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Under the night sky, Cinnabar City was brightly lit. The streets, large and small, bustled with people. Due to the large number of outsiders residing here, you could see people and Pokémon from many different regions.
And because many outsiders had lived here long-term, this young city had developed a distinctive character—architecture from all sorts of regions could be found here.
These unique buildings were grouped together by cultural similarities, and over time, the city came to be divided into seven distinct districts, each named after one of the major regions they represented.
Within these seven districts, one could clearly experience the customs and lifestyles of different regions.
At this moment, Sato was "aimlessly" walking down one of the streets. The district he was currently in was the Alola District. Most of the people living here had tanned skin—they were originally from the faraway Alola Region.
The people of Alola were naturally open-hearted and kind. Whether toward humans or Pokémon, they always carried genuine goodwill. They often greeted others with a cheerful "Alola!"
Sato could feel an invigorating energy in this district. The happiness shared between people and Pokémon here was evident—almost every face beamed with a warm smile.
Due to Pichu's overwhelming cuteness, Sato received a barrage of "Alola!" greetings all along the way. It was through this warm, enthusiastic treatment that he formed such a favorable impression of the Alolans.
As Sato passed a berry shop, a tanned woman sweeping outside caught sight of the curious little Pichu perched on his right shoulder. Her eyes immediately lit up with affection.
"Alola! Your Pichu is absolutely adorable. Here, take this as a welcome gift."
The woman, eyes shaped like hearts, stepped forward to greet Sato and Pichu, handing them each a Pecha Berry.
Pecha Berries were Electric-type berries, sweet and delicious.
"Pii~!"
Pichu wasn't shy at all. He sniffed the berry handed to him, his eyes lighting up in delight. Tiny sparks of electricity began to crackle across his fur as he started channeling electricity into the berry.
Seconds later, the Pecha Berry in his paw began to steam slightly—no doubt cooked by the electricity he had discharged. Only then did Pichu, fully satisfied, begin munching away.
"Alola, thanks for the treat, miss."
Seeing Pichu happily munching the berry he had zapped to perfection, Sato handed over his own Pecha Berry for Pichu to eat as well. He then turned and smiled at the woman, who was now completely enchanted by Pichu's cuteness.
"No need to be so polite. But if you really want to thank me, then support my little shop, won't you? All of these berries are shipped straight from Alola—top quality, and very reasonably priced too."
Though kind, the tanned woman was still a merchant at heart. Hearing Sato's words, she quickly recovered and began sizing him up—his aura, his attire. Sensing an opportunity, she started promoting her products.
The shop was stacked with all kinds of berries. Judging by their large size and fresh appearance, these Alolan imports were clearly premium stock.
Berries were a high-consumption item for Sato. He went through large quantities of them while preparing specialized Pokémon food, so his demand was always high.
Though he had just recently bought a batch from a store in Viridian City, the quality of those berries clearly didn't compare to these well-nurtured, sun-drenched, moisture-rich Alolan varieties.
With nearly 500 million PokeDollars at his disposal, Sato wasn't short on funds. And to raise his Pokémon to their fullest potential, he naturally wanted only the best.
After a quick inspection of the berries, Sato nodded and handed the woman a shopping list.
Clearly, he was a big spender. The woman beamed when she saw the quantities on the list and immediately called out to her only store clerk to begin preparing the order.
Sato's purchase included berries suited for Water-, Ground-, and Electric-type Pokémon—12 varieties in total, 300 of each kind.
Twelve kinds, 300 berries per type. Many were rare and valuable, and even with a discount, the total came to 2.5 million PokeDollars. Without a doubt, this was a major sale for the shop owner.
As the woman and her assistant busied themselves fulfilling the large order, a group of over a dozen rodent Pokémon began creeping out from the corners of the walls.
They were wild Rattata. Oddly, however, not all of them had the usual purple fur—several were covered in black fur instead.
Despite the difference in fur color, the Rattata clearly formed one unified group, communicating closely with each other.
While the owner and her assistant were distracted, the Rattata began building a tower of themselves, one standing on top of another. The Rattata at the top was in charge of tossing down berries from the counter display while those below caught them. Their teamwork was smooth and practiced.
"Pii~"
Sato hadn't noticed the thieving Pokémon in the blind spot of his vision, but Pichu, with his keen senses, did. Driven by curiosity, he floated upward using Magnet Rise.
Hovering above the berry stand, Pichu spotted the mischievous Rattata. The black-furred one at the top of the pile also noticed Pichu.
"Squeak squeak squeak~~!"
The black-furred Rattata showed no guilt at being caught mid-theft. Seeing that Pichu looked harmless and small, it glared with its crimson eyes and growled menacingly.
But Pichu was no ordinary Pokémon. Exceptionally gifted and spoiled since birth by Sato, he had the haughty pride of an elite.
Now seeing these Rattata not only stealing but also trying to intimidate him, Pichu exploded with anger. Several vein marks popped onto his forehead.
Pichu was angry. And when Pichu was angry, the consequences were serious.
"PIII!!!"
A surge of golden electricity burst from his fur, and in the next instant, a lightning bolt as thick as an adult's arm shot out—Pichu had used Thunderbolt on the black-furred Rattata.
A cacophony of screeches followed.
Due to the stack formation, when the black-furred Rattata got zapped, all the Rattata below it were electrocuted too.
In a flash, six Rattata in the stack were laid flat by Pichu's Thunderbolt.
"Pii~" (So weak.)
Hovering in mid-air, Pichu crossed his arms and looked down arrogantly at the Rattata twitching on the floor.
As for the ones who hadn't been hit by the attack? The moment they saw what Pichu could do, they abandoned their fallen comrades without hesitation and bolted.
The Thunderbolt and ensuing cries had naturally drawn Sato, the shop owner, and the assistant over. They arrived just in time to see seven or eight Rattata spasming on the ground.
"Alolan Rattata."
Sato immediately recognized the black-furred ones as Alolan Rattata—a variant species native to the Alola Region. Their fur color wasn't the only thing that changed; their typing had shifted from Normal to Dark-type as well.
Normally, such regional variants were only seen in far-off Alola.
But it seemed these Alolan Rattata had likely arrived via one of the many cargo ships from Alola and had since begun breeding alongside the native Rattata population here.
"Ugh, it's you little thieves again! Just wait till I teach you a proper lesson this time!"
The shop owner clearly loathed these troublemakers who often stole from her store. Now that they'd been caught red-handed, her fury boiled over.
But even in her anger, she went easy on them—just a few light taps on their rumps with her broom before letting them go.
What surprised Sato even more was that, as the scolded Rattata left, the shopkeeper actually gave each of them two Oran Berries.
"What a unique method of discipline. I've learned something new."
Sato chuckled as he accepted the large berry bag from the assistant and addressed the shop owner.
"People and Pokémon are friends. This kind of thing is pretty common in Alola. Losing a few berries isn't a big deal. Life's hard for wild Pokémon too."
The shopkeeper's kindness and open-heartedness were obvious. Though her cheeks flushed slightly at Sato's words, her tanned complexion made it hard to notice. She scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.
That one line was all it took for Sato to decide this was someone worth befriending. Citing future convenience in purchasing high-quality berries, he smoothly asked for and obtained the generous woman's name and contact info.
Her name was Lia. She was born in Alola, though not purely Alolan—her father was from Alola, while her mother was from Kanto. As a result, she was half Kantonian.
That said, her father's genes clearly dominated. Aside from her long, smooth, black hair, she didn't show any of the typical traits of someone from Kanto. (Most Alolans tend to have curly hair.)
Sato was very interested in the Alola Region. He knew that somewhere there lay a dimensional passage connected to another world—the Ultra Wormhole.
By his estimation, the Ultra Wormhole had already started being studied by the largest conglomerate in Alola, the Aether Foundation, and they had even figured out how to enter it.
Moreover, Sato also knew that while the Aether Foundation and the Pokémon League had done an excellent job covering up all information about the Ultra Wormhole, Team Rocket had already taken an early interest in it.
It was just that the Aether Foundation held enormous influence locally, and with Team Rocket's base of operations being in Kanto, it was difficult for them to infiltrate Alola. However, as Team Rocket continued to grow in power, they had slowly extended their reach into Alola as well.
Sato's straightforward and prompt payment for the Berries left Lia with a very favorable impression. She had already realized that Sato was a major customer—and potentially a long-term business partner.
As a result, Lia treated Sato with great enthusiasm. She also seemed genuinely delighted that he was interested in learning about Alola. Perhaps she hadn't had anyone to talk to lately, because she ended up telling Sato almost everything she had seen and experienced back in Alola, down to the last detail.
"I see... Alola really does sound like a wonderful place. If I get the chance, I'd love to visit someday."
After spending over half an hour mostly just listening, Sato gave a nod once Lia finished her introduction to Alola and responded with a look of genuine longing.
"Of course, Mr. Sato! Alola might not have an official Pokémon League just yet, but we do have something similar to the League's Gym system. It's called the Island Challenge. Each island has a very powerful Trainer known as a Kahuna, and I've heard that only by defeating them and earning their recognition can you receive a mystical stone. That kind of stone can greatly boost the power of a Pokémon's moves."
Seeing Sato's clear interest in Alola, Lia's face lit up with a bright smile. She eagerly continued her introduction, even assuring Sato that if he ever visited, someone would surely give him a warm welcome.
A few minutes later, Sato ended his conversation with Lia and began heading out of the Berry shop. Just then, a stunning blonde woman appeared in front of him, her long golden hair flowing behind her like a cape.
By her side was a young blonde girl, about four or five years old. Judging by their expressions and mannerisms, the two were clearly mother and daughter.
The blonde woman was strikingly beautiful, with fair skin and a noble aura that clearly marked her as someone from a wealthy, high-status family. Her unique hairstyle made her stand out even more—so much so that nearly everyone passing by couldn't help but turn their heads for a second look.
While Sato did take notice of the woman's beauty and unusual hairstyle, he quickly returned to his usual composure. He didn't linger on her appearance—he had come here with a purpose and couldn't afford to waste time here.
Interestingly, the blonde woman's eyes lit up the moment she spotted the Pichu on Sato's shoulder.
However, sensing his indifferent demeanor and seeing that her daughter seemed frightened of the Pichu, she decided against approaching him with her child.
The two groups passed each other without incident.
"Oh my, Miss Lusamine! What brings a VIP like you here today? Just one call and I would've delivered everything personally. And little Lillie too, what a sweetheart!"
Lia clearly knew the blonde woman well. As soon as she saw her, she rushed forward with a warm greeting, addressing both mother and daughter with great enthusiasm.
"Lusamine? So it was her. I didn't expect to run into that lady here."
Just as he reached the doorway, Sato heard Lia's words. His pupils contracted slightly, and he paused mid-step, subtly turning to glance back at the beautiful woman behind him. A hint of intrigue flashed in his eyes.
At that moment, a low whirring sound cut through the air. Several jade-green objects shot overhead, heading straight for the mother and daughter who were speaking with Lia.