Although the Ruins of Alph were located west of Ecruteak City, the journey there wasn't exactly short. Sato had no interest in starting a conversation, but the same couldn't be said for Wester.
"Sato, have you ever seen Unown at the Ruins of Alph?"
Sato thought to himself—he had never even been to the Ruins of Alph in this lifetime. How could he have seen Unown? But when he glanced at Wester's eager expression, he simply replied:
"No."
"That's a shame! They say Unown are even more mysterious than Legendary Pokémon! Oh, right—Sato, have you ever seen a Legendary Pokémon?"
"No."
"Then what's the strongest Pokémon you've ever seen? A Dragonite, maybe? Or a Tyranitar, the Desert Tyrant?"
Sato pressed his lips together. Was Wester a chatterbox?!
"I saw a Dragonite once—during the last Pokémon League Championship. The trainer who beat me had one."
"…"
"Sato, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Try calling my name again."
"Sato?"
"You get it now?"
"…Oh."
Three minutes later…
Wester couldn't hold it in any longer. "Sato, what do you think is stronger, Dragonite or Tyranitar?"
Sato turned his head, staring at Wester. Was this really what he'd been thinking about all this time?
"I think… Tyranitar is probably stronger," Wester continued, completely ignoring the fact that Sato never answered. He was talking to himself, having the time of his life.
Sato looked forward again and suddenly had a realization—was Wester like this because he hadn't talked enough back at the café?
What followed was a bizarre scene:
Sato walked forward without a word, never looking away from the road. Meanwhile, Wester never stopped talking.
Sato didn't stop him, but his walking pace noticeably increased. Unfortunately, there was still quite a bit of distance left before they reached their destination.
"Tyranitar has a lot of weaknesses, but…" Wester suddenly paused. "Huh? Why did you stop?"
He turned and saw Sato walking toward a large tree by the roadside.
"It's noon. Are you not going to eat?"
"Oh, right! I got so caught up talking that I forgot about lunch!" Wester grinned, then immediately put down his backpack.
"I brought a lot of great camping supplies! This, this, and… oh, this too!"
One after another, he pulled out item after item—a table, plates, a portable stove, a large frying pan, cooking utensils… and even a bouquet of fresh flowers?!
Wait… was that a mini-oven? And was that thing over there a refrigerator?!
Was he moving houses?!
Sato looked at his own backpack, which contained a single sandwich, then glanced back at Wester, who was already preparing a gourmet steak meal. Without hesitation, Sato put his backpack down and silently watched.
"Just wait a bit—it'll be ready soon!" Wester said enthusiastically. He was now wearing a chef's apron, fully focused on the steak sizzling in the pan. Seeing Sato watching, he even reminded him to be patient.
Thirty minutes later…
Sato and Wester sat across from each other, staring at the extravagant feast laid out before them.
"You always eat like this when you travel?" Sato asked, still in disbelief as he looked at the ridiculous spread that Wester had prepared in just half an hour.
"Of course! Now, let your Pokémon out—let's all eat together!" Wester poured a glass of red wine for himself and invited Sato's Pokémon to join in as if this was a formal dining event.
Sato thought for a moment before releasing Zorua and Haunter. Larvitar was too rare to reveal, and besides—it preferred eating high-energy minerals over fancy meals.
"Zor!"
Zorua leaped onto Sato's shoulder, rubbing affectionately against him before noticing the food on the table. The moment it saw the delicious spread, drool started dripping from its mouth.
"A Zorua?! From Unova?!" Wester's eyes lit up with excitement. "I just so happen to have some premium Dark-type Pokémon food! Here, try this!"
He cheerfully took out a container filled with high-quality packaged Pokémon food—the kind that screamed luxury.
"Zor?"
Zorua licked its lips and looked up at Sato, its eyes filled with pure, innocent expectation.
"Go ahead."
"Zor~!"
In an instant, Zorua dashed toward the can, giving Wester a polite nod before grabbing the food and sprinting back to Sato's side. Sitting upright, Zorua skillfully used its paws to open the container before happily digging in.
"Kehehehe~"
Haunter leaned in for a sniff, then immediately wrinkled its ghostly face in disapproval. It had no interest in food infused with strong Dark-type energy.
"I have something for Haunter too! Try this!" Wester said, pulling out another can he had specifically prepared for Ghost-types.
"Kehehe!"
Haunter wasn't as polite as Zorua. It simply extended a shadowy claw, snatching the can right out of Wester's hands.
As soon as the can was opened, a thick, purplish mist rose from within. Haunter's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Without hesitation, it extended its long, red tongue and slurped up the entire mist in one go.
"Kehehe~"
Landing on the grass, Haunter shuddered in delight, clearly satisfied with the rare treat.
"Sato, take a look at my Pokémon too!" Wester said as he tossed out three Poké Balls.
With a flash of red light, Feraligatr, Houndoom, and Skarmory appeared on the field, each of them well-trained and physically imposing.
Sato recalled their previous performances in battle—Houndoom and Skarmory were likely still Elite-level, while Feraligatr's full strength was yet to be determined. But if it had been held back until now, it was safe to assume that it was even stronger.
After finishing lunch, Sato watched expressionlessly as Wester pulled out a portable dishwasher to clean up. At this point, nothing surprised him anymore.
Leaning against a tree, Sato gently wiped the Egg he had been carrying. He could feel it—Spinarak was close to hatching.
After a brief rest, the two continued their journey. This time, Sato did not recall Haunter and Zorua, keeping them out as a precaution. They were moving farther from the city, and the number of wild Pokémon increased—staying alert was crucial.
Wester did the same, keeping Houndoom at his side. But that didn't stop him from talking non-stop—except now, his attention had shifted to Haunter and Zorua.
Before long, Zorua darted off to scout ahead, clearly fleeing from Wester's endless chatter. Like Sato, it preferred silence.
As for Houndoom… it had long since run off in a different direction, having no intention of sticking around its talkative trainer.
Meanwhile, Haunter had found its perfect conversation partner.
The entire way, it echoed Wester's enthusiasm, unleashing a constant stream of eerie laughter.
"Kehehehehehe~ Kehehe~ Kehehehehe!"
Somehow, Wester tolerated it just fine. Most people would've been driven insane after a few minutes of hearing "Kehehe~" on repeat.
Sato, on the other hand, had to restrain himself multiple times from recalling Haunter just to shut it up.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the crumbling stone walls of the Ruins of Alph.
"We should set up camp here and head inside first thing in the morning," Sato said.
"Ah, got it," Wester nodded absentmindedly—still engaged in conversation with Haunter.
Sato tightened his untouched backpack and silently walked into the house.
His sandwich was going to expire soon—it was now or never.