The Gym Leader Qualification Tournament, Fifth Assessment: Gym Leadership and Teaching Philosophy!
On paper, this assessment accounted for 10% of the total score, but it wasn't a graded test; passing meant receiving 10 points, while failing meant receiving zero.
Moreover, there was no fixed correct answer for this test.
As long as a participant could convince themselves, convince the four evaluators, and convince the Gym Leaders observing, they would pass!
The 35 remaining competitors gradually entered the venue.
Since Sato ranked first on the leaderboard, he was scheduled to go last.
The venue was still the same stadium, but the interior had been completely rearranged.
Four white evaluation podiums were placed at the northernmost side of the stage, directly facing a single speaker's podium in the center.
Behind the judges, a massive black projection screen was divided into hundreds of squares, which slowly illuminated one by one as they connected to various Gym Leaders across the region.
On the other side of the screen, Gym Leaders sat focused, waiting for the public questioning to begin.
By 9:30 AM, every single projection panel had been lit. Over a hundred Gym Leaders were present.
Among them, Sato spotted Howard, Gym Leader of Goldenrod City, and Gym Leader of Sootopolis City, both of whom he had previously encountered.
The spectator area was also filled with familiar faces.
Flint, Clair, and Winona sat among the successors, waving excitedly at Sato, cheering him on.
Soon, the people who would ultimately decide whether the participants passed or failed entered the stage.
Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, Agatha of the Elite Four, and Charles Goodshow!
The Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy present were not random representatives. They were high-ranking officials from the Pokémon League Headquarters.
And of course, Agatha and Charles Goodshow needed no introduction… two of the most influential figures in the League!
At this moment, Charles Goodshow had yet to develop his signature hunched posture.
Standing at 1.8 meters tall, his half-white hair was slicked back, and a faint smile on his face. He looked more like a charming old gentleman than the leader of the Pokémon League.
But despite his friendly appearance, he had once held the title of Pokémon Champion…
Once all four evaluators had taken their seats, Agatha opened the list she had brought and scanned the competitors briefly.
"The 39th Gym Leader Qualification Tournament, Fifth Assessment -Gym Leadership and Teaching Philosophy- officially begins. The participant whose name is called must prepare to take the stage. You will have five minutes before your questioning begins.
The first competitor: Norman!"
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to look at Norman, who wore a completely bewildered expression.
He was neither first place nor last place, so why was he being called up first? What was the selection order based on?
However, the confusion quickly faded as the remaining competitors focused on finalizing their presentations.
After exactly five minutes, Agatha's voice rang out on time. "Competitor Norman, please take the stage for public questioning. Next up, Rikuto, please prepare."
Norman stepped forward.
His mental fortitude was exceptional. Even when facing Agatha and Charles Goodshow, he showed no hesitation.
As he stepped onto the stage, his Gym Leadership and Teaching Philosophy document was projected onto the large screen.
However, most of the audience ignored the document, focusing entirely on Norman himself.
With a loud burst, he released three Pokémon simultaneously: Slakoth, Vigoroth, and Slaking!
Immediately, Norman began explaining his Gym's philosophy… Rhythm!
The rhythm of battle!
He emphasized how the evolutionary line of Slaking demonstrated drastic shifts in rhythm, impacting the flow of battle.
Watching Norman's presentation, Sato's eyes lit up.
Suddenly, he understood why Norman had been chosen to go first.
Perhaps the evaluators were intrigued by his philosophy. Not a single Gym in existence focused on this concept!
Moreover, his Pokémon selection perfectly complemented his theme, reinforcing his argument flawlessly.
Then came the questioning phase.
The four evaluators began asking a series of structured questions, covering topics such as how Norman would assess challengers, what criteria would determine a pass or fail, and how he would train his own students.
After they finished their questioning, the four evaluators conferred briefly before Agatha made the final announcement.
"Competitor Norman. Gym Leadership and Teaching Philosophy: Battle Rhythm, Passed!"
A strong start!
The audience burst into applause.
Many competitors began comparing Norman's philosophy to their own ideas, only to realize… they couldn't match up.
"Competitor Rikuto, please take the stage for public questioning. Next up-"
The questioning continued.
However, after the first seven or eight participants, only Norman had passed. The rest had failed.
Only now did everyone truly realize just how difficult this test was.
Many competitors had proposed philosophies that were already covered by existing Gyms, making their presentations redundant and unimpressive.
Some competitors had great ideas, but when questioned, they failed to provide concrete implementation methods, making their arguments hollow. As a result, they were denied approval.
"Next competitor. Sato, prepare to take the stage!"
"It's my turn?"
Sato's heart tightened slightly.
He mentally reviewed his entire presentation one last time, then waited calmly.
After five minutes, Sato stepped onto the stage. As the first-place competitor, he naturally drew significant attention.
Even the Gym Leaders, who had grown bored and were dozing off, now perked up slightly, turning their focus toward him.
"Good day to the evaluators and Gym Leaders. I am Yuga Sato, a specialist in Dark-type Pokémon. My proposed Gym Leadership and Teaching Philosophy is… Willpower!"
…
Flat.
Even disappointing.
Gyms centered around willpower were common.
Endurance, resilience, perseverance; these themes had been overused to the point of exhaustion.
Among the four evaluators, Officer Jenny had already begun shaking her head, while Nurse Joy frowned, looking at Sato with concern. She was already thinking about how she could say a few words on his behalf.
Meanwhile, Charles Goodshow and Agatha showed no reaction, simply waiting for Sato to continue.
"As we all know, Dark-type Pokémon have a distinct trait: Their attacks induce intense pain! This pain is more immediate and severe than burns, paralysis, or poison, making Pokémon more prone to fear and rejection."
In my team, Zoroark, Houndoom, Sharpedo, Weavile, and Cacturne are all highly offensive Pokémon. So, when I speak of Willpower, I am referring specifically to pain tolerance and endurance!"
Direct and concise.
Sato's explanation was not complex, and the method he proposed was far simpler than anyone had expected.
However, precisely because of its simplicity, it suddenly made sense to the evaluators who had been skeptical at first.
Many Gyms that claimed to focus on willpower typically demonstrated it through battles. But in reality, these lessons rarely produced noticeable results.
So, when Sato first introduced the concept, it was natural for people to feel disappointed.
"Question: In battles, injuries naturally cause pain. How does your method specifically develop willpower? Just because Dark-type moves hurt more?"
"Low-power, high-frequency attacks. Prolonged battles to accumulate pain tolerance over time."