Sato and Winona stood firm, silently awaiting the referee's command!
"…Both Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
The moment the words left the referee's mouth, both Sato and Winona threw their Poké Balls at the same time!
As the blue light faded, Umbreon and Pelipper appeared on the battlefield!
"Impossible!"
Winona's expression shifted with frustration; she had expected Sato to use Weavile to counter Flying-types, so she had deliberately sent out the only Pokémon in her team that wasn't weak to Ice!
However, Sato had anticipated her plan and chose Umbreon instead!
A Mid Elite Pelipper was no threat... a Pokémon of the same level was more than enough to handle it!
Using Weavile would have also worked, but preserving energy and winning efficiently was the key to long-term success!
"Battle, begin!"
"Pelipper, Rain Dance!"
"Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"
Pelipper soared into the sky, its body glowing blue as it linked with the sky, summoning dark storm clouds overhead.
Within moments, rain began to fall.
At the same time, Umbreon's Confuse Ray landed, and Pelipper fell into confusion!
"Pelipper, Hydro Pump!"
Winona tried to issue a command, hoping that even in confusion, Pelipper would execute the attack correctly.
Fortunately, Pelipper's gentle nature allowed it to fire Hydro Pump despite its confusion!
Unfortunately… its aim was terrible!
Umbreon only had to shift slightly, and the weather-boosted Hydro Pump flew past, splattering water everywhere.
"Toxic!"
"Umbree!"
Instead of spitting Toxic directly, Umbreon's unique method was to release countless tiny droplets of poison through its fur, spreading it across the battlefield!
Pelipper, still flying erratically, didn't even try to dodge. Toxic hit easily!
"Pelipper, snap out of it!"
Poisoned and confused, Pelipper became furious. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and in a fit of rage, it unleashed a powerful storm!
Hurricane!
"Umbreon, Protect!"
The faint green barrier looked fragile against the raging winds, yet it held firm!
"Umbreon, Hidden Power!"
Amidst the stormy battlefield, dozens of glowing white energy orbs circled Umbreon, flickering ominously.
"Umbree!"
With a single cry, Umbreon fired Hidden Power like a barrage of cannonballs toward Pelipper!
Still confused, Pelipper flew straight into the attack without dodging!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Squawk!"
Pelipper screeched in agony, electricity crackling across its body; Umbreon's Hidden Power was Electric-type!
This was Sato's true reason for choosing Umbreon!
A 4× weakness was devastating.
Even with no STAB bonus, Umbreon's Electric-type Hidden Power nearly knocked Pelipper out in one hit!
Suddenly, purple bubbles erupted from Pelipper's body. The Toxic damage finished off its remaining strength!
"Pelipper is unable to battle! Umbreon wins! The victor is Trainer Sato!"
"As expected…" Winona sighed in frustration.
But there were more important things to worry about, Pelipper needed treatment!
"Here, use this."
Sato handed her a special antidote, pre-mixed specifically for Umbreon's Toxic.
"Thanks!"
"Keep up the effort."
Sato wasn't good at comforting people, so his words sounded about as meaningful as 'drink more water'.
After that, he turned and left.
His second match, third match, fourth match…
Sato realized that today's battles were much easier than the past two days. At least half of his opponents forfeited immediately upon seeing his name!
---
The third day marked the halfway point of the six-day tournament.
At this stage, powerful Trainers like Sato had already drawn attention in the first two days.
By now, many contestants had a better understanding of the tournament's format and began strategizing whether each battle was worth their effort.
For most competitors, fighting Sato was pointless!
The worst-case scenario was when both sides were evenly matched, leading to an exhausting back-and-forth battle that drained their stamina, only to lose in the end anyway.
Choosing when to fight or forfeit became a difficult decision!
As a result, on Day 3, Sato once again achieved ten consecutive victories!
At the same time, Lucian maintained his record as well!
At least Sato still had a few actual battles, as some contestants tried their luck against him.
But Lucian? From the very start, he had displayed such a power that by Day 3, no one even bothered challenging him. He won every match by default!
Neither the Pokémon League nor the contestants were surprised by this.
Every tournament had a few elite Trainers who stood far above the rest.
For them, the Practical Combat evaluation started as hard mode, became easy mode in the middle, and ended as normal mode.
The real struggle was for the strong but not exceptional Trainers. For them, every match was a brutal fight, requiring immense effort just to earn a single point!
That night, after another training session in the forest, the group returned to their rooms to rest.
Meanwhile, Sato answered a few more of Lilian Joy's questions.
It seemed that the Joy family was struggling to understand the concept of bond strength, preventing them from successfully triggering Mega Evolution in their experiments.
As of now, not a single Mega Evolution had been achieved.
"If you find any more Mega Stones, let me check them. I can sense whether they belong to a Dark-type Pokémon, which should help narrow down your research."
"Really? That would be a huge help!"
Lilian was clearly still working late; even at this hour, she was still in her lab coat during the video call.
"Alright. Get some rest."
After ending the call, Sato focused on massaging Umbreon, Cacturne, and Sharpedo with Dark Energy.
Since only these three battled today, the rest of his team had enjoyed a full day of rest.
Sato predicted that tomorrow's battles would be just as easy, much like today. Most contestants would reserve their energy, only going all-out on Days 5 and 6!
---
Time passed quickly yet slowly, and just as Sato expected, Day 4 went by without much effort!
Lucian and Sato remained undefeated, while Norman had only lost to Lucian once.
Meanwhile, Winona and Clair were fighting a brutal uphill battle. Every match was tough, their win rate wasn't high, but the experience they gained was invaluable!
Finally, Day 5 arrived.
Even Sato started feeling some fatigue and frustration. Let alone everyone else!
Without Joseph's nightly recovery sessions, Winona and Clair probably wouldn't have made it this far!
"Matchmaking for Round 41 begins!"
The exhausted contestants stared blankly at the screen, searching for their names.
Sato looked up and saw his first opponent of the day.
Lucian.