The Elite Four Tournament continued, with each Trainer battling twice a day.
During the first week, everyone was still in good condition. But as the tournament stretched into its second and third weeks, most of the younger Trainers began to show signs of fatigue.
That included the heavily watched Will and Arata.
Most of Will's other Elite Four level Pokémon had only recently advanced. Under normal conditions, they couldn't beat veteran Elite Four level Pokémon. In the end, it always came down to Slowbro pulling a miracle.
But no matter how strong Slowbro was, carrying a team of weaklings eventually became too much.
So, aside from an initial high-profile three-win streak, Will's win rate hovered around fifty percent. His matches became notably difficult.
Arata, one of Agatha's most outstanding protégés, faced a similar situation.
He'd only just barely met the qualifications to enter the tournament.
After impressing everyone early on, Arata's tactics and strategy were quickly figured out. His win rate plummeted, nearly hitting rock bottom, and his mental state nearly collapsed from the stress.
In the end, among the younger generation, the only ones still standing strong -besides Sato, who had already revealed nine Elite Four Pokémon- were two rising underdogs.
Sasaki Ippei, the new generation genius of the Sasaki Family!
And Satoru Rei, son of the CEO of Nintendo Corporation.
Before the Elite Four Tournament, Ippei had never participated in any publicly organized League event, leaving his profile a complete blank for the other contestants.
Even in Sato's past life, he had never heard of the Sasaki Family producing such an exceptional young Trainer.
Sasaki Ippei had ended all of his battles so far within twenty minutes. While he did face some close calls, he still maintained a perfect win record.
Satoru Rei, always smiling like sunshine that never fades, was nothing like his shrewd businessman father.
He'd also rarely participated in outside competitions before. So even though the Elite Four Tournament wasn't open to spectators, Satoru Rei still managed to attract a massive following of anes- and kaasans-type fans.
His battle style was exactly like him: simple, direct, burning with passion… but overwhelming all the same.
Gradually, Sato, Sasaki Ippei, and Satoru Rei were dubbed the "Strongest Trio of the New Generation." While the title didn't affect Sato much, it left Will feeling gloomy for quite a while…
'It was bad enough being unable to catch up to Lance, and getting surpassed by the monstrous Sato was just tolerable. But now, two more "geniuses" had popped up?
What, did the word "genius" cost nothing anymore? Anyone could claim it now?
Sasaki Ippei and Satoru Rei… fine, fine, they actually were geniuses!'
Always chasing, always being overtaken… even with his normally calm mindset, Will couldn't help cursing under his breath.
Still, the tournament wouldn't pause just because someone felt frustrated.
And today, Sato and Rei were sent to Cianwood City to battle two Trainers stationed in the Whirl Islands.
Yes. More than half a month into the tournament, Sato finally drew an assignment for an away match.
What caught him off guard was that he'd be traveling with Satoru Rei.
Thankfully, Elite Four level Trainers were already considered top-tier forces in the Pokémon world. The organizers didn't dare have Sato and the others book their own tickets and fly coach.
After all the travel arrangements were settled, the organizers even assigned a personal assistant to both Sato and Rei, available on call.
The service left no room for complaints.
Soon, Sato and Rei met up at Silver Airport, guided by their respective assistants, and prepared to depart together.
Sato had only planned to offer a polite greeting, but to his surprise, Satoru Rei rushed right up to him.
"KYAA! Idol! I adore you! (/ω＼)"
"...?"
Sato took a large step back, maintaining a safe distance appropriate for strangers, before slowly responding.
"Satoru Rei, hello. I'm Sato. As for 'idol'… maybe there's been some misunderstanding?"
Sato recalled Rei's profile; he was apparently three years older than himself. How could he possibly look up to him as an idol?
"Ah~ My idol just spoke human words to me!" Satoru Rei suddenly sank into deep personal fantasy, savoring the moment before starry-eyed, he looked back at Sato.
"How could I be mistaken? I grew up watching tapes of your battles! Ahem…
It was you who gave me the confidence to become a real Trainer…
It was you who made me believe that power doesn't just come from Pay-to-Win…
IT WAS YOU-!"
"Okay… stop right there!"
Sato cut off the speech-like gratitude and rubbed his now-throbbing forehead.
'What, was I battling before I was even a fetus or something…? How else did this guy grow up watching my battles footage?'
"Idol, if you have any orders, I can do anything for you~"
Soon, Satoru Rei added another line sneakily, then looked at Sato with eyes full of expectation.
The subtext was clear: "Let me be your lackey… uh, your little brother, I mean."
Sato tugged at the corner of his mouth, thinking this trip probably wouldn't be quiet after all, then silently boarded the plane. Behind him, Rei happily followed along.
Five minutes later…
"Mom… I did it! I met my idol… THE GREAT SATO HIMSELF!"
Sato: ?
---
"Dad, your son made it! Sato is so cool~ Even when he's silent, he's got this powerful vibe, whoaa!"
Sato: …??
---
"Hey sis, mission accomplished! Yep, Sato-oppa is absolutely stunning~ I'll sneak a close-up photo for you later…"
Sato: !!!???
'WAIT! What do you mean by "sneak a photo"? And more importantly… How the hell did I hear you saying you were going to sneak it!?
YOU'RE STILL TAKING PICTURES!'
Sato looked at the taxiing plane, wondering if there was any chance he could switch travel partners last minute.
---◓---
Finally, the plane took off. Rei couldn't make calls anymore, and Sato closed his eyes, thinking he could finally enjoy a moment of peace.
The. Very. Next. Second.
"What are you doing?"
Sato opened his cold, merciless eyes and stared intently at the approaching Satoru Rei, questioning him…
"I-I… I just wanted to sit a little closer. So we could chat when you wake up…"
"Oh… Then go wait over there." Sato pointed at Rei's original seat, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Okay! I'll wait!"
Rei didn't seem annoyed at all. Instead, he bounced back to his seat, looking like he'd just received a huge promise.
Sato watched him for two more seconds, making sure he wouldn't come back to bother him, then finally closed his eyes again…
And just like that, he kept them shut until the plane landed.
"Hey sis, I did it~! But my idol seemed really tired… Do you know any good ways to relieve fatigue…?"
Sato: ?????