Gengar emerged from Sato's shadow and then quickly moved far away.
During the activation of [Dark Energy: Soul Connection - Altered], Sato would emit a large amount of Dark Energy, which naturally made Gengar -hiding in the shadow- feel uncomfortable.
On top of that, neither Sato nor Umbreon could be disturbed right now, so Gengar revealed itself and quietly released its Ace level aura.
The [Soul Connection] was still ongoing. Sato was in good shape, but Umbreon's whole body was trembling slightly.
The memory replay under the [Soul Connection] clearly didn't follow the same timeline as reality, but Umbreon could still fully feel everything as if it were real.
No… perhaps it should be called experiencing another self!
"Great achievements lie between life and death"- that phrase wasn't just for show.
Under [Soul Connection], Umbreon could feel that at the edge of life and death nearly every moment.
If the connection hadn't still been ongoing, Umbreon probably would've already been unable to hold back its breakthrough.
The memories kept flowing… Eevee finally evolved into Umbreon, cold and mysterious, its indifferent eyes seeming to see through all falsehood. This left a deep impression on the observing Umbreon.
After evolution, Umbreon suddenly became incredibly dependable. Back when Pupitar hadn't yet matured, and Sato hadn't caught Zweilous…
With only Zoroark and Umbreon by his side, Sato still managed to survive again and again against all odds.
One could imagine just how much pressure the defense-oriented Umbreon endured in that past life.
How many fatal blows it had to block?
As a result, the Umbreon of the previous life leveled up extremely quickly, growing nearly in sync with Zoroark.
Even when they broke through to Low Ace, the difference between them was only a matter of steps; practically no gap at all.
But the more it watched, the more today's Umbreon noticed something troubling about that other self in the memory.
In order to survive, Umbreon pushed itself far too often, constantly fighting while injured. Its body was riddled with hidden injuries, and its potential had been significantly drained as a result.
Zoroark was the same. In the end, both of them got stuck at Peak Ace, and reaching Elite Four level was completely out of reach…
The [Soul Connection] ended. Sato slowly withdrew his Dark Energy.
Trainer and Pokémon opened their eyes at the same time, looking at each other.
As expected, the aura around Umbreon suddenly surged and broke through cleanly to Low Ace level, then quickly stabilized again.
However, Umbreon clearly wasn't focused on its achievement. Instead, it urgently called out to Sato several times, as if asking a question.
"That was us from another… timeline. In that timeline, I only had you four. But that's not us… Because this version of us is the one that truly exists."
Umbreon nodded as if it somewhat understood, then took two steps forward and gently rested its head on Sato's knee, as if comforting him, or perhaps… seeking comfort from him.
"Don't worry, the path we're on now is the right one. If it weren't to help you with Glaceon, I wouldn't have let you power up this fast."
"Umbre~"
Umbreon's ears perked up, then it turned its head away with a tsundere flair. Good thing its face was black, otherwise, Sato would've definitely noticed it blushing.
"Umbreon."
"Umbre…?"
"You're the only one who knows about those memories. The other three don't. So you have to keep it a secret, okay?"
"Umbre~!"
"Alright, Gengar, come back. Umbreon, let's head back to the inn."
---
Inside the inn room, Sato watched Mark, who hadn't stopped shrieking since they entered, and couldn't help rubbing his ears.
"BOOOSS… BOOOOSSS~ My Arbok made it! It broke through! Hahahahaha! I've got two Ace Pokémon now! Hahaha…"
This was the eighteenth time Mark had run over to Sato to blurt this out. As usual, he didn't wait for a reply before bouncing away to tell Joseph.
…For the thirty-second time.
As for why he kept telling Joseph more times than Sato, well… it was because Sato's glare was getting increasingly unfriendly.
Placing the final plate of soft-boiled eggs on the table, Joseph gestured for Sato and Cynthia to come eat and finally couldn't hold back anymore: "What a coincidence… Last night, my Gallade made it too~ Low Ace level."
Mark froze. Half the joy of bragging instantly vanished.
Just then, Sato also walked over to the table and said casually, "That's a real coincidence. My Umbreon leveled up too. Mm… these egg pancakes are amazing."
Mark choked and stared at Sato and Joseph in disbelief. 'I just wanted to enjoy my moment… how can you two be so cruel?'
Suddenly, Mark subconsciously turned to look at Cynthia, who was peeling an egg…
"Don't worry, none of my Pokémon leveled up last night~" Cynthia said with a cheerful smile. Her words made Mark sigh in relief.
See? Not everyone was out to ruin his-
"…After all, my Pokémon already broke through to Ace level long ago. Reaching the next stage won't be so easy."
Cough cough cough! x3
Sato, Joseph, and Mark all turned toward Cynthia in disbelief. They hadn't expected her to be that kind of sly little dagger!
Seeing the identical stunned expressions on all three of their faces, Cynthia finally burst into laughter. Any trace of her usual "coolness" vanished without a trace in that moment.
The morning sunlight spilled across Cynthia's face, and with that smile warm enough to melt millennia-old Never-Melt Ice…
Yep.
It was a beauty that defied description.
"…Come eat breakfast. Officer Jenny already contacted me. We'll need to meet with her again soon."
Facing the group's blank stares, Cynthia remained "composed" and urged them to eat, not giving anyone a chance to feel awkward.
The rest of breakfast passed quietly. Even the noisy Mark obediently munched on his egg pancake in silence.
Only after finishing breakfast did the four of them set off together toward the police station. On the way, they gradually returned to normal, chatting just like they always did.
However, Cynthia's "cold" demeanor had clearly softened, and the other three no longer treated her with the same tiptoeing caution.
For the first time, there was a sense of genuine camaraderie between them.
---
When they arrived at the police station, they found the place unusually busy. Everyone was rushing around, moving with a sense of urgency.
Sato's group stood by the entrance for quite a while, and no one came to greet them. Until Officer Jenny finally rushed out and greeted them with visible surprise.
"The Pokémon Hunters responsible for delivering the Piloswine to Helvetia Town are coming. It's a urgent situation. I'm begging you all to help me one more time!"
"Let's go. You can explain on the way!" Cynthia responded first, already thinking through the next steps.
"Then you all…" Officer Jenny looked hesitantly at the other three. When it came to facing Pokémon Hunters, the stronger the lineup, the better.
"Let's go together." Sato nodded, and Joseph and Mark naturally had no objections.
"T-thank you… THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
Overjoyed, Officer Jenny immediately ran back into the station and brought out an off-road police vehicle, drifting it "stylishly" to a stop in front of them.
"Get in!"
.
.
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200 Powah Stones - Extra Chapter
Patreonum🧙♂️Romeloff ⚯ ͛