Early in the morning, Sato finished getting ready and headed downstairs to the dining area.
White had already prepared a nutritious and delicious breakfast. By the time Sato arrived, everyone except Clair was already eating.
Half an hour later, Clair followed behind the group, holding a sandwich White had set aside for her as they made their way to Mount Silver.
Mount Silver covered a vast area and was divided into outer and inner regions. The Johto League headquarters was established in the outer section.
The Pokémon here were not much different from those in regular forests, although they were more densely populated.
The inner region, however, was an adventurer's paradise!
Sato recalled that a few years later, the League conducted a survey on the Pokémon inhabiting Mount Silver. Traces of nearly two hundred species were discovered there.
Most of the missions issued by the Adventurer's Guild involved Pokémon, either capturing specific ones or obtaining their associated items.
Capturing Pokémon for points was completely legal here! This was because Mount Silver had experienced several violent outbreaks in the past, causing catastrophic damage to nearby towns.
To control the Pokémon population, the League established its headquarters here and formed the Adventurer's Guild.
Leaving Silver Town, the group released their ride Pokémon: Rapidash, Girafarig, Meganium, Tauros, and Sato's Houndoom. Clair and Rose Joy sat atop Meganium, but there was still plenty of room.
With Pokémon as mounts, they quickly passed through the outer section of Mount Silver.
When Sato noticed a warning sign, he realized they had officially entered the inner region, where adventurers were most active.
"Will, where's our first mission?" Lance, leading the group, slowed his pace and turned to their intelligence officer.
"Around two kilometers southwest in the forest. The Beedrill swarm's honey should be ready for collection again."
"Alright, let's go!" Lance replied, releasing a Pidgeotto.
The others also sent out nimble Pokémon, mostly Flying-types, ensuring they could quickly respond to any unexpected situations.
After some thought, Sato released his Gengar. Hiding in the shadows, it could effortlessly keep pace with the group.
Slightly ahead, Will's Natu was leading the way. Despite its small size, it was incredibly fast and clearly adept at navigation.
Suddenly, a Victreebel leaped out from the bushes, its sturdy vines lashing out at the leading Natu!
Lance reacted instantly. In a moment, Pidgeotto knocked the Victreebel off their path before swiftly returning to Natu's side, without engaging further.
Sato glanced at the others, who remained completely unfazed. He couldn't help but click his tongue, after all, that was an Elite-level Victreebel they had just casually ignored.
Maybe his only job really was to sit back and cheer.
Even in the dense forest, covering two kilometers on Pokémon mounts took less than ten minutes. They soon arrived at their mission site.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Beedrill swarmed around them, densely packed yet hesitant to attack.
"They're old friends. We'll just take half and leave!" Lance called out loudly.
Sato's lips twitched. Immediately, a furious roar erupted from within the swarm, and the Beedrill charged at them like a relentless tide.
"Tch, they never learn! Charizard, Dragonair. Flamethrower!"
"Alakazam, Psychic! Mr. Mime, Teeter Dance!"
"Houndoom, Flamethrower! Pupitar, Rock Slide!"
"Seadra, Hydro Pump! Dratini, Twister!"
White and Rose Joy stayed in the center, not participating directly. White had a Jolteon standing by, fully charged and ready. Rose had her standard Blissey, prepared to assist at any moment.
The remaining four each sent out two Pokémon, including three pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, an incredibly powerful lineup. However, given their backgrounds, Sato wasn't surprised.
Though Lance spoke casually, he didn't hold back in battle. His dominant Charizard held back nearly half of the Beedrill swarm.
Will focused entirely on support. Both Psychic and Teeter Dance were extremely effective at suppressing the Beedrill.
With Will deliberately assisting Sato and Clair, Pupitar's cleanup efficiency skyrocketed!
Its small but precise Rock Slide was perfect for dealing with the fragile Beedrill. In fact, it was knocking them out even faster than Lance's Charizard!
Ten minutes later, all the Beedrill had been cleared out. Pupitar stopped its Rock Slide, staring blankly at the pile of defeated Beedrill in disbelief.
Compared to Pupitar, Houndoom had also done well, but it was still slightly behind Charizard and Pupitar. If it could learn Heat Wave or Overheat, it might perform even better.
Not just Pupitar, on the surface, Sato showed little emotion, but internally, he was just as shocked. Several hundred Beedrill had been wiped out just like that.
Looking back, while the attackers had strong offensive power, the true deciding factor was Alakazam and Mr. Mime's terrifying crowd control abilities.
While White entered the Beedrill hive to collect honey, Sato used his Dark Energy to scan and evaluate the Pokémon's potential. All the Pokémon he could check belonged to Will.
Alakazam's Psychic-type potential: Elite-level.
Natu and Girafarig's Psychic-type potential: Pseudo-Elite Four level.
Mr. Mime's Psychic-type potential: Elite Four level, Fairy-type potential: Pseudo-Elite Four level
Sato pursed his lips. Luckily, he possessed Dark Energy, which helped bridge the massive gap between himself and trainers like Will and Lance, who had strong backgrounds and natural talent.
Otherwise, his dream of becoming an Elite Four level trainer, or even a Champion, would be nothing but a distant fantasy.
Sato suddenly turned to the pile of unconscious Beedrill. One of them was radiating an unusually strong Dark Energy reaction!
"Gengar, use Psychic to scatter those Beedrill!"
Gengar emerged from the shadows, grinning as it followed Sato's instructions, lifting the Beedrill one by one.
Sato threw a Poké Ball, capturing an ordinary-looking Beedrill.
"Beedrill are weak and have short lifespans. Even if one has special abilities, it's not worth raising,"
Clair commented offhandedly, clearly curious about why Sato was digging through what looked like trash to find a specific Beedrill.
"It has good potential. I can sell it for a good price."
"You can evaluate Pokémon potential? Wow, teach me how!" Clair's eyes lit up as she eagerly grabbed Sato's arm.
"My ability is like the Dragon Aura of your clan. I can't teach it."
Clair froze for a moment before reluctantly letting go.
"You actually have an ability like that? Then our plans might need to change."
Will adjusted his glasses and, for the first time, gave Sato a genuine smile.