Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 247: Pokémon Auction

The Hanasaki siblings were dead. Sceptile and Meganium were dead too. As for Tropius, Skarmory, and Electabuzz, they weren't immediately dealt with by Sato.

First, Sato removed the nets trapping Joseph, Mark, and the Pokémon. Then he instructed Pupitar to act as a cleaner, burying the two humans and two Pokémon deep underground before restoring the terrain.

After that, he used the Poké Balls to recalled the three sleeping Pokémon, locking them inside, planning to release them somewhere else later.

He didn't dare sell them, who knew if Elite Four Azuka might trace things back because of that?

The entire process was executed smoothly, leaving Joseph and Mark speechless. In their eyes, aside from shock and unease, there was also a trace of sympathy.

Sato was puzzled for a moment, but soon realized the reason.

He had previously told the two of them a bit about his past with the Ghost Ship organization; how he had killed people and Pokémon.

On top of that, since they didn't know who the masked duo really was, it was only natural they assumed someone was trying to assassinate him.

That did make sense.

Sato didn't explain further. This involved an Elite Four. If the "biological grandchildren" were killed, the implications were far too terrifying.

"We should leave this place quickly. I just saw someone heading this way," Sato said as he erased all traces in the area that could expose his identity.

"Yeah, we'll pack up right now."

"Ah, but we haven't had lunch yet!"

Sato glanced deeply at Mark, momentarily at a loss for words.

He had really underestimated this mascot... 'I just buried two people and you're thinking about lunch?'

"Lapras~"

"Miluu~"

Despite the earlier attack, the golden Milotic hadn't left. It calmly greeted Lapras, gave Sato a slightly fearful glance, then quietly slipped into the water.

Sato wasn't in the mood to deal with the golden Milotic right now. What troubled him was...

He clearly knew that the Hoenn Region was Azuka's territory, but for now, they couldn't leave rashly. They even had to pretend like nothing had happened; keep traveling, keep playing.

Otherwise, if the Hanasaki siblings disappeared and then the three of them suddenly left Hoenn right after, given the existing conflict between them, even Sato wouldn't believe there was no foul play.

More importantly, Sato walked the "lawful" path and had already become a League-recognized Gym Leader.

And even if the whole incident was exposed, Sato was still on the just side.

The Hanasaki siblings had become bounty hunters and even attacked a "Gym Leader". Their brutal end could only be seen as righteous retribution. No matter how you looked at it, Sato was the victim.

A few minutes later, the three quickly packed up and slipped into the forest. By the time others arrived, there was no sign that a fierce battle had taken place.

"Sato... those two just now, did you know them?" Joseph finally couldn't hold it in and asked as they walked through the forest.

"Yeah, they were probably sent to kill me," Sato nodded but didn't elaborate.

Joseph looked at him, wanted to ask more, but eventually suppressed his doubts.

The last one to die clearly had some kind of ace up her sleeve, as if showing her face would make Sato hesitate.

Also, after they died, Sato didn't even remove their masks to confirm their identities, he just buried them directly.

'Did he not want us to know?' Joseph silently wondered but ultimately said nothing, choosing instead to trust Sato.

As for Mark, he spent the whole time sighing about missing out on that delicious lunch.

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable... his heart was truly something else.

Finally, Sato released Skarmory and the others deep in the western mountains of the forest.

Sato was worried that they might be tracked down, so he had Gengar use Hypnosis to forcefully erase their memories.

With the special item Hypnosis Pendulum, Gengar's Hypnosis wasn't just for inducing sleep; memory erasure was a new trick it had learned just a couple of days ago.

A week later, the three of them left Sand Arc Forest and arrived in Lilycove City, where they boarded a ship bound for Mossdeep City.

---

The journey from Lilycove City to Mossdeep City wasn't short; traveling by ship took about a week.

When they arrived at the port, the first thing that caught their eyes was a massive cruise ship named the S.S. Anne.

Sato wasn't short on money now, and upon hearing that the S.S. Anne made no stops at minor ports and would go straight to Mossdeep City, he didn't hesitate to purchase three S.S. Tickets.

Most people who could afford to board the cruise weren't strapped for cash either, so the cabins were quite decent, each person had their own room, clean and tidy.

The entertainment facilities on the ship were also plentiful. In fact, because they were out at sea, there were even public Pokémon sales and rare Pokémon auctions.

In the Pokémon world, anything tied to Pokémon was a lucrative industry, let alone selling them directly.

Although the auctions didn't go so far as to throw out pseudo-legendary hatchlings for sale, there were still rare Pokémon like starter Pokémon available almost every day.

Mark had a huge interest in Pokémon he hadn't seen before, so once they arrived, he couldn't take his eyes off the auction.

Sato and Joseph, however, weren't particularly interested. They preferred wandering around the ship's free market.

In the free market, anyone could pay a modest booth fee to sell their goods.

Most booths were run by large corporations displaying rare items, and although actual transactions were few, it was enough to open many people's eyes.

The next day, Mark followed behind Sato and Joseph looking dejected, not saying a word and completely uninterested in the Pokémon auction.

"What's wrong? Not going to check out the Pokémon anymore?" Joseph asked.

"Don't feel like it," Mark mumbled absentmindedly, his eyes filled with discomfort.

Sato and Joseph didn't press the issue and kept strolling at a relaxed pace.

A few minutes later... "Aren't you going to ask why I don't feel like going?"

"You'll blurt it out yourself if we wait long enough."

Mark pouted, then began rambling on. But in truth, even if Mark hadn't said anything, Sato and Joseph already understood why he had lost interest.

Seeing Pokémon treated as items, being auctioned off and traded, watching them locked in cages with hollow eyes... anyone with even a bit of compassion would find it hard to bear.

What's more, in these auctions, the buyers were often rich businessmen playing power games with each other.

They weren't Trainers. Winning rare Pokémon in auctions was often just to add something exotic to their private gardens.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

And handing Pokémon over to someone else at any moment for profit was routine for them.

That Mark didn't explode with rage after hearing those obnoxious conversations and boasts at the auction was already a sign that he'd matured.

After finishing his rant, Mark clearly felt better, and he didn't need Sato or Joseph to comfort him, he snapped out of it on his own.

Of course, Sato and Joseph never planned to comfort him. This was reality, something everyone would eventually face.

Even Sato himself, didn't he rely on capturing Pokémon to earn travel expenses when he first started his journey?

All one could do was stay true to their heart.