One punch.
Just one punch.
Blaziken was knocked out.
For a moment, both Mr. Moore and Flannery felt as though they were dreaming.
An eerie silence fell over the battlefield. The only sound was the patter of rain. However, now that the battle had ended, Swampert dispersed the rain clouds, and before long the sky cleared once more.
"Blaziken is unable to battle. Swampert wins. Since Grandfather has already lost three Pokémon, the winner of this three-on-three Gym Challenge is the challenger, Tyler."
Feeling the warmth of the sun once again, Flannery finally realized she wasn't dreaming and immediately announced both the result of the match and its victor.
"I finally won. It really wasn't easy. If I hadn't had Swampert, I'd probably have lost this Gym battle."
Hearing Flannery's announcement, Sato maintained a calm expression on the surface, but inwardly he let out a huge sigh of relief and felt mentally and physically exhausted.
"You've really got some tricks up your sleeve, kid. To think you were hiding such a powerful Pokémon. It's yours now."
Mr. Moore recalled Blaziken into its PokeBall, then walked over with a sour expression.
After tossing out those words and handing Sato a badge, he turned around and left.
Truthfully, he had never intended to let Sato pass the challenge so easily.
His original goal had been to suppress the youngster a little and temper his arrogance.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to end up being the one embarrassed.
In a three-on-three battle, he hadn't managed to defeat even a single one of Sato's Pokémon.
It was a complete defeat.
Worst of all, the Blaziken he had placed such high hopes on had been knocked out with a single punch by Swampert—and in front of his beloved granddaughter, no less.
He had completely lost face.
"Another exceptionally gifted Pokémon... That Swampert must have been born with tremendous strength. With the level difference being so small, Blaziken's decision to confront it head-on meant its defeat wasn't undeserved."
Looking at the deep crater in the wall, Mr. Moore couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
He had seen many unusually talented Pokémon throughout his life, so Swampert's performance wasn't enough to truly shock him.
In his younger days, he had encountered Happiny born with monstrous strength, Machop naturally capable of telekinesis, Geodude that weren't afraid of water, and many other extraordinary Pokémon.
The Pokémon world was vast.
Strange and unique Pokémon appearing from time to time wasn't unusual at all.
"Still, this kid's luck is incredible. Besides Swampert, both Kadabra and Pikachu have exceptional potential. Their future achievements certainly won't be low. And the kid himself is a Psychic."
"At next year's Hoenn League Conference, he'll probably become famous in a single battle."
"Sigh... I'm getting old. This is the era of young people now."
Mr. Moore quickly recovered from the embarrassment of defeat.
As he thought about the Pokémon under Sato's command, admiration and a touch of melancholy appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, after obtaining the Heat Badge, Sato was saying goodbye to Flannery outside Lavaridge Gym.
"Tyler, my grandfather is a little sensitive about his pride. Please don't take what happened earlier to heart."
Flannery was still apologizing on behalf of her grandfather's behavior.
Sato shook his head.
"Not at all. Mr. Moore is incredibly strong. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to capture Swampert some time ago, gained some opportunities in Mirage Tower, and received guidance from Mr. Brandon and Miss Cynthia, the loser today probably would have been me."
At the same time, Sato also felt that revealing Swampert and having it casually defeat Blaziken so overwhelmingly had been somewhat inappropriate.
As a result, he enthusiastically attributed his victory to the fortunate opportunities he had encountered recently.
And in truth, everything he said was factual.
He really had obtained a powerful "Swampert" in Mauville City, discovered Mirage Tower in the desert, and received instruction from Brandon and Cynthia while accompanying the ruins expedition.
These were all verifiable facts.
Even if someone investigated, they would find nothing suspicious.
"Hearing you say that makes me so jealous. It's all Grandfather's fault for not letting me stay with the expedition team. Sigh..."
After hearing Sato's explanation, Flannery immediately accepted it.
She genuinely believed those experiences could have dramatically increased his strength and couldn't help feeling envious, regretting not staying with the ruins expedition herself.
"Perfect. Flannery can't keep a secret to save her life. Once I leave, these stories will probably spread through her social circle in no time."
Seeing the envy on Flannery's face, Sato was very satisfied with her reaction.
Before parting ways, Flannery forcibly stuffed a TM for Overheat into his hands, claiming it was an additional reward for completing the Gym Challenge.
Sato simply smiled.
He knew it was her way of expressing gratitude for helping her capture Numel.
Naturally, he accepted the valuable Fire-type TM without any hesitation.
After saying goodbye to Flannery, Sato returned to the Pokémon Center.
Once Pikachu and Kadabra had completed their treatment, he took all of his Pokémon to a nearby restaurant and treated them to a lavish feast in celebration.
That evening, he brought them to the famous Lavaridge Hot Springs to relax and relieve their stress.
Many Trainers from outside the town came to Lavaridge specifically because of these hot springs.
The springs were famous for their restorative properties.
Whether it was people exhausted from hard labor or Pokémon tired from intense training, a short soak could completely remove soreness and fatigue, ensuring they wouldn't wake up aching the next day.
For Pokémon training, this effect was nothing short of wonderful.
It was economical, healthy, and extremely popular among ordinary Trainers.
"Ahhh... this really is comfortable. If this place were suitable for Swampert's advancement to Elite-Four level and for Water-types like Blastoise to train, staying here for a while wouldn't be a bad idea at all."
Sato was currently lounging comfortably in a private hot spring pool the size of a small pond.
As he enjoyed the soothing water, he happily ate the local specialties—hot spring buns and hot spring eggs.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Pika pika chuuu~~"
Pikachu was soaking beside him with a towel draped over his head.
After hearing Sato's words, he stuffed another hot spring egg into his mouth, took a sip of tea, and cried out contentedly.
Nearby, Kecleon, Starmie, Blastoise, and the other Pokémon soaking in the hot spring all expressed their agreement that it felt wonderful.
Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere was being completely ruined by Kadabra and Swampert.
The two Pokémon were currently engaged in an utterly uncivilized eating contest in front of two mountain-like piles of steamed buns beside the hot spring.
Meanwhile, Vibrava—who disliked water—stood nearby serving tea and refilling drinks for the competitors with tireless enthusiasm.
"Should I take this opportunity to run away? These guys are being way too careless."
On the other side of the hot spring, the shiny Natu sat soaking alone in a corner.
Watching Sato and his Pokémon completely relax their guard, the thought of escaping immediately surfaced in its mind.
However, after glancing at the wooden tray floating on the surface of the water in front of it, the little Pokémon changed its mind.
There was no way it was going to let Sato have all of this food for free.
At the very least, it would finish eating everything in front of it before considering escape.