"Phew…"
Sato closed his notebook, rubbing his slightly sore temples. Turning his head, he noticed that his Umbreon had disappeared, off to who knows where.
"We're about to set off…" he murmured to himself, then made his way to the backyard.
"Umbre!"
As soon as he stepped into the yard, a dark shadow rushed toward him at high speed. Reflexively, he caught it with both arms, sighing helplessly.
"You're already this big, I can't carry you anymore."
Umbreon had its front paws firmly gripping Sato's shoulders, its small head burrowing into his neck, while its hind legs curled up as it clung tightly to him.
"Umm…"
Realizing once again that this position wasn't comfortable for either of them, and that Sato still couldn't properly carry it, Umbreon sulked, hopping down and turning its head away, ignoring him.
"This is the price of spoiling you…" Sato shook his head, feeling a bit helpless, though a faint trace of joy lingered in his heart, something he himself didn't even notice.
Taking advantage of the moment, all the Pokémon resting in the yard rushed over, eager to begin their training for the day.
"There's no training today."
"?"
All nine Pokémon simultaneously raised their heads. Even Umbreon, who was trying to ignore Sato, turned to look at him with confusion.
"The tournament is about to begin. We're getting ready to leave!"
The Pokémon grew even more excited.
A tournament meant battles, they liked that. Traveling? They liked that even more.
However, with nine Pokémon in total, three would inevitably have to stay behind. That thought made them hesitate slightly.
"Pup~"
Pupitar was the first to take two steps back. It knew itself well, its current form had altered its personality somewhat, making it enjoy staying at home.
"Listen to me first…"
Sato didn't want his partners to dwell on difficult choices.
After briefly explaining the Gym Leader qualification matches, Gengar and Ariados quickly realized that they would be staying behind.
Gengar hesitated for a moment before pointing at Sato's shadow. It actually didn't mind staying at home. Lately, it had become quite laid-back, happy with spending its days meditating.
Its concern was for Sato's safety.
With the natural abilities of Ghost-type Pokémon, they were the best at acting as hidden bodyguards, scouts, or even assassins.
And in these areas, Gengar's skills were exceptional. It had learned everything directly from Sato.
Without it, Sato's journey would certainly have more complications.
"Don't worry, trust in the others. Sometimes, challenges are also a part of the experience."
"Gengaa~"
Gengar nodded. Since its Trainer had no objections, it wouldn't object either... though it still felt a bit uneasy.
As for Ariados, its role within the team was also crucial for travel.
Control in battle was invaluable, and among Sato's six Dark-type Pokémon, not one of them excelled in this aspect.
However, Sato had decided that this time, he would only take these six.
After six months of study, he had come to understand that Gym Leader Qualification matches were far more complex than he had initially imagined.
Even the ranking system wasn't determined solely by the results of 1v1 battles. To adapt to the ever-changing tournament rules, building team synergy in advance was crucial.
With patient persuasion, Ariados finally agreed to stay behind with Gengar.
"Don't worry. I'll be back after the tournament. If I pass, we might have to stay in one place for quite a while."
"Shhhaa~"
Ariados brushed its legs against Sato, nodding seriously.
With the departure lineup settled, Sato and his Pokémon enjoyed a cheerful lunch before setting off with Zoroark and the others.
The Gym Leader Qualification Tournament matches, like the Young Elite Tournament, weren't hosted by any single regional league.
This ensured competition between regions, preventing insular growth, and also helped to keep individual regions from becoming too independent.
Unlike the Young Elite Tournament, the Gym Qualification matches were held exclusively at the Indigo Plateau in the Kanto region!
That was the headquarters of the Pokémon League, whereas the league offices in other regions were, strictly speaking, merely regional branches.
Sato's planned route was to take a direct flight from Goldenrod City to Saffron City in the Kanto region, then make his way to the Indigo Plateau within a month.
He spent the entire afternoon traveling to Goldenrod City, then, with practiced, boarded a flight to Saffron City in Kanto.
The new journey officially began early the next morning!
-----
Leaving Saffron City, Sato headed west, his ever-clingy Umbreon trotting at his side.
Since the Kanto region was separated from Johto only by the massive Mt. Silver, the Pokémon found in both regions overlapped significantly.
The wild Pokémon he encountered along the way didn't give him much of a sense of novelty or surprise.
Umbreon, on the other hand, was ecstatic after being cooped up for so long. Sniffing here, pawing there, acting as if it had never seen the world before.
With its solid Elite-level strength, most wild Pokémon it came across simply accepted their misfortune.
Unable to win, they had no choice but to flee!
This happened several times in a row, but Umbreon handled everything on its own. That's when Sato suddenly realized something.
Pokémon in his homeland seemed… overall… a bit on the weaker side?
The realization quickly led him to the root of the issue.
Kanto had far too many trainers!
The birthplace of Pokémon Trainers was Kanto, and from there, it had gradually spread to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and beyond.
Naturally, the number of trainers starting their journeys in Kanto far outnumbered those in other regions.
As a result, in the wilderness near cities, most of the stronger Pokémon had already been captured!
That explained why Umbreon, despite being a newly promoted Elite-level fighter, had been able to dominate for so long without hitting a real challenge.
"Rooaar!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from deep within the forest, snapping Sato out of his thoughts.
Feeling the ground shaking more violently by the second, Sato quickly realized. This wasn't just some random disturbance.
The Pokémon was charging toward him.
No... toward Umbreon!
A towering, two-meter-tall beast came barreling straight at them, smashing through any trees that dared block its path.
A Rhydon in full, unstoppable rampage!
However, when it finally laid eyes on its supposed opponent, an Umbreon that barely reached its chest. It hesitated and turned around, calling out inquiringly toward the trees behind it.
A rustling sound followed, and soon, a timid-looking Rhyhorn emerged from the underbrush, sporting a massive lump on its head.
"Rooaar?"
Rhydon pointed at Umbreon and asked Rhyhorn again—was this the one that had hit it?
Rhyhorn obediently nodded, stealing a quick, smug glance at Umbreon.
Just as it was basking in its moment of triumph, something unfamiliar yet oddly familiar caught its eye.
A fist.
The size of a sandbag.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!