Sunshine, beach, coconut trees.
Sato lay on a beach chair, still a bit dazed even now.He had clearly been battling just yesterday.
How was he already lying here doing nothing?
To the left, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice floated over under Gardevoir's control, hovering right beside Sato's hand.
To the right, Cynthia lay on another beach chair. Her nose twitched slightly as she slept soundly…
After a while, her breathing subtly shifted as she gradually began to wake up.
Sato turned on his side and quietly watched her, until Cynthia opened her drowsy eyes and met his.
"Awake?"
"..."
Cynthia's cheeks flushed slightly. She adjusted her position and sat up, casually taking the orange juice Lucario handed her and sipping from it.
"…You didn't sleep?"
Cynthia turned to ask softly.
"Mm. Still haven't come down from it all."
As Sato spoke, he sat up too, took the orange juice from Cynthia's hand, and drank a sip.
Cynthia blinked, too lazy to scold Sato for his shameless move, and stood up instead.
"Want to take a walk?"
"Sure!"
The two of them got up and left, but Gardevoir didn't follow. Instead, she began chatting with Cynthia's Lucario.
Seeing Lucario's awkward expression only made Gardevoir laugh more…[1]
The sea breeze was slightly salty, and the sunlight wasn't too harsh. The waves lapped at their feet, washing away the heat from their bodies.
Sato and Cynthia walked side by side, enjoying the leisure of their "vacation".
The place they'd come to wasn't some famous tourist destination, just a semi-developed beach in a small coastal village.
There weren't many people, mostly local villagers, and even fewer recognized the two of them.
But few didn't mean none…
And Sato, who had just become "the top Elite Four", now had a pretty high public profile.
That morning, some kids from the fishing village had snuck over to peek at them. By the afternoon, there were over a dozen kids hanging out by the shore, but none dared to disturb them.
"Shellder, use Water Gun!"
"Azumarill, rush in with Pound!"
Suddenly, the two heard faint sounds of a battle ahead.
Rounding the rocks blocking their view, they spotted two deeply tanned boys on the beach, commanding their Pokémon as they bickered back and forth.
Apparently spotting Sato and Cynthia approaching, the two boys began shouting their commands with even more enthusiasm.
But neither Shellder nor Azumarill were very strong. If anything, their defenses were decent. The match dragged on without a conclusion.
Seeing Sato and Cynthia about to leave, the two boys panicked and began shooting looks at each other.
"A-A-Ah… my Shellder can't go on. I forfeit!"
"YAY! I WIN!"
The other boy jumped up in excitement, then turned and stole a glance at Sato and Cynthia.
"Y-You… HELLO! Are you Elite Four Sato?"
When he noticed Sato watching them, the boy finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Yeah. Need something?"
After being an Elite Four member for a while, Sato had learned how to come across as approachable in public.
…Even as a Dark-type Elite Four.
"I… I-I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU!"
Sato raised an eyebrow as he looked at this brave little boy. In this peaceful moment, he actually found it kind of fun.
"Why do you want to challenge me?"
The boy's eyes lit up with unfiltered admiration.
"Because you're strong… you're my ultimate goal! I want to become a powerful Trainer like you!"
The boy's words were a little jumbled, but that didn't stop Sato from hearing the sincerity and purity behind them.
"What's your name?"
"My name's Javier!"
"Alright, Javier. I accept your challenge. 1v1 okay?"
"Y-Yes, yes, of course…! YAY! I GET TO BATTLE AN ELITE FOUR!"
Javier jumped up and down in excitement, happily trotting to the other side and tossing out another Poké Ball.
"Corsola, our opponent is really strong! We have to give it our best!"
"Cor~la Sola!"
The pink Corsola let out a clear cry, full of fighting spirit.
Sato glanced at the Corsola, clearly stronger than Azumarill, and realized the boy probably had this planned all along…
But for a practice match like this, it didn't matter who stepped in.
"Umbreon, I'll leave this to you."
Sato sent out his "gentlest" and most well-behaved Pokémon. He didn't want to scare the kid.
"Umbre~"
Umbreon appeared in perfect battle stance, but seeing the opponent was a Corsola not even at Elite level, it couldn't help turning to glance at Sato.
{Just treat this as claw sharpening during downtime,} Sato whispered via synchronized resonance.
Umbreon looked at Sato for a moment, then slowly turned back to the battle.
Claw sharpening?
Wouldn't one hit make it cry?
"I'LL DO IT! I'LL BE THE REFEREE!"
Javier's friend ran excitedly to the center of the field, clumsily announced the match rules, then shouted in a cracking voice:
"Ba-Battle… BEGIN!"
"Corsola, use Pin Missile!"
"COOORRRR~!"
Corsola let out a spirited cry, then shook its whole body, launching a barrage of Pin Missiles from its back.
"Dodge it."
"Umbr~"
Umbreon stared up at the incoming Pin Missiles and didn't move until the last second, then kicked off and jumped away.
"WHOAAAA…! So fast!"
Javier had been watching Umbreon dodge, but all he could focus on was its incredible speed.
"Counterattack… use Tackle."
"Umbr~"
Umbreon was already perched on a rock. With one more kick, it blinked to Corsola's front in a flash.
Recalling Sato's instructions before the match, Umbreon cut its power down by 98 percent and delivered a gentle tap!
Thump…
Splash~
Corsola was knocked into the air and splashed into the water, unable to resist at all.
Umbreon scratched its head, thinking, 'That didn't even count as a tickle… how did it go flying?
That wasn't my fault… right?'
Umbreon didn't think too hard about it. It obediently returned to Sato's side and rubbed against his pants leg.
"Umbreee~"
Sato shook his head helplessly.
A short while later, Corsola emerged from the sea with a big bump on its head, looking pitiful. It hid shyly behind Javier and refused to keep battling.
"…Elite Four Sato, you're way too strong. S-Sorry for wasting your time."
Javier lowered his head in embarrassment, finally realizing how naive he'd been.
"…Getting strong doesn't happen overnight. Even I've been beaten down before. You just have to grow, bit by bit."
Sato casually offered some motivational line he'd memorized before, and blurted it out without much thought.
But for Javier, it was no doubt a sign of Sato's encouragement and expectations!
What does it feel like to be encouraged by your idol?
What does it feel like to be seen by your idol?
Absolutely…
'AMAZING!'
Javier nodded vigorously and shouted, "I GOT IT! ELITE FOUR SATO, I'll keep training and become a strong Trainer like you!"
Sato grinned wide. "Mm. Gambare, Javier-kun!"
[1] LUCARIOOOOOOOOOOO!( # -_-)