The brilliant blue glow of evolution gradually engulfed Houndour, completely concealing its figure. However, Sato could still make out its body's drastic transformation through the light.
Its once-sturdy limbs were becoming longer and leaner, yet still full of power.
Two long, curved horns began growing from its head, while its short tail extended, ending in an arrow-shaped tip, resembling the tail of a demon from hell.
Houndour had already been significantly larger than its species' average. Now, after evolving, it had surpassed 1.7 meters in height, large enough to be used as a mount.
As the glow faded, the majestic Houndoom let out a resounding howl toward the sky, shattering the morning's tranquility.
Countless frightened bird Pokémon flapped their wings in a panicked escape, and in the surrounding grass, several dark silhouettes darted away in an instant.
Houndoom turned toward Sato, nudging him affectionately, its massive head pressing against his chest in a rather comical manner.
"Congratulations, Houndoom!"
Its fur was sleek and smooth, and Sato couldn't resist rubbing its head a few more times before finally recalling it into its Poké Ball.
The next moment, Sato's smile widened, Houndour's Fire-type aptitude had successfully reached the Pseudo-Elite Four level.
With the additional boost from the Flame Orb, Houndoom's potential was now on par with his perfectly evolved Gengar!
Since he needed to reach Mahogany Town before the Elite Four Battle Tournament, Sato had no choice but to leave immediately, even though Joy could have continued guiding his training.
After saying goodbye to the Joy nurse who had helped him for a week, Sato finally learned her name: Joy Rika.
As for why he only found out at the end, Sato had a feeling that Joy Rika was naturally reserved.
If not for specific instructions from higher-ups, even though Sato was recognized by the Joy family, she likely wouldn't have gone out of her way to interact with him.
A thought suddenly crossed Sato's mind, He recalled an article from a magazine he had read long ago.
It listed the top ten unsolved mysteries of the Pokémon world, one of them being the strikingly identical appearances of the Joy family.
Just how strong was their genetic makeup to ensure that every Joy looked nearly identical?
Even though Sato still didn't know the answer, he understood one thing, these Joys, who looked like carbon copies, were all individuals with their own personalities and emotions.
Most of them worked in the medical field, but their personalities varied greatly, adding a touch of realism and life to their otherwise mysterious existence.
Pushing forward without pause, Sato made full use of his team.
When the terrain was flat, he rode on Houndoom.
When he encountered steep mountains, he switched to Zoroark, whose agile body was more suited for climbing.
Finally, after an entire month of travel, Sato had traversed from the southwestern city of Olivine in Johto to the northeastern town of Mahogany.
The harsh conditions of the journey went without saying, and the frequency of battles far exceeded anything he had encountered before.
After all, for a whole month, he had been "stomping" through one Pokémon territory after another.
Sato's training philosophy was traditional yet highly effective, intense training combined with frequent high-level battles.
For Pokémon below the Elite level, this method allowed for rapid growth.
Now, out of his six Pokémon, four had already reached the Elite stage.
As for the remaining two, Larvitar still required time to accumulate strength, as it was a late bloomer by nature.
For that reason, Sato wasn't in a rush.
Carvanha, having spent a considerable amount of time refining its aerial maneuvering skills, was also relatively new to the team and had started at a lower level. Because of this, Sato wasn't in a rush for its progress either.
From an outsider's perspective, Carvanha's improvement was already remarkable, but within Sato's team, where progress was universally rapid, it only appeared slower by comparison.
The moment Sato fully grasped this reality was when he saw Wester's Pokémon team.
After nearly two months, the four Pokémon that had been Elite (Low Level) before were still Elite (Low Level) now.
The only exception, his Shuppet, which had advanced to Ordinary (Peak Level) at an astonishing pace.
"You've been focusing entirely on training Shuppet?"
"Yeah, I've been specifically raising it, so the other Elites haven't progressed much," Wester admitted, looking a bit embarrassed.
Sato let out a quiet sigh, He felt a bit sorry for Skarmory and the others.
With their Pseudo-Elite Four-level potential, they were merely placeholders in Wester's team.
And if the pattern continued, Shuppet might just be another stepping stone on his path to becoming an Elite Four level trainer.
Sato didn't judge him, it wasn't his place to do so.
The truth was, most trainers preached about never abandoning their Pokémon, but when it came down to actually replacing them, they did so without hesitation.
The more successful trainers at least ensured that their Pokémon were well-fed and had a safe home, even if they fell behind.
Meanwhile, failed trainers, more than half would release their Pokémon because they could no longer afford to keep them.
A smaller portion would outright sell them, exchanging their Pokémon for financial security in the future.
It was cruel, but it was reality.
If Sato hadn't been gifted with Dark Energy, at best, he would have ended up as one of those "successful" trainers, keeping some of his old Pokémon while still swapping them out to keep climbing higher.
But luckily, there was no "what if."
Among his current team, even the Pokémon with the "worst" talent had Pseudo-Elite Four potential and they all possessed unique abilities.
Becoming an Pseudo-Elite Four level trainer had taken Sato over 20 years in his past life, and even then, he never reached his goal.
Even with a second chance, it was impossible to achieve that in just a few years.
Turning his thoughts back to Wester's team, Sato still found it unfortunate, Skarmory and the others hadn't even fully unlocked their potential, yet they had already been sidelined.
"Wester, let's team up for the tournament. If we win, we'll get a chance to battle the Elite Four!"
Sato nodded in agreement.
The Elite Four Battle Tournament had no official rank restrictions, but to ensure entertaining matches, only Elite-level Pokémon were allowed.
Anything above that would be too destructive, and anything below would turn into a low-level slugfest, making the tournament boring.
Even so, there were hundreds of trainers competing.
The main draw of the event was Elite Four Yanagi (Pryce) and Sen, so the tournament rules required trainers to form pairs and compete as a team.
(Note: I'm still waiting for the event Sato mentioned. After that, the official canon name in English will be changed to 'Pryce.' In the meantime, the official Japanese name 'Yanagi' will be used. It literally becomes 'Pryce' by changing a few characters in both Japanese and Chinese. Just a heads-up in case it bothers anyone, thanks for your patience!)
"For most of the battles, I'll be using Houndoom and Ariados," Sato stated first.
"Wait, your Spinarak evolved, and it's already Elite-level?! That's insane!"
"For the first match, I'll use Houndoom. Which one are you going with?"
Sato ignored Wester's disbelief, there was no way to respond to that. Being humble or boastful just wasn't his style.
"Wait- you have a Houndoom too?! Let's compare them!"
Wester's train of thought completely derailed, causing Sato to silently remind himself...
'Don't get annoyed. Don't get annoyed...'
Then, without hesitation, he released Houndoom.
"Alright, let's compare!"
"...You think I should use Xatu? Dark and Psychic, a perfect combo!"
"Why not use your Houndoom too? That way, we can settle... who's bigger!"