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Sato's impression of Alice Sasaki had always been extremely poor. In his memory, she was a willful, domineering rich young lady who looked down on everyone, holding an almost contemptuous attitude toward commoners.
Back then, Sato had only just begun his journey as a Trainer. His strength was worlds apart from what it was now. To avoid the deliberate harassment of that spoiled young lady—and the powerful forces backing her—he had retreated again and again.
Yet thinking back on it now, Sato felt a trace of gratitude toward her.
If she hadn't deliberately tried to make things difficult for him over a mere ship ticket, he wouldn't have given up boarding the S.S. Anne and chosen the St. Louis instead. And if that hadn't happened, he would never have met Swampert back when it was still a Mudkip aboard the St. Louis.
"A blessing in disguise, I suppose."
Recalling those experiences, Sato couldn't help but sigh softly.
At present, although their respective statuses hadn't technically changed, Sato no longer feared Alice or the forces behind her. If she dared to provoke him again, he wouldn't mind teaching her a lesson.
However, judging from the situation now, the Sasaki family's young lady had clearly undergone significant changes during this period.
By all logic, someone with her temperament should have been unwilling to share a space with commoners—let alone perform on stage using her Pokémon for the audience's enjoyment.
Now, while she still carried the noble elegance befitting her aristocratic background, the arrogant, overbearing air Sato once remembered was gone. In its place was a calm, dignified grace.
"It seems she's gone through quite a lot. Her temperament has changed dramatically."
As Sato carefully observed Alice, he noticed that her gaze no longer held the disdain she once directed at ordinary people. Instead, she responded to the audience's cheers with gentle eyes and a sweet smile, leaving him genuinely surprised.
"Come out, Charizard. Use Dragon Pulse, then follow it up with Flare Blitz."
Stepping to the center of the stage, Alice tossed out a Luxury Ball adorned with capsule stickers and issued her command to the Charizard emerging from it.
In the next instant, amid a burst of flames, a perfectly built Charizard soared forth.
It unleashed a massive, dragon-shaped wave of energy into the air above the stage. Then, pushing off with its legs and beating its wings powerfully, it charged straight toward the energy wave.
Pure blue flames erupted across its body, transforming it into a blazing sphere of azure fire as it hurtled forward.
The moment Charizard made contact with the dragon-shaped wave, the energy ignited instantly. In a flash, a colossal blue flame dragon with outstretched wings appeared before everyone's eyes, radiating an overwhelming draconic pressure.
"ROAR—!!!"
The flaming dragon let out a thunderous roar, circled the stage and audience once through the air, then exploded spectacularly. A brilliant firework of flames bloomed in the sky, while Charizard descended gracefully, surrounded by fading blue embers, landing back on the stage.
"Wow! That was incredible—Charizard is so cool!"
"This is insane! What incredible control over fire-type energy!"
"Dragon Pulse combined with Flare Blitz—Charizard turning into a blue flame dragon! That's unbelievably awesome!"
As the performance ended, the previously hushed audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. Everyone had been completely stunned by Charizard's transformation into a flaming dragon.
Seeing the audience's enthusiastic response, Alice smiled with satisfaction. Together with Charizard, she gracefully bowed, formally concluding the performance.
At the same time, in a corner of the audience, an elderly gentleman dressed impeccably dabbed his eyes repeatedly with a handkerchief. As he looked at Alice, his gaze was filled with deep relief and pride.
"Absolutely spectacular! To think that at the very end, Alice and her Charizard would present us with such a breathtaking performance. Now, let's invite our three judges to score!"
Host Vivian's face flushed red with excitement once more. She gestured toward Alice and Charizard, keeping the camera focused on them, before turning to the three judges.
Very quickly, Nurse Joy and the other two judges entered their scores and shared their impressions.
Soon after, the second perfect score of the first round was announced. With an overwhelming advantage, Alice advanced into the second round of the competition.
"She's impressive. It seems she never truly abandoned the path of a Trainer. That Charizard is already level 58, and it's learned even more TM moves. And its aptitude… truly top-tier. Its total IVs are actually as high as 184."
Watching Alice's retreating figure as she left the stage, a trace of seriousness appeared in Sato's eyes. Through the system's scan, he had just learned the details of her Charizard, and her rapid growth left him genuinely astonished.
After all, Alice was a pampered young lady of the Sasaki family. By all rights, she should have grown up sheltered in a greenhouse—her progress shouldn't have been this fast.
Yet now, it was clear she was no longer a delicate flower. Anyone who underestimated her would surely pay a heavy price.
What Sato didn't know was that it was precisely his earlier rejection that had driven Alice to travel alone across the Hoenn region. During that long journey, the Sasaki family's young lady finally came to understand the hardships of ordinary life.
Several near-death experiences—where she would have died if not for the kindness of strangers—made her realize just how ignorant and willful she had once been. Through encounters with different Trainers and people, she gradually shed her immaturity and corrected many of her flaws.
Repeated defeats taught her humility. Witnessing the fragility of life taught her compassion. Meeting the one she loved taught her tolerance. Through countless experiences on her journey, the Sasaki family's young lady was completely reborn—like a phoenix rising from the flames.
The Alice of today was utterly transformed. If Sato hadn't once witnessed her spoiled arrogance firsthand and formed such a deep impression of her, he might not have recognized her as the same person at all.