The abandoned mansion seemed to be entirely Chandelure's territory. Sato and the others didn't encounter any other kinds of Pokémon there.
And if Mark wanted to catch a fourth Pokémon, but not a Litwick, then he needed to leave quickly.
That's right, Mark could now catch his fourth Pokémon!
If nearly being sucked into the Ghost World didn't count as a life-threatening experience, then Mark could forget about catching any Pokémon in the future.
If he had needed Sato's reminder when catching Lapras, then when he received Togepi's egg, Mark had finally realized the method behind how he catch Pokémon.
Each time he endured an ordeal that truly threatened his life, he would safely gain a new partner.
It sounded unbelievable, but it had really happened to Mark.
Umbreon ran nimbly at the front, its yellow fur casting rings of light that lit up the path ahead for everyone.
Perhaps due to Litwick's banishment, the once pitch-black dilapidated mansion had become slightly brighter. Moonlight even seemed to filter in through the windows, quietly dispelling a bit of the gloom and chill.
Suddenly, a round shadow appeared on the glass window projection, wobbling leisurely, strolling along as if completely unconcerned about whether other beings were still inside.
"Boss!" Mark caught sight of the round, rolling shadow and instinctively called out to Sato.
"Not a Litwick. A different Pokémon?" Sato turned to look at Mark. The unspoken question: is this the one you want to catch?
"That's the one!" Mark nodded firmly. He didn't really want to believe in a predetermined fate, but whenever it truly showed up, he always faced it with decisiveness and ease.
Creak~
The old glass window opened. Under the moonlight, the floating dust looked lively and restless, just like Mark's current emotions, difficult to calm.
"Sola~?"
A green, jelly-like round Pokémon entered Mark's line of sight, its tender voice revealing a mix of panic and curiosity.
A breeze blew through, making Mark's spiky hair sway like seaweed, and his white teeth shone brightly in the moonlight.
The boy leaned halfway out the window, making eye contact with the little green orb. He slowly extended his right hand toward it.
"Nice to meet you!"
"Sola~?"
The little green orb calmed down and curiously observed this strange creature in front of it; it had never seen anything like this before.
But… it kind of wanted to get closer...
Thinking that, it acted on it. It gently floated into Mark's palm, feeling a warmth it had never experienced before.
"Solaaaa~"
The little orb let out a relaxed cry, not minding as Mark slowly pulled his hand back. It was quite brave.
"It's a Solosis!" Sato immediately recognized the little orb, a hint of surprise in his voice.
To think there was a pure Psychic-type Pokémon like this around the mansion, and judging by Solosis's size, it had clearly just been born, it hadn't even finished its infancy stage.
"So your name is Solosis, huh? That's such a long name. From now on, I'll call you Orb!" Mark smiled and gave Solosis a simple, easy-to-remember, and "cute" nickname.
"…Sol?"
Solosis wobbled its jelly-like body, adjusted to a comfortable position, and had no idea what Mark was saying to it.
It was still so small, so small that after finding a warm, cozy "nest," it completely ignored its surroundings, closed its eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"So cute! I think it's a Psychic-type Pokémon, right?" Ryoko quickly moved closer. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the obedient Solosis.
"Yeah, pure Psychic-type. Born with extremely strong mental power. It has a three-stage evolution, definitely worth raising." Sato gave a brief explanation, though he silently kept some of the information to himself.
Overcoat, Magic Guard, Regenerator… whichever Ability it had, each one could greatly increase how troublesome Solosis's species could be.
But since Abilities hadn't been officially revealed yet, Sato didn't say much. He'd give Mark a few pointers during training later on.
And this Solosis that had appeared on its own wasn't lacking in potential either.
Under Sato's Dark Energy and Emotional Feedback, it clearly possessed potential on par with Elite Four level.
'…Was this the power of luck?'
Sato turned back to glance at his Zweilous, his heart finally at ease.
'Thank goodness. In this story, I'm still the protagonist. Mark, you just keep playing the sidekick role.'
And with that, the journey through Unova was just beginning. Out of the five of them, only Joseph hadn't found a new partner yet. Everyone else had already encountered one.
Ryoko's Axew, Sato's Zweilous, Mark's Solosis, and Phoebe's Yamask and Chandelure.
And every one of them had significant training value.
Once they returned to Kanto, Hoenn, and the other regions, these Pokémon would be rarer than a scorpion's poop… truly one of a kind!
And being special meant they could catch others off guard, be difficult to counter, and in some cases, directly turn the tide of battle.
"You should put it in a Poké Ball for now. The environment inside actually helps 'Orb' sleep better and promotes growth," Joseph offered from the side.
Mark nodded and gently tapped Orb's jelly-like body with a Poké Ball. A flash of red light, and Solosis was drawn inside without resistance, easily caught.
"Yay! I catch Orb!" Mark jumped and cheered, flashing a silly peace sign with both hands.
Mark had finally become the Trainer of four Pokémon. And one day, without a doubt, he'd have a full team.
Suddenly, Mark looked at Sato and Joseph with sincere gratitude. If it hadn't been for their invitation, he might've spent his whole life wasting away in Shadownight Town, never daring to take that first step into the world.
"Boss, Joseph bro, thank you!" Mark, unusually serious, gave them a formal and heartfelt thank you.
Sato tugged at the corner of his mouth. He wasn't great at this kind of thing. Was he supposed to pat Mark on the shoulder and say, "That's just what a boss does"?
'Ew (￢д￢.)…' Turning around, Sato directly ignored Mark's earnest gaze and continued walking toward the exit of the abandoned mansion.
"Hehe, your boss is shy," Joseph raised an eyebrow, pretending to cover his mouth while speaking softly… but not actually lowering his volume, clearly wanting Sato to hear.
(｀⌒メ)!!!
"Aren't you leaving? What are you waiting for, a birthday party with Litwick and candles?" Sato snorted.
All four of them couldn't help but picture a giant cake surrounded by Litwick, each one swaying with its little purple flames.
Tsk tsk tsk… time to bounce. Time to bounce.