"S-Sato, what are you trying to do?!"
Seeing Norman on the verge of tears, Sato showed no sign of softening his tone.
"I already told you… try again."
Norman abruptly looked up, eyes bloodshot as he stared at Sato, but in the end, he didn't order Linoone and the others to attack Zoroark.
"I admit I can't beat you right now… but I'll catch up to you… AND SURPASS YOU!"
"When?" Sato pressed further.
Norman pursed his lips, remaining silent as his chest rose and fell unsteadily, clearly still struggling to regain his composure.
Sato knew when to stop, so he didn't provoke him further. His tone softened slightly as he said, "The first time I met you was during the Young Elite Tournament. I made it to the quarterfinals, and you lost to Phoebe in the semifinals.
Back then, I wasn't your match.
But now… I've surpassed you."
Norman clenched his fists tightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately lowered his head in silence.
"You know… I once defeated Wallace," Sato continued.
Norman's head shot up, his eyes full of shock. "YOU BEAT WALLACE[1]!?"
"Yeah. At the time, he hadn't found his path yet. He had power but couldn't fully bring it out, so I capitalized and beat him."
"Still counts as a win…" Norman muttered in awe, momentarily forgetting all of Sato's earlier criticism.
Sato ignored the remark and steered the conversation back toward him.
"Right now, you remind me a bit of how Wallace was back then," Sato paused, then asked seriously, "Norman, have you found your own path yet?"
"My… own path?" Norman froze, completely stunned by the question.
"Yeah, your own path. If all you want is to be a competent Gym Leader in Petalburg City, then with your current strength, you've already got what it takes.
After the Young Elite Tournament, Phoebe became an official Investigator with the League. She's grown by tackling one dangerous mission after another, and she's still one of the top among us.
Ryoko endured all the talk about her only being strong because of her parents. She threw herself into the League's elite development program and proved them wrong with real power.
Wallace poured everything into his dream of the Contest world, integrating local performance styles and doing everything he could to get people to accept his battle approach. With each performance, his path became clearer.
…And you? Are you really satisfied with just being a Gym Trainer?
If you are, then forget everything I said today. Next time we meet, I won't bring any of it up."
Sato exhaled lightly after finishing, looked at Norman -who stood frozen in place- then said nothing more. He patted his shoulder, turned, and left.
Zoroark beside him gave a nod to Slaking, then followed Sato into the bushes and disappeared.
----
As Sato walked back toward the hotel, he replayed everything he'd just said to Norman and realized that, in a way, it was a question he was asking himself all over again.
In terms of raw power, Sato had already surpassed his former self; even in status, wealth, and the strength of his team, he had left his past life far behind.
Just as he had begun settling into that comfort, the Ace Tournament arrived.
After witnessing so many outstanding Trainers, the fire inside Sato was reignited!
And his resolve to chase his goals became stronger than ever.
"Heh… but scolding someone like that… actually felt pretty good!" Sato grinned and strode confidently back toward the hotel.
---
Early the next morning, Sato ran into Phoebe in the dining hall, who had also come down for breakfast. And the very first thing she said was: "Norman's gone. He's heading to the Kalos region!"
"Kalos? Didn't they still refuse to acknowledge Kanto Headquarters' authority?" Sato asked.
"That's exactly why Norman submitted a request to Charles Goodshow, to represent the League headquarters as part of a Trainer exchange program."
Sato's heart tensed. He now realized Norman truly wasn't content with who he was now, and what he said last night had only been fuel to the fire.
"Hey hey, do you know what going on a Trainer exchange really means~? It means challenging the region's Gyms!
I never expected Norman actually ask to go to Kalos. You realize how hard it is to challenge an entire region's Gyms, right~? Forget winning, just being in unfamiliar territory, he's bound to face all kinds of difficulties!
I'm telling you…"
Phoebe went on excitedly for quite a while. By the time the match was about to start, Sato finally pointed to the time on his watch.
"We're gonna be late."
"AAAACK! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER?! Hurry, let's go!" she shouted, getting ready to run.
"…Ralts, Teleport."
Sato calmly grabbed Phoebe by the arm and turned to the Ralts on his shoulder.
"Ralts~"
Flash!
With a flash of white light, Sato and Phoebe suddenly appeared at the entrance to the arena, startling the staff nearby.
As the two walked into the waiting room, the staff member at the entrance finally patted her chest in relief, cheeks flushed as she murmured to herself, "…As I expected of two of the League's most famous genius Trainers… even the way they travel is so cool~
But wait… why did Miss Phoebe and Mr. Sato arrive together?
RIGHT! When they appeared, their hands looked like they were… NO WAY[2]!"
The staffer suddenly covered her mouth, eyes wide as she looked around nervously, then broke into silent, euphoric excitement like she had uncovered some MASSIVE secret.
---
When Sato and Phoebe entered the waiting room, the other fourteen contestants were already present, and Sato could immediately feel the cautious and wary gazes from the veteran Trainers.
At the scheduled time, President Goodshow appeared on the main platform and, after a brief speech, directly announced the matchups for the day.
When the pairings appeared on the main screen, everyone couldn't help but gasp!
Of the nine newly promoted Ace Trainers, all but Wallace had been grouped into head-to-head matchups…
[Phoebe -VS- Marshal.]
[Flint -VS- Caitlin.]
[Will -VS- Ryoko.]
[Sato -VS- Volkner.]
"Heh~"
A veteran Trainer in the waiting room let out a cold chuckle. To him, this felt like the League intentionally setting up a show, making sure the "rising stars" held onto more than half the slots in the quarterfinals.
Otherwise, why was Wallace the only one not paired up?
Though they didn't want to admit it, most of the veteran Trainers had already accepted that five of the Top 8 would be the new generation.
But among Sato and his peers, confusion filled their eyes… alongside clear frustration.
They could have advanced purely on strength, but now it looked like they were being given special treatment.
"Well, in any case… good luck, everyone~" Wallace said with a smug grin, which only made the others want to punch him.
As the only newly promoted Ace Trainer who hadn't been "specially arranged," he naturally stood out even more!
.
.
200 PS - Chap
Patre-on/romeloff
[1] NANI!?
[2] KYAAAAAA~