On the final day of their "expense-paid vacation", the two of them finally confirmed their relationship.
And it had been Cynthia who made the first move. If they had waited for the "that stubborn, dense block of steel" Sato to say it himself… who knew how long it would have taken!?
But that same evening, Cynthia had official duties to attend to and left the cabin riding Togekiss…
As for Sato, he had already applied for extended leave from League President Charles Goodshow the moment Fujin agreed to mentor the two of them.
Clearly, Goodshow knew Fujin, and was even more astonished that Fujin was willing to pass down all his knowledge to Sato.
[Heh~ Since the Vermilion City incident, the underground organizations in both Kanto regions have gone quiet. You don't need to rush back. Getting stronger is your greatest contribution to the League!]
The way Charles Goodshow had revived the entire Pokémon League and reconnected the various regions… his leadership aside, just his personal charisma alone had earned widespread respect.
He didn't even let Sato finish speaking before decisively telling him to stay and continue learning from Fujin.
Sato nodded earnestly. Even without being told, he was determined to grow stronger!
Cynthia was going to become the Champion of Sinnoh; if he kept being outclassed by her, how could he ever hold his head high in their future life together!?
As for the Shadownight Gym, Sato had already arranged everything. The second and third generation trainees -now Gym Trainers- had grown up, and many others trainees were now capable of holding their own.
With Ponyo, Sosuke, and the others taking turns in charge, the Shadownight Gym still maintained its position as one of Johto's Eight Major Gyms.
At the same time, with the rising fame of Sato, Joseph, and Mark, more and more people had turned their attention to the Shadownight Gym behind them, causing Shadownight Town to flourish.
Everything was heading in a positive direction. But to maintain that momentum, everyone had to keep giving their best!
So Sato also found time to contact Mark and Joseph for updates.
Mark's hard work had finally been recognized. Even without relying on luck, he could now hold a steady spot in the top five of the Elite Four candidate rankings.
And if he used his "special ability", according to Mark, he could even surpass the current top-ranked candidate!
[Heh. Boss, just wait and see. Give me one more year! Top of the Elite Four candidate list will be mine! Mahahaha!]
Mark beamed through the phone, and Sato couldn't help but laugh.
"Ohh~ Then go for it!"
As for Joseph, he had finally succeeded in organizing the first-ever Kanto Region Breeder Competition.
Although the number of participants was small and the overall quality of competitors average…
The presence of prominent figures like Samuel Oak and Nurse Joy as judges had already given the competition a solid reputation.
Joseph was now preparing for the second Breeder Competition while traveling around to visit renowned breeders, learning from them and inviting them to participate.
The first step had been taken. Now it was all about optimizing and expanding its impact.
Thinking back to Joseph's radiant face on the video call, Sato genuinely wished him well.
'Which means… I've got to step it up too!' Sato thought with conviction as he threw himself even more into training.
---◓---
Spring passed, and autumn came. Just like that, a whole year slipped by silently…
The ice field blasted out by Froslass and Weavile long ago had already melted. Lush green grass now squeezed its way out of the ground, basking in long-lost sunlight.
Over the fields, flocks of timid and cautious Starly flew by from time to time; a clear sign that space in this area had stabilized. No more random Spacial Rifts.
Just then, two figures -one blue, one black- suddenly dashed out of the grass.
Chasing and tumbling, playing and cuddling… they were none other than Umbreon and Glaceon, still very much in their honeymoon phase.
If anyone had been the happiest this past year, it was undoubtedly these two who got to be stuck together every day.
Ever since Sato and Cynthia officially became a couple, Cynthia would visit him whenever she had "vacation" time.
And Sato would often wait in whatever city Cynthia's missions brought her to.
Even if all they could manage was a single dinner, both of them were perfectly content!
Which meant Glaceon could now openly stay by Sato's side.
"Supposedly", to help its trainer keep an eye on her heartless boyfriend!
…But in this deep forest, who could Sato even talk to besides Gardevoir?
Of course, Cynthia had no reason to stop Glaceon from chasing its own happiness either…
---◓---
Umbreon and Glaceon hadn't played for long before they seemed to remember something and quickly sprinted off toward the training field.
By the time they arrived, they saw Sato commanding Gardevoir in an intense battle against Fujin's Froslass.
Froslass and Gardevoir were both undeniably mages, but their styles couldn't be more different.
Froslass specialized in overwhelming, full-field bombardments, backed by intense psychological pressure, crushing her opponents under sheer momentum. Any Pokémon with weak mental resilience could be broken from the start.
But Gardevoir was different. Her style was simple: defend, counter, and counter again!
Decisive. Pure. Razor-sharp!
Just like now.
No matter how much terrifying Ice-type energy Froslass hurled her way, Gardevoir calmly stood her ground, holding a Psychic barrier just within a half-meter radius.
Blizzards roared outside, yet not a single thread of Gardevoir's dress fluttered within.
The next instant, Gardevoir moved!
She seized on the fraction-of-a-second pause in Froslass's barrage, firing a jet-black beam -an ultra-condensed Dark Pulse- without hesitation.
Dark Pulse tore through the storm and struck Froslass square in her vulnerable forehead, blasting her backward!
"That's enough!" "Let's stop here."
Fujin and Sato spoke up simultaneously from the sidelines. Gardevoir also lowered her right hand, clearly not intending to pursue.
Froslass held her head and ran over to Fujin~ Whining that she was "seriously" injured!
But in truth, Froslass had activated Light Screen the instant the Dark Pulse hit, cutting the damage in half.
"Haah… alright, alright. Go find Serperior for some healing. You'll be fine soon."
After sending Froslass off to Serperior, Fujin finally turned with satisfaction to look at the approaching Sato and Gardevoir.
"That timing was really well executed!"
"Mm, all thanks to your guidance, Fujin-jiji," Sato said with a smile.
"Hohoho~ You've done well too. You've mastered the synchronization method nicely, and Gardevoir's clean disengagement at the end showed it clearly!"
The old and the young praised each other back and forth, making Gardevoir off to the side want to roll her eyes (*◔_◔*).
'It's clearly me who got stronger… why are you two so excited about yourselves?'
The next moment, Sato chuckled and added, "But really, it's all thanks to Gardevoir's effort."
Gardevoir: Humph (*︶)!