"L-Leader, this won't do!"
When Sosuke saw the gift Sato handed him, he was so shocked that he instinctively tried to give it back.
"This kid really is quite the gift," Joseph said cheerfully, while Sina beside him was already staring wide-eyed.
"Take it. This guy needs a lot of battles to grow stronger, and you'll need it to push toward higher ranks."
Sato's unquestionable tone left Sosuke unable to refuse, and what followed was a wave of immense joy.
With slightly trembling hands, Sosuke accepted the Poké Ball once more. Looking at the bluish-black Pokémon inside -half asleep- he called out softly.
"Deino, come on out…"
"Dein~"
A flash of blue light, and a strong-looking Deino appeared before everyone. Perhaps sensing that Sosuke was to be its future Trainer, the two locked eyes from the very start.
Even though Deino's eyes were covered by its fur, that didn't matter.
Suppressing his excitement, Sosuke crouched down and proactively extended his right hand toward Deino.
"Let's work well together… DEINO!"
Deino stared fixedly at Sosuke, not moving at first.
But perhaps it saw the determination and joy in Sosuke's eyes. Finally, it nodded slightly and gently touched its most important horn to Sosuke's palm.
Deino… successfully "caught"!
Even after returning Deino to the Poké Ball, Sosuke remained a bit dazed.
A pseudo-legendary Pokémon that others dreamed of having… he had received it just like that?
It almost felt… UNREAL!
On the other side, Sina stared blankly at Sosuke getting a Deino, and it was impossible not to feel a little envious.
That was the base form of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon!
Still, Sosuke had voluntarily applied to return to League Headquarters to guard Sato's back, and the hardships he'd face in the future truly earned him the right to a Deino.
---◓---
After their plane landed, Sosuke immediately boarded another flight bound for the Johto League.
He didn't even stay to watch Sato's battle against Sen.
Fueled by determination, all he wanted was to report in as quickly as possible and live up to Sato's trust and support.
At the airport exit, Elite Four Sen and Pryce stood side by side, one smiling warmly, the other expressionless.
Sen was the first to greet them, chatting with cheerful enthusiasm, while Pryce simply nodded faintly and said nothing from beginning to end.
Everyone was already used to Pryce's Icy-type demeanor, so no one took offense. After all, Elite Four Sen was there to host them warmly.
"The battle is tomorrow. It'll take place in Mahogany Town's central park. Everything's been arranged."
Sen pointed from afar toward the center of Mahogany Town, then teased Sato with a mischievous grin, "Oh! Don't hold back tomorrow. Be careful or you'll be the one crying when you lose~"
Sato: …
…So this is the kind of Elite Four you are?
---◓---
The sun set and rose again, and another day passed in the blink of an eye.
Sato, Joseph, and Sina arrived on time at Mahogany Town Central Park, where the battlefield was already buzzing with people.
At the staff entrance, Elite Four Pryce personally waited for Sato and his team; seemingly a cold-faced man with a warm heart.
"Sen's already waiting inside. Let's go." With rare words, Pryce turned and headed toward the venue, and Sato's group quickly followed.
In the waiting room, Elite Four Sen had long been prepared. When he saw Sato, he broke into a welcoming smile, though the competitiveness in his eyes was plain to see.
That's true. After all, Elite Four Sen was a long-established member of the E4. How could he possibly be indifferent about winning or losing?
Battle… it's the right way!
---◓---
["Now, let's welcome our Johto Region Elite Four… SEN AND SATO!"]
Outside the battlefield, the host's enthusiastic voice rang out as Sato and Sen exchanged glances, gave each other a slight nod, and walked down their respective entrance tunnels.
The lighting shifted from dim to bright. As the roars surged into their ears, the Elite Four Tournament battle officially began.
The Elite Four battlefield was more than twice the size of a regular one. With added buffer zones to protect spectators, the whole arena felt especially vast.
Sato and Sen each took their place, silently listening as the referee finished reciting the lengthy rules.
In short, a full 6-on-6 battle!
The moment the referee dropped the flag, both trainers sent out their lead Pokémon.
Grass type 🌿 Meganium!
Dark/Ice type 🌑❄️ Weavile!
As expected, both had sent out Pokémon of their specialty types.
Since Weavile also had an Ice type, it theoretically had a notable advantage.
Whether that advantage would matter…
"BATTLE START!"
"Sunny Day!"
"Blizzard."
Right from the start, the two sides adopted completely different battle strategies.
Sato launched an aggressive offensive, while Meganium, relying on its balanced base stats, initiated a weather strategy.
Cold winds mixed with blade-like snowflakes. Weavile's Blizzard was especially powerful, leaving visible cuts all over Meganium's body.
But a single Blizzard was far from enough to knock out Meganium.
Especially once Sunny Day took effect, the rising temperature significantly weakened Blizzard's freezing capabilities.
"Solar Beam, rapid fire!"
Sen's command rang out. The six red-pink petals around Meganium's neck rapidly gathered solar energy.
Then… Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh…
Each petal fired a Solar Beam; six terrifying blasts instantly sealed off every possible escape route for Weavile.
With just one Sunny Day, the seemingly "plain and ordinary" stat profile of Meganium was now multiplied in strength.
Elite Four Sen used sheer power to prove that beneath his warm, sunny smile lay a truly terrifying force.
…BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOM…!
Six massive explosions erupted in succession. The blinding Solar Beams instantly filled the arena with smoke and debris, but Weavile was nowhere to be seen!
"M-EGAAAN!"
Suddenly, Meganium cried out in pain, revealing three vicious slashes across its soft abdomen.
A black shadow darted out from under Meganium's belly!
It was Weavile's Night Slash!
Yet no one had seen when it even reached Meganium.
"Grab it. Frenzy Plant!"
Sen issued another command. Meganium didn't move, but the entire arena suddenly began to writhe.
Massive amounts of grass, vines, and shrubs burst from the ground, growing at a rapid pace.
In the blink of an eye, the formerly standard battlefield had transformed into a lush "Grassy Terrain".
It wasn't over. The swiftly moving Weavile was instantly slowed down by the dense foliage, its speed dropping significantly.
Before it could retreat to safety, Meganium was already channeling Grass-type energy deep beneath the ground once again.
Countless gray-green roots erupted without mercy, lunging straight for Weavile.
It was the ultimate Grass-type move of the final evolution starters…
Frenzy Plant!