Volcarona flew off. After circling the group once, it headed straight for the red maple tree.
The others exchanged glances and quickly followed; nobody was foolish enough to hesitate at this point.
After all that effort, even postponing the Trial Tournament itself… this had to lead to some kind of reward, didn't it?
Once back under the maple, Sato's group couldn't find any trace of Volcarona. The sixteen powerful wild Pokémon had all returned to the tree's base and were now resting quietly.
Seeing this, Joseph didn't waste time. He brought out Wigglytuff and Chansey and began tending to the team's wounded Pokémon.
On Marshal's side, surprisingly, it was Marlon who handled post-battle healing. A single Alomomola had been sent out, gurgling out Heal Pulse after Heal Pulse, its effectiveness rivaling even Chansey's.
"Hey, look!"
Suddenly, Ryoko shouted in surprise. Everyone turned to look, and saw that the nine previously injured Pokémon under the maple were now glowing faintly red.
Within seconds, the glow faded and all nine stood tall again, fully rejuvenated, as if they had never fought at all.
Joseph stared in shock at the Pokémon under the maple. He had just felt a very familiar, yet slightly different, kind of energy.
Viridian Power? But that kind of energy only existed in Viridian Forest...
"Voo voo voo~"
As always, Volcarona appeared with impeccable timing. Joseph could only suppress his curiosity and turned his eyes to the moth diving toward them.
Then, to everyone's confusion, Volcarona scattered a flurry of objects from above.
A light breeze blew through, guiding the falling objects directly in front of each person, who reflexively caught them in their hands.
"Energy Crystal!"
Ryoko's shout was the first, followed by gasps and exclamations from everyone else.
"Hey hey, Joseph! What is this thing?"
"Razor Claw," Joseph replied in amazement. "When a Pokémon holds it, it makes it easier to land critical hits. Pretty well-suited for you." He marveled aloud, still baffled as to how Volcarona had figured out each of their individual strengths.
Sato looked at the iron-gray copper vessel in his hand, expression a bit strange. Up to now, he had collected a Relic Statue, a Relic Band, and a Relic Crown.
Now, with today's Relic Vase added to the set… wow. Anyone watching - reading- would think he was some kind of ancient artifact collector.
Even Ryoko, who had lost her match, got an Energy Crystal. Mark received a rare item too. And what about him?
A vase?
"What's this thing?" Joseph and Mark came over curiously to ask.
"Relic Vase. Who knows what it's for," Sato replied, unable to hold back a sarcastic jab. "What about you?"
"A branch. A branch from the red maple," Joseph said with clear excitement. But to Sato and Mark, the branch in his hand…
It looked like just a regular stick.
"You all saw the red glow coming off those Pokémon, right? I felt at the time that it was really similar to my Viridian Power."
"Seriously?"
"I had my doubts too. But once I got this branch, I was certain, the power is of the same origin as Viridian Power," Joseph said. He paused for a moment, then continued.
"I've been thinking… maybe the reason it's called Viridian Power is simply because it was discovered and passed down in Viridian Forest, but in essence, it's a type of forest energy.
To me, this red maple must possess the same kind of power. And this branch probably contains a sealed portion of that same forest… Viridian energy."
After hearing Joseph's explanation, Sato felt even more envious. Looking down at the plain, featureless Relic Vase in his hand, he suddenly wanted to chuck it as far as he could.
But when he glanced up and saw Volcarona still flying above them, he hesitated… and gave up on that idea.
Naturally, the excited group began to compare and ask about each other's rewards. Even Marshal's team came over. The atmosphere was peaceful and cheerful.
That's when Sato realized something… everyone had received a rare item, at minimum. Even Mark's Razor Claw had solid value.
"That's a Relic Vase, isn't it? You can sell that for a good sum in Undella Town," Jona said bluntly after spotting Sato's reward.
"Sell it? How much can I get?" Sato hesitated, but driven by the idea of making good use of what he had, he asked anyway.
"No idea. But The Riches family has been collecting ancient artifacts for years, Relic Vases, Relic Crowns, Relic Statues, that sort of thing. The more complete, the more valuable," Jona explained casually.
"If it's real, that vase could go for at least a million Pokédollars. I'm friends with one of them, if you want, I can introduce you," Marlon added, walking over.
"Sure. I'll come find you after the trial ends," Sato nodded. Though part of him still felt a little bitter that his reward was just some sellable antique.
He couldn't shake the feeling… that something had been guiding him all along to collect these special ancient relics.
If The Riches were going through this much trouble to gather them, maybe they knew something about their real purpose?
Sato kept that thought to himself and silently made a decision: his final destination in Unova would be Undella Town.
Whether it turned out to be valuable or not, everyone had received a reward that seemed destined for them. And after one last resonant cry, Volcarona flew back to the top of the maple tree and disappeared.
The sixteen powerful wild Pokémon also left, each heading off in different directions. Judging by their behavior, none of them actually lived in the cave.
"Bear!"
Beartic suddenly charged over with a snoring Cubchoo in tow, clearly here to collect the five bottles of Sweet Milk it had been promised.
"J-Joseph!" Mark grabbed Joseph's leg, crying and whining, tears and snot running down his face.
"I don't have any left. But Sato's 'Gardevoir' still does~" Joseph replied cheerfully, looking perfectly innocent.
"Huh?" Mark turned and looked at Gardevoir, who still hadn't reverted from evolution.
"Hey, big bro -sis?- Bear-"
"…Bear"
"Alright, alright! I'll go now!" Mark trembled and turned hesitantly toward Sato.
"Gardevoir's stuff? Out of my hands, you know how it is," Sato said, feigning helplessness.
"Don't do this to me, boss!"
Finally, Gardevoir couldn't take it anymore. It seemed that after evolving, its personality had changed a bit, and it was no longer as obsessed with Sweet Milk, it tossed Mark five bottles.
"Beartic!"
In the next second, Beartic snatched them up in a flash and bolted without looking back.
After all… even Beartic got nervous around Gardevoir.
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310 PW = 2 Extra Chaps