As dusk approached, the sixteen matches finally came to an end.
For the sake of the final reward, Sato patiently watched all the battles, taking note of a few trainers who performed well before quickly leaving.
As usual, he trained at the same time and place. Both Zorua and Larvitar were steadily improving, while Haunter had gained battle experience and was now lurking nearby, fiddling with something ominously.
Ghost-types were indeed a bit different. Sato didn't rashly step in to interfere, he had a gut feeling that Haunter was attempting something remarkable... It was just an instinct.
The next day, Sato arrived at the plaza right on time. The announcer immediately shifted everyone's attention to the upcoming match upon seeing him.
"Next up, we have Sato from White Peak Town versus Gojo from Ecruteak City!"
White Peak Town was the new identity Sato had recently acquired.
As for where exactly White Peak Town was, he had no idea. Tossing out a Poké Ball, a flash of red light appeared, yet nothing seemed to materialize.
"SCYTHER! Hold onto our beliefs and cut down the enemy!"
Gojo was one of the more impressive trainers from yesterday's matches. His Pokémon, Scyther, trained alongside him in swordsmanship.
"Haunter, use Confuse Ray!"
"Tricks like that won't work! Scyther, close your eyes and sense your opponent!"
"Use Toxic!" Sato ignored his opponent's excessive chatter.
Before the Confuse Ray even reached Scyther, it had already dissipated, but as mere interference, it had done its job.
On the other side, Haunter's two ghostly claws clamped onto Scyther's right leg and left shoulder.
It sounded like tearing parchment. Toxic had been applied in the form of Haunter's claws sinking in. If it evolved into Gengar, what kind of terrifying attacks could it unleash?
"DESPICABLE! If you have the guts, fight head-on!" Gojo, embodying the spirit of a swordsman, seemed utterly disgusted by Sato's use of Toxic, his words filled with fury.
"Alright then. Haunter, fire Shadow Ball consecutively!"
"Scyther, use Slash!"
Up until now, Haunter had remained hidden behind Scyther. Now, it materialized, surrounded by nine dark purple energy spheres!
A Shadow Ball shot forward without warning. Scyther, reacting quickly, turned around and slashed it apart!
Three more Shadow Balls followed: some fast, some slow, some high, some low.
Scyther's eyes struggled to keep up. It barely managed to slash apart the first two, but the last one struck directly at its soft abdomen!
A flash of purple light flickered across Scyther's face. Toxic activated, instantly sapping a large portion of its stamina!
"Scyther, use Agility! Outpace it first!"
Gojo had clearly noticed that Haunter's speed was terrifying, even surpassing Scyther, which was already naturally fast.
"Haunter, use Shadow Punch!"
Shadow Punch: a punch that follows the opponent's shadow, making it an unavoidable attack!
In the middle of its high-speed movement, Scyther was suddenly hit. The impact disrupted its trajectory, causing it to crash to the ground, rolling several times and sustaining additional damage!
Then, another flash of poison glowed on its face. Its last bit of stamina drained away... Scyther collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent.
Gojo recalled his Scyther and locked eyes with Sato.
Sato scoffed. "Come challenge me anytime."
Without waiting for the official announcement, he turned and strode back to the waiting area.
As the tournament entered its later stages, matches took longer. The final eight battles stretched until dusk, with increasingly skilled contestants and an overly talkative host dragging out the event.
On the third day, Sato's quarterfinal opponent had clearly studied his previous battles. They sent out a Dodrio, a Pokémon completely immune to Ghost-type attacks and one of the fastest in the tournament.
For the first time, Haunter found itself at a serious disadvantage. The battle exposed one of its biggest weaknesses; without the ability to rely on Ghost-type moves or its usual speed advantage, it struggled.
But Sato noticed something: Dodrio's three heads didn't always cooperate.
Occasionally, minor disagreements caused brief missteps in its movement. Seizing that opening, Haunter landed Toxic, gradually draining its stamina.
In the end, another slow, suffocating victory.
This time, no one complained.
Now in the Top 4, Sato was the youngest remaining contestant. He was also the only trainer who had never switched Pokémon throughout the tournament.
By contrast, the rich kid, one of the tournament's most powerful contenders, had long since stopped relying solely on Feraligatr. Over the last few rounds, he had also used Houndoom and Xatu.
Sato could tell, both Houndoom's Dark-type potential and Xatu's Psychic-type potential had already reached Pseudo-Elite Four level.
That realization hit hard.
His strategy of focusing on a small, elite team was sound, but having too few Pokémon was a major disadvantage in formal battles.
Thus, instead of selling the Spinarak egg at the underground market as he had originally planned, Sato decided to keep it.
Ariados, Spinarak's final evolution, wasn't an exceptionally strong Pokémon. However, one with Pseudo-Elite Four potential was a rare case among Bug-types.
More importantly, Bug Pokémon matured quickly. Spinarak would provide a fast, reliable boost to his team. Something Sato urgently needed.
That evening, after securing his spot in the semifinals, Sato immediately put Haunter through a brutal night of training, pushing it toward mastering a new move.
The next morning, Haunter looked fresh and energetic, as if it hadn't stayed up training the entire night.
Sato, however, had dark circles under his eyes, making him look exhausted. Still, he "arrived just in time" for the tournament, as always.
Today was the semifinals.
Only four trainers remained, each possessing considerable strength.
As expected, both the rich kid and the seemingly weak female trainer had made it this far.
The matchups were drawn.
Sato's opponent was... the hidden powerhouse: the girl who played weak.
"First match of the semifinals: Hotta from Azalea Town vs Yuga Sato from White Peak Town!"
"Lil bro, don't go too hard on me, okay?" The girl spoke softly, feigning innocence.
The moment she did, the crowd erupted into cheers and howls.
...Sato, who had lived two lifetimes without dating, simply didn't understand the reaction.
He merely nodded politely and walked to his position.
"Come out, Bellossom!"
"Haunter, take the stage!"
"Haunter, disappear."
"Bellossom, Petal Blizzard!"
Bellossom spun gracefully, sending a storm of pink petals swirling across the battlefield. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful.
While others admired the dazzling scene, Sato noticed something off. His entire field of vision was filled with petals.
There was no trace of Bellossom anywhere.
"This is wrong... Haunter, Shadow Ball shield!"
In the midst of the pink storm, nine Shadow Balls clustered together in three interconnected groups, forming a compact but solid protective barrier.
Suddenly, a flash of green. Sato's eyes locked onto Bellossom, now directly behind Haunter!