Chapter 18: The First Capture Mission

After wrapping up his brief campaign in New Bark Town, Sato left the place in ruins, figuratively speaking, accompanied by his three Pokémon.

In the northwestern outskirts of the forest, Sato took out his latest-model wilderness navigator, checked his surroundings, confirmed his direction, and headed straight into the woods.

Yesterday, he had accepted his first capture request in New Bark Town—his target was a round and chubby Pokémon that was immensely popular among women: Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff wasn't particularly strong, and its evolution required an expensive Moon Stone, but its adorable appearance, combined with its unpredictable movements and lack of a fixed habitat, kept its market price high.

Jigglypuff was like a wandering bard, traveling across various regions, stubbornly searching for someone who could listen to its song without falling asleep.

Sato released Zorua and Haunter and began scouting the forest for any traces of Jigglypuff.

Not long ago, someone had spotted a Jigglypuff in this area. Sato had paid a hefty price for that information, and after making the necessary preparations, he had rushed over as soon as possible.

"Jigglypuff is light and doesn't leave footprints easily. It prefers eating Aspear Berries to keep its throat hydrated, so let's start by looking for Aspear Berry trees."

"Zor!"

"Kehehehe~"

Haunter, with a mischievous grin, gave a salute that was anything but standard, then vanished into the forest.

Sato took another direction, striding forward. Small Pokémon peeked out cautiously from their hiding spots, curiously observing this unfamiliar human.

His gaze swept from side to side, searching for any possible hiding spots for Jigglypuff. Before long, he spotted something above—perched silently on a tree branch, a Murkrow was staring intently at him.

"Want to come down and give it a try?"

Sato extended his right hand, releasing a dense wave of Dark Energy. The black aura resembled a lethal yet irresistible delicacy.

Finally, unable to resist its primal instincts, Murkrow slowly descended, landing on Sato's arm, and peacefully absorbed the surrounding Dark Energy. A small amount of its power was being drawn in, but only in minuscule amounts.

"Murkrow, have you seen a Jigglypuff nearby? It looks like this."

A flat image of Jigglypuff appeared on his Pokédex screen. Technology wasn't advanced enough to generate a full 3D model yet.

To his surprise, Murkrow had actually seen a Jigglypuff—and just this morning!

"Take me there."

"Caw!"

Murkrow hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing to help. However, instead of leading the way, it simply pointed with its wing, choosing to stay perched on his arm, still absorbing Dark Energy.

"Kehehe!"

Haunter suddenly materialized, startling Murkrow so badly that it flapped its wings in terror, causing complete chaos.

Sato, fed up with the commotion, forcibly grabbed Murkrow by the wings, holding it like a chicken chick in his hand.

Without Dark Energy to pacify it, and with a ghost that had nearly scared it to death floating nearby, the terrified Murkrow truly believed this was its last day alive.

"Zor?"

The commotion caught Zorua's attention. Worried for Sato's safety, it rushed back at full speed.

"I'm fine. We have a lead—let's go check it out."

"Zor!"

After about ten minutes, Murkrow, while guiding the way, began to recover some of its energy. Realizing that Sato had no intention of eating it, the bird started feeling hopeful about escaping soon and became much more cooperative.

"Caw! Caw!"

Murkrow weakly pointed forward, and Sato faintly heard a soft, soothing voice drifting through the air. It was gentle, calming—and incredibly drowsy.

"Return, Haunter! Zorua, Fake Tears!"

"Zoruuu~"

As a top contender for an Oscar, Zorua could cry on command, looking absolutely pitiful. The delicate singing continued, but now it had lost its effectiveness.

With the sound frequency disrupted, Fake Tears turned into a full-on wail, rendering Sing completely useless. Sato quickened his pace, aiming to wrap up the capture as soon as possible and avoid any unnecessary trouble.

At the center of a small clearing, surrounded by bushes, stood a perfectly flat, square-shaped stone. For Jigglypuff, it was a natural stage, an ideal spot to freely perform its enchanting songs.

"Plop!"

A Pidgey tumbled from a tree branch, yet remained sound asleep.

As Sato moved forward, he noticed several other Pokémon that had already been lulled into slumber. Thanks to Zorua's constant Fake Tears, he was still holding out, but he knew he had to finish this quickly.

"Zor! Zor!"

"There it is! Zorua, use Taunt!"

"Zor!"

Zorua leapt off Sato's shoulder, dashed up behind Jigglypuff, and tapped it. As the balloon Pokémon turned around in confusion, Zorua immediately launched into an endless string of taunts.

No one knew exactly what it said, but Jigglypuff visibly swelled up nearly twice its size.

It stopped singing altogether, and its tiny hands began glowing faintly, ready to strike Zorua on the spot.

"Sucker Punch!"

"Zor!"

Zorua vanished in an instant, only to reappear behind Jigglypuff, slamming into it hard from behind.

"Jiggly!!"

Jigglypuff face-planted into the ground, instinctively wanting to use Sing again to lull its opponent into submission.

But the moment the thought crossed its mind, an overwhelming wave of anger surged through its body.

All it wanted now was to personally beat this infuriating opponent into the dirt!

Clearly, Taunt's effect had kicked in.

"Jiggly! Jiggly!"

Jigglypuff swung its tiny arms again, this time channeling a deep orange energy that sent a shiver of unease through Zorua.

"That's Brick Break! Zorua, jump to dodge—counter with Dark Pulse!"

When it came to combat, Jigglypuff was practically a joke.

Sato had no idea why a pink balloon was capable of learning a Fighting-type move like Brick Break, but as long as it didn't land a hit, type advantage meant nothing.

"Zor!"

Dark Pulse whistled through the air, blasting Jigglypuff backward, sending it crashing down just a few feet away from Sato. Their teamwork was flawless.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Without any over-the-top declaration like 'Go, Poké Ball!', Sato seized the perfect opening and hurled a Poké Ball straight at Jigglypuff.

But something unexpected happened.

Two Poké Balls were thrown simultaneously!

Sato immediately locked onto his competitor's location. Without hesitation, he hurled the Murkrow in his hand straight at them.

"Caw! Caw!"

"Buzz!"

A shimmering Light Screen suddenly formed in front of the bushes.

A middle-aged man clumsily stumbled out, his face flushed with embarrassment as he pointed accusingly at Sato.

Despite his outward confidence, he was secretly even more shocked by Sato's decisiveness and sheer audacity.

"Mime! Mime!"

A Mr. Mime—an incredibly rare Pokémon—stepped out behind the man.

The Light Screen had clearly been its doing—otherwise, the man would have crashed face-first into the bushes.

"Kid, if my Poké Ball catches that Jigglypuff, then it belongs to me!"

"Tch."

Sato laughed mockingly.

Did this guy think just because he looked ten years old, he could bully him like some newbie trainer?

"Zorua, Taunt! Haunter, Mean Look!"

Not bothering with pointless arguments, Sato immediately initiated the battle—charging forward himself at the same time.

This was the wild.

To hell with fair fights!