Sato stood in front of all the Gym trainees. Seeing the mix of nervousness and anticipation on their faces, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
'What even is this?'
All he had wanted was to gradually ease into helping with Gym trainee instruction, and now thanks to Mark's loud mouth, he'd been shoved straight onto center stage.
But since he was already standing here, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Sato didn't keep the trainees waiting. He picked up the roster from the side and gestured toward the group.
"Battle is the best way to test your strength. Akira has already grouped you based on your usual performance.
Next, we'll begin 1v1 sparring matches. This isn't friendly practice… there must be a clear winner and loser.
I'll now announce the matchups. Rosalie Hart and Talon Reed are Group One. Ocean Vale and Grayson Zed are Group Two…"
Sato quickly finished reading the list, then instructed the group to clear out two battlefields. Obviously, the matches would happen in parallel to save time.
Sato himself would be positioned at the front, multitasking to observe all four Trainers at once. It wasn't difficult for him.
This wasn't an official tournament, so there were no flashy rules or formalities.
The four trainees in Groups One and Two stepped onto their command platforms. Regardless of whether they were boys or girls, their eyes were full of excitement.
To be selected as a Shadownight Gym trainee, one needed a solid amount of natural talent as a Trainer. None of them feared or disliked combat.
It was just that… with Leader Sato watching their matches personally, none of them could stay calm.
At the referees' command, both sides sent out their partners.
Honchkrow, Houndour, Sneasel, and Nuzleaf!
All Dark-type Pokémon. Though Grayson surprisingly had a Nuzleaf from Hoenn, which caught Sato's attention for a moment.
There were two ways for Gym trainees to obtain Pokémon. The first: once selected, Shadownight Gym would provide them with a Dark-type Pokémon of Elite potential, just past the juvenile stage.
The second: the trainee or their family could use their own resources to obtain any type of Pokémon, but they weren't allowed to own more than four until at least one had reached Elite level.
Starting from the second batch of trainees, even Eevee could only be applied for after one of their Pokémon reached Elite level. And the Pokémon had to be trained and leveled up by the trainee themselves, buying a strong one didn't count. No one had dared try that so far.
Even with that, the policy was enough to make trainees from other Gyms burn with envy.
Because it was Eevee, after all: no matter what evolution path you chose, it could rival any starter Pokémon in the League!
Back on topic.
That Nuzleaf likely came from Grayson's parents, who had probably spent a lot to purchase it from the Hoenn Region.
After sending out Nuzleaf, Grayson kept his eyes locked on Sato… and when Sato did glance at it, Grayson nearly exploded with joy.
Then, Nuzleaf lost to Ocean's Sneasel…
Watching from the side, Akira couldn't help but shake his head. Grayson wasn't a bad Trainer, and his parents were recent wealthy residents of Shadownight Town, hence how he got the Nuzleaf.
In truth, the Gym trainees were all very familiar with each other. Grayson must have known that Ocean Vale's two Pokémon were Sneasel and Honchkrow.
…But just to draw a little extra attention from Sato, he recklessly sent out a Grass/Dark-type Nuzleaf; basically handing the victory to his opponent.
The trainee matches weren't very complex, and since there were no breaks between rounds, the pace was extremely fast: one match ended, the next began immediately.
Sato stood right in front of the four battling trainees, writing and sketching nonstop in his notebook, recording everything in detail.
Two and a half hours passed, and all forty-something Gym trainees had completed their 1v1 matches.
The winners naturally waited excitedly for Sato's praise.
The ones who lost, on the other hand, hung their heads low, thinking, 'Great… the first impression I gave the Gym Leader was a loss.'
But next!
There was neither praise nor criticism. After organizing his notes a bit, Sato began calling up each trainee one by one.
"This is my analysis of your battle and some suggestions. Take it home and go over it carefully."
Each person who came up heard roughly the same line, and Sato personally handed them the notes he'd written; some even got a few words of encouragement on the spot.
But… no criticism. No criticism at all!
Ponyo, Sosuke, and Trish -who had flown in specifically to watch the show- were all stunned. Their eyes were full of disbelief… and maybe a little resentment.
'Why…?
WHY WAS HE SO RUTHLESS, COLD, AND STRICT WHEN TRAINING THEM BACK THEN?
…And now, he was being so gentle to these juniors.
Over the years, what had Boss Sato gone through? What kind of people had he met, to change this much?'
Akira and the others were deeply confused… but didn't dare ask.
At that moment, Sato handed out the final battle note and told the trainees not to rush into reading it just yet.
He cleared his throat, then raised his voice to address the group: "From now on, each day's training will begin with combat. I'll also prepare a note like today's for each of you, pointing out your strengths and areas for improvement.
After matches end, it'll be free training time. You're encouraged to exchange ideas or ask the senior trainees for guidance.
In tomorrow's matches, I hope to see your progress!"
Then, without dragging it out, Sato stepped off the stage, leaving the excited trainees behind.
Holding the handwritten notes from Sato, they nearly wanted to rush home and frame them like treasured heirlooms.
This was personal instruction from Sato… and not just in a group setting.
One-on-one!
That kind of experience was something they could brag about anywhere.
After a while, the trainees finally calmed down and scattered to begin their individual training.
But they were so fired up that their training was noticeably less efficient than usual.
They kept pulling out their notes -not even reading the content- just admiring Sato's handwriting.
'So cool…'
---
Soon, the second afternoon arrived. The trainees all arrived at the training grounds on time and without a single word began another round of 1v1 matches.
Another two and a half hours passed. As Sato looked down at the completed notes in his hands, he didn't hand them out immediately. Instead, he turned to Joseph.
"How… how long would it take to expel all of these people and recruit new ones?"
Below the stage, the trainees' faces instantly turned pale. Several girls were so frightened they nearly collapsed.
But Akira and the others lit up with excitement.
There it was…
The demon would always be a demon…
No way he'd turn into an angel!