"Elite Four Sato, regarding the matter of the Azalea Gym Leader leaking your whereabouts, we've thoroughly investigated all internal personnel. This is the result, please take a look."
The League staff member in formal uniform reported seriously, then respectfully handed over a thick file.
Sato accepted the report and casually flipped through it, quickly skipping over the investigative process and the list of undercover agents he didn't recognize, and went straight to the conclusion.
[…Effective immediately, Azalea Gym's current Gym Leader, Daisuke Yamaguchi, is formally dismissed. All Gym Leader privileges are revoked. The Gym is temporarily sealed until a new Leader is appointed.]
Then, flipping further, there was nothing else.
"…What about the Gym Trainers and trainees?" Sato asked after a brief pause.
The staff member froze, completely failing to understand why Sato would care about that.
"Once the gym is reclaimed, the Gym Trainers and trainees will no longer receive any resources, so they'll naturally…"
"Be left to fend for themselves?" Sato raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly sharper.
"Uh… yes!" The staffer broke into a cold sweat instantly, but didn't dare make things up and could only answer honestly.
"Alright, I understand. You don't need to handle anything beyond this."
Sato closed the report and didn't make things difficult for the messenger; there were decisions above this man's pay grade.
The staffer bowed nervously and left, even though Sato was younger than him, he was terrified all the same.
"Boss, what do we do next?"
In the room, Mark was the first to speak up. Beside him, Sosuke and Sina also watched intently.
Sato didn't reply immediately. After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Mark.
"When do you think you'll reach the top rank among the Elite Four candidates?"
"Uh…" Mark froze, scratching his messy hair awkwardly. "P-Probably… maybe… in two or three months?"
Patting Mark on the shoulder, Sato said with some emotion, "Once you finish your goal, come back and help me. If we had someone inside the League watching things closely, this issue wouldn't have gotten so serious."
"B-Boss…"
For a moment, Mark was so moved he almost teared up. He hadn't expected Sato to place such importance on him.
"Boss, what if I just-"
"Finish your own goal first. Come back and help me when you have no regrets."
Sato cut him off, then turned to the ashamed-looking Sina and Sosuke.
"We all need to grow. That includes you two… and me too.
Sina, Sosuke, I need one of you to return to League Headquarters to oversee task assignments for me. The other will stay by my side and help manage fieldwork.
Take the next couple of days to think about it seriously. Before we head to the next mission city, give me your answer."
Sosuke and Sina exchanged a look. Their eyes were filled with solemn determination.
"BOSS, don't worry! I'll secure the top Elite Four candidate rank as fast as possible and come back to help you!"
Mark suddenly shouted, full of determination. His unwavering attitude made Sato smile without meaning to.
"Heh, Good! I'll be waiting."
"Hmm."
---◓---
That same afternoon, Mark said his goodbyes and rode Togekiss back to the Pokémon League.
Sato and the others also set out, heading toward the next mission city.
"By the way, Boss, are you really going to give that kid a chance? Aren't you worried he might take back Azalea Gym and come after us?"
Before leaving, Mark hesitated for a long time but couldn't help blurting it out.
Sato smiled and said, "He's just a kid. Are you seriously worried he'll be stronger than you someday?
Are you lacking confidence in yourself… or in me?"
"That's not what I meant..."
"Then it's settled. If I'm not wrong, Bugsy is a child who understands reason, and he's quite talented too."
"Sigh… fine, I'll listen to you, Boss."
---◓---
A plane streaked across the sky as Sato and the others landed at Goldenrod City Airport with the setting sun behind them.
As they exited the terminal, Joseph was already waiting with a wide smile on his face.
"You're here."
"Mmmh."
Sato and Joseph nodded at each other. No extra pleasantries, but that made it feel even closer.
Sina and Sosuke respectfully greeted him with a "senpai" and received a warm smile in return.
"The accommodations are ready. Rest well tonight, the Breeders Competition officially starts tomorrow."
"Nah, I'm just here as a guest. No pressure for me. But you've had it tough these past few years, starting this entire Breeder Competition and the ranking system from scratch. Now it's already in its fourth edition."
Sato spoke with admiration, genuinely proud of Joseph.
People from Shadownight Gym -no matter what they do- are always top-tier!
"I still can't compare to you, Leader~. The youngest Elite Four… and now I need you to show up just to boost my event."
Joseph joked back with a laugh.
"I'd show up for one, ten, even a hundred of your events!" Sato said, dramatically waving his hand and showing off.
Joseph chuckled and pulled out a voice recorder. "Mind saying that again~?"
"What did I just say? Eh… must've slipped my old mind. Can't recall it…"
Joseph grinned and hit play.
[I'd show up for one, ten, even a hundred…]
ヘ '_ヘ'?]
"Joseph, you've gone bad… you're actually setting me up!"
"Not my problem. The evidence is there. Let's see if the youngest Elite Four keeps his word~"
Joseph dropped his usual gentlemanly demeanor and laughed like a rogue.
Sato was half-laughing, half-exasperated. It was rare to see Joseph this shameless.
But both of them knew. It was all in good fun.
Among the Shadownight Gym's Big Three, helping each other was never something that needed to be said aloud. They always wanted the best for one another.
And when needed, they would step up without hesitation.
"Alright, tell me what you need me to do for this Breeder Competition; what, and how."
Once they got into the car, Sato took the initiative to discuss the real business.
"It's simple. Just give your honest impressions, from the perspective of a Trainer."
"Not worried I'll say something I shouldn't?"
Joseph smiled. "You're the most popular Elite Four right now. Whatever you say, people will accept."
"Great. Now I feel even more pressure…"
Joseph just laughed and didn't bother responding to Yuga "Boasts" Sato.
---◓---
The next morning, the Pokémon Breeder Competition officially began.
Under staff guidance, Sato arrived at the guest area together with Joseph, Howard of Goldenrod Gym, and Nurse Joy.
Joseph sat on the far left. In the middle were Sato and Howard. On the far right was Nurse Joy.
As soon as the four were seated, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
To the audience, whether it was Elite Four Sato, Leader Howard, or the beautiful Nurse Joy… they were all beloved or admired figures.
And even if the crowd didn't know Joseph… well… after the host introduced him as the founder of the Breeder Competition, how could anyone not be impressed?
Thus, the 4th Pokémon Breeders Association Professional Evaluation Competition officially kicked off!