After the sun set.
Kenji arrived at the villa.
Natsuhiko looked at Kenji, who used to be a bit chubby but had now slimmed down entirely, wearing a neat little suit. Apart from his eyes being slightly listless, his appearance and temperament seemed completely transformed.
Kenji smiled when he saw Natsuhiko, opened his arms, and gave him a big hug.
"After that day, I went to the club several times looking for you, but you were never there. I thought my assignment had cost you your life."
In fact, Natsuhiko had no resentment towards Kenji for not being able to find his brother. Instead, it was because his mission might have led Natsuhiko to get involved in the Zapdos incident, which made him feel uneasy.
Natsuhiko patted Kenji's shoulder.
To be honest, when he joined the club, the earliest days were the hardest, and it was really thanks to Kenji's support that he got through it.
"Your brother..."
Kenji waved his hand, "I understand him, he's always wanted to be a trainer, but the old man at home wouldn't let him, insisting that he take over the family business."
The two sat on the sofa.
Kenji continued, "Now it's fine, he's gone and left the family's mess to me."
Evidently, Kenji's original intention was also to become a trainer.
But with his brother Sato Kenta's departure, as the only heir of the Sato family, he had no choice but to start getting involved in the family business.
"What about Pokémon School?"
"Dropped out. I guess I'll just spend my life with my few Pokémon. Not looking to be very strong, just having some companionship is enough."
Kenji had come to terms with it.
Isn't being a trainer about growing stronger with your Pokémon?
Being able to be with his Pokémon was enough for him.
"Anyway, I don't have much talent, but my brother, he had potential." Kenji laughed self-deprecatingly, "Maybe if I had taken on the family's responsibilities from the start, he wouldn't have turned out that way..."
Is that so?
Natsuhiko thought about it. Maybe then Kenji would have taken Sato Kenta's place and joined Tom Rokicki.
Tom Rokicki's Mr. Mime wasn't ordinary, possessing the ability to beguile hearts and influence thoughts. That's how Lotto was controlled, how Sato Kenta was beguiled, and even Natsuhiko was somewhat inadvertently affected.
In the end, it's still about not having enough strength.
The Sato family's clothing business was sizable, but in front of truly top-tier strong individuals, it seemed too fragile.
Kenji was a rich second generation, no doubt, but now it seems there's little difference between him and Natsuhiko, except for the money.
Both seemed like a sheet of paper, large but thin, with only the option to sway in the face of a truly big wind.
Flint, on the other hand, was different.
Flint not only had money, but also strength, and was rapidly growing stronger.
Flint's goals were also clear. He too had to take over the family's industry, but once he had the strength of an Elite Four or even Champion Level, no one could control him.
So, strength is the fundamental foundation for standing in this world.
The two chatted for a while longer, and then Kenji got up to leave.
"Feel free to stay here, it's empty anyway."
As he reached the door, Kenji stopped and hesitated, "If, I mean if, you meet him again, help me give him a message. Just say... 'I don't blame him'."
"...Okay." Natsuhiko nodded.
"I'm leaving."
Kenji left. He had changed a lot.
Matured.
Maturity doesn't mean losing something, but giving something up.
This kind of giving up could be advantageous to oneself, but definitely unforgettable.
It's hard to imagine that not long ago, the boy shouting about becoming a champion had now become a businessman running for profit.
"Togepi..."
Togepi drooped its small head and walked out from the corner, its eyes slightly red.
As a Happy Pokémon, Togepi could clearly sense the loss of happiness in Kenji, which made it very sad.
Natsuhiko picked it up and softly said, "Everyone has their own choices, and they also have the right to choose. Giving up some things is the cost of making choices."
"Pipi..."
If there were no costs, children would make choices, but adults want to have everything.
Togepi nodded with some understanding.
Natsuhiko spoke in such a profound way...
Clapping his hands, he said to the three Pokémon, "That's it for today's training. Take a break, and starting tomorrow, we'll arrange normal training tasks and conduct systematic training."
"Pipikachu!"
Rest!
Togepi cheered, jumped onto the sofa in a Ge You lie position and turned on the TV.
"Bzzzz—"
"Creaaak—"
Beedrill hadn't removed the equipment for practicing "Direct Charge Drill," but moved it from the backyard to the living room.
Abra hadn't given up training its psychic abilities either and was levitating above the sofa.
They all had experienced life and death with Natsuhiko and almost failed to protect him in the Dark Ruins, which undoubtedly put considerable pressure on them.
Seeing them all still training, Togepi suddenly felt that watching TV wasn't as fun, and the Ge You lie was uncomfortable.
"Togepi..."
Should it join the training too?
But train what?
Waving Finger?
Togepi immediately shook its head.
Wouldn't that blow up the house?
Gift?
Togepi shook its head again.
It might explode as well...
"Togepi."
Togepi looked at Natsuhiko for help.
But now, Natsuhiko's attention was already on the computer, organizing his reflections and shortcomings from today's Energy Block production, while trying to draft the content for his second paper.
He had spent too much money today, which made him nervous again.
Togepi's eyes rolled, and since there were no instructions... why not train Yawn?
No destructive power.
With this thought, Togepi gave a big yawn...
...
...
Another three days passed.
Staying in the house, Natsuhiko trained the Pokémon every day, rarely going out.
After a short period of simulation and practice, Beedrill finally got the hang of the "Direct Charge Drill" move, but "Smack Down" still proved elusive due to its insensitivity to Dark Attribute energy.
This was understandable, since so far Beedrill hadn't fought many battles with Dark-type Pokémon.
Besides, learning and mastering moves requires a "moment."
When the moment comes, it might be learned instantly. If not, it requires slow training and accumulation to achieve breakthroughs.
Abra indeed had an extraordinary talent in psychic abilities, progressively mastering them, and its daily self-training had it vaguely touching the threshold of the "Meditation" move.
As for Togepi, having never received any training, Natsuhiko's plan was to start with the most basic training, including physical exercises, correcting unrealistic move releases, and learning the rhythm and technique of battles.
Overall, the Pokémon's strength was steadily improving, which was a positive sign.
However, the upheaval of Wild Pokémon around Goldenrod City had increasingly impacted the city, leaving fewer pedestrians on the streets, mostly League Trainers patrolling.
But this didn't seem to have much impact on Natsuhiko.
Until that night.
Both Beedrill and Abra woke up from their dreams simultaneously.