Now that he had firmed Ursaring's den, Sato didn't want to startle the beast prematurely.

  After memorizing the surrounding terrain, he quietly retreated.

  On the sed day, Ursaring tis daily routine of fing for food. Despite being a bear, its diet mainly sisted of berries and honey.

  …Honey?

  The moment a Beedrill arrived with its swarm, the Totem Ursaring a gleaming, silk-like drop of golden honey, Sato finally uood.

  That expined why the only Bug-type Pokémon in this entire forest was Beedrill!

  Another day passed.

  Sato noticed a clear pattern—aside from food gathering, Ursaring spent the rest of its time ihe den.

  However, aside from Ursaring itself, no other Pokémon ever entered or left the cave.

  "Was I wrong…?"

  Doubt crept into Sato's mind. Perhaps this Totem Ursaring wasn't proteg a cub at all—maybe it simply hated humans.

  Even so, he had to firm it for himself.

  Ohird day, Sato secured his belt and tightened his shoeces, signaling Hauo remain invisible and follow closely.

  The moment Ursari for its daily territory patrol, Sato slipped into the cave.

  Ihe air was thick with a pu, musky bear st, and the dimly lit cavern wasn't particurly rge.

  After taking only a few steps, he had already reached the deepest chamber.

  There, in the ter of a rge, cirest, y a tiny, e-furred bear—peacefully curled up and fast asleep.

  As Sato stepped forward, the little one's witched—sniffing at the unfamiliar st.

  "Mii?"

  Teddiursa wobbled awake, its sleepy, half-lidded eyes meeting Sato's curious gaze.

  One sed…Two seds…Three seds…

  her human nor Pokémon moved—locked in a silent staring test.

  Eventually, it was Teddiursa's sudden yawn that broke the tension.

  "Mii?"

  The tiny bear stretched out its stubby paws, rubbing its groggy eyes, as if trying to wake itself up.

  Then, it tiaring at Sato with a na?ve, fasated expression.

  …

  Sato slowly averted his gaze. For some reason, this little cub thought they were pying a game.

  "Mii~uu…"

  Apparently, waking up all by itself only to find that its pymate wasn't responding was simply unbearable.

  Large, watery tears welled up in its round eyes, ready to fall at any moment.

  It was about to cry.

  Sato shot a look at Haunter.

  …

  Maintaining his emotionless stare, Sato had to suppress any sign of impatience while discreetly signaling Haunter with haures.

  Target acquired—take down the brat.

  After a series of carefully calcuted maneuvers, Sato stood in silence, watg the now fast-asleep Teddiursa.

  He let out a deep breath, pletely abandoning his initial expectations.

  This cub… aside from being cuter and more mischievous than the average Teddiursa, was utterly useless.

  After thhly iing the den, Sato only found a single bundle of leaves carefully ed around a stash of honey.

  Aside from that, there was nothing of value. This treasure hunt was a plete failure.

  Three days wasted, and nothing to show for it.

  As for the cub he had been so eager to find…

  Fet it…

  Teddiursa was a Normal-type Pokémon, meaning Sato's Dark Energy had no effe it.

  Initially, he had hoped that the offspring of the Totem Ursaring might also i some of its Totem traits, but judging by what he had seen so far, that seemed highly unlikely.

  Iure, he should focus only on Pokémon that Dark Energy could properly assess. Otherwise, even if a mountain of treasure was right in front of him, he wouldn't reize it.

  Having made up his mind, Sato arrived at the derance. Just as he turned his head, a pair of dull, dead-fish-like eyes peeked i the exact same moment.

  One sed… Two seds… Three seds…

  Sato locked eyes with the suddenly returning Totem Ursaring.

  Then, in perfect synization, both of them snapped into a—Sato frantically sprinting deeper into the den, while Ursaring—blinded by fury—actally tripped over a rod fated into the entrance.

  "ROOOAR!"

  Ursaring scrambled back to its feet, pletely disregarding any ce for an imposing, dramatic roar, and immediately charged inside.

  Dragging its mountainous body forward with sheer force, it stormed into the depths of the den iless pursuit.

  "Haunter, disrupt it with Shadow Ball!"

  "Kehehe~"

  Hauhe fastest among them, was pletely unfazed by the chaotic se.

  With a sharp pivot, it unched nine small Shadow Balls iic patterns toward Ursaring—a teique it had sneakily copied from Larvitar's modified Rock Slide training.

  Boom! Boom! Boom…!

  A of explosioed, dust clouds billowed, and fragments of stone shot through the air.

  But Ursaring didn't care at all. pletely ign the pitifully weak distras, it charged forward at full speed. After all, this was its home—it knew every inch of the cave, and could navigate it perfectly even with its eyes closed.

  So that's exactly what it did. Ursaring barreled through the smoke, eyes shut, and charged straight to the den's deepest chamber. There, it followed the source of the noise… And found a terrified Teddiursa, frozen in pce.

  "ROOOOOAR!"

  Sato had never inteo fight head-on against su overwhelming oppo.

  The Shadow Balls had doheir job perfectly—serving only to dey the beast. And judging by the rage-filled roar eg behind him, his pn had worked fwlessly.

  For some reason, he found himself grinning. Perhaps this was the simple joy of messing with someone.

  -----

  After successfully esg Ursaring's territory, Sato khat venturing any deeper would only lead to two outes—either entering insignifit weaklings like Caterpie, or running into something even more terrifying than Ursaring.

  So, he ged course, backtracked along his pnned route, a out for Violet City.

  By the time he and his exhausted Pokémon finally arrived, the sun was beginning to set. After heading straight to the Pokémoer, he had them fully healed and checked for any lingering injuries.

  Sato never liked staying ht at Pokémoers, so he opted for a more expeel, prioritizing privad security.

  The m, he wahrough Violet City aloaking in its historical charm. As he passed by the Violet Gym, he lingered for a long time, ultimately choosing to walk away.

  I years, the Pokémon League circuit had exploded in popurity, giving rise to a new profession—Pokémon Trainer.

  Traveling, challenging Gym Leaders, and peting in the League tours were now all interected. From the League's perspective, this system allowed them to recruit talerainers effitly, bolstering their own power.

  For trainers, it was a grand stage to prove themselves—the starting point of dreams and ambition. But for Sato, excessive public exposure was nothing but trouble.

  First of all, his Larvitar was far too rare.

  Even in major cities, he avoided letting it out in public, wary of attrag unwatention.

  Sedly, Zorua was another problem.

  Clearly not native to either Kanto or Johto, it okémon he had acquired from the Ghost Ship anization. If he showcased it too openly, it would be the same as painting a giant target on his back.

  Finally, the modern Pokémon League tours were no longer what they had inally been inteo be.

  Now, they were littered with the influences of wealthy families, corporate is, political fas within the League, and even underground anizations.

  These groups exploited the tour system to expand their influend manipute profits.

  Sato had no i iing involved. In this sed life, besides his Pokémon, he had no attats. At most, his only real goal was to bee stronger.

  More importantly, the Pokémon League wasn't even the highest level of petitive battling. It only gained so much attention because it attracted the you, most passionate petitors and boasted the widest publifluence.

  But beyond it, far greater battles awaited—The Elite Circuit, the Regional Champions' Cup, and the World Champion Invitational. That was where the true powerhouses fought. And that was where he was headed.

  For now, however, Sato found himself standing in front of a massive shopping mall, signing up for a special event. A tour, with a one-million Pokédift card on the line.