Sato didn't go into much detail, but the impact the Ghost Ship Organization had left on them was still quite significant.
That said, none of them were rookie Trainers fresh out of the gate. While they were aware darkness existed in the world, they hadn't expected it to be so close to them.
At the same time, this was also a breakthrough for Sato himself. The fact that he could now talk openly about his past experience with the Ghost Ship Organization meant he had truly let go of it.
"Don't be so tense. If it hadn't been for that, how would I have met Zoroark and Gengar?" Sato said, silently adding Pupitar and the others in his heart.
"That's true. Okay, okay, Joseph, your turn!"
"Kirlia is a partner I met here in the Hoenn Region. Back then, I had just arrived and didn't know anyone. I even struggled to understand the local language because of the regional accent.
While traveling from Petalburg City to Mauville City, I ran into a wild Pokémon riot. Florges and Gogoat fought as hard as they could, but eventually collapsed. Just when I thought I was done for, Kirlia used Teleport to pull me out of there."
"Whoa!" Mark didn't even know how to describe such a miraculous and enviable encounter. All the words in the world came down to a single "whoa."
"Kirli~"
Kirlia had always been a quiet girl. She didn't draw much attention most of the time, but it was clear she was a reliable Pokémon.
And really, a high-appeal, powerful Pokémon who was fiercely loyal to her Trainer? Anyone would dream of having one.
Including Sato!
Right after that, Sato told the story of how he met Houndoom, including the intense clashes that happened in between. Mark was on the edge of his seat, visibly thrilled.
As night fell, the campfire continued to crackle, its glow reflecting brightly in the eyes of the trio and their Pokémon.
Before this, they had never talked so openly. Even Sato, who normally wasn't much of a talker, had a constant smile on his face.
The three shared many stories and became even more familiar with one another. For the first time, Sato and Joseph learned that Mark's dream was to open a Pokémon café.
"A café filled with those unbearably cute Pokémon, Like Smoochum, Cleffa, Cleffa, Skitty, Togepi, and lots more!"
Just listing them out was enough to make Mark drool.
"But what if you can't catch any Pokémon?" Sato pulled him back to reality, but Mark had already come up with a solution.
"I'll put the café under my dad's name, then pay adventurers to help him catch Pokémon. After that, I'll apply to be the store manager!"
Sato and Joseph were stunned by Mark's logic, but Joseph quickly realized something didn't add up.
"Then why are you out traveling? You could just go home and start prepping for the café."
"I'd love to! But I don't have enough money… do you have any idea how expensive those little cuties are? Or how much it costs to open a café? And if anyone ever tries to steal them, I at least need to be strong enough to protect them! That's why I need to train."
Turns out Mark had thought it through. He knew exactly what he lacked, and what he had to do.
Even though he usually came across as lazy, the truth was he was just overly playful, a food-lover, a sleepyhead, a directionless wanderer, a slob, timid, not one for thinking too hard, slow to act, easily distracted, terrible at catching Pokémon...
'Well, at least he had good luck… Yeah!'
Maybe everyone in the Pokémon world dreamed of becoming a Champion as a child, but as they grew up, those who lived life with contentment and ease were often the ones who found the most happiness.
Whether Mark's Pokémon café would ever become reality, Sato didn't know for sure. But at least the guy lived each day with joy, and that alone was already something great.
"Hey hey hey! The Egg, the Egg!"
Suddenly, Mark shouted loudly. Sato was startled and quickly looked to his side, only to see that the glowing frequency of the Egg had sharply increased, nearly flashing once every second.
"All good, all good. It's about to hatch soon. Sato, you stay here. Mark and I will go get everything ready for the newborn Pokémon."
"Mm, thanks!"
"Hey, I'm not going! I wanna see the Egg hatch."
"You can still see it from a little farther back..."
Sato watched as Joseph forcefully dragged Mark away and couldn't help but smile. He understood the reason.
When a Pokémon is born, it usually treats the first creature it sees as its parent and forms a strong attachment to them.
That kind of attachment is extremely valuable for any Trainer. So when a Pokémon Egg is about to hatch, it's best for unrelated people to step aside.
Putting that aside, Sato cradled the Pokémon Egg in his arms and narrowed his eyes, staring at it.
This Egg gave no feedback to Dark Energy, so it clearly didn't belong to any of the six types attuned to it.
The Egg itself was completely golden-yellow in color, making it highly likely that the Pokémon inside was Electric-type.
Sato had already made up his mind… whatever Pokémon hatched from this Egg, he would give it his all in raising it.
Even if it wasn't good at battling, that didn't matter. At the very least, he'd raise it healthy and chubby and help it find something it loved to do.
As that thought crossed his mind, and as the Egg flashed faster and faster, Sato couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
"Doss~"
Ariados stayed close to Sato, also a little anxious. Witnessing the birth of a Pokémon was a truly rare moment.
Finally, when the light stopped flashing altogether, the entire Pokémon Egg erupted in a radiant glow. The light lasted a full ten seconds before gradually fading away.
When all the light had dispersed, a cute little yellow creature was lying quietly on the soft blanket.
It blinked its big black shiny eyes in confusion. The first thing it saw was Sato.
"Piichu"
"Welcome to the world," Sato said, bending down and gently rubbing its tiny head with his finger.
Pichu nuzzled against him comfortably, its eyes narrowing into little slits. Its small black tail perked up and swayed happily, it was clearly in a great mood.
"Here, Sato!"
Joseph tapped Sato on the shoulder and handed him a baby bottle filled with Moomoo Milk, the best nourishment for newborn Pokémon.
"Little one, try this."
Sato smoothly picked up Pichu and tilted the bottle. With practiced ease, he began feeding.
"Chuu~"
Apparently, Pichu loved the taste of Moomoo Milk. After just one sip, it held onto the bottle by itself, laying in Sato's arms and happily drinking away.
"So cute! My future café needs to have a Pichu!" Mark said in a hushed, excited voice.
Once it was full, Pichu yawned right away. Baby Pokémon only did two things: eat and sleep. That's how they grow properly.
Curling up in Sato's arms, it found a cozy spot, closed its eyes, and soon began softly snoring.