It was another bright and sunny morning. As usual, Sato, Joseph, and Cynthia had all gotten up early.
Sato and Cynthia, rain or shine, went out to train, while Joseph helped Chanel's mom -also an early riser- prepare breakfast.
As for Mark and the Chanel siblings… they unsurprisingly slept in.
By the time Sato and Cynthia finished their morning training and came back for breakfast, they found the three of them still half-asleep, sipping white porridge absentmindedly.
"Boss, you're back!"
Mark lit up when he saw Sato take a seat and was about to blurt something out, but was quickly silenced by a sharp look from Joseph.
'Chanel's parents were still there!'
Mark stopped himself just in time. Meanwhile, the siblings sat quietly in the corner, even sipping porridge with cautious care.
Cynthia watched the scene curiously. It was clear something had happened last night, but she wisely chose not to ask.
"I heard something happened in the village last night… The village head wants everyone to gather and discuss it. Chanel, take good care of our guests. We'll be back soon!"
Chanel's parents stood at the doorway, gave a few casual instructions, and then left in a hurry, leaving Sato and the others exchanging glances.
The commotion last night had been pretty big. Now that all the villagers were being called, they were probably checking if anyone had been "hurt."
But the real culprit, Spiritomb, had already been caught by Mark. As for the so-called Ghost-type sanctuary, it had just been a leak of sealed energy causing illusions.
So the wild Pokémon in the area would gradually disperse and stop gathering near the village. The nights would eventually return to normal.
Of course, Sato and the others had no interest in claiming credit. A small village like this had nothing worthwhile to offer as a reward anyway. Volunteering the truth would only make it seem like they were fishing for gratitude.
Besides, Togekiss had leveled up because of all this, and Mark had managed to catch a powerful Spiritomb. It was definitely a W.
Oh right… Spiritomb!
Once Chanel's parents left, both Sato and Joseph turned to look at Mark. Cynthia naturally followed suit.
"Boss, I caught Spiritomb~"
"Mm… huh?" Sato nodded instinctively, but quickly realized something was off. Mark had already caught it last night, so why was he repeating it now… and sounding so excited?
'Unless…'
"Boss, Spiritomb's super obedient. Really, really obedient~" Mark said with excitement.
Sato and Joseph both gave him a look like, 'You've got to be kidding.' They didn't believe it at all.
Strictly speaking, Spiritomb had battled several Pokémon last night. It wasn't defeated by Togekiss alone.
Not to mention, having just broken free from a seal, Spiritomb's desire for freedom should have far exceeded that of a normal Pokémon.
And now you're telling us it's super obedient?
Then Mark released Spiritomb.
Spiritomb tackled Mark.
Spiritomb stuck out its tongue and licked Mark's face.
Sato: …
Joseph: (ˉˉ)°
Cynthia: …_…)?
Chanel and Yamato: !!!
"So… what exactly did you do to it?" Sato asked the critical question.
"Here's the thing~ Last night I couldn't sleep, so I took out Spiritomb's Poké Ball and just stared at it for a long time…"
"GET TO THE POINT!" x2
"Okay, okay! The point is… I suddenly remembered what Joseph said: good luck or bad luck, it's still just luck."
"And then…?"
"So I instinctively activated my special ability and tried channeling it into the Poké Ball. Strangely enough, after Spiritomb in the Poké Ball absorbed a part of my special ability energy, I actually felt a sense of relief," Mark said excitedly.
"…You still haven't explained why Spiritomb suddenly started listening," Joseph said flatly, but didn't forget to stretch out a hand and stop Sato, who looked ready to throw hands.
Cynthia, on the other hand, had focused on the phrase "special ability."
After spending so many days with them, she already knew Sato and Joseph both had "special abilities", so she wasn't surprised, they'd never tried to hide it anyway.
…But Mark also had a special ability? And from the sound of it, a pretty good one too.
Still, this wasn't the right time for Cynthia to ask directly. She just stayed quiet and kept listening.
"And then, and then~ Then Spiritomb sensed how incredibly awesome I, Mark, am! And willingly submitted~" Mark lifted his chin, looking like he was about to strike a heroic pose.
"…If a child misbehaves, it's the father's fault… Please, go ahead." Joseph withdrew his hand and even gestured for Sato to proceed.
Mark finally realized something was off. He blinked "innocently", then picked up Spiritomb's Odd Keystone and held it between himself and Sato.
"SPIIIIIR-"
Spiritomb suddenly let out a sharp cry. Its ghostly face doubled in size, clearly trying to scare Sato off.
"Just earlier during morning training, Tyranitar said it hadn't gotten enough exercise. I believe Spiritomb feels the same~" Sato said with a strangely friendly smile.
…But to Mark, that smile was pure threat!
---
Two minutes later, Spiritomb had once again reverted to a dull gray Odd Keystone, while Tyranitar contentedly patted its large belly, clearly very satisfied.
Mark stared dumbly at the Odd Keystone on the ground and slowly said, "Boss… don't get me wrong… being a mascot doesn't sound so bad after all."
"Mm. Go pack, we're heading out soon." Sato gave Mark a rare 'you might actually be teachable' look, then turned and left with Tyranitar.
A gentle breeze blew past as Mark stood frozen in place, lips trembling as he forced out two shameful tears…
"What goes around comes around-"
"CHA!"
Arbok suddenly smacked Mark with its tail, sending him stumbling forward. He turned around angrily, only to see all their Pokémon standing around watching him with innocent eyes.
It had been a while since The Boss, Sato, had so seriously disciplined -tortured- Mark, and now with a new teammate on board, the Pokémon had all gathered to watch…
Then Mark had a sudden idea. With a sincere expression, he declared, "What goes around comes around, so let's not take it too seriously!"
"Tch…"
None of the Pokémon got the answer they wanted. They all glanced at Mark in disdain, then scattered to show they didn't care.
Mark clutched his chest in frustration and looked to the only one still standing by his side -Arbok- hoping for comfort…
"Cha!"
Arbok flicked its tongue, then turned away without a word. Clearly remembering how Mark had ignored it last night.
Mark instantly turned to stone…
As for Joseph and Cynthia, who had also been watching… they were already deep in discussion about how to raise Spiritomb, completely oblivious to what had just happened.
After a while, Mark realized that no one was coming to comfort him. He could only shrug quietly to himself and sneak back into the room…
'I, Mark… fair and just, brave and righteous… how could I let personal issues delay the whole team's journey!'
Right, time to pack…
.
.
.
150 PS - Extra Chap
patreo-n/Romeloff