Pokémon: Above the Top

This poison... Was terrifying!

At first, Koga had refrained from using Poison-type moves, making Sato think that his opponent wasn't taking him seriously.

There was even a slight sense of dissatisfaction in his heart.

But now, it was clear. Even Koga himself had to be careful when using these toxic techniques.

In official League-sanctioned matches, causing fatalities was strictly forbidden.

If a Trainer's Pokémon were to die in battle, unless they had extreme political backing, their Trainer career would likely be ruined forever!

"Give up."

Koga's cold expression remained unchanged.

Although his Muk was also on its last legs, the moment he landed Toxic, he was confident he had already won.

Sato smiled. "Houndoom, Rest!"

Unlike ordinary sleep, Rest allowed a Pokémon to tap into its stored energy, rapidly healing all injuries, including paralysis, burns... and even poison!

"Muk, Sludge Bomb!"

"Houndoom, Sleep Talk!"

Sato stared at the battlefield intensely. Sludge Bomb was far stronger and more stable than Air Slash, Snore wouldn't be enough to stop it.

This would come down to pure luck!

Even while asleep, Houndoom suddenly lunged forward, electricity flickering from its fangs: Thunder Fang!

The charging Houndoom narrowly dodged Sludge Bomb, but its Thunder Fang struck empty air... Not that it mattered.

The next moment, Houndoom snapped awake!

With its Early Bird Ability and rigorous training, Houndoom had already developed muscle memory, allowing it to wake up the moment it executed a move!

"Houndoom, Feint Attack!"

"Muk-!"

Before Koga could finish his command, Muk was sent flying across the battlefield. Thunder Fang may have missed, but it had closed the distance significantly!

"Muk is unable to battle! Houndoom wins! Sato, representative of Goldenrod Gym, advances to the Top 8!"

Sato exhaled deeply... this victory had been too risky. If his strength had been greater, there would have been no need to rely on tactics, let alone gambling on pure luck to win!

"Grrr…"

Houndoom collapsed onto the ground, its body once again covered in purple poison spots.

Muk's toxins were too aggressive. Even after using Rest, Houndoom could only suppress them temporarily!

"Give this to your Houndoom."

Koga walked over, handing Sato a small, bright red pill.

"Thanks!"

Sato had no reason to doubt Koga's intentions.

He came from a long-standing ninja clan, yet he had still earned recognition from the League. That alone proved he wasn't foolish.

After swallowing the red pill, Houndoom vomited out a foul-smelling mass, then began recovering quickly, though it still looked somewhat fatigued.

Rest wasn't an infinite solution. If a Pokémon's injuries were too severe, even Rest had its limits.

And in this battle, Houndoom had been pushed dangerously close to that threshold.

Leaving the stage, Sato was immediately greeted by a flood of envious, admiring, and jealous gazes.

He said nothing. But deep inside, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction.

However, that pride was swiftly erased when Flint and Volkner both won their matches effortlessly.

Flint once again used Infernape and Rapidash, crushing his opponent with overwhelming power.

Volkner did the same, using Luxray and Magnezone to completely shut down his challenger.

The audience might have enjoyed the back-and-forth battle between Sato and Koga, admiring how the underdog managed to win against the odds.

But any real Trainer knew... The most satisfying battles were the ones where you crushed your opponent with sheer strength!

Thinking back on his fight with Koga, Sato couldn't deny, luck had played too much of a role in his victory.

Without using Poison-type moves, Koga had essentially fought with one hand tied behind his back.

If this had been a life-or-death battle in the wild, everyone present combined wouldn't have been able to stop him.

After all... Koga was still a ninja.

Sato glanced at Koga, who was watching the next match with. He thought about how, in the future, Koga would remain a low-profile Gym Leader for over a decade.

But then, with Team Rocket's rapid rise, Johto's Elite Four found themselves desperately short on manpower, and Koga was directly promoted to an Elite Four position.

That alone was proof of his true strength.

Perhaps... he never cared much for this tournament to begin with.

---

The Top 8 matches concluded. Court's elimination was regrettable, but Koga's shocking upset loss left everyone stunned.

And the one who eliminated Koga, Sato, became the center of attention.

Howard, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he looked like he was about to go insane, his reaction was equal parts hilarious and infuriating to those around him.

Soon after, many people began investigating and realized that Howard and Sato's relationship wasn't actually as close as it seemed.

At the very least, Sato's team didn't contain a single Normal-type Pokémon, which was Howard's specialty.

Even Howard's famous "Rollout Strategy" wasn't something Sato had fully adopted.

On the other hand, the Rest + Sleep Talk + Snore combination, while less renowned, at least helped Howard save some "reputation".

That night, after yet another round of being treated to a massive feast by a group of uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas, Sato clutched his stomach and swore—"There is absolutely no way I'm eating a third meal with them!"

----

The Young Elite Tournament schedule was extremely tight,. On the fourth day, the Top 4 battles would take place, and the match rules were slightly adjusted once again.

3v3 Rotational Battles!

It was a relatively standard format, and precisely because it was standard, it forced Trainers to sharpen their strategic planning.

After all, they were still locked into their original six Pokémon selection, there were no substitutions.

"Houndoom definitely won't be able to battle for the next two days. Rest is the priority now."

Sato crossed out Houndoom's name on his planning sheet, then studied the Pokémon that had already been revealed by the remaining seven competitors.

"Alright, I've decided. You'll be my lead Pokémon, and I'll decide the others based on how the battle unfolds."

---

Young Elite Tournament-Day 4.

Unlike the early rounds, where the stadium was practically empty, today, Mauville Gym was packed with spectators.

There were large numbers of administrative personnel within the League, and many of them had the right to attend and observe.

Among them, the Hoenn League's presence was the strongest.

Naturally, the most popular competitors were Hoenn's own: Phoebe and Norman.

Though Phoebe specialized in Ghost-types, her fiery personality, summer-like wardrobe, and playful winks were enough to send the audience into a frenzy.

As for Norman, he always maintained a serious, no-nonsense expression.

However, the moment he smiled, he instantly became the legendary "Housewife Killer."

Since there were only four matches today, and the crowd was significantly larger, the tournament organizers deliberately slowed down the pacing.

They even gave brief introductions on each Trainer's background and battle style.

Sato could only press his lips together in mild frustration. The loudspeaker had just labeled him a "Tactical Genius."

While it sounded like a compliment and undoubtedly piqued the crowd's curiosity, to Sato—"That's just another way of saying my raw strength isn't enough."