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At seven o'clock the next morning, Sato finished packing his belongings and set off for Verdanturf Town, the location of his promotion mission.
However, the moment he stepped out of his residence, he spotted Wattson and the rest of the task team waiting not far outside.
"Sorry about this. Things are really tight on my end, so I won't be staying to hang out with everyone. If there's a chance later, let's make plans again."
Seeing Wattson and the others, Sato immediately understood that they had come to see him off. He walked over and said with a smile.
"That's a given. We'll postpone the celebration banquet for now—once you finish your mission, we'll hold it together. It wouldn't be right without you."
"Exactly. You'd better complete that mission quickly. With your strength, the promotion task is basically guaranteed. When you're back, we'll celebrate properly—though this time, you're paying."
"Hahaha! It's settled then. Since you're the one leaving early, that meal will be on Tyler."
…
Hearing Sato's words, Wattson and the others rolled their eyes at him, half-joking as they spoke.
After what had happened the previous night, Wattson and the rest had already gained a new level of respect for Sato. They sincerely admired him as a companion who possessed both courage and strategy.
That was precisely why, upon learning that Sato would be leaving today, they had all tacitly chosen to wake up early to bid him farewell.
"Alright, it's a deal. I'll treat everyone when the time comes. Then—this is goodbye for now. Until we meet again."
After chatting a bit longer, Sato waved to them, mounted his off-road bicycle, and quickly disappeared from their sight.
The previous night, after completing the mission to restore power to Mauville City, everyone had been utterly exhausted, with no energy left for anything else. Naturally, they had returned to Mauville to rest.
According to Wattson's original plan, today was supposed to be a celebration banquet.
Unfortunately, Sato postponed it, citing his imminent promotion mission.
Still, Sato's gains from this temporary mission were substantial. Aside from unexpectedly capturing Swampert, he also received 5,000 League Contribution Points and 2 million PokeDollars.
Moreover, Wattson told him that a senior League official in Mauville City was extremely satisfied with Sato's performance and had mentioned his name repeatedly during work reports.
Finally, Sato received a personal reward from Wattson: a Magnet that boosted the power of Electric-type moves, and a TM for Thunder.
Whether it was the Magnet or the Thunder TM, both items were clearly chosen with Sato's Pokémon in mind. It was obvious that Wattson had put real thought into the gifts—appropriate for his status and generously given.
Between Mauville City and Verdanturf Town lay Route 117, a short east–west road. Worth noting was that this route housed the only Day Care in the games where players could leave Pokémon.
Since it appeared in the games, that alone proved how famous it would eventually become in the Hoenn region—a place Trainers could absolutely trust.
This time, as Sato passed through Route 117, his main goal was to visit this very Day Care—one that had not yet been established.
Why say it wasn't established yet? Because after checking online, Sato discovered that at this point in time, the Day Care was still in its creation phase, far from enjoying the fame it would have in the future.
From what he could tell, construction had even been temporarily halted due to a lack of funds.
This situation left Sato both shocked and pleasantly surprised. Shocked that such a legendary Day Care would suffer from funding issues—and delighted because it meant he might have a chance to become one of its shareholders.
At present, the identity of "Tyler" did not yet have a fixed place to leave Pokémon, and Sato himself also lacked a location he truly trusted.
If he could become a shareholder of this Day Care, any Pokémon he left here would undoubtedly receive the best care and reliable protection. He wouldn't have to worry about anyone doing strange things with his Pokémon.
On top of that, as a shareholder, he could enjoy a steady stream of dividend income from the Day Care—an excellent investment by any measure.
Although Tyler's current net worth couldn't be considered extraordinary, he had clearly escaped poverty. In fact, he was wealthier than many League Trainers from good backgrounds, thanks to repeatedly completing missions with exceptionally high success rates.
After a rough calculation, Sato found that Tyler's League account currently held 32 million PokeDollars. While this was nothing compared to major families or corporations, for an individual, it was already a considerable fortune.
Since the Day Care was still under construction, the funding required was nowhere near what it would be in the future. Although 32 million PokeDollars was far from enough to build a Day Care outright, it was more than sufficient to help it survive its current funding crisis.
Route 117 was thick with forest, but a man-made road cut through it. Because many low-level wild Pokémon lived here, there were quite a few Trainers active along the route.
Along the way, Sato was challenged by more than a dozen Trainers lurking in the grass. Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, he accepted their challenges, using the opportunity to train some of his lower-level Pokémon.
Rather than using Pikachu and others whose levels were already rising steadily, he chose to battle with his Squirtle, whose level was still in the low twenties.
This starter Pokémon, who had mastered Aura, had begun to show its brilliance after Sato's careful training, gradually revealing the tremendous potential hidden within its body.
On an open battlefield, Sato's Squirtle was locked in fierce combat with a Mightyena belonging to a Shorts Kid who had successfully ambushed him from the tall grass.
Under its Trainer's command, Mightyena let out a loud howl to boost its momentum, then charged forward aggressively, aiming to land Thunder Fang on Squirtle.
But under Sato's command, Squirtle immediately used Rapid Spin, knocking Mightyena back and further widening the distance between them.
"Good job, Squirtle. Next—finish it with Aura Sphere."
Seeing Squirtle successfully repel the opponent and create distance as instructed, Sato immediately issued the next command.
"What?! Aura Sphere? Mightyena, quick—use Protect!"
Hearing that Squirtle was about to use Aura Sphere, a move that heavily countered Mightyena, the Shorts Kid felt his scalp tingle. Seeing Squirtle truly begin gathering Aura, he hastily ordered Mightyena—who had been about to charge again—to use Protect.
Ever since following Sato, Squirtle had trained its Aura every single day. Though still relatively weak, it had improved significantly compared to the beginning. The Aura Sphere it released now could exert around sixty to seventy percent of its full power.
Receiving Sato's command, Squirtle stopped spinning, planted its feet firmly on the ground, and crossed its hands in front of its chest to gather Aura.
"Squirtle!"
Before long, an Aura Sphere about the size of half a soccer ball formed between its hands. With an excited cry, Squirtle hurled it forward with all its strength.
The first Aura Sphere was blocked by Mightyena's Protect.
But that was fine.
Without giving the opponent time to react, Squirtle continued condensing Aura. Within just a few seconds, another Aura Sphere shot forth from its hands.
This time, Mightyena—already within two meters of Squirtle—managed to dodge the attack with a jump.
Unfortunately, Aura Sphere possessed homing properties.
In the end, the attack curved back, striking Mightyena from behind and knocking it to the ground, where it lost all ability to fight.
"So… this is the place? Calling this a 'lack of funds' is putting it lightly. This place hasn't even been built yet."
After the battle, guided enthusiastically by the Shorts Kid, Sato arrived at the Day Care site on Route 117. Looking at the barren plot of land—only partially prepared and marked by a single sign soliciting investment—he frowned slightly as the thought crossed his mind.