Blackthorn City, inside a private training room at the Pokémon Center.
Sato was conducting routine physical training with Zoroark and the others.
Once a Pokémon reached Elite Four Level, routine training could only help them maintain their condition, it contributed very little to actual strength improvement.
True advancement at this stage came from Origin comprehension, awareness, extreme potential tapping, and refining one's tactical system.
And with the final match of the Elite Four Tournament approaching, cramming at the last minute wouldn't bring any breakthrough.
So Sato let his partners train on their own, while he focused on studying the data Sosuke had compiled about Lance.
Lance was strong. That much was undeniable.
But how strong exactly, no one had ever been able to accurately predict.
Even in the previous Elite Four Tournament, he hadn't seemed to use his strongest lineup.
Coincidentally, neither had Sato…
But after reviewing enough data, Sato could roughly judge who Lance's true main team members were.
[Elite Four Sato, Elite Four Lance is here to visit. May I open the door~?]
Nurse Joy's sweet voice came through the wireless intercom, interrupting Sato's thoughts.
He gathered up the papers and finally stood up to open the door.
Though the two had a close relationship and had likely studied each other's strategies in private more than once, being caught in the act would still be socially fatal…
The door opened.
Full of confidence, Lance strode in and gave Sato a playful shoulder bump right away.
"Heh, finally it's our turn!"
Sato tugged at the corner of his mouth and led Lance inside to sit down and chat.
"Tahahah, I just came to see if you were secretly studying me. After this visit, I won't come again before the final, wouldn't want to mess with your mindset~"
"No need for that. As the aniki, you're definitely under more pressure than I am," Sato said lightly, which immediately left Lance speechless.
"Alright, alright… I actually came for a serious reason." Lance waved it off. He'd come to accept that in a battle of banter, he just couldn't win against Sato.
"The final match of the Elite Four Tournament is between you and me. The outcome directly determines who becomes the top Elite Four. We both know that…"
Sato nodded, signaling Lance to go on.
"But above the Elite Four… there's still the Champion. Only the top Elite Four has the right to challenge for the Champion's seat."
Sato nodded again. He was already aware of this.
"But do you know the rules of the "final" challenge?" Lance's tone turned serious.
Sato shook his head. Though he'd always had his doubts, since he hadn't reached the top Elite Four position yet, he hadn't bothered digging into what came after.
As long as he was strong enough, he'd just keep pushing forward. If you had power, you could brute force your way through.
Lance seemed to notice Sato's dismissiveness, and his tone grew even more earnest.
"The Champion's seat isn't that easy to claim. It requires more than just overwhelming strength. Reputation and contributions are just as important."
"First, strength. A regional Champion must be able to face all three other Elite Four in uninterrupted full-team rotation battles… and win!
That is, a 6-vs-18!
Second, the Champion must earn the approval of over 70% of the region's population. Truly becoming the people's choice.
Third, the Champion must have made at least three major contributions to the League, as judged and approved by League Headquarters.
The first part is doable. But the hidden traps in those last two… tsk tsk tsk..."
After speaking, Lance took a deep breath. He'd also been shocked when he first learned what it took to become Champion.
He looked down, expecting Sato to be surprised…
'…Huh?'
Sato's brows were slightly furrowed. His eyes didn't show shock, only mild confusion.
"…Don't you think these requirements are insane?" Lance felt like a lump was stuck in his throat. He just had to get it out.
Sato raised an eyebrow and looked at the taller Lance, then said bluntly, "What I find most confusing is… isn't Champion level supposed to be a clearly defined 'tier'?"
Lance froze. His first instinct was to think Sato was showing off.
But seeing the seriousness in Sato's eyes, he opened his mouth, then chose to explain honestly.
"It is a clearly defined tier. But true Champion level Trainers are extremely rare. So rare that a region might go a hundred years without producing even one!
So the League defined the role of Regional Champion with more flexible criteria. Anyone who can go 1-vs-3 against the Elite Four is already among the top of the top.
If they also meet the fame and contribution requirements, appointing them isn't unreasonable."
As he said this, Lance suddenly thought of something and added, "Of course, the whole Kanto Region is an exception. Being the League Headquarters, their Champion must be a genuine Champion level Trainer."
"So that's why it's been vacant all these years…?"
"Exactly!"
Sato nodded. The doubt in his heart was finally resolved. At the same time, he became even more aware of how lucky he was to have trained under "Champion" Fujin.
But thinking back on all the time Fujin had taught him, Sato realized something. His "mentor" had never once demanded that he become a Champion level Trainer.
Instead, he often encouraged Cynthia to go for that title…
Could it be that Fujin had already seen Cynthia's greater potential… that she had a higher chance of breaking into Champion level?
Good thing he had Dark Energy!
If nothing else worked, Gengar had absorbed a Domain, so racial limitations no longer held him back. Even if it took time, they'd outlast the odds.
Thinking that, Sato chuckled to himself.
"Hey hey hey, what are you daydreaming about? I'm right in front of you!" Lance couldn't take it anymore and shook Sato back to reality.
Sato snapped out of it and smiled as he jabbed back, "Just thinking how happy I'll be to beat you twice~"
"Y-You you you… WHERE DID THAT SWEET AND INNOCENT LITTLE SATO GO!?" Lance widened his eyes and pretended to be heartbroken.
But the next second, he straightened up with his usual cocky flair.
"It'll be me who beats you twice. Don't come crying to your girlfriend for comfort afterward, TAHAHAHA!"
"Let's wait and see, you single old man…"
"…" Critical hit!
Lance left, his steps full of quiet sorrow as he walked out of the training room, once again failing to gain the upper hand.
Sato sat back down and fell into thought.
Lance had brought a lot of information during this visit. Beyond what they had discussed, he had subtly revealed something else.
To this day, no one in the League had told Sato what came after the tournament, which meant no one truly believed he was capable of becoming Champion.
Even if someone did know, they either weren't close enough or didn't have the chance to mention it.
Sato's connections in the League were extremely limited. So limited that only a "rival" had come to inform him.
Sosuke's position wasn't high enough to cover everything. That wasn't his fault.
Sato thought deeply for a long time, then turned to look at the Pokémon still training hard.
The Champion's seat and the title of Champion Trainer… what he had always pursued was never the former.
Once your strength reaches the peak, why should any rule matter?
Influence? He'd become the influence!
With that clarity, Sato felt more fired up than ever. He no longer had any interest in reading Lance's data!
To become a Champion Trainer, why worry about the outcome of a single battle?
This was just a whetstone!
'Hn…'