Seeing Asher's sincere and admiring gaze -and remembering that subtle flattery from earlier- Sato felt he should offer something in return.
"As a student at Celadon University, I'm sure you've studied Drapion's type characteristics.But since you're a Grass-type specialist, you could only choose Breloom as your best option.
…At least its Fighting-type moves can deal normal damage to Drapion."
As Sato said this, Asher immediately showed an expression of 'Exactly!'
At the same time, he was clearly trying to show that it wasn't that he didn't understand type matchups, it was just that he had to work with what he had.
Sure enough, the students who hadn't understood why Asher would send out a Grass-type against Drapion suddenly saw the logic and nodded in realization.
"Most Grass-type Pokémon aren't strong attackers, but Breloom is an exception. Starting with Mach Punch is a standard move.
But from my perspective, you felt deep down that you couldn't win. So even though Breloom had momentarily pressured Drapion with Mach Punch, the moment Drapion fought back, you immediately ordered a retreat.
That lack of determination to win completely erased the aggressive nature that makes Fighting-types shine in battle."
Asher froze. After reflecting on the reasons for his loss earlier, he'd seen Sato nod and had felt a bit proud, thinking his analysis matched that of his idol… ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁
But now he realized, that nod had just been one of Sato's habitual gestures, not a sign of agreement.
Thinking deeper, Asher understood that Sato was right. From start to finish, he had never really cared about winning the match. Just being able to battle Sato was already enough of a thrill for him.
"Asher!" Sato suddenly called out.
"YES!" Asher snapped back to attention and answered instinctively.
Sato gave Asher a nod, then looked around at all the students before continuing.
"Please remember this, even when you're excited to battle someone, never overlook the outcome. Because no matter what your reason for battling is, it's your Pokémon who are out there bleeding and fighting for you.
If not for their desire to win on your behalf, why would they push themselves so hard?
Battling to lose… that's not fair to your Pokémon!"
Sato's words echoed through the arena, clearly reaching the ears of every single person present.
Many students fell silent in contemplation. A few still looked indifferent, but no one dared openly object at that moment.
Sato turned and saw Asher deep in thought. He could only hope the boy had truly taken it to heart.
"Ms. Erika, please draw the next student!"
The big screen brought up the drawing interface again, and the next student was quickly selected.
["Trainer Academy, Fire-type major, Class 1 of Year 4, Miyamoto Fū, please come to the stage!"]
Another round of applause erupted, even louder than before.
'A star student?' Sato guessed instinctively.
Soon, a tall girl with long, wavy red hair stepped up to the command platform.
"Teacher Sato, I really liked what you just said. That's why I'll be giving it my all!"
"Mm. Then your opponent will be this one," Sato replied with a smile. He didn't say much more, and once again sent out his Pokémon first.
Two cries, one low and one high-pitched, echoed across the arena. The Pokémon stepping forward was none other than Zweilous, who had been stuck at Peak Elite level for a very long time.
Upon seeing Zweilous appear, Drapion cheerfully greeted it before obediently jogging off to the sidelines to spectate.
Since the guidance matches obviously wouldn't end after just one or two battles, Sato was rotating his team to give everyone a chance to fight. The goal was to get in as many battles as possible so none of them came for nothing.
Miyamoto Fū looked momentarily stunned by Sato switching Pokémon, but quickly recovered and swapped out the Camerupt she had initially intended to use.
"Student Miyamoto Fū, please send out your Pokémon!" the referee reminded seriously.
"Infernape, it's your time!"
With a flash of red light, a tall Infernape -nearly fifteen centimeters taller than normal- landed on the battlefield. Its powerful physique was clearly the result of outstanding training.
As expected of a star student, Miyamoto Fū's Infernape had also reached peak Elite-level!
Sato was now certain this girl was probably quite popular at school. No wonder she received such loud applause.
"Infernape, use Mach Punch!"
"Dragon Breath, Scary Face."
This Infernape was far stronger than Breloom, and naturally, Zweilous was also much more powerful than Drapion.
Infernape dashed forward at lightning speed, its massive fist aimed straight at Zweilous.
But in the next instant, a terrifying Scary Face suddenly enlarged before Infernape's eyes.
Lefty's Scary Face took effect instantly. Infernape froze up in shock, and its Mach Punch never made it out. Meanwhile, Righty had finished charging Dragon Breath, and with a roar, unleashed the blast directly at Infernape, sending it flying.
Lefty and Righty's coordination was perfect, forcibly interrupting the Mach Punch and completely shutting down Infernape's offensive rhythm.
"Thunder Wave, Dragon Breath."
A single Dragon Breath wasn't going to finish off Infernape, and Sato wasted no time following up with a pursuit order.
"Infernape, use Taunt and dodge!" Missing its strike didn't faze Miyamoto Fū at all; in fact, she immediately launched an impressive counter.
Infernape suddenly started shouting nonsense at Zweilous, wearing an utterly infuriating expression.
Lefty became so enraged that it canceled the Thunder Wave, and Righty's solo Dragon Breath was deftly avoided by the nimble Infernape.
"Infernape, Fire Spin!"
"Zweilous, Dragon Pulse, detonate."
Both sides moved again. Infernape spat out a swirling vortex of high-temperature fire, launching it straight at Zweilous.
Meanwhile, Lefty and Righty each charged a Dragon Pulse, releasing them together at a subtle angle.
As the Fire Spin was about to engulf the dual Dragon Pulses and spread toward Zweilous…
A thunderous explosion rocked the stadium, the two Dragon Pulses had collided mid-air and detonated, shredding through the outer layers of the Fire Spin with sheer force.
"Block it with Hyper Voice."
Zweilous roared with full force, its deafening voice shaking the entire field and instantly dispersing the smoke around it.
Infernape, hidden in the haze and preparing to sneak attack, was now covering its ears and completely unable to move in.
"Lefty, Earth Power."