Without leaving Sato and Joseph to speculate, perhaps because the vastness of the ocean loosened his heart, Mark unexpectedly opened up to them.
He quickly explained what had happened back then. When he caught Ekans, a Rhydon with blood-red eyes suddenly burst out of the forest and attacked indiscriminately.
Since Mark didn't have a starter Pokémon, he had used a trap to capture Ekans. And then, right before his eyes, the Rhydon crushed the entire back half of the trapped Ekans!
After that, the Rhydon turned to attack Mark. At that moment, he had no idea where the courage or strength came from; he grabbed Ekans and ran for his life, eventually falling into a river and barely escaping.
When he returned, the Ekans, whose body had been half-crushed, hadn't died. Incredibly, it survived with sheer willpower!
When Ekans evolved, with the help of Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, Arbok managed to regrow its tail by harnessing the miraculous power of evolution!
Sato looked closely and noticed a faint scar about a meter down Arbok's tail. If you didn't look carefully, you'd never notice it.
The capture had been rough, but in the end, it turned out okay. Open-hearted as ever, Mark didn't think too much about it and was still excited to be a Trainer.
But when he tried to catch Hoothoot with Arbok, disaster struck again!
Just as Arbok defeated Hoothoot and Mark was about to throw a Poké Ball, the ground... collapsed!
While chasing Hoothoot, Mark and Arbok had unknowingly wandered into a clearing near a riverside.
And just as the capture was about to succeed, the two of them were suddenly swept into the current!
Thankfully, Arbok was good in water. It fought desperately to bring the unconscious, choking Mark to shore, but Hoothoot was never found again.
At the time, in order to ensure the capture, Mark had knocked Hoothoot down to the brink of fainting and even poisoned it.
One big wave and well, you can imagine...
After that incident, Mark started to get a bad feeling, though he still didn't fully believe in vague ideas like luck or fate.
So, he tried a third time!
Just to be safe, he no longer used battles to capture Pokémon.
After selecting a lone Teddiursa, Mark used Honey and all sorts of fresh Berries in a gentle, friendly approach. It took him three days to earn Teddiursa's trust.
For those three days, nothing happened. Mark thought he had figured it all out and avoided misfortune!
On the fourth day, when he brought a Poké Ball to officially catch Teddiursa, he discovered its den had been overrun by a swarm of savage, bloodthirsty Golbat.
In the chaos, Mark only caught a glimpse of a tiny orange paw holding a Honey can. Then, relying on sheer will to survive, he jumped into the river again to escape the Golbat attack.
From that point on, Mark never dared to capture another Pokémon. Even when he felt a desire in his heart, he feared something would go wrong.
And yet, this same person had the kind of luck everyone envied; whatever Pokémon he hoped to find, he found!
At that point, it no longer felt like luck. It felt more like... a curse!
Sato and Joseph were overwhelmed with complex emotions as they listened. They couldn't even describe what they felt, so they just patted his shoulder in silent comfort.
"Alright, that was all a long time ago. Honestly, I stopped caring a while back. I've still got Arbok with me, don't I?"
Mark returned to being his cheerful, blunt, and goofy self, rubbing Arbok's head enthusiastically.
Arbok woke up in confusion. Seeing it was its own Trainer messing with its head, it just gave a symbolic shake of its big tail to protest!
'Does this snake have no dignity!?'
"Wow, Joseph! What kind of Pokémon is this? It's so round!"
"That's a Wailmer," Joseph replied casually when he saw that Mark had caught another Pokémon.
"Wailmer? Is it because it's so round and bouncy? Hahahaha hic..."
Sato and Joseph watched Mark laughing wholeheartedly, but inside, they felt increasingly heavy-hearted.
Even though they now understood Mark's situation, there was still nothing they could do to help him. It felt so powerless...
With a slightly gloomy mood, they had lunch on the ferry. After swaying for two hours, they finally reached the opposite shore.
Unlike the small dock near Mauville City, the opposite side had grown into a lively port town called Seabreeze Town.
As soon as they disembarked, Sato and the others noticed the difference, Seabreeze Town was unexpectedly bustling, filled with tourists and people everywhere.
Even though it was only 2:30 in the afternoon, all the street food stalls had already opened, and the delicious smells wafting from them made even the recently fed Sato's group gulp with hunger.
Mark touched his stomach and decisively chose the stall with the most mouthwatering scent. He could still eat!
The three of them strolled around while asking questions, and after a bit of inquiry, they learned that today was Seabreeze Town's Sea Festival; the town's grand annual celebration!
Running into a local festival while traveling... this kind of special treatment usually only happened to protagonists. But ever since Mark joined the group, nothing seemed that strange anymore.
The three of them immediately decided to stay for the night. It was a good chance to shake off the heavy mood from earlier.
For some reason, Sato couldn't shake the feeling that everything was somehow arranged by fate.
"There's a battle in the central plaza, let's go, let's go!"
"Is it starting? I can't wait!"
As they wandered around, excited voices suddenly echoed around them, and soon, a crowd began running in one direction.
Sato, Joseph, and Mark exchanged glances. And, following human nature to chase after commotion, they rushed over as well.
When they reached the so-called central plaza, they found it already packed with people.
At the center stood a standard battle arena. Fortunately, it was a raised platform built temporarily, so people in the back could still see.
The battle on stage was already heating up. Amid the exclamations from the crowd, the Trainers and Pokémon on stage were giving it their all, going head-to-head again and again!
The result of all this head-on fighting was a short and explosive match. Before long, the winner was decided.
The announcer came up, escorted the loser off stage, raised the winner's right hand, and hyped up the crowd! then called for the next challenger.
Sato and Joseph weren't surprised at all. That familiar voice, followed by Mark cheerfully running onto the stage and sending out his one and only Arbok.
Mark's skills were impressive. With only one Pokémon, the bond and coordination between Trainer and Pokémon were exceptionally strong.
Moreover, Mark poured all his resources into Arbok. Its moves, attack, defense, and speed were all superior to a typical Pokémon of the same level!
So, Mark kept winning match after match without being knocked off the stage!