With the decision made to enter the High School League, Satoshi's immediate goal naturally became the upcoming Afro Buffalo Cup.
To rise to a higher level, his daily training was essential—such as battling his three Pokémon regularly to encourage their growth.
In his family's private training room, Satoshi was currently conducting his daily training.
At the same time, he wanted to see if he could develop new moves. After all, this was reality. Technical Machines were indeed the fastest way to learn new moves, but from what he'd learned, Pokémon could also acquire moves naturally through focused training.
In the anime, for instance, there weren't any TMs, yet Pokémon regularly learned moves they couldn't otherwise know through conventional means—completely independent of their levels.
Satoshi had confirmed that much was true, and currently, his Froakie was trying its hardest to learn [Double Team]—a move normally learned at level 43.
Initially, Satoshi's thoughts about this move were straightforward: Seems pretty weak… I'd prefer [Hydro Pump].
But Furiko-san strongly disagreed.
[Don't you think Greninja using Double Team looks super cool?]
Yeah, it does, but we're not in Naruto.
[Ughhh! Dummy Satoshi! We're in reality, remember? Double Team is perfect for looking awesome! Please~ Let me plan the training! I'll even do all the work myself! I'll do anything!]
Okay, okay, calm down...
Sweat ran down Satoshi's forehead, his smile awkward. To be honest, dealing with such an overly enthusiastic "system" embarrassed him sometimes.
[Double Team] probably won't raise evasion like in the games, but it could have practical uses in plenty of situations—like surprise attacks.
Satoshi seriously considered other strategic moves. He'd briefly thought about teaching Greninja [Spikes], but quickly dismissed the idea. Without the [Protean] Ability, using [Spikes] would likely do more harm than good.
Besides, wouldn't his own Pokémon get hurt stepping on [Spikes] too?
He still vividly remembered how ridiculously strong Paul's Drapion had been in the anime—that Pokémon had left a lasting impression.
Ultimately, it all came down to training!
First, he endured Raichu's [Electroweb] repeatedly, helping Raichu practice angles and accuracy.
Next, he practiced directly intercepting Grookey's [Grassy Glide] to sharpen its reaction speed.
Lastly, Froakie worked hard mastering [Double Team], improving its stealth and ambush skills.
Satoshi also took this chance to improve his own physical condition. After dozens of [Electroweb] hits, he barely felt anything anymore—not even a faint paralysis. At this rate, he'd need a direct [Thunderbolt] to feel any stimulation.
To become a Pokémon Master, it wasn't enough just to have battle knowledge; he needed peak physical condition as well!
But lately, Satoshi had found it difficult to make time for everything.
It wasn't just Soyo; even Tomori and Anon had been messaging him far more frequently.
On the other hand, messages from Togawa Sakiko had become rarer—probably due to her exhausting work schedule—and the occasional messages from his family remained superficial.
Unfortunately, he still hadn't regained his memories, so his replies were mostly perfunctory.
Reading the latest batch of messages, Satoshi's eyes grew distant, deep in thought.
"Why do I suddenly have so many girls around me?"
[…Gee, I wonder… Could it possibly be because they like y—ah, forget it.]
Realizing Satoshi's emotional density, Furiko-san completely gave up trying to explain.
"Morning training done; time for school," Satoshi announced, quickly gathering his belongings and recalling his Pokémon into their Poké Balls.
Training was important, but he couldn't neglect his lessons—he often learned unexpected things in class, after all.
Recently, as the strongest student in Class A, he'd attracted a lot of attention. Many classmates—even from other classes—tried inviting him into their teams, constantly pulling off "Tauros behavior" (persistent, bullish attempts).
Some even resorted to older-sister types, beautiful girls, or Gardevoir-themed appeals—the kind Brock might enjoy.
But Satoshi's answer was always a decisive shake of his head:
Rejecting Tauros behavior!
If you can't promise to have Pokémon battles with me forever, what's the point?
Each time he refused, he immediately grabbed Tomori's and Anon's hands and dashed off for training or battles.
But he still couldn't understand why the girls always blushed, acting all shy whenever he did that.
"Hm? I wonder why they're like that…" Satoshi tilted his head in confusion.
[Ugh… Yeah, I wonder why…]
Furiko-san felt utterly defeated. She hadn't imagined Satoshi would naturally manage to "capture" those girls' hearts even without her advice.
With the practical part done, next was theoretical study.
Their theory instructor regularly played videos from Gym Leaders, teaching strategic use of abilities and training methods. Thanks to these videos, Satoshi's theoretical understanding improved significantly.
These lessons covered how to exploit Pokémon Abilities effectively in battle, and detailed methods for practicing specific moves.
Given his Raichu was Electric-type, he paid close attention to trainers specializing in that area—particularly Iono from Levincia Gym in Paldea, and Elesa from Nimbasa Gym in Unova.
Both were incredibly popular as models and streamers, so naturally, the Pokémon League invited them frequently for educational videos.
"When I visit Unova or Paldea, I have to challenge them!" Satoshi thought aloud excitedly, stepping outside and breathing the fresh morning air.
Honestly, he was eager to challenge Iono especially. Her losing reactions were adorable, and the way she bounced around energetically like Regieleki had captivated him.
Regieleki, fastest Pokémon ever!
"Just imagining a battle against Iono fires me up—I could battle her all day long!" Satoshi laughed heartily, his mood brightening.
Meanwhile, far away in Paldea, Iono shivered unexpectedly, rubbing her arms:
"Good morning, afternoon, evening~ Wait... why do I suddenly feel chilly...?"
...
Rainbow Wing Academy, Class 1-A.
"Mutsumi, would you join our team?" Nagasaki Soyo calmly organized her textbooks, then turned toward her friend, Wakaba Mutsumi, who was sitting nearby. Her expression was gently inquisitive.
Wakaba Mutsumi was obviously Gym-Leader level, so having her join would greatly boost their team's strength.
At the very least, she'd definitely be more useful than that useless, cowardly, shameless woman, Chihaya Anon!
Every time Soyo recalled Satoshi holding hands with Anon, her anger surged all over again.
But Mutsumi's answer was unexpected:
Haha… Nope!
"I won't be joining you." Mutsumi shook her head lightly, her expression serene and distant.
"Huh? But why not?"
Soyo was momentarily stunned, confusion flickering in her eyes.
Usually, Mutsumi never had strong opinions and certainly wouldn't refuse outright—but now she had rejected without hesitation.
The answer that followed left Soyo utterly shocked, her eyes widening instantly.
"Because I already promised Sakiko."