After ending his call with Haruka Joy, Sato was so excited that he couldn't sleep at all.
If Haruka ever found out how many of his Pokémon could Mega Evolve, she'd probably lose her mind.
But that was a concern for the future... who knew how long their experiments would take?
For now, since he couldn't sleep, Sato calmed himself through meditation, ensuring he got some proper rest before the practical combat evaluation the next day.
-----
The following morning, the group of five arrived at the competition venue. Aside from Joseph, who wasn't participating, the remaining four drew plenty of attention.
Anyone who knew even a little about them was aware: These weren't ordinary kids, they were prodigies!
If Sato had overheard the crowd's discussions, he would have been shocked. Since when had he become someone people envied?
Upon arriving, the contestants noticed a drastic change in the battle venue.
Not only had the interior of the arena been completely restructured, but even the outside space had been converted into multiple standardized battlefields!
There would be an enormous amount of battles today.
And the rules for today's matches? Completely unpredictable.
Random Matches!
Opponents are randomly assigned.
Battle format is also randomly selected: it could be a 1v1 single battle, 2v2 or 3v3 rotation battle, or even 2v2 double battles and 4v4 double rotation battles!
Each contestant must complete ten battles per day, for six days. Sixty battles in total!
Winning a match earns 1 point, a draw earns 0.5 points, and losing gives 0 points.
At the end of the six-day competition, the highest possible score was 60 points, while the lowest was 0.
If a Trainer's Pokémon suffered serious injuries and could no longer battle, they were allowed to forfeit.
However, substituting Pokémon that were not registered at the start of the tournament was strictly prohibited.
This was a gruelling test of stamina and strategy!
Knowing when to conserve energy, when to forfeit, and when to fight for even a single point would be crucial.
Additionally, with so many battles, contestants had to carefully manage their Pokémon's stamina, recovery time, and overall battle efficiency.
All of these elements were key factors!
As the Trainer profession continued to rise in popularity, more and more people challenged Gyms. Every qualified Gym Leader faced this exact kind of pressure.
The Practical Combat evaluation wasn't just about raw strength. It tested a Trainer's ability to endure and strategize over an extended period!
----
"The Practical Combat evaluation, Random Matches, first opponent selection... Begin!"
At the announcement of the assistant proctor, under the watchful eyes of Elite Four Agatha and the other contestants, the matchmaking screen began flashing rapidly.
Rows of matchups appeared one after another, determining the opponents, battle formats, and battle locations.
"There it is!"
As more matchups were confirmed, Sato finally spotted his name on the screen.
"Sato vs. Flint. 2v2 Double Battle, Field B-4."
He memorized the details and headed straight for his assigned battlefield.
"Wait… why does that name sound familiar?"
As he walked, he tried to recall where he had heard Flint's name before.
Field B-4 was located in the western section of the outdoor battle area. By the time Sato arrived, his opponent had just arrived as well.
When Sato saw the man with 'perpetually' squinting eyes, he immediately recognized him!
Flint. The future Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock's father!
A Rock-type specialist!
Like Clair and the others, Flint was a Gym Leader successor, but his natural talent was average. At nearly twenty years old, he still hadn't passed the qualification exams.
And yet, his first match in the tournament was against a Gym Leader successor... what an unbelievable stroke of bad luck![1]
"This will be a 2v2 Double Battle. The battle ends when both Pokémon on one side are unable to continue fighting, or when a Trainer forfeits!"
"Both Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
At the referee's command, both Sato and Flint threw out their Poké Balls simultaneously!
Sato, knowing he was facing a Rock-type specialist, sent out his Cacturne and Sharpedo.
Meanwhile, Flint revealed two colossal Pokémon!
A massive Onix and an enormous Rhydon!
Compared to regular Onix and Rhydon, the ones in front of him were almost twice as large!
Bigger size didn't always mean stronger, but it did grant a huge advantage in stamina.
Flint's eyes remained squinted, making it impossible to read his expression, but there was no way he was feeling good about this matchup!
Not only had he been paired against Sato, who had placed first in both evaluations, but his opponent had also sent out Pokémon that countered his team!
Was it just a coincidence, or had Sato already known who he was and what kind of Pokémon he used?... Either way, this battle was going to be a nightmare!
"Rhydon, Scary Face! Onix, Screech!"
Flint took the initiative, opting to weaken his opponents first!
"Sharpedo, Agility! Cacturne, Swords Dance!"
Sato immediately responded with his own stat-boosting moves.
However, Scary Face and Screech only landed on Cacturne, which was already slower.
Meanwhile, Sharpedo shot forward in an instant, appearing behind Rhydon and Onix before they could react!
"Sharpedo, Waterfall! Cacturne, Seed Bomb!"
"Rhydon, Thunder! Onix, Double-Edge!"
Sharpedo's Waterfall attack landed first, dealing massive damage to Rhydon.
The Thunder attack was launched, but Sharpedo dodged it effortlessly!
On the other side, Cacturne, who was already slow, had taken Scary Face's debuff, making it even slower.
As a result, Onix's Double-Edge struck first, sending Cacturne flying!
"Cac!"
Cacturne was blasted backward, but it gritted its teeth and still managed to launch Seed Bomb at Onix before hitting the ground!
Boom!
Onix's massive body was sent flying, crashing down completely motionless!
One-hit KO!
On the other side, Cacturne barely stood back up, just one hit away from being knocked out!
"I forfeit!"
Just as Sato was about to order Sharpedo to attack Rhydon, Flint surrendered immediately!
Onix was out of commission!
Rhydon was severely injured!
Cacturne was barely standing!
Sharpedo was completely unharmed!
An experienced Trainer like Flint instantly analyzed his odds and realized he had zero chance of winning!
Rather than wasting energy, he strategically surrendered to preserve his team's stamina!
Sato silently nodded. Flint's calm and level-headed decision-making impressed him.
If their roles were reversed, Sato probably wouldn't have conceded; he would have pushed through to the end.
This battle wasn't the problem... but with 59 more matches ahead, going all-out every time would be a disaster!
'If necessary… surrendering isn't a bad option.'
As he shook hands with Flint, Sato adjusted his mindset.
Judging from the intensity of the first battle, he realized that trying to win every single match would be insanely difficult.
Sato wasn't reckless, he didn't like charging headfirst into obstacles.
His goal wasn't just to win matches... it was to pass the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament!
With this rational approach, Sato went on to battle ten times in a row, winning all ten!
His undefeated streak shocked the entire competition!
[1] For Flint....