Chapter 109: Overestimating Oneself

The next morning, the group woke up early.

After some discussion, they decided to return to Silver Town for a short rest.

Clair had woken up but seemed emotionally downcast and unusually quiet.

When the Stone Edge from the giant Magcargo had slashed across her shoulder, she had genuinely believed she was going to die.

After all, Clair was only ten years old, unlike Sato, who carried the mindset of an older man within.

The sudden life-threatening experience had shaken her deeply, and she hadn't fully recovered from the shock.

Adding to that, her injury was serious enough that she needed proper care at the Pokémon Center.

---

Mount Silver was vast, and since the group had been moving laterally after reaching the inner mountain, it only took a full day's travel to return to Silver Town.

After handing over their exhausted Pokémon to Nurse Joy, they also checked on Clair, who, fortunately, only needed rest as her injuries were no longer critical.

With that settled, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

However, Sato did not immediately sleep, instead, he began reflecting on everything that had happened.

Traveling as a group greatly reduced the dangers of the wild, and in terms of daily life, it had been surprisingly enjoyable.

But Sato couldn't shake the feeling that he was being held back.

One major reason was his instinctive suppression of his Dark Energy.

The other? The sheer gap in average strength.

Lance and Will each had at least three Peak Elite Pokémon, forcing Sato to always send out his strongest pair, Zoroark and Gengar, just to keep up.

His other Pokémon barely had time to train, and in any difficult battle, he ended up playing a minor supporting role.

But at the same time, it wouldn't be fair to hold back the team just for him.

In the first place, Sato had only been allowed to join out of respect for Nurse Joy's recommendation.

Yes, he could help them find high-potential Pokémon and earn money quickly, but the truth was, none of them actually needed money, except for him.

He was in no position to demand special treatment.

"Sigh…"

Sato exhaled lightly, his mind now made up.

The next day, Lance led the group to the Adventurer's Guild to report their completed missions.

With so many high/advanced-rank tasks, along with a few top-tier ones acquired through connections, it took nearly an hour just to verify and distribute their rewards.

Lance didn't hesitate for a second, he split the points evenly among everyone.

Sato accepted his Adventurer ID card silently, saying nothing.

Once all the bureaucratic work was done, they returned to White's villa.

With Clair still hospitalized for observation, everyone prepared to go about their own tasks, after all, they had plenty to do after returning.

"Lance!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Sato called out to Lance, just as he was about to head upstairs. The others, sensing something unusual, also paused to listen.

Sato hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I want to leave the team."

"Why?"

Lance turned back immediately, stepping closer with a frown. He had genuinely come to admire Sato.

Back in Mount Silver, Sato's performance had been excellent, and his rapid improvement had even put pressure on Lance himself.

Additionally, Sato was the same age as Clair, and whether he realized it or not, Lance had subconsciously started seeing him as a younger brother.

"Did we not treat you well?"

Before Sato could answer, White cut in.

A glance at Will showed that he remained expressionless, but the fact that he had quietly stepped beside Lance made it clear, he was questioning Sato as well.

"No, it's because you all have treated me too well," Sato said, his eyelids lowering slightly before continuing.

"Back in Mount Silver, White, you handled all the meals. Every single one was even better than what I ate at home. When we got hurt, Rose was there. As long as our Pokémon weren't seriously injured, they fully recovered in no time, bouncing back into battle without any worries."

Sato paused. He had never spoken this much at once before.

"As for battles, Lance and Will are far stronger than me. Whenever we faced a tough situation, I couldn't contribute much."

White's distant expression softened as he listened to Sato speak. Despite always grinning and joking, White was actually deeply sentimental.

Hearing Sato's explanation made him feel much better. After all, Sato had just complimented his cooking!

Will, on the other hand, had already relaxed, casually taking a seat on the sofa, he was waiting for Lance's decision as captain.

"Since the day I became a trainer, I've always been on my own. But lately, I've grown too comfortable. With all of you taking care of things before and after battles, I've let my guard down-I stopped thinking critically and just went with the flow..."

"Is that really how you feel?"

Sato apologized silently in his heart, then nodded at Lance.

"I never thought you were useless in the team," Lance said. "But I do understand why you feel out of place..."

He seemed to think of something, but then hesitated before continuing, "So, you want to leave the team to train on your own, right?"

"Yeah." Sato nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"Who said team members have to stick together all the time?" Lance asked with a grin.

"...Isn't that how it works?"

"You just happened to join during one of our rare full-team expeditions. Most of the time, Will and I only take one or two missions at a time, usually finishing them within three days"

Rose said, crossing her arms and watching the conversation unfold with amusement in her eyes.

"I don't usually go on missions with the others. Logistics should stay at the base, that's the real job of support staff."

White said, returning to his usual grinning self before clapping his hands and heading off to make lunch.

"So, I just…" Sato hesitated.

"Overestimated yourself," Will said as he stood up, delivering the final blow.

"If you want to head out, have Will pick out two suitable missions for you. Then, let White and Rose prepare your supplies and emergency medicine. Finally, just let me know. That's how the Brave Fights the Evil Dragon Team actually works!"

Lance said seriously.

"As for leaving the team, don't even think about it, brat!"

Lance walked away, and Rose gave Sato a glance like she was looking at an idiot before heading back to her room.

Sato twitched at the corner of his mouth. Since when did Rose start acting like this?! But... this was good.

The Brave Fights the Evil Dragon Team—this was good.

---------

Three days later, Sato set out for Mount Silver, following the route his teammates had planned and carrying the supplies they had prepared.

This time, he was alone, yet not truly alone.

"First mission-Weezing in Luminous Swamp!"

Sato rode Houndoom, dashing toward his destination.

Just as he entered the inner mountain, a thick brown vine suddenly lashed out at him!

"Victreebel!"

Sato recognized it instantly.

After a closer look, he realized, this was the same Victreebel that Lance had easily defeated before! To think they'd run into each other again, was this fate or misfortune?

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

Flames roared forward, but Victreebel countered with Sludge Bomb, colliding with Flamethrower and canceling each other out.

Lance had handled this with ease, but Sato wouldn't have it so easy.

"Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"