Yamask looked a lot like a hook on a wall, with a mysterious mask placed just below the hook.
It was said that the mask had once been its human face, and sometimes, when people stared at it long enough, they would see the mask silently crying.
Whether that was true or not remained unknown, but it was enough to spook quite a few people. However, to Trainers like Sato and the others, Yamask wasn't scary at all.
It was even a bit… adorably dumb? When Yamask was surrounded by Phoebe's Gengar and Sableye, the little thing began crying with both pairs of eyes, clearly terrified.
"…I haven't even hit you yet. Why are you so timid?" Phoebe mumbled softly, then slowly walked over to Yamask.
On the other side, Sato's Dark Energy and emotional feedback suddenly detected Phoebe's special ability.
'It's a bit like the emotional feedback from Ghost-types, but slightly different… a completely unique emotional feedback?' Sato thought to himself, feeling that he might be able to detect many more types of special energy.
It was just that he had never tried before, or perhaps never had the chance.
"There, there… they're not trying to scare you. They just want to be your friends," Phoebe coaxed Yamask like one would a child, and surprisingly, it worked.
Yamask sensed a reassuring power within Phoebe and slowly stopped crying, cautiously floating closer to her.
"Yam~"
Yamask curiously circled around Phoebe twice, as if trying to figure out what exactly was drawing it in.
"Do you have any companions, little one?"
"Yam?"
Yamask tilted its head, not really understanding what "companions" meant.
"A companion is like me with Gengar and Sableye… living together, playing together, and battling together!" Phoebe said cheerfully, her eyes sparkling. There was no communication barrier at all between her and the Pokémon.
"Yam…"
Yamask still seemed confused. It had been alone since birth and didn't understand why it needed "companions".
"Here, since it's our first meeting, this is a gift for you~" When one tactic failed, Phoebe tried another.
Trainer Ability: Food Temptation.
She turned and pulled out a jar, and when opened, a gray fog drifted out slowly, remaining condensed.
"Yammm!"
Yamask was instantly drawn to the fog and rushed over, greedily gulping it down.
The gray fog, like the purple fog Gengar had eaten before, was a specially made food designed for Ghost-type Pokémon.
However, Phoebe's gray fog was clearly higher-grade than the purple fog Sato had gotten from Wester.
Back on the boat, Sato had ordered a batch of gray fog from Phoebe, specially for his Gengar.
And now, for the first time, the wild Yamask realized that such delicious things existed in the world. In that instant, it gained an entirely new understanding of what "companion" meant.
Companion = delicious!
…Perfect logic!
"Yammm~ Yammm~" Yamask used its two little black claws to cling to Phoebe's sleeve, tugging back and forth, longing to become one of these so-called "companions".
"No backing out now. Stay still and don't resist." Phoebe took out a brand-new Poké Ball and lightly tapped it against Yamask's forehead.
A flash of red light, and Yamask was drawn into the Poké Ball, followed immediately by a soft "ding" sound; no resistance at all.
"Yamask, captured!" Phoebe declared ceremoniously.
"You're really going to raise it?"
Phoebe shot Sato a look, then said proudly, "Of course I am! And I owe it all to you. Otherwise, the old me might've hesitated."
"Me?" Sato was stunned. Phoebe's decision to train a Pokémon had been influenced by him?
"I know for a fact that the Potential Enhancement Serum from the Joy family was first discovered by you. Only after that did they develop the elite-grade serum.
So as long as I spend a bit more money, Yamask can at least have Pseudo-Elite Four level potential. That's more than enough reason for me to train it seriously."
Sato suddenly understood. The PES had truly allowed Trainers to spend money in exchange for high-quality Pokémon.
And the Pokémon world would never lack wealthy people!
Even for average Trainers, this was a visible and tangible path.
Back then, Haruka Joy had personally promised Sato that a portion of the profits from the serum's sales would go to him, and she had kept that promise.
Although sales were booming, Sato's cut didn't increase. Still, accumulated month by month, the amount became truly staggering, and Sato was already very satisfied with that.
If one day he no longer wanted to be a Trainer and simply retired with his current companions, that money would be more than enough to support their remaining lives.
So unknowingly, Sato had become a rich man too!
…It was starting to go to his head.
---
They hadn't even entered Misty Forest yet, and Phoebe had already gained something. Judging by her expression, she seemed very satisfied with Yamask.
Sato, who could directly sense Yamask's potential, knew it was only at Elite level; not particularly outstanding.
Moreover, aside from its unique Ability, Yamask had too many flaws: high defense, but average stamina and painfully low speed.
Against any fast special attacker, Yamask -or its evolved form Cofagrigus- would be knocked out instantly, and the Mummy Ability wouldn't have any time to take effect.
Cofagrigus's only real strength was its limited weaknesses, making it a decent team defender, but compared to another Ghost-type like Dusknoir, it still fell a bit short.
But that was no concern of Sato's. Even as night fell, he continued training Zweilous, rapidly deepening their bond.
Though they were near Misty Forest, there were few Ghost-type Pokémon around. Based on the "intel" Phoebe got from Yamask, it had simply gotten lost and wandered out without realizing it.
Phoebe had hoped to catch a native Pokémon to make the upcoming exploration easier, but it turned out Yamask was just a little directionless idiot… cough…Zo-Howard…
…That was pretty awkward.
Still, Phoebe wasn't discouraged. Her special ability was practically a bug in a place like Misty Forest.
And as the champion of the Young Elite Tournament, her strength was undeniable. If a full-scale team battle broke out, even though Sato's team had the type advantage, defeating her would still be very difficult.
So the next day, the five of them followed their original plan and began heading into Misty Forest.
True to its name, the forest was blanketed in white mist, with visibility extremely low. After venturing in for more than ten minutes, Ghost-type Pokémon began drifting around more frequently.
However, the team's lineup kept wild Pokémon from daring to attack easily.
Sato's Zweilous, Phoebe's Sableye, Joseph's Wigglytuff, Ryoko's Sceptile, and Mark's Togetic.
Arbok… was truly out of favor now.
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150 Powah Stones = Unlimited… POWAAAAHHHH (extra chap)