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As for Pikachu and Lanturn's training, Sato only instructed them to continue refining their mastery of Electric-type moves. Electric energy was an attribute even more violent and unstable than Fire-type energy, and manipulating it was naturally far more difficult.
Even though both Pikachu and Lanturn possessed high affinity toward Electric energy, proper control remained extremely challenging.
Lanturn had it somewhat easier — without a Mutated Thunder Orb, it could manipulate Electric-type energy with reasonable ease.
Pikachu, however, was a different story. The Mutated Thunder Orb had indeed made it much stronger, but Pikachu still struggled to control the intense Electric energy that was released from it.
After all, the energy stored within that orb had been converted from electricity released by a Legendary Pokémon — power far more violent than ordinary Electric energy. Most Electric Pokémon couldn't even absorb it, let alone wield it freely.
If one were to quantify it, Pikachu could only control about fifty percent of the electricity released from the Mutated Thunder Orb. The remaining half overflowed and dissipated, simply because Pikachu couldn't yet handle it.
Therefore, the fastest way for Pikachu to improve was to increase its control over the Mutated Thunder Orb as much as possible — and at the same time, to quickly form its own internal "electric orb," which would allow it to absorb the stored energy within the mutated one.
At present, the primary reason Pikachu could only use the energy from the Mutated Thunder Orb but not absorb it was that it hadn't yet formed an internal electric orb of its own.
The Mutated Thunder Orb had belonged to another Pikachu in the past — an external item. Only an electric orb condensed by one's own body would truly belong to oneself, and such energy would naturally be more harmonious to control.
However, according to a special training manual for Pikachu that Sato had read, a Pikachu could only begin attempting to form its own electric orb after reaching pseudo Elite Four level strength — in other words, around Level 50.
Right now, Pikachu was only at Level 35. It still had a long way to go before it could fully absorb the power within the Mutated Thunder Orb.
Training was always a long and arduous process — but effort never lied. As long as one worked hard, there would always be results.
Unknowingly, more than a month passed. The scorching summer heat gave way to the coolness of autumn.
The commotion caused by the Super-Legendary Pokémon battle had been nothing short of earth-shaking. For more than a month afterward, the internet, newspapers, and magazines were all filled with reports about that monumental event.
After about a week of chaos, things had started to calm down — until certain individuals quietly leaked rare photos, videos, and even parts of the truth behind the battle of the three Legendaries. Like a stone dropped into still water, the uproar reignited with explosive intensity.
The mysterious Trainer who had played a key role in stopping the Super-Legendary disaster — Sato — quickly became known around the world. Opinions about him, however, were sharply divided.
Some called him a hero who stopped Team Aqua's evil plan and prevented Kyogre from bringing even greater catastrophe. Others condemned him as the cause of the disaster, arguing that it was his destruction of Kyogre's crystal that had triggered the near-uncontrollable battle of the Legendaries.
Regardless of the debate, one thing was certain — Sato had become famous. He was now the focus of countless Trainers around the world, most of whom believed he possessed fragments of Kyogre's Crystal — a mythical treasure.
At this point, Kyogre Crystal Fragments had been mythologized online and in magazines.
Some exaggerated rumors even claimed that anyone who obtained one could make their Pokémon exponentially stronger, win riches, and "marry a rich beauty" — the kind of tall tale that spread like wildfire.
Because of such stories, countless people across the world suddenly began impersonating Sato, leading to waves of scams and frauds.
Yet the real Sato had never been found. It was as though he had vanished from the world entirely. Despite the Pokémon League and other powerful organizations pouring vast resources into searching for him, he remained elusive.
Some factions even went as far as to hire famous psychics to divine or foresee his location — but every attempt yielded nothing but blank visions or voids of uncertainty.
According to a powerful psychic elder affiliated with the League who had also tried to divine Sato's fate, Sato was one of the rare individuals whose destiny could not be read — and, moreover, he himself possessed formidable psychic powers.
All the while, the man at the center of the entire storm — Sato — had quietly remained in Slateport City for over a month.
Most of that time, he spent training his Pokémon in secluded, sparsely populated areas.
Of course, he didn't forget to earn League Contribution Points through field missions. Occasionally, he joined Phil and others to complete temporary assignments issued by the League.
Because of his consistently high completion rate and stellar client evaluations, Sato's reputation in Slateport City gradually grew.
Nowadays, most Trainers in Slateport's circles had at least heard of "Tyler."
Around 3 p.m. one afternoon, Sato was walking through a forest east of Slateport City known as Slateport Woods, accompanied by four other Trainers — among them, Phil, with whom he had often partnered for League tasks.
"Brother Tyler," Phil whispered nervously from the back of the group, glancing around the rustling woods, "you think that guy's Mightyena really knows what it's doing? We've been here forever and haven't found a single clue."
"And… we're already pretty deep into Slateport Woods. I heard there are ferocious wild Pokémon of near Elite Four level strength around here. What if we run into one by bad luck?"
Sato turned slightly at Phil's anxious tone and smiled. "Relax. Elite Four level wild Pokémon aren't that easy to encounter. Even if we did, they'd probably ignore us. Strong Pokémon are proud — to them, we're not even worth attacking."
He chuckled softly, speaking patiently.
Having worked with Phil on several missions, Sato understood him well. Despite Phil's outwardly carefree and bold attitude, he was actually quite timid at heart.
But that was fine — Phil had sharp instincts, was loyal, and always dependable when it mattered. He also never complained about hard or dirty work — taking on most of it himself.
Most of Sato's recent mission opportunities had been brought to him by Phil, which was exactly why Sato didn't mind letting him "cling to his coattails."
This latest temporary mission had also come from Phil: to find two citizens who had mysteriously disappeared in the outer region of Slateport Woods the previous day.
Although their identities were unclear, the hefty reward alone made it obvious they were people of considerable status.
Judging by the lack of any sign so far, though, their chances of survival were looking grim.
The group had already searched the forest perimeter several times, even crossing paths with other teams taking on the same mission. With no progress, they finally decided to venture deeper into the woods.