Sato had become famous…and then he disappeared.
After exchanging 8,000 points for as many Feather as he could, he was never seen again at the Battle Club.
Many even approached Don George specifically to ask about Sato, only to find out that he wasn't even a Trainer from the Unova Region.
Fanna stood in the crowd feeling a bit dejected. She hadn't even managed to say more than two sentences to the idol she'd just started admiring before he vanished.
When would they meet again?
'Johto Region, huh?' If she ever got the chance, she'd definitely go check it out!
The Battle Club's challenge defense might let someone become famous from a single battle, but it still needed time to ferment.
Sato had slipped away too quickly. Only the few hundred people who were present truly saw what he looked like.
Once those few hundred mingled back into the sea of Trainers, they didn't really amount to much.
In fact, the record at the Battle Club wasn't just about his nine-win streak. What sparked all the buzz was how young Sato was.
His very existence made people feel like all their blessings had gone to hell: envy, jealousy, admiration… it was complicated.
And at that moment, Sato was carefully inspecting all four sets of Feather's, 24 feathers in total.
Items that could directly increase a Pokémon's potential… even if the effect was weak, it still mattered, right?
Like how 59 is always different from 60, sometimes that last little bit is the straw that triggers a complete transformation.
As for who to use them on, Sato was now at a loss. If he divided the 24 feathers equally -setting aside whether they could actually be split evenly- just giving two per Pokémon might not show any noticeable effect.
But if he instead gave one full set to each of four Pokémon, then who would be the best to receive them?
Zoroark had earned them, so it was only natural that it get one set.
The problem was the remaining three. As his companions increased, Sato's biggest concern became not that he gave too little, but that he didn't give evenly.
Even though Pokémon were simple at heart, they all wanted Sato's attention… to be the one he trained and focused on most.
That was only natural.
"If it really doesn't work out, I'll just split them evenly," Sato muttered to himself. But Zoroark shook its head.
Zoroark stacked all four sets of Feather together and packed them back into Sato's backpack.
"You're saying… use them as rewards? Yeah, that makes sense. Who says I have to use them right away? I could totally save them and give them out to teammates who perform well!"
A wave of clarity struck Sato. Up to now, every time he got something useful, he'd rush to use it, wanting to see its value as soon as possible. But truthfully, there was no rush.
"You got it!" Sato rubbed the top of Zoroark's fuzzy head.
He couldn't resist rubbing it twice more.
Zoroark shook its head and wriggled free from Sato's hands. As it grew older, it felt more embarrassed doing those cute, spoiled gestures… better to keep that cool persona intact.
'I'm the handsome Zoroark. Hmph!'
As dusk settled, Sato waited in the hotel room for Joseph and the others to return; but instead, they called and asked him to come down again.
"One day's not enough to explore~ Nimbasa City's night market is super famous! There'll be endless snacks and treats~" Phoebe said excitedly, trying to sell Sato on the idea.
Beside her, Joseph and Mark were completely exhausted, sprawled out on the sofa, minds utterly blank.
Ryoko was doing better, but thankfully wasn't as energetic as Phoebe.
…At least she fell within the range of a normal girl.
Judging by the situation, getting Joseph to cook was out of the question. It was better to go along with Phoebe's suggestion and hunt for food outside.
Half an hour later, the five of them were navigating through the night market, each holding three or four different snacks, fully immersed in the experience.
Mark had recovered his energy, cradling Togepi as they weaved through the crowd, doing his best to fulfill any of Togepi's requests.
Suddenly, while happily eating ice cream in Mark's arms, Togepi began to glow with a brilliant white light.
Under the gaze of the night market crowd, Togepi slowly floated out of Mark's arms and hovered in front of him.
Within the white light, Togepi's figure gradually elongated. Its little feet stretched out from the eggshell, and a pair of delicate little wings broke free; not flapping much, yet giving it the power of flight.
Unlike the creamy yellow of its Togepi stage, Togetic's whole body was white. It retained the red and blue triangular spots on its body, and its rounded limbs made it look even more like a plush toy.
Its cuteness was undiminished, if anything, it had gained more charm and liveliness!
"HAHA! Congratulations, Togetic!" Mark laughed as he hugged Togetic and spun around in a circle of love.
Even the people around them began applauding. After all, witnessing a Pokémon's evolution in person was a joy in itself.
Togetic, now evolved, was clearly smarter. Sensing its Trainer's happiness, it smiled along with him.
Ultimate cuteness attack!
Many onlookers instinctively clasped their hands to their chests, as if witnessing something so beautiful they wanted to send their blessings.
"This Togetic must've been raised on pure cuteness. I'm done, my heart bar is empty…" Phoebe murmured, leaning softly on Ryoko with stars in her eyes, staring at Togetic.
"Phoebe, please be rational. Togetic has a Trainer," Ryoko reminded her, unable to help it, and not just any Trainer, but one of their own companions, Mark. There was no chance of catching it.
Phoebe froze on the spot, face full of despair. She squatted down and started drawing little circles on the ground.
"Why aren't there Ghost-type Pokémon this cute… Why aren't there any Ghost-types this cute… Why…"
Unfortunately, other than Ryoko offering a pat on her back in consolation, everyone else was completely focused on Togetic.
Even Sato felt a bit envious. He'd had Pichu longer than Mark had had Togepi.
Now, Togepi had developed enough "friendship" with Mark to evolve.
Sato glanced at Pichu, who was squatting on the ground curiously watching Togetic, and something stirred inside him. He reached down and picked it up.
Pichu looked up at Sato, confused as to why it'd been picked up all of a sudden. 'I was about to go play with Togetic… why'd you pull me back?'
Pichu nimbly leapt off Sato's shoulder and scampered toward Togetic, calling out cheerfully, "Pichu~ Pichu~"
'As long as you're happy…'