Pokémon: The Path of Ascension

The elderly often sleep lightly.

Throughout the night, Satou Kenji called out to Toshi several times from upstairs, each time seemingly to confirm Toshi's presence or to check if he had found anything.

Toshi understood that it wasn't any of that; Satou Kenji was probably just feeling lonely and wanted someone to talk to.

He also considered whether Satou Kenji's task was really just an excuse to find someone to keep him company. But he felt that suspecting an elderly person without any evidence was not right.

…

Glancing at the time, it was getting close to eleven.

"I've been searching for so long and haven't found anything strange. It seems I'm destined to be busy for nothing tonight," Toshi said as he stopped and sat down on a large rock.

"Butterfree, you should take a break too."

"Butterfree."

Butterfree landed beside Toshi.

"Let's wait a bit longer, and if we don't find anything, we'll head back and get some sleep," Toshi said with a smile while patting Butterfree on the head.

"Butterfree..."

"Wait, what's that?"

At that moment, Toshi suddenly saw something flash in the bushes ahead.

"Butterfree?"

Butterfree flew up to look in the direction Toshi was gazing.

"Is that a light?" Toshi stood up. "Let's go, Butterfree, and check it out."

Toshi quickly ran toward the front.

"That sound? It seems like a car?!"

"Strange, why would someone come here at this time and in this place?"

Following the sound and the light, Toshi tracked the source, and fortunately, the vehicle stopped not far ahead. After all, the forest was not easy to drive through.

When Toshi got close, he didn't immediately check who it was. He felt that anyone appearing here at this time seemed a bit suspicious.

Luckily, it was nighttime, and with the cover of the jungle, Toshi was able to approach the vehicle without being noticed.

Toshi noticed it was an off-road vehicle, and two people had already gotten out, smoking and continuously glancing into the woods.

…

"Big brother, what do you think this thing we stole during the day actually is? Why is the boss willing to use so many people to get it?" The thin guy on the left impatiently asked the big man in front of him.

The big man turned his head. "Shut up! Is the boss's business something you can discuss?"

"Come on, big brother, the boss isn't here," the thin guy was not bothered by the big man's words, still looking unhappy. "Just stop pretending; who are you trying to impress?"

"This operation has cost my men dearly, big brother!" The thin guy fumed as he thought of his brothers who hadn't returned. "The boss didn't tell us anything and just made us pay such a big price. What can you say about this, big brother? How am I supposed to explain this to the others?"

…

"The daytime operation?" Toshi crouched in the grass nearby, listening carefully to their conversation.

"Could it be about the train incident?" As soon as Toshi heard them mention the day, he naturally associated it with what he had encountered earlier.

"But could it be that coincidental?"

Toshi now confirmed that these two were likely not good people, but he still planned to listen further to understand what they were up to.

…

"Big brother, I can't believe with your relationship with the boss, he really didn't tell you anything?" The thin guy stepped forward, looking at the big man. "Big brother, you wouldn't doubt me, would you?"

"Sigh," the big man threw his cigarette butt on the ground and twisted it underfoot. "Third, I'm just looking out for you. Even if you knew, what would change?"

"Big brother," the thin guy continued to ask, "I heard a few people from the second group say that the boss took on a task to intercept something from the Eguchi family, and supposedly, the item was sent from the Unova region. Big brother, tell me, is that true?"

The big man sighed again. "Third, since you already know, why are you asking me?"

"Big brother, does that mean what we just stole is really that perfect quality Pokémon?!" A gleam flashed in the thin man's eyes.

"Yes, but so what?"

The thin man became anxious. "So what? Big brother, that's a perfect quality Pokémon! Perfect quality, not good quality, not excellent, but one that could become an Ultimate Champion!"

The big man's expression also changed. "What does it matter? It's not something we can touch!"

"Big brother, aren't you even tempted?" The thin man stepped forward. "This is the first time in our lives we are getting close to a perfect quality Pokémon?!"

"Third, what do you mean by that?"

"Big brother, just think if we had this Pokémon…"

"Third!" The big man immediately interrupted the thin man. "Don't think about things like that. To be honest, even if it's the boss, if people find out he has a perfect quality Pokémon, he won't be able to keep it safe!"

The thin man was stunned. "How could that be? The boss is just one step away from becoming a Champion; how could he not keep it safe?"

"Team Magma..."

The big man was about to say more when he noticed several lights appearing in the woods behind them, and he immediately stopped talking.

…

At that moment, Toshi also noticed someone approaching and lowered his body again.

After hearing the conversation between the two, Toshi was quite shocked.

"These two actually stole a perfect quality Pokémon during the day!"

Regarding the Eguchi family that they had just mentioned, Toshi knew a bit about it; it was said to be a prominent family in Petalburg City known for cultivating Fire-type Pokémon.

While he was at the Academy, he had heard that the top Trainer from the Academy in their year came from this Eguchi family.

"This Pokémon was probably prepared by the Eguchi family for their heir, but unexpectedly, it was stolen by them."

Through the dim light from the car, Toshi noticed the distinctive and identical symbol on the two men's clothing: a silver inverted triangle.

Anyone who had lived in Petalburg City for a while would recognize this symbol, as it represented the largest underground force in Petalburg City: the Inkoutou!

When Toshi first heard this name, he couldn't help but want to scoff. However, he later learned that the name came from its founder, Inkou, and had no special meaning. After decades of development, the Inkoutou had firmly established itself as the top underground power in Petalburg City, something even the founder, Inkou, probably never anticipated...

"The big man just mentioned Team Magma..." Toshi furrowed his brow.

Unlike the Inkoutou, which was a local bully that could only assert its power within Petalburg City, outside of Petalburg City, it was nothing.

Team Magma and Team Aqua were the two largest underground forces in the Hoenn region.

"Could it be that the Inkoutou has some connection with Team Magma?!"

…

"Hello, you two! Long time no see!"

At this moment, a woman wearing a tight red outfit was slowly walking out of the woods...