After an intense battle, Sato finally succeeded in capturing Zapdos as he had wished. Yet neither Sato nor Swampert, who had just withdrawn from its Mega Evolution form, felt much joy at their victory.
The reason was that their victory had involved far too many elements of luck. The most critical factor was that, had Zapdos not underestimated them so badly at the beginning, Sato and Swampert would have had virtually no chance of winning.
Even now, Sato still hadn't figured out any good way to counter the kiting tactics Zapdos had used against Mega Swampert. Against a powerful Flying-type Pokémon like Zapdos, Swampert still lacked an effective means of restraining it.
Regardless, he had finally captured Zapdos. With Zapdos joining his team, Sato finally had considerably more confidence in his upcoming journey through Ilex Forest.
The battle just now had demonstrated how astonishingly powerful Zapdos's physical capabilities were. It was absolutely a level above ordinary Elite-Four level Pokémon. Successfully capturing it had immediately raised Sato's overall strength by several levels.
At this point, Sato could no longer be considered weak among Elite-Four level Trainers. At the very least, nobody would dare regard him as a newly promoted Elite-Four level Trainer anymore.
After capturing Zapdos, Sato didn't remain in Mt. Hideaway for long. He immediately released Crobat and had it carry him toward Viridian City.
For this trip to Ilex Forest, Sato had naturally brought his strongest lineup. The Pokémon accompanying him were Swampert, Pikachu, Arcanine, Crobat, Bellossom, Shiny Beautifly, Kadabra, Dratini, and the newly captured Zapdos.
It was worth mentioning that Dratini's Egg had successfully hatched on the tenth day after Sato arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Because the first person Dratini saw after hatching was Sato, he had been able to capture the little Pokémon with practically no effort.
The newly hatched Dratini was extremely dependent on Sato. It was the kind that would immediately start crying and fussing whenever it woke up and couldn't see him.
Since there was nobody at Professor Oak's Laboratory who could replace Sato in taking care of Dratini, he had no choice but to bring the little fellow along with him.
Fortunately, the little guy was extremely sleepy. It would practically fall asleep as soon as it had eaten its fill, so Sato didn't need to keep it outside and care for it constantly.
With Crobat's assistance, Sato reached Viridian City in less than half an hour and landed at the Pokémon Center in the city center.
Now that he was a genuine Elite-Four level Trainer, there were some things he no longer needed to hide as carefully as before. Therefore, he entered the Pokémon Center using his real appearance.
After becoming an Elite-Four level Trainer, Sato's entire bearing had undergone another major transformation. Every movement he made carried a calm confidence and an air of composure, causing everyone nearby to glance at him several times.
The moment he entered the Pokémon Center, he almost immediately became the center of attention. However, because he faintly exuded the imposing aura of a top-tier Trainer, most people only glanced at him once before quickly looking away, not daring to stare.
"Hello, sir. Is there anything we can help you with?"
The Nurse Joys working at the front desk were undoubtedly very perceptive. They almost immediately recognized Sato as an Elite-Four level Trainer. One of them even proactively stepped out from behind the counter to ask what service he required.
This was the privilege of the strong.
While everyone else still had to wait in line, the strong could receive the best service ahead of everyone else.
"Hello, Nurse Joy. I'll leave these two in your care. Please give them the best treatment available."
This was the first time Sato had encountered a Nurse Joy proactively approaching him to offer service. Although he was somewhat surprised, he didn't say anything. He immediately took out the two PokeBalls containing Swampert and Zapdos and entrusted them to the Nurse Joy in front of him for treatment.
Although Sato currently had Bellossom, a Pokémon capable of healing others, Elite-Four level Pokémon suffered injuries that were far more difficult to treat than those of ordinary Pokémon. To fully heal them, it was still best to have professional medical personnel at a Pokémon Center handle their recovery.
"Of course. Please wait in the VIP area for a moment."
Nurse Joy immediately accepted the PokeBalls Sato handed her. After placing the two PokeBalls into the corresponding slots at the counter, she glanced at the Pokémon information displayed on the computer screen.
Her face immediately filled with astonishment.
She hurriedly turned toward Sato and spoke respectfully.
Sato didn't object. After paying with his card, he followed an extremely attentive staff member nearby into the VIP area of the Pokémon Center to wait.
"Oh my god! Do you know what I just saw on the computer screen at the counter? That man actually has the legendary Pokémon Zapdos!"
"Who are you kidding? The guy certainly looks impressive, but he can't possibly be that incredible, right? That's Zapdos! It's even rarer and more powerful than a pseudo-legendary Pokémon. It's not some ordinary Pokémon you can find anywhere."
"I think it's true. Didn't you see how Nurse Joy treated him just now? I reckon that person must be an Elite-Four level Trainer. Only an Elite-Four level Trainer could make them proactively come forward to offer their services, right?"
Once Sato left the main hall, the Trainers inside immediately began whispering among themselves.
Especially after one Trainer revealed that one of the Pokémon Sato had brought in for treatment was actually Zapdos, the entire hall erupted into an uproar.
Several Trainers even used their communication devices to spread what had just happened. Before long, news that Sato possessed Zapdos had reached many people's ears.
Naturally, there was no way the commotion in the hall could escape Sato's psychic senses.
He had nothing to say about it.
What was destined to happen would happen eventually.
From the moment he decided to bring Zapdos to a Pokémon Center for treatment, Sato had known that he could no longer keep Zapdos's existence hidden.
Moreover, he had no intention of continuing to hide it.
Even if people found out, it didn't matter.
As long as they weren't idiots, anyone who learned that he possessed Zapdos would not immediately think about trying to steal it. Their first reaction would be awe.
After all, possessing Zapdos was itself proof of strength.
Just think about how many forces Wattson had once mobilized to surround and attack Zapdos, and yet they had nearly been wiped out by it. That alone demonstrated just how difficult a Pokémon like Zapdos was to deal with.
If a Trainer had actually managed to capture Zapdos, then just how powerful must that Trainer be?
Anyone with common sense could figure it out. That Trainer had to be incredibly powerful.
And now that Sato possessed Zapdos, his strength was even more unfathomable.
Trying to steal Zapdos from such a powerful Trainer would be easier said than done. There was a good chance the attacker would simply be killed instead.
The power of a Legendary Pokémon was no joke.
"If someone really does jump out and cause trouble for me, that would actually be perfect for making an example out of them."
Sato turned his head and gazed thoughtfully at the beautiful scenery outside the window.
It wasn't that Sato had become arrogant.
At this point, he genuinely had the ability to find some weakling and use them as an example. As long as whoever came wasn't a Champion-level powerhouse, he was confident that he could exchange several blows with them before calmly withdrawing.
If the person who came after him was merely average in strength—or not much stronger than himself—then Sato could even treat them like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered.
More than ninety percent of Trainers, as long as they dared appear before him, shouldn't even dream of being able to escape the battle.
A little over ten minutes later, Swampert and Zapdos had both fully recovered.
After receiving the PokeBalls from Nurse Joy, Sato left the Pokémon Center under the respectful and awestruck gazes of the Trainers in the main hall.
However, the moment he stepped outside, he saw a familiar face he hadn't encountered in a long time.
The man seemed to have been waiting near the Pokémon Center entrance for quite some time.
The moment he saw Sato emerge, he immediately greeted him with a broad smile.
"Gym Leader, it's been a really long time! What brings you here? If you needed something, you could've just sent me a message. Your little brother here would have come running the moment you called."