Early in the morning, after finishing his daily training, Sato brought his Pokémon to the cafeteria.
A huge crowd followed behind, and thankfully they were still inside the Gym; otherwise it really would've caused quite a stir.
To most of the Gym trainees, Sato -who was only a few years older than them- was someone they both admired and feared.
Daily training was usually handled by Mark and Akira, while logistics were coordinated by Joseph. As for Sato, he had very little contact with the Gym trainees outside of the original core group.
Not that he did it intentionally. The number of Pokémon he had caught had already surpassed ten, and aside from Pichu, who didn't enjoy battling and acted more like a pet, and Gardevoir, who had reached Elite Four level, all the rest were part of his active battle team.
Before traveling to the Sinnoh Region, Sato spent every day either meditating or training Pokémon… or on his way to train them.
Even when it came to Gym Challenges, he only stepped in personally if the Challenger had confirmed Elite level strength.
Otherwise, he just ceded the battle to someone else: Mark, Sina, or Akira. Whoever was around at the time went up. Completely casual.
Yet even so, the reputation of Shadownight Gym never declined; in fact, it became a target that many ambitious Trainers swore they would one day conquer.
But this time, after returning, Sato was in no hurry anymore. Reaching Elite Four level was no longer something that could be achieved through sheer training or accumulation.
To put it vaguely, reaching Elite Four level required opportunity… and personal insight.
Plus, after the "trip" to Olivine City, the impact from Myron and the rest of Olivine Gym's people left a deep impression on Sato.
When a city truly faced a major crisis, the League Gym became the most vital source of strength and hope for everyone living there.
And the role of the Gym Leader became all the more critical.
But truth be told, with the rapid development of Shadownight Town in recent years, the public might have known and connected more with Mark than with Sato.
So now that Sato had the time, he was thinking about trying to change that.
Like -for example- joining all the Gym trainees for breakfast…
Then, Sato realized that within three meters of where he was sitting, no one else dared to take a seat… until a sleepy-eyed Mark was carried into the cafeteria by his Arbok.
"Eh? Boss, you're here in person for breakfast too?"
"..."
"Aha~ Well, I'll just go grab my food real quick!"
Mark immediately sobered up, happily scurrying over to the food counter, and before long, scurried right back with his tray.
"Awoo… Breakfast here is still the best. Not saying Mama Joseph's cooking is bad or anything… mmmph… it's just that I can eat as much as I want here. When we're traveling, I gotta watch how full I get… feels awful to eat too much when you're on the road…"
Mark stuffed his face while rambling through a mouthful of food.
"…Just eat quietly."
After a while, Sato couldn't help but speak up. "What's today's training schedule for them?"
"The trainees?"
Mark paused, swallowed the egg in his mouth, then answered casually, "This morning they're observing Gym Challenges. In the afternoon, Akira's leading some foundational training.
And tonight should be one of Joseph's communication workshops, he switches the topics and content every day."
Sato nodded slightly, but what he said next made Mark nearly spit out his food.
"WHAAAAAT… you're personally teaching the trainees this afternoon?."
The moment Mark shouted that out, all the trainees still eating in the cafeteria instantly turned to look!
Then silently looked away.
Something big was happening!
In less than a minute, the cafeteria was completely empty except for Sato and Mark. Everyone else had fled.
Mark scratched his messy hair awkwardly, not daring to look up at Sato. He wondered if he should also sneak out now…
But he hadn't finished breakfast!
Swoosh~
Sato stood up, placed his tray in the return station, and walked straight out of the cafeteria without even glancing at Mark.
Mark's eyes followed Sato as he left, but wisely chose not to ask where the boss was heading…
---
And in less than half an hour, nearly everyone in the Gym had heard the news: Sato was going to personally guide the trainees' training this afternoon.
In the front yard of the Gym, Akira easily defeated a challenger. After pointing out a few obvious flaws in their tactics, he sent them on their way.
But when he glanced at the group of trainees nearby, he noticed that they all looked distracted and unfocused.
"Ahem… Did I do that badly just now?" Akira cleared his throat to snap them out of it, frowning.
The trainees looked at one another, each with a hesitant expression.
Finally, a slightly braver girl, encouraged by Akira's gaze, spoke up in a soft voice, "Akira-senpai… everyone's saying that Leader Sato will be guiding our training this afternoon. Is… is that true?"
Her voice was full of nervousness, with a hint of anticipation mixed in. But Akira just looked confused.
"Where'd you all hear that?"
"In the cafeteria! Mark said so!"
"Yeah, yeah, he said it super loud, I heard it too!"
"Me too!"
"And me!"
"..."
A few minutes later, Akira managed to calm the trainees down. Deep inside, he also believed what they said. But then he remembered the kind of 'guidance' he had personally received before, and his expression grew a little odd.
"Forget it. None of you are focused anymore. Just go prepare yourselves properly for this afternoon's session. Leader Sato…" Akira was about to warn them that the Gym Leader was strict, but stopped himself.
He had a healthy dose of fear for Sato too!
"Anyway… do your best. I'm sure you'll all learn something from it!"
"AYEEE!!"
The trainees cheered loudly, then scattered in all directions.
---
Soon, it was afternoon. The training grounds were filled with every Gym trainee; this time, no one dared to be late or absent.
Even more surprising was that, besides the current trainees, Ponyo and Sosuke had flown in, skipping lunch just to watch how Sato would train the group.
Amber had also brought Trish along, both of them clearly there just to enjoy the show.
Three years had passed, and little Trish had grown a lot. Under Amber's personal care, she was starting to look more and more like a real princess.
Next year, Trish would finally be eligible to become a full-fledged Trainer; the kind that could travel with a Pokédex.
As for whether Amber would allow it… Sato and the others truly didn't know.
Before long, the afternoon training bell rang. All the Gym trainees lined up neatly, quietly waiting for Sato and the others to appear.
Leading the way was Sato, followed by Joseph, Mark, and Akira. The four of them strode confidently toward the assembled trainees.
Just that formation alone was enough to make many of the trainees feel a mix of nervousness and excitement.