across Golduck's forehead as he gazed at Swampert with clear fear.
Golduck's psychic power was unusually strong—on par with many Psychic-types. This gave it a limited precognitive ability.
And that power told him that if he were to face Swampert one-on-one, he likely wouldn't survive even a single hit.
All of Golduck's earlier arrogance was instantly erased. When he looked back at Sato now, there was no more defiance in his eyes.
Truth be told, Golduck had long looked down on Sato. His reasoning was simple: none of Sato's Pokémon had been able to beat him in single combat when he was captured, not even Bellossom.
At most, he thought that Bellossom could suppress him with her typing advantage, but never truly defeat him head-on.
Swampert, however, was a different matter entirely. With Golduck's excellent perception, he could tell—Swampert could shatter him with just one punch. His psychic power wasn't nearly strong enough to restrain such raw might.
Now that Swampert was back at his side, Sato's confidence soared. He noticed that even the temperamental Golduck had calmed down and was now looking at Swampert with something close to reverence.
As Sato's ace, Swampert not only served as a source of immense power, but also as a stabilizing force within the team. With him around, Sato never had to worry about internal chaos.
Even Arbok—normally a rebellious and bloodthirsty serpent—would lower its head before Swampert, or else be forced to eat fists.
Swampert had always led with strength. He warmly greeted Ursaring and the others one by one, placing his large hand on each of their shoulders like a big brother.
Then, Sato continued downstream, riding on Swampert's broad back. Gyarados and Golduck flanked him on either side, acting as escorts and clearing the path ahead.
After about half an hour, Sato successfully reached the outskirts of Tauros Mountain. Near the border of the Pinsir Forest, he found Thomas, who had been waiting for him for some time.
Thomas had fulfilled Sato's request without issue—he'd captured a Slakoth from Slakoth Forest that he believed to have good potential.
"Oh my god, a red Shiny Gyarados… He actually owns a shiny Pokémon?! And such a rare and powerful one at that! No wonder Ranka put such a high bounty on him. With a shiny Gyarados like that, it's no surprise people want him taken out…"
Thomas stared in awe at the red Gyarados swimming in the river beside Sato, overwhelmed with envy.
Still, his attention soon shifted away from Gyarados and onto Swampert beneath Sato. He quickly noticed that all of his own Pokémon were nervously watching Swampert.
His most trusted partner—Rapidash—was especially uneasy, pacing in circles and tugging at his sleeve with its mouth, trying to get him to leave the area quickly.
As Rapidash's trainer, Thomas understood exactly what this meant: Rapidash had sensed a powerful threat it couldn't match and wanted to flee.
It had done this once before—during the battle against Ranka's Mega Aggron.
"That Swampert can put this much pressure on Rapidash… It must be something else. Maybe this lunatic really can take down Ranka."
Thomas gently soothed his anxious Rapidash, raising his personal assessment of Sato a few more notches.
Originally, Thomas thought the idea of going against Ranka was suicidal madness. He'd only agreed to join Sato because his number tag, his transmitter, and his life were in Sato's hands. If he had a choice, he'd have fled far away.
But now, with Swampert's appearance, Thomas felt a flicker of hope for Sato's plan. He trusted Rapidash's instincts. If it hadn't warned him about Ranka, he might not have survived that encounter.
"Very good. Now that my task is done, your next mission is to catch two more Pokémon to strengthen our team. Just be back here before dark. Get a good night's rest—we move out tomorrow."
After confirming the Slakoth that Thomas released, Sato nodded with approval and handed him two empty black PokéBalls.
"Got it. I'm on it."
Thomas, visibly excited, accepted the PokéBalls, then quickly mounted Rapidash and rode off, disappearing from Sato's view.
"Come on out. I saw the signs you left—I know you're here."
After Thomas left, Sato turned and shouted toward a thick patch of grass a dozen meters away.
A large tree stood at the edge of the grass, and its trunk was covered in fresh bite marks. White sap flowed down the bark onto the ground.
No sooner had Sato spoken than there came a soft rustling sound—shaaa-shaaa-shaaa~—and a battered, scarred Pokémon slowly emerged from the bushes.