With the Domain shattered, the secret that had been hidden in the Village of Dragons for a thousand years was finally exposed.
And the greatest beneficiary of that secret… was none other than the outsider, Sato.
Once the Domain finished releasing all of its Origin energy, it too dissolved into tiny white lights that vanished into the air.
After a fierce round of absorption, they spent the entire night trying to "digest" the energy.
Sato's Dark Energy had undoubtedly been greatly enhanced.
Just from the most basic ability -[Energy Amplification]- Sato had a vague sense that it was now possible to boost an Ace level Pokémon to Elite Four level without issue.
His newly unlocked derivative ability, [Dark Energy: Energy Deprivation], had also improved significantly. He'd still need a chance to test out its exact effect.
Zweilous had successfully evolved into Hydreigon, and most importantly, had retained Lefty and Righty's consciousness.
That alone made the entire trip worthwhile for Sato…
Zoroark and the others also received significant benefits. Had most of them not recently broken through a new level, this event would surely have taken them another step further.
Moreover, since Dark-type Origin energy and Dark Energy share the same lineage, it also had the effect of enhancing potential.
Thanks to years of [Dark Energy: Blood Nourishment], Weavile's potential had already increased significantly.
And now, after this "big boost," Weavile's Dark-type potential had finally broken through its limits, successfully reaching Elite Four level potential.
In other words, Weavile now had the potential to break through to the Elite Four!
"Man… sometimes too many lucky breaks at once can actually be a headache!" Sato suddenly clicked his tongue, putting on a smug look.
Lastly came the problem of Wilma…
Back then, capturing Wilma had required an elaborate setup. Sato had to fake an entire scenario just to bring down her four Pokémon.
At that time, Wilma had intended to kill Sato, and Sato had already prepared for a mutual destruction outcome.
But after everything that happened in the underground palace, one could say that Sato, in a way, had saved the future of the Village of Dragons and halted its decline.
Of course, there was one more consideration that no one else knew about…
The future Champion of Unova, Iris!
During Sato's days in the Village of Dragons, he hadn't seen Iris at all. After subtly hypnotizing and questioning two children, he learned that she had gone to study in Opelucid City.
Naturally, the now "reformed" Sato wasn't so heartless as to target a weak little girl. But that didn't mean he could ignore caution and foresight.
Now, Wilma no longer had any reason to want Sato dead. On the contrary, she owed him a favor.
So naturally, Sato didn't mind maximizing his own benefit.
Since Wilma had absorbed a fair amount of origin energy, and given her aged body's limited ability to process it, she ended up being the last one to wake up.
When she opened her cloudy eyes, she saw Sato sitting cross-legged right in front of her, clearly waiting patiently.
Looking at this kid with outstanding talent and a mind full of schemes, Wilma felt an extremely complex mix of emotions.
An enemy turned into a foe, and a foe turned into a "benefactor…" in over sixty years of living, this was her first time experiencing such a thing.
For a moment, Wilma didn't know how to face Sato. In the end, she decided to adopt a "wait and see" approach. After all, she was still tied up.
Seeing that Wilma didn't react too aggressively after waking up, and her constantly shifting expressions showed she was confused, Sato gave Gardevoir a small nod. It naturally cooperated and released all the vines binding Wilma.
Then, Gengar -called back down by Sato- waved its chubby round hand, and seven perfectly intact Poké Balls appeared out of thin air and landed gently in Wilma's hands.
Wilma froze. Instinctively, she enlarged one of the Poké Balls, but after hesitating a moment, she ultimately didn't send out any Pokémon.
"…Speak. What do you want now?"
Wilma sighed, put away all the Poké Balls, and finally looked up at Sato.
"Because of the Domain's inheritance, you wanted to kill me." Sato didn't waste time, cutting straight to the point.
"You've got it wrong. Inheritance belongs to the fated. You're a person fated with Dark Energy-"
"No. You just didn't dare!"
Sato cut off Wilma's excuse. The two of them had clearly entered negotiations now, and during negotiations, things had to be clarified.
He continued, "If I had come to the Village of Dragons alone a few years ago, I doubt I would've made it back alive, right? Don't bother denying it. Isn't this how you've always handled outsiders who obtained Dark Energy?"
"That's just your baseless speculation. I imprisoned Zweilous to weaken your power, and that proves I had no intention to kill you…"
Wilma continued to argue. And if you only listened to her side, it did sound a bit reasonable.
"Then what about Giant Chasm? Don't tell me that a native of Unova doesn't know Kyurem lives there!"
Wilma suddenly let out a cold laugh and said righteously, "That was a test, to see if you were worthy of becoming the Trainer of Zweilous…Oh, I suppose now it should be Hydreigon. A true Trainer shouldn't blindly follow any instructions or guidance given to them. As long as you had done a little research, it wouldn't have been hard to discover the truth about Giant Chasm."
Sato let out a laugh full of disbelief.
"So one minute you're trying to weaken me, and the next you're testing me to help me grow. Tell me, are all old women this inconsistent?"
"YOU INSOLENT BRAT WITH NO RESPECT-!"
Wilma was furious. Sato had actually called her an old woman, after everything, she had even been thinking about letting him off the hook!
"Am I wrong? I helped resolve a massive hidden danger for your Village of Dragons, and this is how you treat your benefactor… with insults?"
When it came to arguments, Sato usually wasn't much of a talker, but when he needed to bicker, he held his own just fine.
"That was a Domain… a Domain that could grant eternal life!" Wilma's anger surged again, her voice lowered to a pressured growl.
"Heh~ You still think that thing could grant eternal life? I seriously wonder if you're just plain stupid."
"You… you!
You and your Pokémon absorbed the vast majority of the Domain's energy. And you ended up with a Hydreigon that has three distinct consciousnesses. Are those not benefits you gained?"
"I think you need to get one thing straight.The Domain was discovered and destroyed by me. Any benefits that came from that are my own opportunity, not a reward you gave me.
Besides, you were the one sneakily absorbing Origin energy like crazy on the side. If anything, it looks like you were the one taking advantage of my success."
Wilma: pure rage mode (#｀皿)<
---
Five minutes later, Wilma had calmed down and directly said, "Fine! Tell me… what do you want?"
Sato raised the corner of his mouth.Negotiation: complete victory!