Drake glanced at Sato and let out a cold snort.
"Heh, I say one word and you puff up already. Among the Kalos League's E4 candidates, some have already reached Elite Four level power."
Everyone exchanged looks, finding it hard to believe. They had only ever heard of power shortages and a lack of top-tier Trainers.
Was the Kalos Region really so safe and peaceful that it could have a surplus of combat power?
On this point, Drake didn't shy away from praising them. "That's the source of their confidence. The Kalos League has already reached the point where over half the children in the region are given the chance to become Trainers.
They may not go as far as giving everyone a Starter Pokémon… but the Pokémon given to the children at least all possess Elite level potential."
"Hssss~"
Everyone immediately gasped. Now this was true wealth and power; and it clearly showed how much the Kalos League invested in developing Trainers.
Among those present, Sosuke and Ponyo were the ones most deeply affected.
If Sato hadn't chosen them, the two of them might never have owned a Pokémon with that potential in their entire lives. Let alone had the chance to witness the vast and exciting world of Pokémon!
The two of them were already the pride of their entire village, their status completely surpassing the village heads. But between the two villages, only one Elite level Trainer had emerged from each; and that was thanks to the resources provided by the Shadownight Gym.
Over the years, both villages had been allocated a few slots to train at the Shadownight Gym, but compared to the number of eligible children, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
A glimpse through a tiny crack can reveal the whole picture. In places with Gyms or cities with economic prosperity, things were slightly better.
But in towns and villages without Gyms, it was nearly impossible for even one real Trainer to emerge in an entire year.
Still, many children dreamed of becoming Trainers, so what could they do?
They could only become Bug Catchers…
Drake had seen the annual statistics compiled by the League. In Kanto and Johto, only about one-fourth of age-eligible children received Starter Pokémon with Elite potential.
Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova did slightly better, with around 30% coverage; but still far from Kalos's 50%.
Then again, it was precisely because Kalos had developed rapidly and prospered economically that it could support the rise of Pokémon-related professions in turn.
Of course, this touched on deeper issues of social wealth distribution and the resource monopolies held by large Families and conglomerates.
Sato suddenly found himself understanding why the Kalos League chose to build an independent city. Perhaps it really was an attempt to escape the infiltration of large Families and other powers. Starting with geography.
Come to think of it, after the Narcissus Family split, it might seem like Siebold had lost his strong backing, but it could actually make him even more favored by the League.
Fortune and misfortune… how could they be summed up in just a few words?
Mark: Just look at me (〃'▽'〃)!
"Ahem… I'm telling you all this to get you to take the upcoming regional exhibition match seriously. Don't go thinking that just having an Elite Four level Pokémon means you can rest easy!"
Drake sounded like he was "advising" everyone, but his eyes didn't blink once as he stared directly at Sato. The targeted tone couldn't be more obvious…
Sato: (◎_◎;)?
Who am I?
Where am I?
Is he talking about me?
"Um… since everyone's here, why don't we go ahead and finalize tomorrow's lineup and battle order?"
Finally, it was the "kind-hearted" Fitzwilliam who interrupted Elite Four Drake's endless staring.
"Mhm, Fitzwilliam, Sato, Norman… and Joseph, you four."
"Right, where's Norman? Why hasn't he shown up?" Sato suddenly realized someone was missing…
---
Norman: Am I really that forgettable ┗(ヘ)┛?
Sato: No, someone forgot you… but I dare not say their name.
----
"Norman ran into a pretty good Pyroar in the wild. He's trying to catch it now and should be back tonight."
"Oh."
Sato nodded. He was just asking casually anyway.
"Elite Four Drake, I won't be participating in this match. Let Mark take my spot, he's stronger than me."
At that moment, Joseph, who had been quietly listening the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
Drake looked at Joseph… then turned to Mark, wearing a look that screamed: Are you kidding me?
Even Mark, normally carefree, was clearly fired up by Drake's doubt. He instantly stood up and declared with absolute confidence:
"I'm requesting to go first! I'll crush the other side so hard they'll be picking their teeth off the floor! Just you wait, Elite Four Drake!"
And so they waited… all night.
The next morning, well-rested, everyone marched toward the Kalos League HQ under Drake's command.
Among them, Mark was easily the most excited. With Sato and Joseph backing him up -and Drake having no better option- he had finally secured the first spot in the lineup.
Of course, Drake's thinking was simple; so long as Sato was anchoring the team, even if they lost early, it wouldn't end in disaster.
Soon, they arrived at the match venue and saw the rotund President of the Kalos League, along with several other high-ranking officials.
The only one Sato recognized was Wikstrom, one of Kalos's current Elite Four.
His heavy ancient armor made Sato feel exhausted just looking at him…
At the same time, Joseph's older brother Siebold was unsurprisingly on the opposing side, clearly one of Kalos's chosen competitors.
Once Drake smoothly wrapped up a friendly exchange with the other side, the exhibition match officially began.
"Now commencing the exhibition match between the Kalos League and the Kanto League. Each side will send four participants. Each Trainer may use three Pokémon in a rotation-style battle.
Once all of one side's Pokémon have lost the ability to battle, the match will end and the other side will be declared the winner.
Then, will the first Trainers from each side please step forward!"
"Kalos League, Richard Mason. Pleased to meet you."
"Kanto League, Mark. LET'S DO THIS!"
The first battle was between Mark and a man whose appearance and name were both completely unremarkable.
The only memorable thing about him was that, like Sato, he specialized in Dark-type Pokémon!
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Once the two stood ready, the referee shouted clearly.
Bang! Bang!
Two flashes of red light, Mark's Togekiss and his opponent's Malamar appeared on the field at the same time.
…First step of the Luck -mascot- King: type advantage!
"BATTLE, BEGIN!"
"Malamar, Light Screen!"
"Togekiss, Nasty Plot!"
Second step of the Luck -mascot- King: stat boost… unimpeded!
After Nasty Plot, Togekiss's Special Attack rose dramatically, while Richard played it safe and used Light Screen to bolster Special Defense.
"Malamar, Psychic!"
"Togekiss, Air Slash!"
Third step of the Luck King: cut, cut, cut without thinking!
•
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200 PS - CH