Chapter 358: It's for Your Own Good, Kid

In the end, thanks to Sato's deliberate interference as an outsider, Ron was saved early from his "sea of suffering".

"Sato, I'm sorry you had to see that. Ron is just too mischievous; it's our fault for not raising him better."

Ron's mother apologized sincerely. Before Ron had run back to his room, he had even glared fiercely at Sato.

"It's nothing. Kids being a little naughty is totally normal. After all, children born in the Village of Dragons get Dragon-type Pokémon as partners right from the start. Their starting point is already high, it's only natural that their childhoods are more carefree."

Sato replied innocently, though his tone subtly carried a trace of envy.

But to Ron's father, these words sounded grating. "What do you mean, high starting point, so the childhood can be more carefree?"

Wasn't that just saying their kid didn't have to work hard and was already enviable by default?

That as long as they had money and status, being some pampered second-generation rich kid was enough?

Seeing Ron's father's face darken, Sato knew it was time to stop.

He "tactfully" took his leave with an "obedient" farewell, "gently" advising them again to be patient with children, that being unruly when young was normal, and then he made a clean getaway.

Outside the house, as soon as Sato heard chaos erupt again inside, with shouting and noise everywhere, he turned and walked away feeling completely satisfied.

'Brats should be taught early. If not, they'll cause chaos when they grow up. Ron, Im doing this for your own good.'

----

Back at the temporary cabin, the moment Sato entered, he saw all four others waiting for him in the living room, still awake.

Sato felt a bit of a headache. If it were just the original three, Joseph and Mark never questioned his occasional strange behavior.

But now with Phoebe and Ryoko, every move he made seemed to require a full report, which was a feeling Sato truly disliked.

Luckily, the five of them would only be traveling together for at most two months. Sato had already achieved his goal and didn't want to go back on his word, so he could endure a bit longer.

Once they left the Village of Dragons, he'd just become a quiet little quail, speak only if absolutely necessary, otherwise, keep silent. Sato made a mental note.

"The boy who showed up just now was named Ron. The Zweilous I caught used to be raised by his parents.

Because of one of Zweilous's rampages, their home was destroyed, and Ron's parents were both injured to varying degrees, but fortunately, it wasn't too serious."

I also found out earlier that Ron is considered the most 'gifted' child in the Village of Dragons in recent years. So before Zweilous evolved, it had always been considered his future partner.

After all, this is the Village of Dragons. The average strength of the villagers here is far beyond what we can handle, so when I need to yield, I yield."

Sato half-lied and half-truthed his way through, linking together all the small bits of gossip he'd gathered from the bonfire festival, then summarized his motives.

Though it was a bit clumsy, it was still an acceptable explanation.

Phoebe and Ryoko mostly just cared about Sato's attitude. They weren't nearly as obsessed with the real reason as he had assumed.

"Then… are you finished with your business here?" Phoebe asked quickly while everyone was still gathered.

"That's it. You can plan the next part of the trip yourselves."

Sato shook his head.

The matter with Wilma would take time. The problem was: she was too powerful. Even just one Exeggutor was enough to exert massive pressure.

As the actual leader of the village, it wasn't unreasonable to assume she had a Druddigon, a Haxorus, and even a Hydreigon.

And among those, even the so-called disgrace of the Dragon clan -Druddigon- was far stronger than ordinary Pokémon. In Wilma's hands, it surely wouldn't be weak.

So, even if Sato wanted to take revenge for the Zweilous from his past life, he'd have to wait until he became stronger.

After all, Sato was only pretending to be a clueless fool, he wasn't actually one.

"Then how about we go here?" Phoebe asked with a cheerful grin, pulling out an old-looking map. In the top right corner of the map was a white skull symbol, giving off an eerie feeling.

----

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, Sato and the others formally said their goodbyes to the villagers. Wilma didn't come to see them off, but she did send Exeggutor with a book.

Sato accepted the book and casually flipped through a few pages.

Then, looking pleasantly surprised, he tucked it away in his bag.

"Thanks."

Exeggutor stared blankly at Sato for a second, then wandered off slowly toward the center of the Village of Dragons.

"What did you get this time?" Phoebe muttered sourly.

Of everyone who came to the Village of Dragons, Sato had gained the most, and now, even as they were leaving, he still managed to snatch something else.

"This isn't something you'd find useful, it's a training method for my special ability," Sato replied, not hiding anything, and even offered it to Phoebe.

"Tch~ who wants that." Phoebe rolled her eyes, then turned and became the first to walk out of the village.

"Come on, let's go. We've made it all the way to Unova~ Let's try to visit as many places as we can," Ryoko said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

The three boys shrugged in perfect sync, then quickly caught up with the two girls.

Half an hour later, Sato's backpack suddenly began to squirm. From inside, the black Ralts popped her loli-sized head out like she'd been reborn.

"Finally, we're out of that creepy place! Sato, if you ever send me there again, I swear I'll cry right in front of you!" Ralts tugged hard on Sato's ear, puffing up angrily.

"Oh? So you actually know how to cry?" Sato smirked. That Ralts of his never held back… her ear-tugging really hurt.

"That place… what was it called? Village of Dragons? There's something super, super terrifying there. Please never go back." Ralts obediently released his ear, then wrapped her little arms around his neck, speaking softly.

"...Ralts."

"What?"

"You acting cute… it makes me uncomfortable."

"Why!" Ralts snapped, pulling at Sato's hair with a threatening look, like she'd make him bald if he didn't explain.

"You seriously have no idea?" Sato tilted his head and looked at her, pretending to be confused.

"Nope." Ralts nodded seriously, completely unrepentant.

"Everything else about you is fine," Sato said, shaking his head. "But you really need to accept your age. Acting cute just doesn't suit a mama-san like you."

"…"

Ralts was instantly petrified…

After the two had finished their antics, Sato finally took seriously what Ralts had said.

Considering her evolved form -Gardevoir- with Near-Elite Four combat ability, plus Sato's Dark Energy: Energy Amplification...

Sato figured that should be enough to handle a typical Elite Four Pokémon. But judging by Ralts's reaction, the opponent didn't stop at Elite Four level… at the very least, it wasn't someone who had just reached that tier.

The Village of Dragons… might truly be an endgame dungeon.

Sato had already taken it seriously. But now, he realized even that wasn't enough.

The only thing that brought him comfort… was that Wilma clearly had a long life. Even before his reincarnation, she hadn't died.

'Some things… there's no need to rush.'