Hydro Pump roared out!
Frogadier's strike showed no sign of holding back.
Pangoro tried to dodge, but its massive body became its own burden. Combined with Frogadier's decisive execution of the command, it had almost no time to evade.
Fwoooosh~༄
The powerful Hydro Pump blasted Pangoro straight into the air, and then slammed it hard into the ground.
Seeing Pangoro was no longer able to battle, the female Trainer turned to glare viciously at Absol.
"HELIOLISK, USE THUNDER! …Hit it hard!"
"Frogadier, Substitute. Absol, Psycho Cut."
This time, it was Frogadier's turn to help Absol.
Frogadier leapt backward, then forcefully clawed at the air with its right hand; a Substitute with blank, lifeless eyes appeared on the field.
As the Thunder summoned by Heliolisk came crashing down from the sky, Frogadier's Substitute landed squarely above Absol's head!
"SOOOOL!"
With a sharp cry, Absol swung its crescent-shaped horn with force.
A translucent, pink-purple blade howled forward along the ground, slicing directly toward Heliolisk.
"LIIISK!"
A shriek rang out, Psycho Cut struck a critical hit!
"Pangoro and Heliolisk have both lost the ability to battle. Frogadier and Absol win. The victor of this match is still Trainer Sato!"
With another win under his belt, Sato smiled and gave Frogadier and Absol some encouraging words.
In the next instant… the energy surrounding Absol surged violently!
And it smoothly broke through to Low Elite level!
"Ab~Sooool!"
Even "proud and aloof" as it was, Absol couldn't help but throw its head back and roar at the sky, releasing all its exhilaration.
"Congrats, Absol!"
Sato and Frogadier walked up to Absol, and the latter even casually patted Absol's back!
As if saying: "Nice job, otouto!"
"Sol~"
Absol turned its head, calmly nodding at Sato, then swept its gaze over the crowd below. Seemingly checking if anyone else dared to step onto the stage.
The host tried several times with passion to hype things up again!
But five minutes passed and still no one dared.
"I now declare the final winner of the Binus Double Battle Event… Yuuga… SATOO!"
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap…
A wave of enthusiastic applause rose from below. Sato's strength was evident to all, vastly surpassing the other participants.
…Of course, if it weren't for the purpose of training new Pokémon, Sato wouldn't have joined such an impromptu competition to begin with.
Soon after, Sato stepped off the stage with the event prize in hand; a set of ten Poké Balls of various effects, including Heavy Balls, Friend Balls, Heal Balls, and more… 'Not a bad haul.'
Once the group had regrouped, Mark was the first to rush over to Sato's side, "showering" him in endless rainbow flattery~
Sato shuddered, quickly dodging aside and said, "Alright! I forgive you."
"Y-You knew, Boss?! But I was the first one to talk to you!" Mark cried out in grievance.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have bothered sucking up!
Sato twitched his mouth and sneered, "I'm sure everyone caught you red-handed. Maybe try being a little less obvious next time."
"W-Why?"
"…Take a guess."
"Oh, so you thought about it all night… have you made a decision?" Mark, clearly not the type to overthink, quickly voiced what everyone else was wondering.
"Nothing really to agonize over. I'll go with Investigator."
Sato shrugged, sounding casual~
But it was a conclusion he'd only reached after a long internal debate…
"Then that means we're in the same department as the Leader! Boss, we're clinging to your leg now~" Akira pushed up his glasses, looking all "serious"… but no one knew where he learned this kind of mischief.
Naturally, Sina and Sosuke also showed clear excitement. If everyone was from the same side, trust and teamwork wouldn't be an issue at all.
"Heh… You guys better step it up. Sato applied for Independent Investigator. It's like Lance's role, focused on solo power. Usually, he won't need teammates."
Joseph poured a bucket of cold water on the trio just in time. With their current strength, they could at most qualify as standard Investigators.
"What about you?"
Sato turned and looked at Joseph.
"I'm planning to support the development of the Breeders Association. If possible, I want to establish a Breeder Competition to improve myself while also raising public awareness of how important Breeders are."
Joseph said it casually, but everyone could feel just how difficult that path was from hearing it alone.
A Breeder's work couldn't be showcased through exciting battles.
Unlike Trainers who could prove themselves in Pokémon battles -where one side inevitably falls and the winner is clear- a Pokémon's quality of breeding was not something easily recognizable to the average spectator.
Breeding was about long-term cycles, and those cycles varied greatly depending on the species.
Long-term examples like Dragon-type Pokémon required years of development, sometimes even multiple generations of effort.
Short-term cases, like evolving a Caterpie, still required at least a week…
How could that be compared?
The more they thought about it, the more their heads hurt. In the end, they looked at Joseph with eyes full of admiration.
No matter what, pioneers were always worth praising!
Sato nodded at Joseph too, then boldly declared, "Go ahead and do it. If you need help, just ask me, money and connections are no problem."
"Mhm. Got it~"
On the other side, seeing that everyone had finished asking about Boss and Mama Joseph, Mark figured it was finally his turn.
He'd already rehearsed a speech in his head, ready to deliver it with full passion!
Surely it wouldn't be any less inspiring than Joseph's!
"I… Mark, have deeply sensed how, beneath the seemingly peaceful harmony of our society, countless dark undercurrents are surging below the surface…
As a representative of the new generation! I am determined to become an Elite Four ace of the Pokémon League, dedicating my life to defending peace and justice!
Therefore, once we return, I will immediately apply to join the E4 Candidate program and become one of its members, striving alongside others who share my dream to create a more beautiful and happy world for Pokémon!
This is my application form… It lists in detail my second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth… and many other strengths. You're welcome to read through it CAREFULLY."
And then…
Sato checked the time, recalled Absol and Frogadier at his side, then turned to the group.
"Let's go. Time for lunch. Joseph booked seafood today!"
"Whoa, seafood on a cruise ship?! That's… dreamy!"
"I can't take it, I'm already drooling!"
"BOSS IS THE BEST!"
"Leader is amazing!"
"Boss is the greatest!"
"BOSS…"
"Where's Mark? Why is he still spacing out?"
Mark pointed at himself: "M-me?"
"Oh, you're hungry? Then hurry up, what are you dawdling for!"
Mark: (' - ')シ┳━┳ (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻