Lance never asked Sato to return Houndoom's Mega Stone, and Sato silently took note of this, promising himself that he would return one to him when given the chance.
Just then, another call came in: Wester.
Sato didn't say much to Wester and simply shifted the conversation toward the Joy family.
He didn't have many close friends, so after responding to most of them in a similar manner, he glanced at the thousands of friend requests piling up in his inbox with a troubled expression.
Most of them were complete strangers. Clearly, they had somehow found his account and were trying to add him out of curiosity.
Perhaps some familiar names were among them, but sifting through thousands of requests to find them? Sato had neither the time nor the patience for that. Instead, he made the decisive choice to change accounts entirely.
Those he had lost contact with for too long… whether they'd meet again in the future would depend on fate. Cold on the outside, and even colder inside, Sato made his decision without hesitation.
He requested the Pokémon Center staff to bring his meal to his room. There was no way he was stepping outside at this time.
However, this time, Lilian Joy took the initiative to contact him.
"We've finally managed to achieve a new Mega Evolution!" The moment the call connected, Lilian spoke with overflowing excitement.
A video file was sent to him. Sato opened it and found a complete recording of Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur undergoing Mega Evolution.
'So, these three were discovered first?'
After a brief moment of thought, Sato found it entirely reasonable.
The Kanto starter Pokémon were considered rare, but plenty of Trainers still had them.
Many of them had been partners from the very beginning, growing alongside their Trainers; so reaching the required bond threshold for Mega Evolution was naturally easier.
"Tomorrow, we're releasing this video to the public. Who knows how many people will go crazy over it?" Lilian sounded like a full-blown Mega Evolution fanatic… though, fortunately, she was simply enthusiastic about the discovery.
"Are you planning to release one video at a time, every time you confirm a new Mega Evolution?"
"Something like that. We've gathered quite a few Mega Stones already, so we'll keep testing. At this rate, we're starting to figure out some patterns!"
Lilian grinned proudly, her face full of confidence.
"Good luck with that. If one of my partners can Mega Evolve, I'd be thrilled," Sato chuckled, hinting at something.
"Greedy! Bye!" Lilian playfully stuck out her tongue before hanging up.
---
The sixth day of the combat evaluation arrived, and Sato and Lucian continued racking up points effortlessly, but most of the public's attention had shifted elsewhere.
At exactly 9:00 AM, the news that all three Kanto starters could undergo Mega Evolution completely dominated the headlines.
Trainers who owned Charizard, Blastoise, or Venusaur celebrated with joy, unaware that Mega Stones were far rarer than they could ever imagine.
The vast majority of Trainers would never obtain one in their lifetime.
Despite the mass distraction, the battles continued as scheduled.
Some Trainers who remained focused on the competition took advantage of the final day to showcase outstanding battles and climb the rankings.
However, none of this affected Sato's flawless win streak.
The third round of the combat evaluation concluded.
Sato finished with a total score of 80 points, securing 1st place.
Lucian and Norman closely followed, only a few points behind.
Meanwhile, Clair and Winona had started to fall behind, but neither had insisted on passing the competition from the start. Still, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
After the combat evaluation ended, the tournament organizers granted the participants a rare two-day break before moving on to the fourth round of evaluations.
The next test: City Protection Capabilities.
This evaluation was neither too simple nor too complex. It was divided into two sections: a written test worth 40 points, and a simulation worth 60 points.
The written portion was essentially free points; it was more of a public safety knowledge exam than anything else.
For example, one question asked where a city's primary disaster relief bases should be located.
The correct answer? Pokémon Centers, central pedestrian zones, densely populated residential areas, and government buildings, all of the above.
After finishing the written test, the scores were quickly compiled.
Two-thirds of the participants scored full marks, while the rest only got two or three questions wrong.
Of course, the written test only accounted for one-fourth of the total score, so the difference between scores was minimal.
The 60-point simulation, however, was much more interesting!
To Sato, it felt like a tower defense-style siege game.
Each participant could only choose one faction… the Pokémon League, of course.
After selecting a faction, the simulation randomly chose a real-life city, with its key structures replicated in detail!
Once the city was determined, the system randomly assigned an enemy force from the following: Wild Pokémon Stampede, Team Rocket, Team Plasma, or the Hunter Organization.
The first option was straightforward; wild Pokémon frequently attacking human cities was a well-documented phenomenon.
The other three, however, were recognized as the top three underground criminal organizations in the world.
Each participant was seated in front of a simulation interface. They first followed an operational guide to familiarize themselves with the system before proceeding to their assigned scenario.
"Goldenrod City?"
As soon as Sato pressed the button, a detailed, high-rise-filled city map appeared on the simulation screen.
His heart sank.
While the simulation had the same scoring system for all participants, the level of difficulty varied based on the selected city.
The larger the city, the more factors required for protection, making the simulation significantly harder.
And Goldenrod City -the largest and most developed city in Johto- was exactly what he got.
At that moment, Sato's expression darkened.
After taking a few seconds to calm himself, he randomly selected an enemy faction.
Team Rocket!
That was fine. Out of the three, he was most familiar with them. Sato managed to find some small relief in the situation.
However, as he read through the event scenario details, his mood shifted drastically… to excitement.
The scenario was a direct recreation of the Team Rocket Purge Operation in Goldenrod City, slightly modified for the simulation.
And this major event? Sato had lived through it personally!
As he scanned through the assigned personnel, the supply allocations, and the distribution of battle forces, his excitement grew stronger.
Everything was almost identical to the real event!
The only difference?
This time, the main commander wasn't Bruno of the Elite Four. It was Sato himself!
In the simulation, Bruno was still the strongest combatant in the operation. Below him were Gym Leader Howard, Officer Jenny, three elite League squads, and numerous registered League Trainers.
Everything mirrored reality exactly.
Sato rubbed his hands together, replaying the real event in his mind and carefully piecing together his strategy.
Once he had gone through every detail, ensuring everything made sense, he clicked start and began the simulation!