Chloe's sweet tone, paired with her gentle smile—
This time, I've definitely got him!
"Suicune! Where's Suicune?!"
"I mean—do you want to go see Suicune together?!"
Chloe's face flushed red!
From anger!
She hadn't expected that after Satoshi went out on a trip, the ambiguous atmosphere from before would vanish completely!
Then that kiss of hers—wouldn't that mean… wouldn't that mean it was all for nothing?!
She'd finally managed to leave a slightly different impression in Satoshi's heart.
And then he goes out once—and everything turns into this?!
Satoshi, you scumbag!
Hmph!
"Chloe, hurry up and tell me—where exactly is Suicune?! Let's go take a look! Come to think of it, I haven't seen Suicune very many times either!"
"..."
"Chloe, say something!"
Seeing Chloe suddenly fall silent, Satoshi immediately grew anxious.
This was about the Legendary Pokémon Suicune, after all!
"I can't remember right now! I'll tell you when I do!"
With that, Chloe—angry at herself—briskly walked past Satoshi and into Professor Sakuragi's lab.
This left Satoshi completely confused.
What's wrong with Chloe now?
Impossible to understand. Headache-inducing!
"Professor Sakuragi, I managed to catch Dracovish and Arctozolt this time. Want to take a look?"
Since Chloe was angry, Suicune was obviously off the table for now.
So Satoshi immediately changed the topic and turned to Professor Sakuragi.
Faced with Satoshi's unwavering obsession, Professor Sakuragi could only let out a long sigh.
His daughter's future love life was probably going to be incredibly difficult.
After all—she'd fallen for Satoshi.
"Come on, let's go to the backyard and take a look at your Dracovish and Arctozolt."
"That's great! Let's go!"
[Ayako: Huh?]
[Senri: Huh?]
[Hanako: Huh?]
[Hanako: Everyone, don't worry! My child isn't usually like this!]
[Caitlin: Satoshi, I really want to know—what exactly does it take to leave an impression on you? Even after Chloe gave you her first kiss, it only stayed in your heart for half a day! What kind of girl could possibly conquer you?!]
[Satoshi: She'd have to be stronger than me. Like Miss Cynthia—strong, with excellent tactical understanding!]
[Caitlin: Got it! Either beat you in battle, or outplay you tactically! Otherwise, how could anyone conquer you?!]
Good grief! That's not standards—that's targeted screening!
You're basically naming people directly!
[Diantha: The more I hear this, the more I feel like he's describing me.]
[Lorelei: Then I guess I still have a chance too.]
[Lance: Lorelei, stop it! You're old enough to be Satoshi's mother!]
[Hanako: I'm only thirty! And isn't Lorelei thirty-nine?]
[Lorelei: Lance, you bastard! I'll never forgive you!]
Lorelei silently shed tears.
This wasn't just an age issue anymore!
She was nine years older than Satoshi's mom!
What a heartbreaking story!
[Diantha: When you put it that way… I'm suddenly a little interested in Satoshi.]
[Cynthia: I think you'd better not be.]
[Diantha: Oh~? And what does our Champion Cynthia mean by that?]
[Caitlin: I really want to say it! But someone's threatening me with a whip, so I don't dare!]
[Sabrina: Heh~ Move aside, all of you! You might beat Satoshi in Pokémon battles, but I can fight him in person!]
Oh no—how did we forget about this monster?!
A psychic with destruction-level psychic power.
Satoshi was a physical monster.
Sabrina was a mental monster.
From that perspective…
They really were a match made in heaven!
If those two got married and had a child—
That kid would probably have the most terrifying talent in the world!
Combining the father's physical prowess and the mother's psychic power!
At that point, Arceus himself might show up to acknowledge the child as a godson!
Child, from the moment you're born, the entire world will be chanting your name—
Just imagining it made everyone shudder.
No!
These two absolutely must not end up together!
But then again—
They were a perfect match. Who were these monsters to object?
Besides, barely anyone could even pass Satoshi's own standards.
On Screen—
Arriving in the backyard, Satoshi released his Poké Balls.
Even after seeing photos beforehand, Professor Sakuragi was still utterly shocked by the appearances of Dracovish and Arctozolt!
No—
What kind of Pokémon looks like this in nature?!
Dracovish—sticking a fish head onto a dragon body—how does that make sense?!
And Arctozolt—your upper and lower halves are way too mismatched!
It looked like a case of "small brain underdeveloped, big brain not fully developed"!
At that moment, Professor Sakuragi felt his worldview taking a direct hit.
But he quickly realized the truth.
Whoever revived these fossils clearly mixed up the top and bottom halves!
This was academic blasphemy!
People like that deserved to be nailed to the pillar of shame in academia—right next to plagiarists!
"They're really cool, right?! And super strong!"
Watching Dracovish dash straight for the pool the moment it appeared, Satoshi said excitedly.
Cool…?
"You're happy, so that's fine."
Professor Sakuragi sucked in a sharp breath.
What kind of aesthetic sense does this kid have?!
Calling Dracovish and Arctozolt "cool"?
Then there wouldn't be any ugly Pokémon left!
What he didn't understand was this—
There's a kind of beauty called strength.
[Wallace: This kid's sense of aesthetics is really… unusual. That huge fish head is 'cool'? Then what does that make my Milotic—ribbonfish?]
[Diantha: Exactly! There's no Pokémon more beautiful than Gardevoir!]
[Hanako: I think his aesthetic is normal. Maybe Dracovish has some shining qualities you haven't noticed?]
[Lance: What shining qualities? Because it's a Dragon?! Damn it!]
Lance broke first.
[Satoshi: Don't you think Dracovish is cool?! That kind of power—you can tell at a glance!]
[Steven: No. No matter how cool it is, it can't be cooler than my Metagross. If Dracovish were still a fossil, I might give it a few extra points.]
Audience: You're not much better either!
On Screen—
That evening, at Professor Sakuragi's house.
Mrs. Yoshino prepared a huge feast to welcome Satoshi back.
Chloe's younger brother, Sota, showed the same starry-eyed admiration as Satoshi when he saw Dracovish!
The two immediately hit it off, agreeing on how cool Dracovish was.
This left Professor Sakuragi utterly baffled.
Was he just out of touch with the times?
He genuinely couldn't see what was cool about Dracovish!
By the time dinner came around, Chloe had already comforted herself.
At the table, she returned to her gentle demeanor.
Starting over from scratch—this time, I'll definitely move Satoshi again!
At dinner, Satoshi eagerly brought up the topic.
He'd been holding it in for too long.
And of course, the topic was Suicune.
"Chloe, where's that forest you mentioned where Suicune appears? Is it the Burned Tower in Ecruteak City?"
Satoshi had been curious about Suicune for ages!
Everyone smiled knowingly.
Of course—only Pokémon could make him this enthusiastic.
"Satoshi~ it is in Ecruteak City, but not the Burned Tower."
"Then that settles it! It must be the Suicune I know!"
Satoshi's eyes lit up.
"Yes! I get to see Suicune again!"
"If you really want to go, I'll go with you tomorrow."
"Really, Chloe?! That's amazing!"
Sota shook his head.
Satoshi was still too young—so easily led by Pokémon bait.
He wondered when Satoshi would become as mature as him.
Six-year-old Sota sighed with very adult worries.
That night, Satoshi was so excited he could barely sleep.
The Next Morning!
Satoshi got up early, fully prepared to head out.
Why so excited?
Obviously—for Suicune!
In Satoshi's mind, Suicune was the embodiment of elegance and power!
Even higher than Entei!
Ecruteak City was in the Johto region, practically neighboring Vermilion City.
It only took about an hour to get there.
As soon as they arrived, Satoshi and Chloe ran into Officer Jenny.
From her, Satoshi learned something important.
Suicune's appearance had attracted many people—not just trainers, but also poachers.
These poachers were cunning. Jenny had staked them out for days without catching them.
She hoped Satoshi could help stop them if they showed up.
Satoshi accepted without hesitation.
He hated poachers more than anything!
Originally, he just wanted to see Suicune.
Now he had an additional mission.
"Satoshi, if you run into the poachers, don't act recklessly! Contact Officer Jenny immediately!"
Seeing the sharp determination in Satoshi's eyes, Chloe worried.
"Don't worry! I'm not reckless!"
Chloe: ...
That's exactly why I'm worried!
If Satoshi weren't reckless, he wouldn't be Satoshi.
Like locking a husky in a room—if it doesn't wreck the place, it's not a husky!
On the way to the forest, Satoshi talked about his past travels in Ecruteak City.
Back then, he was still a rookie trainer and had suffered badly at Morty's hands.
If it were today, even without Pikachu—
Just Dragonite alone could crush Morty easily!
Satoshi clearly forgot he'd already told Chloe this story before.
But Chloe listened anyway.
Still, when she heard Misty's name, she felt a twinge of jealousy.
If only she'd met Satoshi earlier…
In the forest, they saw many League personnel on patrol.
They even ran into Morty himself.
A Ghost-type Gym Leader who worshipped Ho-Oh—it really was a strange combination.
Morty greeted Satoshi warmly, but when he noticed Chloe, he gave Satoshi a peculiar look.
That confused Satoshi.
Was there something special about Chloe?
"We've set up defenses throughout the forest, but they're slippery. At the slightest sign, they run."
"They're numerous and have powerful Pokémon. Even Officer Jenny and I have suffered losses."
"Satoshi, you must be careful."
Strangely, Satoshi found this odd.
Kanto had the best public security among all Leagues.
Between constant battles with Team Rocket and Lance's presence—
These poachers shouldn't stand a chance.
"Well… Lance is currently training at Mt. Silver, preparing to challenge the Champion seat."
"Morty, leave it to me! I won't let these poachers succeed!"
Satoshi patted his chest confidently.
"Actually, it's not that serious. These poachers might just be… not very bright."
"According to our observations, they're planning to catch Suicune with fishing nets. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"…Fishing nets?"
"…Catch Suicune?"
"Pika?"
Satoshi and the others were dumbfounded.
These poachers were ridiculously unprofessional!
Compared to Hunter J, they weren't even in the same league.
If Suicune could be caught with fishing nets—
Chloe might as well just throw a Poké Ball and succeed!
That would be more realistic!
"So I'm worried they'll panic and attack trainers instead."
Morty sighed helplessly.
The audience was just as stunned.
Fishing nets and Suicune—just putting those words together was absurd.
If they actually succeeded—
Suicune should just quit being a Legendary Pokémon.
[Morty: Hahaha! I usually don't laugh—unless I can't help it!]
[Lance: Are you sure these poachers aren't comedians? I'd really like to crack open their heads and see if there's a walnut inside.]
[Hunter J: Hmph. A bunch of useless fools pretending to be poachers. Catching Legendary Pokémon isn't that simple.]
[Agent "Looker": What?! Hunter J is here?! This is serious! Alliance members, be alert—this person is extremely dangerous!]
[Chairman Damaris: This is the League's most wanted criminal. Contact Officer Jenny immediately if spotted!]
[Hunter J: Heh. You think you can catch me?]
Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!
Blatantly provoking the entire League!
Whose subordinate is this?!
[Cynthia: Don't worry. I'll personally capture Hunter J.]
[Flint: Not my problem—I'm already on a flight to Paldea. Leave it to the boss and Lucian~]
[Lucian: ...]
Oh no. Overtime again.
[Jessie: Suicune! If we catch it—]
[James: We'll become executives!]
[Lance: Don't go down the wrong path! You're the League's future crime fighters!]
Jessie & James: Huh?
[James: Boss, don't misunderstand! Once Team Rocket, always Team Rocket! We'll never betray Team Rocket!]
On Screen—
After speaking with Morty, he returned to his post.
Manpower was tight, and as a Gym Leader, his responsibilities were heavy.
Satoshi continued deeper into the forest with Chloe.
"Satoshi, Gym Leader Morty is a Ghost-type specialist, right?"
"Yeah! Want to challenge him? He's strong—you should be prepared to lose!"
"No, not yet. I'm not ready. I just think Ghost-types and Ho-Oh don't really match."
"So what! Ho-Oh wouldn't abandon a believer just because they're a Ghost-type trainer!"
"Ho-Oh is the most benevolent god! It even revived me after I died!"
Chloe: "???"
Died? Revived?
Satoshi—are you trying to scare people?!
What kind of attack could even kill you?!
She couldn't imagine it at all.
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