"Come on, come on… EVERYONE GATHER AROUND!"
Second Lieutenant Micah clapped excitedly as he called out, signaling the soldiers still training to head his way.
The soldiers responded with impressive speed; even those in the middle of battles recalled their Pokémon without hesitation and quickly regrouped.
In just a few seconds, a full hundred Elite level soldiers had assembled in formation, their military discipline absolutely impeccable.
"Let me formally introduce the man beside me. Independent Investigator Sato from the Johto League!"
"GREETINGS, COMMANDER!"
Clap Clap Clap! Clap…
A sharp, unified round of applause rang out with their synchronized greeting, starting and ending in perfect unison.
Decisive. Crisp. Disciplined!
Sato raised an eyebrow. He could clearly sense that, while small in number, every single soldier in this unit was a battle-hardened, elite "warrior".
He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, just as Micah eagerly started speaking again.
"Commander Sato was PERSONALLY invited by Commander Cynthia from the Kanto Headquarters. He's a top-tier Trainer with unmatched strength among his peers.
And today, we're fortunate enough to have 'Instructor' Sato give everyone battle guidance!
Commander Sato told me he'll only be using his little ones for today's session… he won't use his 'big ones' to crush you by level!
So… who's brave enough to step up for some 'guidance'?"
Micah's words were, on the surface, fairly reasonable. After all, battling within the same level helps both sides improve more effectively.
…But saying it aloud in public? That made it sound like Sato looked down on them; like he only deemed them worthy of his second or even third-tier team.
Was Micah just clueless!?
…Or was he deliberately trying to make Sato look bad?
"COMMANDER! FIRST PLATOON, SQUAD FOUR, MILES REQUESTING 'GUIDANCE'!"
"COMMANDER! SECOND PLATOON, SQUAD NINE, ZEPHYR…"
"Commander! Second Platoon, Squad Three…"
"Commander…"
"COMM…"
"…"
Just as expected, Micah's words were like poking a Beedrill nest. Instantly riling up the pride of the "battle-hardened" soldiers.
'Sure, maybe you're strong… but who are you to look down on us?'
Sato turned his gaze toward Micah… his eyes filled with cold warning. The look made Micah's pupils twitch, and he nearly lost control of his usual pokérmon face.
'Whew…'
Taking a deep breath, Sato decided to take control of the scene himself. He wouldn't give Micah any more chances to stir the pot.
"The first name I heard was Miles… Then let Soldier Miles step forward!"
A moment later, an unremarkable-looking soldier jogged over to Sato and shouted, "FIRST PLATOON, SQUAD FOUR, MILES REPORTING IN!"
"Tell me. What's your strongest Pokémon's level?"
"REPORTING, COMMANDER! PEAK ELITE LEVEL!"
"Good. Now I'll give you two options.
Option one, a same-level match. Option two, a cross-level match against a Low Ace opponent."
Just as Miles was about to make his choice, Sato raised a hand to stop him and continued, "There's no right or wrong between the two. The reward for winning is the same… one vial of Potential Enhancement Serum, Ace-level, in any type of your choosing."
"Hsssssssst~!"
Heavy breaths filled the air as shock rippled through the ranks; clearly, they were all stunned by Sato's generosity.
For Elite level soldiers like them, their Pokémon's potential was the biggest barrier to further advancement.
And the reason they fought so hard… was for a chance to obtain Potential Enhancement Serum that could change their fate!
Or to accumulate enough contribution points to request a Pokémon Egg with Ace level potential; for themselves or for their children.
Now that Sato had directly offered Potential Enhancement Serum as the prize for victory… who could still feel even a hint of dissatisfaction with him!?
"I-I CHOOSE THE SAME-LEVEL MATCH!"
After struggling internally, Miles ultimately chose the obviously easier battle. His goal had shifted from proving himself against Sato to simply winning the Serum.
"You're sure? Cross-level matches may be harder to win, but for a Pokémon that's about to advance, that kind of battle experience is invaluable." Sato confirmed seriously once more.
"Reporting, Commander… I'M SURE!"
"Alright. Second Lieutenant Micah, you'll serve as the referee."
"Yes, Commander!"
Micah responded reflexively, but then couldn't help sneaking a glance at the professional referee still standing by on the side…
There was a referee right there!
Soon, everyone moved to the center of the training grounds at the battlefield, and both Sato and Miles had taken their places at the designated Trainer stations.
"Both sides, send out your Pokémon!"
"Frogadier, battle ready."
"Staraptor, you have to win this one!"
After confirming that both sides were prepared, Micah raised the referee's flag and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Battle… BEGIIIN!"
"Staraptor, Aerial Ace!"
"Frogadier, Double Team."
Sato and Soldier Miles issued their commands at the same time, and both Pokémon immediately sprang into action.
Staraptor flapped its wings and soared, circling swiftly overhead before diving low to strike at Frogadier.
But Frogadier remained calm. With a kick of its legs[1], it dashed straight toward the center of the battlefield, and in that instant, multiple Double Team clones began splitting from its body.
Even though the soldiers were only watching, they were ordered to remain silent. Still, when they saw Frogadier split into dozens of clones at once -each one moving differently- they understood clearly…
'This young Commander Sato… was no joke!'
"Staaar!"
Staraptor pierced one of the clones cleanly, but knowing it hadn't hit the real target, it immediately tried to retreat into the sky, not wanting to be surrounded by Frogadier's fakes.
But Sato had used Double Team with one purpose in mind: to launch a coordinated ambush!
In the next moment, his command was nearly simultaneous with Frogadier's movement.
"Ice Punch."
"Frog¹[2]."
Dozens of Frogadiers leapt toward Staraptor, making it impossible to tell which one was real.
"STARAPTOR, CLOSE COMBAT!"
Sato gave a sidelong glance at Miles, thinking, 'That counterattack was fast… but Frogadier won't give you the chance to pull it off.'
In the next moment, waves of Ice Punches rained down on Staraptor from every direction, and hidden among them was the real Frogadier.
"STAAAAR!"
A cry of pain rang out. Frogadier had landed a clean hit to Staraptor's chest. The freezing energy not only caused massive damage, it also significantly slowed Staraptor's movement!
No need for Sato to give the signal; Frogadier clamped its legs around Staraptor's tail, and with its left hand, unleashed another Ice Punch!
THUD-
A heavy thud sounded. Staraptor, flapping desperately in midair, lost balance and began to fall straight down.
"STARAPTOR!" Miles shouted in panic, afraid his partner would be injured further from the impact and started to rush forward.
"Water Pulse."
"Frog."
Before Miles could reach the field, Frogadier had already fired a pulsing Rasen-… water orb downward!
Water Pulse burst on impact. Sending a huge splash into the air that caught both the falling Frogadier and Staraptor midair.
"…"
•
•
¹.To cool. No "!" for Sato, Frogadier or Greninja
[1] Shunshin no Jutsu??????? Soru??????
[2] To cool. No "!" for Sato, Frogadier or Greninja