Finally, an Elite Four level Trainer.
Although, throughout the entire Pokémon world, Sato's rate of advancement could already be described as astonishingly fast, as the person who had actually experienced it, Sato still felt that he had waited far too long for this day.
For a moment, his heart was filled with complicated emotions. Yet in the end, he opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to say anything. He simply stood quietly beneath an umbrella in the heavy rain, looking at Swampert on top of the hill, his face filled with gratification.
For any Trainer, there was no greater source of pride than personally raising a powerful Pokémon. Swampert was a Pokémon Sato had personally raised ever since it was a Mudkip, and at this moment, his heart was overflowing with pride.
"Swamp!"
After venting his joy at successfully advancing, Swampert dispersed the rain clouds and brought the downpour to an end. He then quickly jumped down from the hill and happily came before Sato, immediately extending one fist toward him.
Seeing this, Sato immediately broke into a brilliant smile and extended his own fist as well.
The instant their fists touched, the hearts of human and Pokémon seemed to resonate with one another.
Beneath the brilliant starry sky, with the cool night breeze blowing around them, Sato and Swampert looked directly into each other's eyes. A strange connection was suddenly established between their hearts.
Vaguely, Sato sensed something.
Swampert's stomach was hungry.
Apparently, Swampert had been planning to wait until Sato fell asleep, have Kadabra temporarily block Sato's psychic detection, and then sneak into the space bag to get himself a late-night snack.
Swampert seemed to instantly realize that Sato had discovered what he was thinking, and an embarrassed expression appeared on his face.
But after the two stared at each other for a while, they suddenly burst into laughter.
"What an incredible feeling. Just now, I didn't even need to use telepathy to communicate with Swampert, yet I could roughly sense what he was thinking. Is this the difference between an Elite Four level Trainer and an ordinary Trainer? Apart from strength, there's also a bond between their hearts."
"No, that's not right. This probably has nothing to do with whether someone is an Elite Four level Trainer or not. Perhaps it's because the bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon becomes deeper and deeper. If my guess is correct, then wouldn't Elite Four level Trainers at the later stages all be capable of briefly communicating with their Pokémon through their minds?"
"Sigh… I'd better ask someone with more experience about this. Randomly guessing isn't going to accomplish anything."
While laughing, Sato continued pondering that strange sensation from earlier. However, he had only been a Trainer for less than two years, so there was no way he could understand exactly why that strange feeling had appeared.
Since he couldn't figure it out, Sato simply stopped thinking about it.
Although it was already very late at night, the weather phenomenon caused by Swampert's advancement to Elite Four level had been so spectacular that practically everyone and every Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory—and probably throughout the entirety of Pallet Town—had lost any desire to sleep.
By now, Swampert had successfully advanced to Elite Four level, and numerous Pokémon had gradually begun appearing in the surrounding area. Some of them were even Elite Four level Pokémon that Sato had never managed to encounter during his long stay here.
Clearly, Elite Four level Pokémon were proud creatures. Before Swampert and Sato themselves had reached the Elite Four level, those Pokémon hadn't even considered coming over to see them.
But the energy tide produced by Swampert's advancement tonight had been far too magnificent. Even these proud Elite Four level Pokémon had no choice but to acknowledge Swampert and Sato and come over to offer their congratulations.
Sato wasn't sleepy either. Seeing so many Pokémon arriving to congratulate Swampert, he simply called out all of his Pokémon and took out all the Pokémon food in his space bag, setting up a late-night celebration in an open area nearby.
"Congratulations. From today onward, you're also an Elite Four level Trainer."
"However, the world is vast, and there are countless talented people. Reaching the Elite Four level merely means you've just gained the qualifications to truly look upon the world, so don't become arrogant."
"And here's a gift to congratulate you and Swampert on reaching the Elite Four level."
The celebration had only just begun when Professor Oak arrived leisurely along the path, accompanied by Gary, whose face was full of envy.
He first congratulated Sato, then offered him some advice. Finally, he handed Sato an exquisite bracelet and Swampert a collar.
The bracelet and collar were made from some kind of special lightweight alloy. They weren't heavy at all, yet they were astonishingly tough. Even when Swampert squeezed the collar with all his strength, he couldn't leave so much as a crease on it.
When Sato and Swampert respectively put on the bracelet and collar, they both discovered that the sizes fit perfectly.
Clearly, Professor Oak had specially made these two items for Sato and Swampert.
There was nothing embedded in Sato's bracelet yet, but a recessed slot had been deliberately left at its very top for something to be inserted.
Sato immediately understood what belonged there.
After putting on the bracelet, he took out a Key Stone from his bag and placed it into the slot.
The fit was perfect. The Key Stone slid easily into the recess, and once it was fully inserted, a faint sound of gears turning came from inside the bracelet. The Key Stone was then firmly locked into place.
Meanwhile, Swampert successfully put the collar around his neck as well.
A Mega Stone was already embedded in the collar, and whenever Swampert touched the Mega Stone, it emitted a peculiar glow.
"Thank you, Professor Oak. Thanks to you, Swampert and I can finally wield the power of Mega Evolution."
Seeing this, how could Sato not understand that Professor Oak had successfully exchanged for Swampert's Mega Stone on his behalf and had even specially crafted this equipment for them?
He immediately expressed his gratitude.
"I only helped a little, then had an old friend make these little things. There's no need to thank me so much."
"Oh, right. That old friend of mine took Lopunny's Mega Stone in exchange, so this Aggronite is now returned to its rightful owner."
Professor Oak hurriedly waved his hand and then handed a Mega Stone to Sato.
"Hmph! Don't get so smug. My sister's Charizard is also about to reach the Elite Four level, and she already has Charizard's Mega Stone. Once my sister comes back from the Kalos region, she'll definitely be an Elite Four level Trainer. Then she'll definitely be able to defeat you!"
Gary had been watching enviously from the side the entire time. When he learned that Professor Oak had helped Sato obtain a Mega Stone that would allow Swampert to Mega Evolve, he finally couldn't hold himself back.
After saying this, he angrily ran toward the laboratory.
The originally joyful and harmonious atmosphere immediately became somewhat awkward because of Gary's interruption.
Sato hadn't expected Gary to suddenly jump out and oppose him like that, and out of consideration for Professor Oak, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Sorry you had to see that. That little brat has admired his sister since he was young. You've reached the Elite Four level this time and gained the power of Mega Evolution, so he's probably worried that she will lose to you again. Don't take what he said to heart."
Professor Oak scratched his head awkwardly as he saw how badly Gary had behaved and explained to Sato.
"Professor, what are you saying? How could I possibly blame Gary? However, I do think his attitude toward Pokémon is a little too harsh. If he continues like this, it might not be good for him."
Sato naturally wasn't going to argue seriously with a child. But after thinking about it, he spoke seriously to Professor Oak.
He then told Professor Oak everything that had happened after Ash and Gary's battle, including Gary's behavior afterward.
"Sigh… I overlooked this. That boy's parents are always traveling all over the world, so he hasn't received much supervision since he was young. It seems I'll have to make sure his parents properly discipline him when they return."
After hearing Sato's account, Professor Oak's expression immediately became serious, and he spoke with a troubled look.
Although Gary's sudden outburst had somewhat dampened the festive atmosphere, after he left, the celebration quickly returned to normal.
However, holding a celebration so late at night wasn't ideal, and Sato's supply of Pokémon food was limited. Therefore, the late-night party ended after just over an hour.
By the following morning, Sato had already packed his belongings and left Professor Oak's Laboratory with all his Pokémon.
"This should do. If we battle here, there shouldn't be anyone around to disturb us."
In a rocky area in Mt. Hideaway near Pallet Town, Sato looked at the desolate surroundings and spoke with satisfaction.
After saying this, he pressed the button on a distinctive PokeBall crackling with electricity and forcefully tossed it into the air.
The next instant, a beam of white light shot skyward from the opened PokeBall, and a Pokémon radiating terrifying bolts of electricity appeared high in the air.
The moment this Pokémon appeared, a huge mass of dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and the surrounding sky rapidly darkened.
"SKREEEEE!!!"
Then, accompanied by the Pokémon's furious cry, countless terrifying bolts of lightning descended upon the land.