At the summit of Reversal Mountain in the Unova Region of the Pokémon world, Sato and the other two stepped out one after another beside the massive rock.
"Boss, what did you say to Zillion just now? He looked super worked up," Mark couldn't hold back his curiosity the moment he emerged.
"Zillion's a businessman. I made a deal with him, and I also asked if Trish could come with us back to Johto to register as a Trainer under Shadownight Gym," Sato explained openly and simply.
In the Reverse World, Sato had made an agreement with Zillion. Once he returned to Shadownight Gym, he would search for the nearest portal, then have Shaymin cooperate with the Relic Crown to create a fixed transfer point.
These so-called portals were mirror-like surfaces in the Reverse World that showed glimpses of the real world -mirrors, glass, lake water, etc.- and there were quite a few of them.
Once a transfer point was established, Sato would be able to obtain a steady supply of items from the Reverse World through Zillion.
This was the greatest gain from Sato's journey. Otherwise, it wouldn't justify all the effort he put into acquiring those Ancient Relics.
"…Sato, aren't you mad?" Mark hesitated a bit but still asked cautiously.
'Those who are detestable often have their own pitiful reasons. Before we left, I could already see death in his eyes. If Zillion weren't still worried about his daughter Trish, he probably would've provoked Giratina without hesitation, choosing death to end it all.'
Sato shook his head, a hint of melancholy in his tone. To possess such wealth yet remain unfulfilled in the end...
"Then, after seeing us off, he's…" Mark's eyes widened, unable to finish the sentence.
"So Sato handed over the Relic Crown and gave him something to live for, right?" Joseph grinned at Sato, as if he'd seen right through him.
"It was just a transaction. I wanted 'treasures' from the Reverse World, Zillion wanted news of his daughter. It was mutually beneficial, nothing more. Let's go, I'm exhausted…"
Sato let out a big yawn. The pressure of facing a super-legendary Pokémon was far greater than expected. Despite his usually high stamina, all he wanted now was a proper rest.
"Now that you mention it, I'm beat too…" Mark dropped the subject, yawning after Sato. The moment he relaxed, he felt like he could collapse at any second.
The three didn't waste any more time, clambered down the mountain in a rush, and quickly found a nearby hotel to catch up on sleep.
Half a month later, Elite Four Drake officially concluded the exchange program in Unova and began preparations to return to the Hoenn Region.
Sato and the others had also returned to Vertress City, now with two additional members: Zillion's daughter Trish and the butler Amber.
As for these two, Drake merely asked a couple of casual questions before losing interest.
Right now, Drake was immensely satisfied with Sato. Recruiting two new "subordinates" seemed perfectly normal to him.
One was too young, the other quite old.
"We're finally going back… Maaaaaan, this trip was exhausting," Mark said dramatically as he stood on the deck he hadn't seen in ages.
"I remember you slept past noon every single day this week."
"Hey, Joseph, bro! There are people around, can you not ruin my reputation?!" Mark tiptoed to sling an arm around Joseph's neck, wearing a look that screamed 'don't you dare.'
Beside them stood Jona, Marshal, Skyla, Marlon, and the others.
Since it was an exchange, the Unova Region naturally arranged for their younger generation of Trainers to visit Kanto as well, to witness the "magnificence" of the League headquarters.
Not long after, the large ship set sail. They were finally leaving Unova, heading for Kanto.
Since Sato needed to return to Johto to open his Gym, Drake would drop them off halfway. And when Jona and the others learned that Sato was already a provisional Gym Leader, they all expressed sincere envy.
Life aboard the ship was dull, and the return trip would take a full month.
Fortunately, Sato and the others were in a stage of rapid growth in strength, spending most of their time training, so it didn't feel too hard to bear.
With training came battles. Even Mark, driven by the group's momentum, engaged in no less than three battles a day.
It was another day of intense training, and in the center of the training "arena", Sato and Marlon each stood on a command platform, as Umbreon and Seismitoad faced off, awaiting orders from their Trainers.
"Seismitoad, Bubble Beam!"
"Change tactics, use Supersonic!"
"Heal Bell to resist it."
Neither side was new to battling each other, so both knew their opponent well. Basic tactics were useless.
"Umbreon, Feint Attack."
"Seismitoad, follow up with Drain Punch!"
Umbreon didn't have high offensive power, so Seismitoad took the hit head-on. Drain Punch landed hard on Umbreon.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh~
Toxic sprayed from Umbreon's furr, raining down on Seismitoad's head. It was impossible to dodge.
"Another Drain Punch!"
Drain Punch hit again, sending Umbreon flying. At the same moment, a shooting star streaked across above it.
"Finish it quick, Seismitoad! Use Hydro Pump!"
A green barrier rose up. No matter how strong Hydro Pump was, it couldn't shake Umbreon. At the same time, Toxic had already activated twice.
Right after, Wish took effect. Starry light merged into Umbreon's body, and in an instant, it recovered half its stamina.
Marlon frowned. This wasn't his first time facing Umbreon's Toxic-Protect strategy. As long as his Pokémon couldn't use Taunt and couldn't land a one-hit KO, they would eventually be worn down by Umbreon.
And unfortunately, Seismitoad didn't have that kind of offensive power, nor could it learn Taunt. So facing Umbreon made it feel completely powerless.
Under the corrosion of Toxic, Seismitoad quickly lost its ability to battle, while Umbreon, having used Wish again and again, had nearly returned to full stamina.
Umbreon raised its head and howled. The long-stalled aura finally surged, rapidly rising.
Sato clenched his fist, and Umbreon had finally broken through to Mid Elite level.
In his past life, Sato's identity had put him on the edge of death at all times.
He didn't have many partners back then, so Umbreon -being responsible for defense and protection- appeared very frequently, and its growth pace never dropped.
But now, Sato had many more partners. Others could also guard and defend, or rather, the life-or-death crises had decreased greatly, leaving Umbreon with fewer opportunities to shine.