Pokémon: Above the Top

There was a large undeveloped plot of land around Shadownight Gym. Sato had deliberately left it that way from the beginning, he just hadn't expected the portal to appear right in this area.

Amidst a patch of overgrown weeds was a shallow depression. The deepest part was less than ten centimeters, and it was barely a meter in diameter. But when Sato brought the Relic Crown close to the puddle, both began to emit a faint white glow.

"So it's actually this close…" Sato stood in the rain holding an umbrella, murmuring to himself.

"Yikes!"

Mark suddenly yelped. A palm-sized brown stone shot out of the puddle without warning, startling him so much that he fell flat on the wet ground.

Sato instinctively stepped back two paces, and the Relic Crown in his hand moved away from the puddle. The glow immediately vanished.

Sato picked up the stone and realized it was a Ground-type Energy Crystal. Attached to it was a small note:

[Sato, I've finished investigating all the spatial portals currently existing in Shadownight Town. The viable ones include: a stained-glass window three stories tall, an unused abandoned well, a sliding glass door in the Pokémon Center, and this new puddle that only appears during rainy days.

Please choose a location as soon as possible. I've already gathered all the materials needed to construct the portal and can begin setup at any time.

Lastly… how is little Trish doing?

-Zillion]

"Gengar, check the area for people, then cloak us." While reading, Sato issued instructions without pause.

"Gengar~"

Gengar emerged from underground, nodded, and promptly raised a spatial barrier.

Sato then pulled a notebook from an inner pocket and scribbled rapidly. Holding the Relic Crown in one hand, he flipped the notebook over and pressed it against the puddle, while Mark, without needing to be told, stepped up to hold the umbrella.

[Long time no see, Zillion. Trish is doing great, she's now a registered Trainer in my Gym. I'll bring her to see you later, same for Amber.

The portal will be built here. Funny enough, even though it's outdoors, this spot still falls within Shadownight Gym property.

I plan to build a new structure here to conceal it. Just to be safe, I want to finish construction before we activate the portal.

Also, this puddle only forms when it rains. If I can preserve the area, depth, and elevation exactly as it is, can it remain functional?]

Sato stood there for a long time, holding his notebook stupidly. There was no helping it, the Reverse World could directly affect the real world, but the real world could only affect the Reverse through relics items.

And aside from the Relic Crown, all Sato had left were a few coins. He didn't dare use those recklessly.

It wasn't until a second stone came flying out of the puddle that Sato pretended nothing had happened and calmly retrieved his notebook.

Mark played along perfectly, ducking down to pick up the stone, pretending he hadn't seen a thing. This time, it was a yellow Electric-type Origin Ore.

[The puddle is just a medium. Small deviations are fine. Because Shaymin still has other tasks, I can't stay here long. Once the structure is built, I'll return on time.

Also, thank you for taking care of Trish!]

After reading that, Sato picked up the notebook again and began scribbling furiously. Then he glanced at Mark, who was just standing there idly.

"You hold it."

"Huh? But Boss, I'm holding the umbrella! I don't want to interrupt your communication," Mark said, feigning ignorance, clearly signaling that he saw nothing.

"Cut the crap."

Sato shoved the notebook into Mark's arms and snatched both umbrellas. Mark stood there dumbly, clutching the notebook, then silently crouched down…

'THIS SUCKS! but I dare not complain…'

[A month is enough. By then, I'll have someone stationed here permanently. When you return, we'll establish the portal right away.

Wait another half hour. I'll go get Trish and Amber now. They can't see you, but it's enough that you can see them.]

There weren't many words written. Mark had barely held the notebook up for a minute before Sato pulled him back up… only to immediately send him off with another "errand".

Mark glanced at Sato with a look full of grievance. He didn't dare complain and simply ran off silently. Amber was still at the Intelligence Shop, so it would take some time to bring him over.

Sato sent out Zoroark to hold the umbrella and began chatting intermittently with Zillion. After all, every time Zillion replied, he always sent back something useful.

But less than ten minutes had passed when Sato saw Amber holding Trish, flying toward him on Mandibuzz…

"Gengar, drop the spatial barrier for now, let them land," Sato said helplessly.

The spatial barrier vanished, and Mandibuzz immediately spotted Sato, descending with heavy flaps right next to him. Amber and Trish eagerly jumped down.

"Talk to him properly. He can see you both." Sato handed them the notebook, pen, and the Relic Crown. He left an umbrella behind and chose to step away.

Sato didn't care whether they conspired behind his back. Unless Zillion found a way to leave the Reverse World, everything was just talk anyway.

Besides, he considered himself fairly kind to Amber and Trish. If they really had something they wanted to do, the sooner the better.

Over half an hour later, Amber returned with red eyes and Trish -who had clearly been crying- clutched the Relic Crown and solemnly handed it back to Sato.

"Looks like it's time to get busy again. Amber, what kind of structure could we build there so we can visit often without raising suspicion?"

"An indoor Mimicry Space!" Amber answered without a second of hesitation.

"I've got a decent amount of funds, but Mimicry Spaces are incredibly expensive to build…"

"Leader, did you forget? My boss is a businessman, and a fairly successful one. Money has never been a problem," Amber replied with a confident smile.

"…Sato, this was my daddy's idea. He said all his money is my money. And since I'm a Trainer registered in our Gym, then my money is the Gym's money."

Trish had just finished crying, so her voice was still soft and weak… but her logic was absolutely flawless.

Sato had wanted to argue, but suddenly realized… Zillion was doing this to give him peace of mind.

Amber might have claimed loyalty, but working under Sato always gave off the vibe of a billionaire showing up in a Rapid-Royce to work as a security guard.

What boss would ever believe a rich guy was here to work seriously? Maybe he just wanted to pursue a girlfriend.

And then Sato thought of Pupitar. Aside from when the Gym first opened, he had only been able to bring Pupitar back briefly to care for it a few days before sending it back to Joy Town.

There was no helping it, Pupitar consumed too many resources. Without the support of an advanced Mimicry Space, evolving it into full combat power was still a distant dream.

But if they had that kind of facility themselves...

"Then let's build it. And if we build it… we build everything at once!"

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150 PW? 1 Extra chap