As soon as Sato finished speaking, the entire field instantly fell silent. Yet the rapid breathing from the trainees revealed the storm stirring in their hearts.
And just at that moment, Joseph added seriously, "From resource accounting, publicity, registration, and screening to the final selection list, it'll take about a month."
"Hiss~"
Another wave of sharp inhalations followed. The Gym trainees looked pale, unable to suppress the thought… 'was the Gym Leader really serious about this?'
These trainees had already been selected through intense competition, so most of them matured early and fully understood how precious the opportunity to become a Gym trainee truly was.
Not to mention that in recent years, Shadownight Town had been developing rapidly. Many families had even moved there just to give their children a better chance at qualifying as trainees, further raising the selection bar.
Grayson was a clear example.
So, if they were really expelled from the Gym, it wouldn't just be their parents' anger they'd face. The kids themselves probably wouldn't be able to accept it either.
"Very well then. Let's set a deadline of one month. From today onward, your daily performance will determine how many new trainees Shadownight Gym recruits a month from now..."
Sato paused noticeably here before continuing, "To replace you!"
In that instant, the trainees below the stage couldn't hold back. Even with Sato watching from above, they couldn't help exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.
Seeing this, Sato didn't intervene. He simply announced the start of training, then walked alone to a corner of the training grounds and sent out Skorupi and Ariados to begin his routine.
Joseph and the others exchanged looks. Mark even nearly burst out laughing!
…But the moment he thought about his own life, he barely managed to hold it in.
This so-called "one month" just so happened to align with the new year's Gym Trainee Selection Trials. So whether or not today's situation had occurred, they'd still be recruiting new people later.
But the trainees clearly got scared. Even if they realized the truth later, no one dared ask if replacements would really happen.
Not long after, the trainees dispersed without a word and started training. Quite a few had already surrounded Akira and the others, clearly remembering that the Gym Leader had said they could seek guidance from their seniors.
In truth, the reason Sato stayed to train Skorupi on the grounds was also because he was waiting for some trainee to come ask him for help…
Unfortunately, after that little scare earlier, Sato's Dark King persona had etched itself deeply into everyone's hearts. Forget asking for guidance, no one even dared to use the training area within five meters of him.
---
Half an hour passed, and still not a single person dared approach Sato directly, while Ponyo and Sosuke were surrounded nonstop.
To this, Sato could only sigh sourly, "If you can't seize an opportunity like this, then you deserve to be scared off by me."
With that, he recalled the utterly exhausted Skorupi -who had just been drilled mercilessly by Ariados- and left the training grounds without another word.
As for supervision?
Heh~ Did the Dark King need to supervise when training his trainees?
Obviously, not supervising was more effective than supervising!
---
By evening, after finishing the "class" Joseph was in charge of, not a single trainee went to rest. They all rushed back to the training grounds to continue training.
And when it was nearly midnight, it was Joseph -who couldn't stand watching any longer- who finally drove them all back to their rooms to sleep.
But in truth… the trainees had long hoped someone would step in and force them to go back.
Yet the thought of tomorrow's evaluation made everyone grit their teeth and keep going.
Even if they couldn't pass tomorrow, they had to at least show they were trying.
The third day of training arrived quickly, once again beginning with practical combat.
Those who won didn't dare show off. Just hoping their performance today would pass Gym Leader Sato's assessment.
Those who lost turned pale, already wondering how they'd explain their potential expulsion to their parents to avoid a harsh beating.
'Was Shadownight Gym struggling financially, so it started "laying off" trainees to cut costs?
Or… was the Gym Leader heartbroken, rejected, and dumped, putting him in a terrible mood?'
Today's battles lasted a full three and a half hours. The trainees brought out everything they had, giving it their all.
And to be fair, after Sato's "push," even trainee-vs-trainee battles had become more intense and exciting.
Amber, Akira, and the others -watching from the sidelines- couldn't stop nodding, thinking: pressure truly was motivation.
It had only been one night, and already the trainees had changed so much.
After combat ended, Sato looked over the anxious faces of the trainees. His expression remained neutral.
But just like on the first day, he began reading names and distributing the notes he had written.
"Congrats on meeting yesterday's target. Keep it up…"
--
"Houndour's offense is sufficient for now, but its agility still needs work. Go home and think about it carefully."
--
"Your Sneasel is left-handed. Pay attention to that during training. Today's performance is acceptable."
--
"Murkrow doesn't like moving around during the day. Nighttime training gives better results. Think carefully about how to plan your training."
"…"
Each trainee who came up received a couple of serious comments from Sato.
With his current level, Sato could see flaws in all of them, so giving guidance was no challenge.
As for the trainees receiving those notes, they all breathed a silent sigh of relief, knowing they had passed today's evaluation. Their new small goals were written clearly on the notes.
However, once Sato finished handing out the notes, there were still two trainees who hadn't received anything.
In other words, those two had failed to meet their training goals… again!
Sato said nothing to them. He simply announced the session was over and told everyone to begin free training.
The two trainees panicked. They stood frozen, unsure of what to do. They wanted to approach Sato and ask but didn't dare.
After a long moment, they could only take out the notes they received on the first day and carefully study the assessment content the Gym Leader had written for them, reflecting deeply.
Meanwhile, Sato stayed at the training grounds for his usual half-hour. Unsurprisingly, no one dared come up to him for guidance.
In the end, Sato left without saying a word, making Joseph almost burst out laughing.
From that day on, the Gym trainees' days of misery officially began.
Watching morning matches was now considered their "break time," and in the evening sessions Joseph even sent out Florges to help ease their tension and relieve their stress.
The rest of the time? If they weren't sleeping, they were racking their brains trying to meet the daily mini-goals the Gym Leader had set for them.
After all, everyone had seen it: if you didn't meet the standard, you didn't get a new note. That meant you hadn't progressed at all.
That sense of urgency left them no choice but to push themselves… and keep pushing.
Of course, the results were very real. Even the trainees themselves could clearly feel how much they were improving each day.
So, every day… they could only hurt, while being happy!
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150 Ps-Chap
P@treon/Romeloff