Early the next morning, after completing his morning training, Sato returned as usual to the open rocky terrain where his Escape course was held.
This time, Rune didn't launch a surprise attack. Instead, he flew in riding on a Pidgeot.
"…TAKING YOU… TO THE… MAZE FOREST… KEEP UP!"
Rune shouted from the air without even turning around, then flew off without another word.
Sato curled the corner of his mouth and sent out Honchkrow, who had just recently reached Mid Ace level.
"Tailwind. Catch up to the Pidgeot ahead."
"Krow!"
Honchkrow's broad and thick feathered back was actually more comfortable to ride than even Hydreigon's…
Very soon, Honchkrow caught up to the Pidgeot. Only then did Sato notice that the Pidgeot was still only Elite level, yet its speed was nearly on par with Honchkrow's.
Sato figured Rune must be the kind of Trainer who focused entirely on speed, firmly believing in the "speed is absolute" philosophy.
Ten minutes later, the Pidgeot's speed finally began to gradually drop.
Sato gently patted Honchkrow, signaling it to slow down as well.
After passing through another canyon, what appeared before them was a lush and densely wooded forest basin.
Whooooshhh༄
Wind and dust swept through. The Pidgeot suddenly descended at high speed and then flared its wings abruptly to brake midair, landing on the ground like nothing had happened.
Sato stopped Honchkrow from doing the same flashy maneuver. Sure, it looked cool, but the rider would definitely suffer! At the very least, it would churn the stomach like a washing machine.
He had no interest in showboating just to suffer afterward.
Honchkrow obediently circled above several times before slowing down and landing steadily beside Pidgeot.
On the other side, Rune silently watched Sato dismount as calmly as ever and suddenly thought… 'maybe… just maybe, this really was how a true genius should behave.'
Composed and steady, never flustered, and not wasting time with meaningless conflict driven by ego.
Compared to that, Rune's own antics over the years really did seem like the clownish behavior of someone who couldn't step onto the main stage…
Sato blinked, staring at Rune who now looked like he was reflecting on life and discovering the truths of the universe! He debated whether or not to interrupt him.
'I'm still waiting for my exam here.'
#Kind-of-urgent!
"Wah! Sorry, I spaced out for a second. So, student Sato, are you here for training mode or the official exam today?"
Thankfully, Rune didn't stay dazed for too long. A moment later, he snapped back and apologized sincerely.
His attitude had definitely improved a lot!
"Teacher, I'd like to take the exam directly."
Seeing this, Sato responded politely as well.
"Sure thing! But before we begin, I have to repeat the rules.
Teleport is strictly prohibited. You also may not fly over the forest using a 'Ride' Pokémon. Everything else is up to you.
Reach the other end of the forest basin within two hours, and you pass."
"Can I use Psychic-type Pokémon?" Sato confirmed again.
"Of course!"
After getting Rune's clear answer, Sato didn't hesitate to send out Ralts and Hydreigon.
"Honchkrow, this forest is too dense for you to operate in properly. Let's save your effort for the next exam."
"Krow krow…"
Honchkrow looked at the forest -barely any open space- and then at its own massive body…
In the end, it could only sigh and return to its Poké Ball, dejected.
Honchkrow had thought it would finally get a chance to show off! But in the end, it had only come out for a brief "stroll". It was feeling pretty miserable…
But there wasn't much Sato could do. His Honchkrow was clearly already an adult, yet its body seemed to be inflating like a balloon; growing bigger and bigger, now even larger than Hydreigon.
Sato suspected that Honchkrow was evolving toward the path of a Totem Pokémon, which was why its body had started growing uncontrollably.
That was a good thing. Naturally, Sato didn't want to stop it.
"Alright then. If you're ready, let's begin," Rune said as he mounted his Pidgeot again.
Sato also climbed onto Hydreigon's back, cradling his unevolved Ralts in his arms, and replied, "Mmh, Ready!"
"Good! Timing starts… NOW!"
With that, Rune lay flat on his Pidgeot's back, ready for takeoff!
…But nothing happened for a while.
Looking up, Rune noticed that Sato hadn't started flying with Hydreigon into the forest. He was just calmly standing there.
"Mapping out the route first…? As expected of someone so thorough and methodical."
Rune muttered to himself. He also noticed the black Ralts in Sato's arms, radiating waves of Psychic energy.
'But the Maze Forest isn't that simple. It's filled with wild Bug-, Ghost-, and Psychic-type Pokémon; not exactly friendly toward outsider Psychic-types.'
Soon, Sato realized that Ralts seemed to have hit a bottleneck. Beneath its blunt bangs, a faint frown was visible.
"If it's really too hard, go ahead and evolve. I can still carry you."
"Ral~ Ralts!"
The tsundere Ralts immediately objected, blushing in secret where Sato couldn't see.
'What's wrong with staying a loli?!'
( `~ ) tui! Jerk!
A few minutes later, Ralts finally completed a preliminary scan of the Maze Forest and quickly located the most efficient route. Without hesitation, it raised its little hand and "shouted".
"RALTS!" ' Let's go!'
"HY!"
"Drei~"
"GOOON!"
Lefty, Righty, and Middy -who had been dying to move- instantly took off in excitement, charging into the forest. Their resounding dragon cries stunned a large number of lurking wild Pokémon into silence.
They were like three mighty dragons!
Sneak mode activated! ==(o __ ) o
Behind them, Rune scrambled to get Pidgeot moving. Even he had been startled by those earlier roars.
"RALTS! Ralts… Ral~Ralts!"
Ralts issued commands with "great authority" while seated in Sato's arms. Lefty, Righty, and Middy up front didn't complain one bit!
Orders from the Trainer could sometimes be ignored.
But when it came to Ralts-hime… her word was law!
On that point, the three-headed dragon trio had a deeply ingrained understanding.
Meanwhile, within the minds of both Sato and Hydreigon, a mental map of the forest maze had fully formed. Their route forward couldn't have been clearer.
Rune, following behind, was utterly stunned. He realized that Sato had been taking the exact shortest path through the forest from the very start.
But how could such a small Ralts have mapped the entire forest in just a few minutes?
For a second, Rune even wondered if Sato had been here before; maybe that was why he could clear the forest so fast.
And then, in the very next moment, Sato stepped out of the exact optimal path he'd identified.
Rune secretly let out a breath of relief, thinking that maybe Sato would start to slow down a bit now…
Yeah, right!