…Boom! Boom…
"Dragonite and Tyranitar are both unable to battle. Weavile and Sharpedo are victorious! Trainer Aruta, please send out your next Pokémon!"
On the battlefield, the two highly anticipated pseudo-legendary Pokémon lay battered on the ground.
Opposite them, Weavile sat confidently atop Sharpedo's back. The two Pokémon looked as if they were one, their claws and fangs glinting with a chilling light.
Sato's gaze was distant, as though the victory had nothing to do with him.
In truth, he had simply gotten distracted, his mind replaying the scene from the conference room just moments earlier.
Just now, Kōmei had practically entrusted the future Elite Four position to him, as if he had no doubt that Sato would stay sharp and not lose the match…
---◓---
Aruta Kitamura stared hard at Sato, only to realize the other wasn't even sparing him a glance. That aloof gaze felt like mockery.
All that scheming… utterly wasted!
"DAMN IT!"
Aruta roared furiously and flung out two more Poké Balls. Metagross and Salamence, two Hoenn pseudo-legendary Pokémon, appeared together, once again causing a stir throughout the arena.
In the VIP viewing room, Goodshow gave a sidelong glance at Riku Kitamura, the branch President of the Johto League, which made the latter break into a cold sweat.
"Mmh! Not bad resources. Johto's done a decent job raising excellent Pokémon these past two years."
The unspoken implication was clear. The Pokémon used by his son likely hadn't been caught or trained by the boy himself.
Riku stood frozen, barely able to control his expression.
There may only be a one-word difference between President and branch President, but once you reach this level, you understand: it's the difference between emperor and subject.
And now he'd been caught red-handed!
"You're too kind, President. Outstanding Pokémon should be paired with outstanding Trainers. I mean, even though Sato already has a Tyranitar, no one minds having more pseudo-legendaries.
As for that Dragonite… didn't the Dragon Tamer clan gift it to the League? If Elite Four Lance is willing, maybe he could find a more suitable Trainer for it.
And that Metagross… perhaps Elite Four Kōmei might be interested-"
In this critical moment, the more anxious Riku became, the clearer his mind. He had no time to worry about what would happen to Aruta once he lost four pseudo-legendaries.
Sacrifice the pawn to save the king!
It was the only thing he could do now.
"Enough."
A cold voice cut through, and Riku immediately fell silent. He glanced nervously at the expressionless Goodshow, only to find that the President's gaze remained fixed on the battlefield, as if it held some enormous allure.
The VIP viewing room fell into a deathly silence.
Time passed…
Only when Sato's Weavile and Sharpedo were both defeated, Tyranitar and Hydreigon took the field, and he ultimately secured victory, did Goodshow's face finally ease into a smile, returning to his usual harmless demeanor.
"Once a Pokémon bonds with its Trainer, separating them again becomes undesirable. It's hard to build that same trust with someone new."
Charles Goodshow paused, then continued, "Johto has remained relatively stable these past two years, but the Underground Organizations still haven't been completely eradicated.
Before the next branch President takes office, I want to see a Johto that's clear of shadows and clean of corruption… Can you do that?"
"…I guarantee it!" Riku Kitamura gritted his teeth. At this point, whatever Goodshow said, he had no choice but to agree.
He had only himself to blame for trusting the wrong person, sending that illegitimate son straight into the jaws of the monster that was Sato.
It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd won; but to lose this miserably? He had practically handed others the perfect excuse to take him down!
The next moment, Goodshow's voice rang out again, and Riku Kitamura's eyes went wide with terror…
"I think Aruta 'Kitamura' has potential. Let's give him a chance to redeem himself. He can be the vanguard in the upcoming full-scale purge!"
"Understood..." Riku Kitamura replied bitterly.
This wasn't redemption. This was payback… a debt for those four pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
---◓---
In the audience stands, Joseph and Mark watched Salamence and Metagross collapse with lingering fear.
The intel had said Aruta only had three pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Who would've guessed he had a hidden Salamence too?
This was the final group round of the Elite Four Tournament. Aruta had hidden his strength way too deeply!
Fortunately, Sato and his team were long accustomed to training against Champion level Pokémon. Even Elite Four-level pseudo-legendaries didn't faze them one bit.
Just fight and get it done!
With this match concluded, Sato had now won two consecutive battles, making his advancement to the top eight almost guaranteed.
On the other hand, Aruta had lost twice in a row, making his chances of advancing practically zero.
Unless Sato were to lose to Charlotte, who was currently ranked twelfth…
Obviously, that wasn't likely.
On the first day of the Elite Four Tournament groups finals, Sato's defeat of Kōmei was unquestionably the most talked-about event.
Now, many believed Sato was destined to become one of the Elite Four, the only question was which rank.
Fourth was a given.
Third was promising!
Second, maybe~
But as for first… no one thought Sato had what it took to surpass Pryce and become the top Elite Four.
Still, just being seen as a possible second ranked Elite Four was enough to show how highly everyone regarded his strength.
Amid all the nationwide buzz, news of Kōmei's pending retirement was also spreading like wildfire. Many of the rumors were so detailed they sounded like Kōmei had written them himself…
More importantly, as the rumors circulated, the League never issued any official statement to refute them, almost as if they couldn't see or hear them at all.
Or perhaps… they had already tacitly confirmed it.
Numerous factions, organizations, Clans and Families quickly sensed the shift and began making early preparations.
Among them, one thing was certain: real estate prices in Sato's hometown of Shadownight Town -no, Shadownight City- were about to explode.
Whenever an Elite Four came from a particular place, the League would develop that area, even if it was a remote village in the mountains.
And Shadownight City was already doing well. Its future would only be brighter.
And the one who brought all this change… was now sitting obediently in the Pokémon Center, waiting for Nurse Joy to heal his four battle-worn partners.
---◓---
Sato's battle with Aruta had not been easy. After all, the opponent had fielded four pseudo-legendaries. The sheer stamina of those Pokémon had forced Sharpedo and the others into a tough fight.
Thankfully, Sato had clearly noticed that Metagross and Salamence didn't seem well-synced with Aruta. Their coordination always felt slightly off.
In regular battles, that might not have mattered. But in fast-paced, high-variation Double Battles, teamwork made a huge difference.
After reviewing both matches from the day, Sato couldn't help but return to the question of becoming an Elite Four.
There was one thing he only now truly understood.
Why had everyone been so eager to support his appointment?
Aside from the objective factor of Kōmei's impending retirement, and aside from his own solid strength that met the Elite Four standard…
The real reason everyone saw him as such a strong candidate…
Was Champion Fujin.