Three days later, Mark set off alone for the Orange Islands, while Sato finished packing his luggage and climbed onto Honchkrow's broad back.
The Gym trainees gathered at the front gate to see Sato off. Though reluctant to part, they all knew that with their Gym Leader's talent, such a small place like Shadownight Town could never hold him back.
"Akira, Sia, I'll be leaving the Gym in your hands for now!"
"Don't worry, Gym Leader!" "You can count on us, Sato!"
Seeing how dependable the two had become, Sato nodded in approval.
Then he turned to the trainees behind them and shouted, "Train hard! Don't let the name of Shadownight Gym be tarnished!"
"Yes, Gym Leader!"
"Alright then, I'm off!"
With a rush of wind, Honchkrow soared into the sky with Sato on its back. Watching the black dot grow smaller and smaller, no one felt anxious, instead, they were fired up with renewed spirit!
The Gym Leader had said it himself: they couldn't let the Gym's name be stained!
---
After flying on Honchkrow to Goldenrod City, Sato took a plane from there to Celadon City.
That same afternoon, he was already walking down the bustling streets of Celadon City, taking in the sights of the thriving metropolis.
He hadn't contacted Celadon University in advance, so naturally, no one came to pick him up.
After checking into a five-star hotel affiliated with the League for free and setting down his luggage, Sato headed back out.
Half an hour later, he arrived by taxi at a very special location.
Getting out of the car, he walked straight to a large iron gate. After checking the sign next to it to confirm the address, he confidently stepped inside.
The sign read: [Spring-Winter Pokémon Welfare House]
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask your purpose here? It's already quite late today. If you're here to visit someone, please come earlier tomorrow," the gatekeeper stopped Sato and said politely.
"I'm not here to visit anyone. I'm here to speak with your dean…"
Ten minutes later, Dean Dona -who was nearly sixty years old- personally came to the gate to greet Sato.
"You must be… Mr. Yuga Sato?"
"Hello, Dean Dona. I read about your Welfare House online and was moved by your years of dedication. If possible, I'd like to offer some modest support as well."
Sato spoke tactfully, but the intent to donate was already very clear.
Dean Dona smiled warmly, but didn't respond to Sato right away.
"If you're not in a rush, Mr. Yuga Sato, feel free to come in and take a look. This is just the time when everyone goes out for a walk after dinner."
Sato nodded immediately. He hadn't come here just to donate money.
"Dean Dona, would it be alright if I released two of my Pokémon? They're very well-behaved and won't attack anyone."
"Go right ahead. Many Pokémon live in our facility as well, and quite a few are fairly strong. Even if your partners misbehave, it likely wouldn't cause much trouble."
Despite her age, Dona joked casually with Sato, showing a healthy and optimistic attitude.
"Absol, Umbreon, come on out."
A flash of red light revealed two Pokémon of similar size -one black, one white- appearing near Sato.
Emmm… although "near" wasn't exactly accurate. Absol still kept a two-meter distance, trailing far behind Sato.
Dona, sharp and experienced, noticed the difference in positioning between Umbreon and Absol and nodded thoughtfully.
"Shall we go, Dean Dona?"
"Yes. The Absol behind you doesn't look more than a few months old. Seems like it has a big misunderstanding about you…?"
Sato let out a bitter smile and didn't try to hide it. He said directly, "Absol was once captured by a poaching group. Although it was eventually rescued, its young mind had already suffered severe trauma.
The fact that it can follow behind me at a distance now… that's something I only managed after a long period of effort."
Dona nodded in understanding but didn't press the matter further.
She then carefully observed Umbreon, noticing how it walked closely in step beside Sato. The rhythm of their movements -Trainer and Pokémon- was perfectly in sync.
Umbreon's fur was sleek and smooth, its expression calm, and it would even nuzzle up against Sato from time to time.
Dona understood clearly now. The man before her -Mr. Yuga Sato- must be an excellent Trainer. Otherwise, Umbreon wouldn't be so healthy, and certainly wouldn't be so affectionate.
That meant what he had said about Absol was most likely true, and Dona could already guess the reason he had come to the Welfare House.
Naturally, for a Trainer like this, Dona had no reason to refuse to help.
After all… 'wasn't the purpose of founding the Spring-Winter Pokémon Welfare House to nurture that special bond between humans and Pokémon?'
"Mr. Yuga Sato, this way please."
With that thought, Dona even found herself hoping she could be of help to Sato. Someone who had gone out of his way to come here for a single Pokémon…
Truly a Trainer with heart.
Soon, Dona led Sato to the backyard of the Welfare House.
Following behind them in silence, little Absol was somewhat puzzled about what this human had come here to do.
"Sol~"
Suddenly, Absol jerked its head to the side and noticed a large number of humans had appeared nearby. It instinctively froze in place.
But in the next moment, Absol also saw many Pokémon -some calm, some lively- but all undoubtedly accompanied by humans.
On the faces of those Pokémon, Absol saw no fear, no disgust, no cowardice, and certainly no hatred. What it saw instead was happiness, contentment, trust… and joy.
Absol scoffed and shook its head in disdain. 'Another group of pitiful Pokémon, so enslaved by humans that they've lost their souls.'
Images of human cruelty and violence surged back into its mind, and Absol gritted its teeth, suppressing the physical discomfort as it continued following Sato.
Absol saw things very clearly: this human called Sato… wasn't his end goal still to make use of it?
"Sol! (Hypocrite!)"
"Umbree!"
At some point, Umbreon had come up beside Absol, softly calling it out of its painful memories.
Though Umbreon had clearly heard what Absol said about Sato, it wasn't angry at all.
After over a month together, Umbreon understood well: Absol's hatred for humans wouldn't be so easily let go of.
"Umbree, Umbree~On Umbre!" 'Don't let hatred blind you from seeing beautiful things. Try imagining humans as if they were Pokémon, and see if it still hurts so much!'
"…Sol?"
Absol turned to look at Umbreon, wanting to retort that it was all nonsense.
But then it kept hearing the joyful laughter all around… and, unexpectedly, it really did start to wonder if maybe… just maybe… Umbreon's suggestion was worth trying.
.
.
150 PS - CH