Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Around 2 PM, outside a roadside restaurant in downtown Goldenrod City, Sato was stepping out through the front doors, sent off enthusiastically by a beaming, round-faced man.
"Watch your step, sir—hey! Dammit! Which bastard threw a banana peel at my restaurant entrance?!"
"Oh, by the way, we'll be offering our deluxe grilled seafood set again tonight. There'll be plenty this time, guaranteed—your Swampert can eat to its heart's content!"
"If you stop by again this evening, I'll give you 20% off—no, make it 30%! From now on, you'll always get a 30% discount at my place, sir!"
Even after stepping out, the chubby man continued trailing behind Sato, bustling with flattery. He tirelessly promoted his restaurant's specialties and pushed discounts, doing everything he could to turn Sato into a returning customer.
Only when Sato crossed the street did the portly owner finally stop, clearly reluctant. Before leaving, he even handed out snacks to the Pokémon with Sato: Pichu, Natu, Kecleon, and Ditto.
"This guy's really generous, handing out snacks. Too bad he's just so ugly. Let's go to the Goldenrod Grand Hotel tonight instead. The chef in their flyer is seriously good-looking—just a notch below my idol, Wallace. But I bet his food is way better than the bald guy's from earlier."
Natu glanced toward the retreating figure of the restaurant owner. Once he was out of sight, she used telekinesis to unwrap the snacks with her tiny claws, then casually floated one toward her mouth while using telepathy to chat with Sato.
Ever since going down the path of idol fandom, and going deeper by the day, Natu had begun to equate personal value entirely with looks. She judged people's abilities by how handsome they were—the more handsome, the more capable; the less so, the less impressive.
In short, to Natu, "handsome" was everything.
Sato didn't respond to Natu's questionable logic. At the moment, he was carefully observing this, the largest city in the Johto region, and watching the crowd of pedestrians flowing past.
Even though he'd only been in Goldenrod City for a short while, he could already feel that the city's prosperity was on par with Saffron City. Perhaps due to its proximity to Ilex Forest, Johto's largest forest, the air quality here was noticeably better than in Saffron.
On the flip side, the culture around Pokémon battles seemed weaker here than in Saffron. The locals didn't seem very interested in battling—instead, many preferred to walk around the streets, playing with their beloved Pokémon.
Even the wild Pokémon living in Goldenrod didn't seem to harbor much hostility or fear toward humans. Many wandered leisurely through the streets. Some younger wild Pokémon even boldly approached passersby with food, acting cute to earn a treat.
And most people weren't afraid of the wild Pokémon either. Many would happily offer part of their food in return.
As Sato walked along, he saw peaceful and natural interactions between humans and Pokémon everywhere.
He knew a bit about Johto's unique Pokémon culture. Unlike Kanto, Johto was deeply influenced by spiritual traditions. The Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh was revered by most people in the region. According to myth, Ho-Oh once saved humanity here, bringing hope and peace to Johto.
To the people of Johto, Ho-Oh symbolized hope and harmony.
Because they worshipped such a benevolent and human-friendly legendary Pokémon, Johto's people had always pursued harmony with Pokémon more deeply than other parts of the world.
Perhaps for that very reason, large-scale wars and Pokémon disasters had rarely occurred here since ancient times. Humans and Pokémon on this land had always maintained a delicate balance of coexistence.
As Sato took in this harmonious scene between people and Pokémon, the unease and tension that had been weighing on him began to ease, replaced by a long-lost sense of peace.
All of a sudden, he found himself liking this city—a place that seemed to soothe the soul.
'If I grow old, this wouldn't be a bad place to settle down.'
Sato smiled faintly as he watched a wild Meowth tumble and pose adorably to earn half a hamburger from a young woman. The thought came quietly to him.
Soon, his feet had carried him into a nearby, leafy public park. At the entrance, he bought a small bag of birdseed from a vendor, then followed a stone path to a plaza centered around a large fountain.
He sat on a bench like many others there and began tossing birdseed toward the ordinary birds and wild Flying-type Pokémon nearby.
But to his awkward dismay, his generous offering was utterly ignored. The birds and wild Pokémon, seemingly fearless around humans, made no move toward the food he threw.
In fact, Sato noticed they were actively keeping a distance from him.
He tried walking around a little to test his theory, and sure enough—he felt like some kind of biological hazard. The ordinary birds and Flying-types scattered as he approached.
"Your aura is just way too scary. Those timid little guys are super sensitive. Of course they won't come near you. Honestly, you're lucky I'm not afraid—I'm even willing to jump around on you! You better treat me better from now on, you hear?"
Having eaten her fill and feeling drowsy, Natu suddenly perked up. She bluntly pointed out the reason why Sato was repelling the birds—then, of course, slipped in some tusundere self-praise.
Truthfully, Sato didn't need her to tell him. He'd already sensed something was off while walking through the streets earlier.
Whenever he got close, wild Pokémon would veer away from him. Only trainer-owned Pokémon didn't seem to react that way.
Part of the reason he came to this peaceful park to feed birds was to give his Nidorino the right environment to evolve. But the other reason was to quietly test the condition of his current state.
So far, it was clear: even with two protective talismans helping suppress his state and dark aura, his presence alone was still enough to terrify small creatures.
"I really do need to go to the Slowpoke Monastery/Temple in person. If I can't fully suppress this, no matter how perfect my disguise is, it's useless. The top-tier League Trainers will notice me immediately."
Looking around at the normal birds and wild Flying-types deliberately avoiding him, Sato sighed and shook his head.
This trip to the Johto region wasn't just for visiting the Slowpoke Monastery and resolving the issue with his aura—it was also to fulfill a mission from Giovanni.
And that mission was simple: Infiltrate the Pokémon League as someone completely new with a brand new identity.