In a remote mountainous forest somewhere on the Indigo Plateau, Sato rode atop Hydreigon. Under the guidance of two masked League Trainers, it took them a full day to finally reach their destination.
The Apex Mimicry Zone… Origin Forest!
Apex Mimicry Zones couldn't be artificially created. Yet they were still referred to as "mimicry" because these places felt too dreamlike to be real.
Over hundreds of years, the meaning of the term "mimicry" had shifted with changes in language, but since so few people knew about Apex Mimicry Zones to begin with, the name had simply stuck, no one had ever bothered to change it.
Every Apex Mimicry Zone was nature's most generous gift.
They only appeared in places like mountaintops, deep-sea trenches, ancient forests, or bottomless pits.
Only recently had Sato learned that the Pokémon League had built its headquarters on the Indigo Plateau precisely because of one such secret…
The existence of Origin Forest!
At the same time, Sato began to think about other places. like Mt. Silver in Johto or Lily of the Valley Island in Sinnoh. Maybe they also harbored zones similar to the Origin Forest.
With that thought, Sato became even more excited for this journey!
"Hy!"
"Drei…"
"Gooon~"
Lefty, Middy, and Righty each let out a dragon's cry as they steadily brought Sato down to the ground.
Sato jumped off Hydreigon's back, and immediately, two people approached him. Though they were meant to guide him, they clearly gave off a subtle sense of surveillance.
Sato noticed clearly that on each of their shoulders perched a Hoothoot and a Natu.
One could detect disguises, the other could track auras. Neither had evolved, but in terms of support roles… were they actually stronger this way?
'Wait…' What was that [Feedback]?
Sato suddenly felt a stir in the forc- ahem… his [Dark Energy: Emotional Feedback], and when he followed the emotional signal, he realized that the seemingly unremarkable Natu actually had Ace level Psychic potential.
'Since when were even the guides and gatekeepers this powerful?'
Still, the two made no move to speak with him. One in front and one behind, they "escorted" Sato in silence.
Soon after, they arrived at what looked like a security checkpoint. There, all of Sato's belongings -except for his Poké Balls- were confiscated. Even his clothing was replaced head to toe with League-issued camouflage combat gear.
Sato cooperated quietly the entire time. Goodshow's female assistants had already explained all this in detail to him.
Then, someone led Sato into a small dark room. On the wall, an old projector screen began playing an orientation video introducing Origin Forest; its entry rules, limitations, and time restrictions.
To Sato's surprise, the number of wild Pokémon in Apex Mimicry Zones was enormous. Conflicts and territorial battles among them were common.
However, because the environment was so exceptional, the majority of Pokémon could quickly grow and reach the Elite level. Many of them even reached Ace level.
As a result, combat was not forbidden inside the Origin Forest. Trainers with the strength to enter were free to treat it as a real training ground.
But the most important detail -how to enhance a Pokémon's potential- was not mentioned in the video at all…
Not even once!
Then, a staff member informed Sato that he could now enter the Origin Forest.
Seeing the man's cold, standoffish attitude, Sato wisely chose to stay silent.
After receiving a well-stocked supply pack, Sato was escorted to the entrance of Origin Forest.
"Final reminder. You must exit Origin Forest exactly one month from now. For every additional second you stay, you'll be charged 10,000 Pokédollars."
Sato nodded, thinking, 'One minute equals 60,000 Pokédollars… if I come out twelve hours late, I might as well declare bankruptcy.'
Thankfully, the Pokémon League had thoughtfully provided him with a countdown watch. As long as he didn't lose it, he could always know how much time he had left.
And so, Sato finally arrived at the entrance to the Origin Forest!
A tree hollow…
Without hesitation, Sato crouched down and crawled straight in.
After walking a few dozen more steps, suddenly, everything opened up!
Butterfree fluttered lightly through the air, Beedrill worked diligently, and Pidgeotto soared freely, occasionally letting out loud cries.
In the bushes, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were already sneaking into early romance. Pikachu, Clefairy, and other cute Pokémon also poked their heads out now and then.
Of course, in the most pleasant and comfortable areas, Pokémon like Nidoking, Arcanine, and Machamp had already taken up residence.
A casual glance told him… their power levels were all around Ace lvl!
Sato stared unblinkingly at the beautiful scenery before him, and his Dark Energy involuntarily began circulating.
Suddenly, the calm Dark Energy flared up wildly, as if injected with steroids, and surged uncontrollably.
Startled, Sato instinctively tried to suppress it, but ultimately let it flow on its own.
In a way others couldn't perceive, the Origin Forest's atmosphere was full of scattered, neutral Origin energy, and Sato's body was absorbing it rapidly. In just moments, he felt like he was getting "overstuffed."
"Zoroark! Open your heart and take in this power."
"Zoro…"
Before Zoroark could finish its call, Sato had already placed his palm on its body.
The next moment, a thick, pitch-black energy -seemingly pure Dark-type origin- began pouring into Zoroark's body.
"Zozo! Zororo (*≧▽≦)~~"
Zoroark suddenly let out a blissful series of squeals, and once it realized how embarrassing it sounded, its face flushed red in an instant.
As he channeled this energy -so much like true Dark-type essence- Sato looked directly at Zoroark.
'…Didn't think you were the kind of male fox who makes noises like that…'
Soon, the energy transfer was complete. Sato gave Zoroark a few satisfying head scruffs before finally withdrawing his hand.
"How do you feel?"
"Zo…ro?"
Zoroark slowly opened its eyes. After a moment of confusion, it quickly grew excited and replied in succession.
"Zo… Zoro! Zoroark!"
"Mhm. Feels awesome and intense? And then?"
"Zoro… Zoro…"
"You feel stronger, but you don't know in what way?"
"ZORO!"
Zoroark immediately nodded in agreement.
Sato wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the usually composed and calm Zoroark seemed unusually excited and hyper right now.
'Maybe it was the same effect as taking stimulants…?'
About ten minutes later, the energy inside Zoroark began to dissipate. It had only absorbed part of it in the end.
Now back to normal, Zoroark just wanted to return to its Poké Ball and cool down.
But Sato stopped it, excitedly rubbing its fox head for a good while, and then once again focused carefully on the [Emotional Feedback] coming from Zoroark.
Just as Charles Goodshow had said, the Apex Mimicry Zone really did have the power to enhance potential.
Because Zoroark's aptitude -already at Champion level- had now gained a slight improvement beyond that baseline…