In truth, when Sato released Zweilous, Phoebe was no longer angry, only surprised.
If she were the one aiming to obtain a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, she wouldn't have told anyone she wasn't particularly close with before succeeding either.
Besides, the "five-person team" had been arranged by Drake, not by Sato himself. There was never any intent of using them.
Phoebe even began to wonder: if Sato's group had acted alone, perhaps things would have been simpler.
In that case, Ryoko wouldn't have obtained Axew, and she herself wouldn't have gotten the map for catching Ghost-types either.
Thinking about all that, all Phoebe felt now was… envy.
This was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, after all. Phoebe believed her talent and background were in no way inferior, but focusing on Ghost-types meant she might never obtain a pseudo-legendary in her lifetime.
Because there are no pseudo-legendary Ghost-types.
It was utterly hopeless…
"It's just a Zweilous, what's the big deal? And who asked you to help me catch Pokémon anyway?"
Phoebe gave a snort and stomped off to her room. Just before shutting the door, she stuck her head back out.
"Make sure to call me for dinner~"
Bang!
Sato felt a slight relief, Phoebe's part was settled. He then turned to look at Ryoko.
"I really like Axew," Ryoko said softly, gently stroking the Axew in her arms with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Alright, alright, we've been traveling for two days now. Everyone must be tired. Let's all take a break for now. Wilma and the others will treat us to dinner later," Joseph quickly clapped his hands, trying to bring the tense conversation to a close.
Once Ryoko had returned to her room, Sato nodded at Joseph and Mark, then headed upstairs with Zweilous.
As for those two, Sato felt no need to explain. Joseph understood him, he could likely "guess" the whole story.
And Mark trusted him enough not to care about any of the complicated stuff. He had been yawning from boredom the whole time.
…If one day Sato and Joseph tried to sell Mark off, he might even happily help count the money.
Of course, that would never happen…
Back in his room, Sato crouched down and rubbed both left head and right head on Zweilous.
"From now on, we're family. Let's all get to know each other." With that, Sato released all the Pokémon he had with him.
In an instant, the previously spacious room became cramped.
As for the addition of Zweilous, the rest of the Pokémon gave it a warm welcome, visibly shocked at the fact it had two independent minds in one body.
They all started trying to chat with left head and right head about different things… only to discover that the two really did think completely independently.
In the Pokémon world, there were many multi-headed Pokémon: Exeggutor and Dodrio being two of the more common examples.
But their minds were usually dominated by a main consciousness, while the others were more like secondary "attachments", rarely interfering with each other.
That was fundamentally different for Zweilous. And for that reason, evolving was incredibly difficult.
Sato watched the Pokémon playing around, feeling full and content.
In his previous life, he had only four partners. Now, he had over ten, each one sharing a completely unique bond with him.
This was what a real Trainer should be.
As he looked forward to the future with endless anticipation, a sense of solemnity also rose within his heart.
This beautiful moment… must not be broken!
---
Time flew by.
By the time villagers came to invite them to the feast, the sky had already darkened.
In front of the central wooden house, the crowd was dense, and a massive bonfire blazed brightly.
This village, home to powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, celebrated in an ancient fashion.
A bonfire festival!
There was endless food and drink, and even a ceremonial Dragon Dance performed by Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Are you the outsider Trainer who got the Zweilous? I challenge you!"
A dark-skinned little brat blocked Sato just as he was about to grab a skewer, shouting defiantly with an unwilling face.
"Ron, don't be rude to our guests! Sato, I apologize on behalf of my child. I'm so sorry."
A middle-aged woman rushed out from the crowd and, without mercy, yanked Ron by the ear and started dragging him away.
Sato shook his head. Naturally, he wouldn't hold a grudge against a child.
But what surprised him was that even though Ron was being forcefully pulled back by his mother, he didn't utter a single sound; just stared stubbornly at Sato with determined eyes.
"Ma'am, why… why is Ron so obsessed on me catching Zweilous?" Sato asked softly.
"Well…" Ron's mother actually didn't want to keep dragging her son. She knew that at moments like this, Ron was as stubborn as a Tauros, completely unfazed by anything she did.
"Your Zweilous is a devil! It destroyed my home… and injured my parents!"
Sato's gaze turned cold. He already harbored suspicion toward the people of the Village of Dragons.
And now, with this scene from Ron, he instinctively wondered… 'was there some kind of scheme at play?'
"Ron, get your butt home! No bonfire festival for you tonight!"
Ron's father stepped out then, his face full of shame and fury. He grabbed Ron under his arm and stormed off without looking back.
"I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving! That Zweilous is a devil! Our home is gone, Dad, where do you expect me to go? Waaaaah…"
As father and son disappeared into the night, the once-lively bonfire festival quickly fell silent.
Amid the blazing flames, the crackling of the burning firewood now sounded painfully sharp.
Sato coldly observed how the once-warm villagers' gazes began to change. Though they didn't leave, their cheer from earlier had clearly faded.
"Zweilous is prone to going berserk by nature. Since Ron's family couldn't help it regain its sanity, they should've helped find a more suitable Trainer instead!"
Suddenly, the crowd parted. Wilma, her back still hunched, slowly walked to the center and spoke firmly, each word landing with weight.
Clearly, Wilma held great authority among the villagers. After her explanation, many villagers lowered their heads, feeling that their earlier thoughts had indeed been narrow-minded.
But the damage was done. No one knew how many had already begun to subconsciously resent Sato and his group.
Wilma's words, on the surface, defended Sato. But in truth, they subtly placed him in opposition to the villagers.
Favoring kin over reason… that tendency was especially strong in isolated villages like this one.
"The bonfire festival continues! Don't let one child ruin everyone's mood!" Wilma declared loudly, seemingly putting an end to the matter, while also preventing any rebuttal Sato might have had.
.
.
.
260 PW=Extra chap