The situation on the field seemed one-sided, yet Ariados had held on until now.
This made the surrounding crowd unable to hold back their admiration, even though most of them had been more inclined to believe that Volkner would win.
The standard practice for Trainers when trying to push an Elite Pokémon to break through to Pseudo-Elite Four was to find a "wild" opponent that was countered by the "breakthrough" candidate, maximizing the chance of victory and using that opportunity to help the Pokémon achieve the "level up".
Even Lance, back when he wanted Charizard to break into Pseudo-Elite Four level, had specifically gone into the wild to find a Nidoking. Sato had witnessed the whole process from start to finish.
But when it was his turn, not only did he not follow the usual method, he even had Ariados -after already battling and defeating an opponent- face a fully healthy Luxray.
No one knew how to describe him anymore. Was he recklessly bold, or simply overconfident?
At the very least, Ariados's performance had already won over the crowd watching, even if its Trainer didn't look all that reliable…
"Luxray, the opponent's just barely hanging on. Finish it with Discharge!" Volkner no longer looked calm. At this point, he just wanted to end the battle quickly and knock Ariados out.
"Lux!"
Luxray panted heavily, its golden pupils locked tightly onto the tenacious opponent before it.
After holding back another wave of poison flare-up, Luxray let out a roar as dazzling blue electricity burst from its entire body, indiscriminately attacking everything around it.
"Ariados, hang in there. Use Electroweb to cover yourself."
Sato couldn't help but clench his fists at this point. Protect had already been used once, and its current stamina couldn't support Substitute.
Sticky Web wouldn't block the indiscriminate Discharge, but Electroweb might help Ariados hold on a bit longer.
The longer it endured and the more pressure it faced, the higher the chance that Ariados could level up.
"D-dos…Dos…"
Ariados lay on the ground, lifting its head with difficulty, and opened its mouth to spray an Electroweb, trapping itself inside. Then, with eyes sparkling, it gazed at the oncoming Discharge attack.
In the next moment, Ariados was completely engulfed in electric light. A sea of blue covered the surroundings, making it impossible to see or hear anything else.
But there was still that Electroweb, which gradually channeled the terrifying electricity into the ground, while Ariados at the center curled itself up with all its might, as if nothing had happened.
In a daze, Ariados recalled the moment of its birth. The surroundings had been filled with the same blue light from hatching.
When the light faded, still as a Spinarak, the first thing it had seen was Sato. That faint smile of his had been the best welcome gift for its arrival into the world…
Then it had met big bro Zoroark, old ghost Gengar, "as-future-pseudo-legendary" big bro, sharp-fanged big sis, and the scheming mutt Houndour…
Back then, as the "youngest sister" in the team, it had been cared for by everyone… except, of course, that scheming bitc… dog.
Scenes of moments spent with its companions flashed through Ariados's mind one by one.
The happy, the disappointed, the difficult, the thrilling… now, thinking back, all that remained was a quiet sense of happiness.
["Ariados, you've built up the most. I'm hoping you'll be the first to break through to Pseudo-Elite Four."]
Suddenly, Ariados remembered what Sato had told it before this journey began.
At the time, upon hearing that it might be the first to break through to Pseudo-Elite Four, Ariados had felt nothing but excitement and anticipation, and had been looking forward to that day ever since.
So, no matter how terrifying or overwhelming Luxray's attacks were, Ariados kept holding on.
For what reason?
In order to become stronger, it wanted to accompany Sato together with its companions, walking this path all the way to the top… and above.
To become Pseudo-Elite Four, to become Elite Four, to become...
It, Ariados, would defeat Luxray, break through to Pseudo-Elite Four, and keep on walking forward… forever!
The blue electric light gradually faded. Luxray was panting heavily, continuously corroded by the poison, and wasn't feeling great either.
But the opponent before it… 'Surely had collapsed by now?'
"DOOOOOS!"
Suddenly, Ariados's cry echoed across the field. Luxray froze, and together with its Trainer, showed an expression of disbelief.
Sato looked at the bruised and battered, yet increasingly imposing Ariados, and couldn't help but show a smile that was both excited and full of pride.
The little Spinarak he had personally hatched had now reached the height of Pseudo-Elite Four. The overwhelming sense of accomplishment in his heart made Sato feel a bit intoxicated.
Volkner fell silent, and at the same time waved his hand for Luxray to stop attacking. Ariados was in the midst of breaking through, and as a member of the League, he couldn't interrupt that.
…But watching Ariados's Pseudo-Elite Four aura gradually stabilize, Volkner still felt a bit dumbfounded.
He, one of Sinnoh's "Twin Stars", had actually been stepped on by a kid, who had even completed a breakthrough from Elite to Pseudo-Elite Four mid battle.
Shame, regret, utter humiliation...
Volkner wasn't sure just how terrible his expression looked right now, but when he saw Flint looking at him full of concern, he suddenly realized… the gap between him and Flint had already started widening long ago.
The so-called "Twin Stars" of Sinnoh… perhaps it had stopped being true a long time ago?
And to think that just moments ago, he'd foolishly asked Sato whether he was looking down on him.
'…Heh, I don't even respect myself anymore!'
While everyone was still marveling at Sato's Ariados breaking through in the middle of battle, Volkner silently recalled Luxray, ignoring the shocked stares from everyone around him, and walked away without a word.
Flint saw this and immediately wanted to go after him, but was stopped by Bertha at his side.
"If Volkner can't figure this out on his own, what's the point in you going? If you really want what's best for him, let him face the cruelty of reality on his own."
"But..." Flint still wanted to say something, but Bertha had already turned around and walked toward Sato.
The meaning from Elite Four Bertha was very clear: I've said all I needed to say. What you do next is up to you.
Flint stood there dazed for a long time, looking in the direction Volkner had left, but in the end, didn't go after him.
With Volkner walking off on his own, the match naturally couldn't continue. Even though Ariados, after leveling up, probably still wouldn't have been able to defeat Luxray.
But what was certain was that Sato's name would soon spread like wildfire across the entire Sinnoh League.
And this overwhelming reputation would be a mixed one.
On the very first day, he had knocked down one of Sinnoh's young leaders. People would be disappointed in Volkner's weakness, but also shift the blame onto Sato, the "arrogant" outsider.
Even though this battle had been arranged as a task by Bertha, who would really care about that?
Maybe Bertha had just wanted to curb Sato's arrogance as an outsider, but hadn't expected Volkner to be the one to break down.
People often only believe the part of the story they want to believe.
At the gates of Sinnoh League Headquarters, Bertha and Flint came to see off Sato and the other two.
Flint stood half a step behind Bertha, his gaze toward Sato full of complex emotions. He was thankful Sato had done what he himself had always wanted to do but never could, yet also worried that Sato's sudden appearance might crush his good friend Volkner entirely.
"Flint!"
"Huh?" Flint snapped out of his daze and quickly turned to look at Sato.
"When I finish this journey and return to Lily of the Valley Island… let's have a match then."
"...Alright. It's a promise!"