Pokémon: Above the Top

"Nice work!"

Sato praised Cacturne and Krookodile with a smile before recalling them into their Poké Balls and handing them over to Rose, who was in the audience watching the battle in casual clothes.

Meanwhile, Ford's expression was much darker, though he wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat. Each group had two slots to qualify, so losing one match didn't mean the end.

As for those two who had blatantly talked about Sato losing… both had gone silent. They still remembered that meaningful glance Sato had given them.

[Group E round-robin match two. Contestants Elias Crest and Mei Juno, please take the stage…]

The announcements kept coming. There was barely any gap between matches; clearly, with so many battles scheduled, the preliminaries were being run at a rapid pace.

Although Sato's second match today was in the afternoon, he chose to stay in the stands and continue watching the matches to better understand his opponents.

After all, Cacturne and Krookodile hadn't taken much damage, and with Rose taking them back for healing, there was nothing for Sato to worry about.

At the Ace level, battles didn't necessarily last longer, but their intensity and spectacle had increased significantly.

And the impressive performances from other Ace Trainers often gave Sato sudden realizations; it was a rewarding experience.

While watching, Sato also took the time to review his own earlier performance.

He had to admit that Cacturne and Krookodile had worked extremely well together. The timely use of Sandstorm allowed Cacturne to take advantage of its Sand Veil Ability to evade Fire Blast, while Swords Dance boosted its offensive power.

That's why Charizard was so easily taken down by a Rock Slide followed by a Thunder Punch.

At the same time, Cacturne had kept releasing Cotton Spore. Carried by the sandstorm, the spores spread much faster than before, severely restricting the Speed of the two Flying-types.

Overall, this battle hadn't been won by one Pokémon turning the tide, but by the two working together in perfect sync.

It was grea!

The matches in Group E continued. Every Ace Trainer displayed a high level of skill.

…Even those who had previously underestimated Sato.

Caitlin's performance was also solid. She sent out Gothitelle and Sigilyph and defeated her opponents with relative ease.

However, throughout the match, strange chūnibyō declarations kept popping up, leaving the crowd in a daze… some even wondering if someone had wandered onto the wrong "set".

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"How… how dare you attack the companions of Lady Caitlin… UNFORGIVABLE! PSYCHIC!"

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"I shall throw that vile Vileplume into a sewer… Future Sight! As punishment for its disrespect to the Lady!"

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"Oh Arceus! With a face this beautiful, why must I participate in such a pointless competition… Thunderbolt!"

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"…"

She was a perfectly fine girl, so why had she gone off the rails? Everyone couldn't help but sigh internally.

Only Sato subtly noticed that every time Caitlin gave a command, a clear wave of Psychic energy would ripple from her.

And Sigilyph and Gothitelle would react even faster than Caitlin's actual voice commands, attacking preemptively!

This made Caitlin's spoken commands feel more like after-the-fact commentary… but still, they somehow led her to victory.

Sato had a theory: Caitlin likely used her powerful Psychic ability to communicate directly with her Pokémon, issuing commands through her mind.

As for the verbal commands she gave… they were likely just for show!1

Soon, the five morning matches came to an end. Naturally, there were winners and losers among the group members.

One person had gotten lucky with a bye round, but he wasn't happy at all. Because everyone was still full of energy at the start, this bye round only delayed the beginning of his first match. It didn't serve as a mid-round break.

After receiving notice that the matches would resume at 2 p.m., Sato quietly left the audience stands to go find Rose.

As for who would battle in the afternoon, Sato already had the answer in mind.

Lunch break passed quickly. Cacturne and Krookodile had already recovered their stamina and had even received a full-body relaxing massage.

Looking at the spikes all over Cacturne's body, Sato really wanted to ask Rose how she managed it… but in the end, he chose to stay silent.

Before 2 p.m., the members of Group E gathered at the Arena 3. Even Caitlin, rubbing her sleepy eyes, was carried over by her Sigilyph, still, she wasn't late.

[Group E round-robin match… battle eleven. Contestants Sato and Noa, please take the stage!]

First match of the afternoon was his again?

Sato was momentarily surprised, but still stepped onto the stage quickly. His opponent, Noa, turned out to be one of the people who had commented on him that morning…

During the lunch break, many contestants had used the time to look up information on their group opponents, Sato included.

Noa, from Vermilion City in Kanto, held the rank of Major in the Pokémon League's military operations unit.

Straightforward by nature and quick-tempered, he had also trained under Lt. Surge and specialized in Electric- and Water-type Pokémon.

That was why Noa had openly talked about Sato, he was just that kind of blunt person.

Likewise, Noa had also looked up Sato's profile. That series of breakthroughs and impressive record made his head ache.

Unlike Sato, who had reached Ace level at such a young age, Noa and his Pokémon had achieved their breakthroughs through repeated life-and-death trials.

And those breakthroughs only came after he was already in his twenties…

Every step forward for his Pokémon had been hard-won.

The two didn't spend much time sizing each other up. Once the referee's whistle blew, they sent out their preselected Pokémon simultaneously.

Red light flashed: on Sato's side appeared Cacturne and Ariados, while Noa sent out Poliwrath and Ampharos.

"Battle start!"

"Drain Punch, Toxic."

Without hesitation, Sato immediately launched an aggressive opening. Cacturne led the charge, its spiraling punch glowing ominously.

Right behind it, Ariados followed close, poison dripping from its fangs, ready to strike whichever target presented itself!

"Poliwrath, Surf! Ampharos, intercept Ariados with Power Gem!"

Poisoning was clearly a serious threat, so Noa didn't hesitate to order Ampharos to intercept.

And to handle Cacturne's close-range assault, Noa had Poliwrath respond with Surf. Clearly wanting to avoid getting tangled up in melee.

'…Had he noticed something?'

Sato had his suspicions, but shouted loudly nonetheless, "Drain Punch, block Power Gem! Ariados, Cross Poison, cut through Surf!"

Cacturne charged head-on into Power Gem, smashing it to pieces.

Ariados also reached Cacturne's side. Its front legs slashed down in a crisscross, and the raging wave of Surf was split into four with a violent strike!

Pre-canon Caitlin…