In the northern outskirts of Goldenrod City, near a small waterfall, Sato and his Pokémon were immersed in interaining. They had already been in this location for nearly a week.

  The waterfall itself wasn't rge, but the force of the water casg down was anything but weak.

  In the pool below, a strangely colored fish—patched with red, yellow, and blue—was struggling to climb upstream. It managed a few moments against the current before beilessly pushed back down by the rushing water.

  "Shah…"

  Once again, Carvanha found itself overpowered by the waterfall's force, its efforts proving futile. However, its progress was undeniable.

  From an initial climb of just two meters, it had now mao asd nearly teers before being forced back. That was a remarkable improvement.

  Meanwhile, Haunter was once again fined within a two-meter radius, but this time, instead of dodging the attacks from Zoroark and the others, it was fag Sato directly.

  "Whoosh!" "Whoosh! Whoosh!"

  Small to medium-sized gray stones were flung toward Hau an unusual speed. Infused with a faint trace of Dark Energy, these projectiles hit Haunter with a surprising sting.

  Because of this, Haunter had no choice but to focus entirely on dodging. If it couldn't keep up with the pace, it was forced to ter by detonating the stones midair using its attacks.

  After enduring another barrage of stone impacts, Haunter barely mao catch its breath before being immediately challenged again—this time by the bined assault of Larvitar and Spinarak.

  Because of Haunter's nature, it struggled with repetitive and monotonous training. Even if it was forced to endure such exercises, the results were often ineffit.

  Instead, its bat training was far superior to that of the other Pokémon.

  After enduring another round of stone impacts, Haunter barely had time to catch its breath before fag a coordinated assault from Larvitar and Spinarak.

  Larvitar led the offense while Spinarak provided support. Individually, they were still weaker than Haunter, but their teamwork had bee increasingly refihrough frequent battles.

  Not long ago, the two had almost mao defeat Haunter in a joint effort.

  The experience had left a sting impa it, prompting Hauo go on a rampage through the forest, relentlessly battling wild Pokémon to refis moves.

  After interaining in Thunderbolt, Psychid Energy Ball, it had barely mao recim its position as the team's sed stro.

  Sato was quite satisfied with this oute.

  Haunter had reized its shortings and proactively sought ways to improve, which led to signifit growth. That was exactly what he wao see.

  As for Spinarak and Larvitar, their steady growth was undeniable.

  Spinarak's rapid early development had brought it closer in strength to Larvitar, whose power was built on long-term accumution. The two stantly pushed each other to improve, making their growth the most evident.

  Oher hand, Zoroark's progress was not as visibly dramatic as the others'.

  Once a Pokémon reached the Elite stage, its growth was typically based on tinuous accumution. Without some special stimulus or rare treasure, it was difficult to experiehe kind of explosive growth seen in the early stages.

  However, Sato was in no hurry. He was only ten years old, and his eeam was still young. He had plenty of time to y a solid foundation for each of his Pokémon, fully unlog their potential.

  At the same time, he was also beginning to study Pokémon breeding, learning how to prepare food for his team himself.

  This not only strengtheheir bond but also allowed him to tailor their meals to their specifiutritional needs.

  As the sun climbed higher, Sato called back all his Pokémon from their training and handed out the meals he had prepared. Watg them eat heartily, he felt a deep sense of satisfa.

  His knowledge of Pokémon food preparation came from the Rocket Team's database.

  While he wasn't particurly talented in cooking, he wasn't pletely hopeless either. As long as he ehe meals were nutritious, he could at least make them edible.

  Cough, cough!

  "Apologies for the intrusion, young man."

  Sato turned swiftly, spotting an elderly man standing about three meters away.

  The old man had a kindly expression, and beside him stood a plump Wigglytuff, staring at Sato's Pokémon as they ate, its mouth practically watering.

  "Leader Howard?"

  "Oh? Ynize me, kid? But I feel like I've seen you somewhere before too… Ah! Last week's riot! You were the one who—"

  "Sato."

  "Yes, yes! Sato! Hahaha!" Hhed heartily, stepping forward and giving Sato a firm pat on the shoulder, his demeanor radiating warmth and approval.

  "Wigglyyy…"

  Wigglytuff tugged at Howard's sleeve, its eyes fixed on Zoroark's meal. Its drool was nearly pooling on the ground, making the already sheepish Howard scratch his head in embarrassment.

  "If you don't mind, you try this," Sato offered.

  "Wiggly!"

  Wigglytuff happily accepted the food Sato handed over, plopping down beside them with a blissful expression as it ate, pletely ign Howard's embarrassment.

  "Uh… well, I went out for a m walk, and somehow… I ended up here. To be ho, it's a bit embarrassing—I 't seem to find my way back. Hahaha!"

  Sato turo gn the dire of Goldenrod City. This pce was at least thirty kilometers away. Was getting lost one of Howard's natural talents or something?

  "Coo… coo… coo…"

  Watg Howard's face shift from pale pink to a deep red, Satled to suppress his ughter before inviting him to join them for lunch.

  "Phew… Thanks for the meal! Otherwise, I'd have had to skip lunch today!"

  Howard sighed in satisfa after setting his chopsticks down. Beside him, Wigglytuff let out a happy "Wiggly~," clearly just as tent.

  "Leader Howard, you're too kind," Sato replied, not being particurly skilled in social iions. Without saying much more, he turned away and began ing up the dishes.

  Howard didn't hold back, eagerly approag Sato's Pokémon and clig his tongue in amazement.

  A bck-colored Pokémon he had never seen before, a rare Ghost-type Haunter, a Larvitar—the pseudo-legendary baby Pokémon, a Carvanha from Hoenn, and a seemingly ordinary Spinarak.

  This lineup… was intriguing, to say the least.

  Sato didn't sense any hostility from Howard. Plus, he had just received his status as a direct-lirainer, which teically put him on the same side as Gym Leaders rather than in opposition. So, he let Howard observe his Pokémon without interference.

  "As a token of gratitude, Sato, why don't you e visit my farm? The Moomoo Milk produced there is absolutely delicious!"

  Sato dried his hands and looked at the older man, whose tone was surprisingly firm. A sudden suspi crossed his mind.

  Could it be… he wants me to guide him home?

  Given that high-quality Moomoo Milk was known for its remarkable ability to relieve Pokémon stress, Sato and Howard exged a knowing look and began their journey back to Goldenrod City.

  "Moomoo Farm is at the northernmost part of Goldenrod City. I have hundreds of Miltank roaming freely there. Once we get close, it should be easy to find."

  "Find what?"

  "Ah, find… uh… find the Miltank that produce the highest-quality Moomoo Milk! Yes, yes, that's it!"

  Sato watched the old Gym Leader desperately try to cover his slip-up but chose not to call him out on it. Instead, he took half a step forward and quietly took the lead.

  During the journey, Sato personally witnessed what it truly meant to have maxed-out "Getting Lost" as a skill.

  fusi frht wasn't so bad. A slight deviation while walking was uandable. But making a sudden 180-degree turn on the spot with n, all while thinking he was still moving in a straight line?

  …That was on a whole different level.