"Boss, boss, look at this article, they're basically describing you as some kind of dark king!"
On the ferry, Sato, who was leisurely sea fishing, was jolted awake by Mark. He squinted open his eyes and looked at the tablet handed to him, glancing at the title.
[Gym Leader from Johto defeats Volkner - Sinnoh's prodigy leaves in defeat!]
[Provocation from Johto - Not even the strongest Gym Leader could stop him!]
[The Twin Stars fall! - Where is Sinnoh's future headed?]
[In response to his friend's loss, Flint speaks out: 'I've always respected the Johto Gym Leader. No quarrel, no provocation, no conspiracy.']
"Woah… tsk, tsk, such talented writers~ These headlines are wild, and the text below is even more detailed and convincing, like they actually saw it with their own eyes."
Joseph walked over at that moment, handing Sato and Mark each a glass of orange juice while giving his "review".
"Totally. Do you think we'll get ambushed on the road later and get beaten up or something?" Mark nodded furiously, his imagination running wild.
"Wouldn't be surprised. Boys traveling out in the world need to protect themselves," Joseph said with a perfectly straight face, spouting nonsense.
Sato stood up, packed away his fishing rod, and turned to walk back to the cabin. He couldn't be bothered with these two idiots.
'Still, for the match that had happened so spontaneously inside the League HQ to be reported so heavily…' Clearly, the place wasn't as united as it seemed.
Or perhaps, someone wanted to use this to send a message to certain Gym Leaders in Sinnoh.
Easy days… might be numbered.
After leaving Lily of the Valley Island, the three of them originally planned to head south to Sunyshore City. But considering that was Volkner's turf, and that Sato had just broken through to Pseudo-Elite Four by "stepping" over him…
The three held a vote and -very democratically- decided to change their travel plan. They would head toward Veilstone City, west of Lily of the Valley Island.
Though the two cities weren't far apart in a straight line, there were seas, mountains, and forests between them, so the journey wouldn't be easy.
But that suited Sato perfectly. The more remote the area, the more likely they were to find rare and powerful Pokémon, right?
Now that Ariados had broken through to Pseudo-Elite Four, the rest of the team was still hungry for their own chance to level up.
After crossing a not-so-wide strait by ferry, the trio disembarked at a place called Boshire Town.
Boshire Town was located northeast of Veilstone City. On the map, it looked like a small tip of land jutting out from the continent into the ocean.
Except for the relatively flat port area, everything inland was steep mountain terrain, completely cutting off any chance of economic development for Boshire Town.
Fortunately, the town's unique geography gave it rich ocean resources, and the locals were fully self-sufficient.
Walking through the town, Mark noticed that the locals were all watching them with curious eyes. Clearly, outsiders rarely visited this place.
After spending most of the day on a ferry, none of the three wanted to pitch a tent on a mountain, so they naturally chose to find lodging in town.
After asking several villagers, Sato finally found the home of the local mayor.
"Welcome, dear Pokémon Trainers from afar. Our town is home to locals who've lived here for generations, so we don't have an inn. But if you don't mind, you're welcome to stay at my home for now."
The mayor of Boshire Town was named Miyu, a white-haired old woman wearing glasses who smiled with great kindness.
Of course, the three didn't refuse. After offering their thanks, they temporarily took up residence in Miyu's home.
As the town mayor, Miyu's house was fairly decent compared to the others in the area, but even then, she could only just barely free up two rooms for them.
After another round of "democratic" discussion, Sato shamelessly claimed one room all to himself.
Then, not long after the three had started to settle into their rooms, they were called down by Miyu for dinner.
During the meal, they also got to learn a bit about Miyu's family.
Her husband had already passed away. Her eldest son had settled down in Veilstone City, someone she spoke of repeatedly and with great pride.
Her second son and youngest daughter had both built their families in Boshire Town.
There were also three little kids, whom Miyu ordered to call Sato and the others "big brothers".
Because of the trio's arrival, Miyu's second son and youngest daughter had brought their families over to help with the hosting.
Though one elder was no longer with them, the three generations living under one roof made for a joyful, harmonious household that others would envy.
Since Sato and the others were having dinner, their Pokémon naturally needed to eat too. When they released their full teams, Miyu's family was visibly stunned.
Mark still hadn't caught a full team of six Pokémon yet, so of course he brought everyone along on the journey. His Solosis and Togetic had both evolved into their final forms.
Reuniclus and Togekiss had high visual appeal after evolving. The elegant and beautiful Lapras wasn't bad either, though Arbok was a bit on the ugly side…
To be honest, judging purely by their looks, the four Pokémon didn't match Mark's wild chicken-nest hairstyle at all.
Joseph had brought only four Pokémon this time: Gogoat, Gallade, Chansey, and the once-evolved-and-then-stagnant Bayleef.
As for Florges and Wigglytuff, he had left them behind at Shadownight Gym. Clearly, Joseph intended to catch some new partners in Sinnoh.
Once all the Pokémon came out, their combined presence startled one of Miyu's grandkids into tears, and the other two followed shortly after in a wailing chorus.
It took a flurry of hands and plenty of scrambling to get the situation back under control, and afterward, the way Miyu's family looked at Sato and the others carried a lot more "reverence".
Aside from "Grandma" Miyu, who kept chatting happily with the trio, the rest of the family only dared to quietly eat the food in front of them.
"I've met quite a few Trainers before, but for you to already have such strength at your age… I'd guess you're considered top-tier even in the big cities."
"You flatter us, Miyu," Sato replied with a light smile, doing his best to appear friendly. Otherwise, if he accidentally scared the kids again, that would be awkward…
"We also have a Trainer in town who often gives free lessons on Pokémon knowledge at the school. I think you'd get along."
Sato froze for a second upon hearing that and quickly asked, "You mean… there's only one Trainer in the whole town?"
"Yes, just one. I'll introduce you tomorrow," Miyu said with a bit of confusion, guessing that Sato simply wanted to meet someone with similar interests.
"Thank you, Miyu."
Sato didn't say much more. He glanced at Joseph, and both of them exchanged a look with a trace of concern.
Boshire Town might be small, but with three sides facing the sea and one side against the mountains, having only a single Trainer… weren't they worried about wild Pokémon attacks?
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150 PS=ExtraChap