Spinarak's evolution came later than Sato had expected.
After all, Bug-type Pokémon generally grow faster than other species in their early stages.
Meanwhile, Larvitar, which was much older, showed no signs of evolution at all. Though its level had already reached the evolution threshold, its body hadn't accumulated enough energy yet.
Other than completing its daily training regimen, the most important thing for it right now, was eating!
Eating a lot, eating well, and eating until its body could no longer absorb any more nutrients, only then would its biological limits be broken, allowing it to naturally evolve into Pupitar!
Why were Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita chosen as Johto's starter Pokémon? Their friendly temperaments were the least important reason.
The real reason was their exceptional species potential.
They could evolve twice naturally through leveling and they achieved their final evolution before level 40.
That was what mattered most!
The same logic applied to starter Pokémon in other regions, many Pokémon had species potential equal to or even greater than starters, but they lacked the same evolutionary advantage.
Take Magikarp, for example, its early-stage growth was painfully slow, and its evolution chances were extremely low.
Or Growlithe, despite having better stats than starters, its rarity and the scarcity of Fire Stones made it impractical as a widely distributed Pokémon.
At present, no one knew that Electabuzz and Magmar had second-stage evolutions.
Even if they did, Electirizers and Magmarizers were even rarer and more expensive than evolution stones, meaning most trainers couldn't afford them!
As for pseudo-legendaries, raising them was even harder.
Dratini and Dragonair had to go through countless moltings to gradually grow stronger.
During these molting periods, they were at their most vulnerable, this was the natural limitation of their bodies.
And when it was time to evolve into a true pseudo-legendary, the transformation from Dragonair to Dragonite required an enormous physical metamorphosis, involving unimaginable challenges and pain.
For Larvitar, its struggle began at birth.
From the moment it hatched, it had to constantly eat and eat, consuming an entire mountain before accumulating enough energy to evolve.
And then-? Once it became Pupitar, it would be entombed in a heavy metal shell, unable to move its limbs.
It would need to hibernate, digest energy, and refine its power, until the day it shattered its cocoon and became a king!
Other pseudo-legendaries faced similar obstacles, Beldum could only learn one move before evolving, while Salamence had to undergo its own metamorphosis to take flight.
Meanwhile, Hydreigon hatchlings were born with two separate minds, but they had to fight for dominance, the winner became a pseudo-legendary, while the loser died and vanished without a trace.
For a rookie trainer, starting with a pseudo-legendary hatchling wasn't a blessing, It was a curse, turning their early journey into nightmare mode.
Sato had been lucky to get Zorua as his first Pokémon. Then he had quickly acquired Gastly.
With the experience of two lifetimes, he minimized the impact of Zorua's late evolution at level 30.
And now, Ariados, having just evolved, had broken into the Elite-Low Level stage, surpassing Houndour and Larvitar in combat power.
However, Houndour's evolution wasn't far off either.
For now, Sato still held some hope for the Potential Enhancement Serum. If it could enhance Houndour's Fire-type potential, it would be perfect.
Returning to the battlefield, Sato collected the assassin's Pokémon into their Poké Balls, and locked them in restriction mode.
Arbok, Hitmonchan, Banette, and Pidgeot, one Peak Elite, one Mid Elite, and two Low Elite.
This lineup was extremely powerful.
As expected, Sato found an identity badge on the assassin's body...
Blue Rank-badge assassins were the backbone of Ghost Ship. Every time one was lost, it dealt a serious blow to their regional branch.
Just like when Kalo, another Blue Badge assassin, had once dominated the entire trial.
Sato piled the damaged tent and the assassin's body together, then ordered Larvitar to dig up the earth.
Before long, the corpse was buried, leaving no trace behind.
Recalling all of his Pokémon except Ariados, Sato left the battlefield in ruins, with Ariados still buzzing with excitement from its evolution.
Sato found a Pokémon Center stationed nearby. There, he handed over three of the captured Pokémon to Joy Lilia for processing.
Afterward, he contacted Wester, transferring the remaining Pidgeot to him.
While he was at it, he purchased a large supply of exclusive food for Gengar.
"It's been a while since we talked, Sato. How's the journey treating you?"
Wester seemed genuinely pleased that Sato had reached out first, smiling warmly as he asked.
Sato recalled the generous rewards he had gained from the night ambush, and unconsciously nodded in satisfaction.
But then, realizing his own arrogance, he let out a sheepish laugh, He was getting too full of himself.
"What's so funny? Tell me!"
"Nothing. My Spinarak evolved last night."
Getting too cocky wasn't something he should say out loud, It would just make him look like an idiot.
Wester said with a hint of envy.
"By the way, where are you heading next?"
"I'm heading northeast. I'll stop by Mahogany Town and Blackthorn City, and after that, I'll check out Mt. Silver."
There was no need to hide this, if Ghost Ship wanted to track him, they had a hundred different ways to do it.
"That's perfect! I'm heading to Mahogany Town too. Do you know that in a little over a month, the Flying-type Elite Four, Sen, and the Ice-type Elite Four, Yanagi, will be hosting an Elite Four Battle Tournament in their hometown? Let's meet up there! Hold on, I'll send you the tournament details."
Wester eagerly sent the tournament information over to Sato, but he didn't notice that Sato's mind was already elsewhere.
Sen - Yanagi (Pryce). Elite Four Battle Tournament.
If there was one event from his past life that Sato could never forget, it was this very tournament hosted by the two Elite Four members!
During this era, Mahogany Town became famous across the entire Pokémon League, because at the time, two of Johto's current Elite Four were from Mahogany Town.
Harsh as ice, the Ice-type Elite Four, Yanagi!
(TL: Yanagi= Pryce, There is a reason for it, just be patient, anyway "Yanagi" is cannon too)
Gentle as the spring breeze, the Flying-type Elite Four, Sen!
They had started their journey at the same time, pushing each other as rivals and friends, both challenging and defeating the previous Johto Elite Four, and both succeeding.
For a time, their popularity skyrocketed, they became the idols of countless young trainers and the dreams of many lovestruck girls.
However their fate ended in tragedy.
On the night of the tournament's award ceremony, Sen was assassinated.
Yanagi, furious and blaming himself for failing to protect Sen, ignored the League's rules and personally executed the captured assassin.
His actions were deemed a violation of League law, as a result, Yanagi was stripped of his title as an Elite Four and became the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town.
In the end, the once cold and proud Yanagi was gone, and all that remained was the elderly man known as Pryce.
And for Sato, this was unforgettable, not just because of their tragic fate, but because the assassination of Elite Four Sen.
Had been carried out by Ghost Ship.