Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau.
After finishing a full day of internal training for the Elite Four candidates, Mark was so exhausted he didn't even want to lift a finger.
The moment he stepped through the door, he collapsed onto the couch, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
Behind him, Lucario quietly closed the door, then went to the fridge and took out a bottle of Moomoo Milk.
"Luca!"
"Woo! Thanks, Lucario. You really are the best!"
Mark grinned like he'd been rescued, exaggeratedly smiling at Lucario as he took the milk -already uncapped- with a grateful hand.
"Gulp gulp gulp… Wahhh~"
Lucario ignored him and instead turned on the TV, skillfully switching over to the [Regional Competition] livestream platform.
The next moment, the host's voice blared out from the screen, passionate as ever, yet full of fluff.
[…THAT'S RIGHT! Up next, you're about to witness a full 6v6 battle challenge initiated by none other than this year's Ace Tournament Champion… MAAAA~SAKIII!
But… who is his opponent!?
It's the genius Trainer who disappeared for nearly a year… also a former Ace Tournament Champion, Yugaaa… SATOOO!]
"PFFFT!"
Milk sprayed out of Mark's mouth like a fountain goddess, but he didn't care. He simply pointed at the figure slowly appearing on screen.
"B-BOOOSS!"
---◓---
Meanwhile, still in Kanto. Joseph was visiting Professor Oak at his lab in Pallet Town.
Right then, he was busy helping Professor Oak collect data from Pokémon in the backyard.
Suddenly, a spiky-haired boy came running up, huffing and puffing, yelling as he ran.
"J-Jose… JOSEPH…! He… pant…he-"
Joseph paused in his measurement of a Bellsprout and turned to look at Professor Oak's grandson, the spiky-haired boy named Gary.
"He? Who's 'he'. Why are you so worked up?"
"He… pant… he… the Leader from your Shadownight Gym! HE'S ABOUT TO DO A FULL 6V6 BATTLE WITH SOMEONE!"
Joseph shot to his feet, startling the Bellsprout into darting into the bushes.
"Where!?"
"On… pant… ON TV!" Gary panted, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Joseph.
He had once accidentally witnessed Joseph's true strength. So impressive even his grandpa had praised it.
Yet despite that, Joseph always said, "My Gym Leader is way stronger than I am."
Perhaps due to his admiration for Joseph, Gary had developed a bit of a rivalry with this so-called "Gym Leader."
If someone was strong enough to earn Joseph's constant praise… 'Then I need to see just how powerful he really is!'
So when Gary found out that Sato was about to battle Masaki, the first thing he thought was to call Joseph over.
And then, Gary could only watch helplessly as Joseph hopped onto a Gogoat and rushed away from the lab without even looking back…
"What… what about me!?"
---◓---
At that same moment…
At the Shadownight Gym, various League Headquarters, Village of Dragons, Viridian Gym… everyone who had been keeping tabs on Sato's whereabouts received the News of his sudden reappearance.
They all switched on their TVs to watch the live broadcast, eager to see what had changed in this League's "Golden Boy" who had vanished for a year.
Decline seemed unlikely… but growth? How far had he come?
---◓---
Sato and Masaki were now positioned on opposite ends of a Standard Battlefield.
The referee had already taken his place. After reading the rules from the script, the battle officially began.
Sato felt the constant trembling of the Poké Balls on his battle belt[1]…¹ and finally picked the only one that remained quiet.
"Hnn… don't worry. Once I'm back, none of you will be left waiting. Everyone will get their moment."
He whispered this to the rest of his team, then without hesitation, threw the chosen Poké Ball.
'For a battle this memorable… of course I want you to go first, Zoroark!' Sato thought to himself, feeling a surge of excitement.
A flash of red light… and the more composed Zoroark, even more restrained than a year ago, appeared on the field.
It made no sound and no movement. Just silently waited for its opponent to appear…
Infernape!
Masaki's first Pokémon was none other than one of Sinnoh's starters, the Fire/Fighting-type Infernape!
As the referee's flag slashed downward, the battle began in an instant!
"INFERNAPE, MACH PUNCH!"
Masaki launched an immediate assault. Given Infernape's traits, Mach Punch was undoubtedly the ideal opening move for a priority strike.
On the other side, Zoroark stood perfectly still as Infernape rushed in, eyes calm yet brimming with excitement.
Whoosh…
The gust from the punch sliced through the air. Infernape's Mach Punch narrowly grazed Zoroark's right cheek, brushing past it like a whisper.
"Night Slash!"
The command rang out, and Zoroark had already locked onto Infernape's soft, vulnerable waistline.
'Night… Slash!'
Shnk!
Infernape's eyes widened as its body curled like a Clauncher forced into a ball.
Then…
BOOM!
Infernape was sent flying sideways into the arena wall, crashing into it and leaving a deep crater behind.
One hit… K.O.!
Zoroark hadn't even moved from the spot where it landed, and yet Infernape was already down.
The crowd collectively swallowed… and then erupted into thunderous roars!
"SATO!" "SATO!" "SATO…"
"ZOROARK!" ZOROARK!" ZOROA…"
The arena roared with both names!
Yet the Trainer and Pokémon remained perfectly unfazed, standing where they were.
As if coldly declaring, "Yell all you want. If we so much as flinch, we lose."
A red beam recalled Infernape. Masaki's only relief was that he hadn't made any bold declarations before the battle; otherwise, this would've been a brutal slap in the face…
Still, there was no chance he'd surrender. Even knowing he'd likely lose, he would fight to the very end!
Because he, Masaki… was still the best Pokémon Trainer of his generation!
"Yanmega, let's go!"
Masaki's second Pokémon was a massive two-meter-tall dragonfly, its wings flapping at high frequency with a sound that somehow got under your skin.
The battle raged on!
"Yanmega, Ancient Power!"
Ancient Power: a Rock-type special move. Its base power was average, but it had a chance to boost the user's stats in every area.
The moment Masaki gave the command, Sato already guessed that Yanmega had the same Speed Boost ability as Sharpedo.
In that case… let's end this quickly!
"Night Daze."
"Zoro!"
Once again, the command and Zoroark's action came in perfect sync, thanks to the silent synchronization established the moment they took the field.
In an instant, Night Daze began expanding outward from Zoroark's position. The approaching Ancient Power was snuffed out with barely a ripple.
Yanmega could only shoot upward, watching helplessly as Night Daze blanketed the entire battlefield…
•
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¹.I don't know why... but this part gave me the chills bruv!
[1] I don't know why... but this phrase gave me the chills bruv.