Pokémon: Above the Top

Not every problem needs to be resolved through confrontation. Myron's honesty and sense of responsibility made it impossible for the three of them to keep pushing the issue with Tetsuya.

Fortunately, Sato had achieved his goal. If Jasmine could inherit the Gym sooner and become his neighbor, that would certainly be better than having Tetsuya next door.

With the Sweep Operation already past the halfway point, the three of them didn't assist the others upon returning to Shadownight Town. Instead, they began sorting through the batch of wild Pokémon that had been temporarily caught.

Dark Energy couldn't cover all Pokémon types, so it was time to use the Pokémon Potential Analyzer to check them one by one.

Even though he had Potential Enhancement Serum, it didn't mean Sato would wastefully burn through the resources at his disposal.

As a "major" Gym, Shadownight Gym was supposed to become self-sufficient, and in turn, support Sato.

Massive early-stage investment was understandable, but having Sato bankroll everything indefinitely was not a healthy situation.

This had nothing to do with how rich Sato was.

Moreover, the Sweep Operation was a legitimate way for the Gym to obtain outstanding Pokémon. Releasing them all without selection would be truly foolish.

Currently, the registered Trainers in the Gym only had an average of two to three Pokémon. This was a perfect chance to let them add new partners.

But sticking to a strict quality-over-quantity principle, even Elite-level potential Pokémon wouldn't be kept unless they were truly exceptional.

Sina, having barely completed his task, was allowed to pick one. Mark, on the other hand, could only watch with envy.

"Just accept it. Maybe if you cause some big trouble next time, you'll earn yourself a new partner," Sato joked cheerfully to Mark, who replied with an eye roll so hard it could flip to the sky.

Sina looked left and right, unable to get a word in between the two "big bosses." So he quietly fastened the selected Capture Ball to his battle belt.

"Made your choice?" Sato turned and asked with concern.

"…Yeah. An Elekid that inherited Fire Punch and Ice Punch. I think it's really worth training." Sina pulled the Capture Ball back out, looking at Sato with hopeful eyes, he might as well have written "please teach me" on his face.

"Inherited moves can continue awakening. Elekid might not have the Fighting type, but it's still strong in close-range combat. You can dig deeper into that area."

Sato offered a few pointers, referencing its future evolution into Electivire.

"Got it, Leader!"

"When can we go out again? Staying in the Gym all this time, I don't think there's any danger at all," Mark declared shamelessly, planting a flag for disaster.

Sato gave Mark a long look, his guard instantly raised.

'Mark's mouth… truly cursed!' After filtering through the batch, Sato kept eight solid Pokémon, two of which even had Pseudo-Elite Four-level potential.

Unfortunately, one was a Sunflora, the other a Ledian… Sato had no plans to train them, and even Sina wasn't interested.

Their base stats weren't great, and both had already evolved. With Sato as their leader, everyone's standards had risen considerably.

Still, potential was potential. Out in the wider world, many would want them.

Of the remaining six, Sina took the Elekid. The others were temporarily placed in the newly completed Mimicry spaces, becoming part of the Gym's foundation.

---

Two days later, unable to sit still, Mark dragged Sina off to assist Joseph.

As for why Mark brought Sina along, Sato simply smiled and said nothing.

Right now, the League Tournament was in full swing. For Gym Leaders like them, once the Sweep Operation wrapped up, they'd get a month or two to relax.

Only then would a new wave of Trainers come to challenge the Gym, wave after wave, never-ending.

A few days later, Joseph and his group were the first to complete their Sweep Operation, also returning with a large bag full of Capture Balls.

For once, Joseph had finally captured a new partner, completing his team.

"Chikorita? You actually found one of the Johto starters? Is the Forest of Shadows really that resource-rich?" Sato looked at the obedient and adorable Chikorita by Joseph's feet and couldn't help but comment.

After all, obtaining a starter Pokémon through League channels was completely different from encountering one in the wild.

"She's a poor little thing," Joseph didn't elaborate. He simply picked up the Chikorita gently and stroked the large leaf on its head with care.

"Chiko~"

Chikorita affectionately rubbed up against Joseph, still so calm and sweet it made one's heart ache.

Seeing this, Sato had his own guesses and said no more.

However, ever since it was discovered that the Kanto starters could Mega Evolve, the status and value of the Johto starters had dropped dramatically. After all, the two regions were geographically close, and information could be exchanged at any time.

Especially since Charizard Valley was located in the Johto Region, many locals had protested: 'why couldn't Charmander be offered as a starter Pokémon?'.

And looking at the Johto starters themselves, Chikorita had very balanced stats -capable of offense, defense, and support- but sometimes being too well-rounded just made it seem mediocre.

"But if I recall, Chikorita can inherit Heal Pulse, right?" Sato suddenly thought of something.

"You know that too?" Joseph was surprised but nodded. That was one of the main reasons he'd firmly decided to train this Chikorita.

This particular Chikorita had been lucky enough to inherit Heal Pulse!

"I'll need one Grass-type Potential Enhancement Serum," Joseph said bluntly.

"Come to my room later," Sato nodded. It really was just a matter of saying the word.

Next, they filtered through the pile of Pokémon again and picked out six strong individuals. Following Joseph's advice, Sia chose a Jigglypuff that knew Heal Pulse.

Clearly, Joseph had begun fully instructing Sia in Pokémon healing "techniques", and Jigglypuff helped cover Sia's weak spot.

---

About a week later, Amber finally returned to the Gym, bringing Akira, Sosuke, and Ponyo with him.

The Sweep Operation had been extremely difficult for them, it wasn't uncommon for them to encounter wild Pokémon stronger than any of them individually.

Fortunately, with Amber as their anchor, and none of them being the type to give up easily, they eventually made it through the ordeal.

Naturally, the growth they achieved during that time was significant, even Amber had nothing but praise for them.

"Ponyo, Sosuke, you've only had two Pokémon each this whole time, that's still a bit low. So this time, you can each pick one more. Akira, if you want one too, I'll make sure you get one."

From the Capture Balls they'd obtained, Sato barely managed to find five suitable candidates, not even enough for everyone.

In the end, Sosuke chose Magby and Nidoran♂, Ponyo chose Mareep and Nidoran♀, and Akira kept the last one, a Vulpix.

"…Can I trade any extra slots for some supplies?" Akira asked cautiously.

"Of course you can," Sato nodded, agreeing without hesitation.

With that, aside from Trish, every registered Trainer in Shadownight Gym now had at least four Pokémon.