Pokémon: Above the Top

Boom!

The massive Gliscor crashed to the ground. After kicking up a huge cloud of dust, it remained completely still.

Weavile excitedly waved its claws, and without surprise, its aura began surging wildly, rising higher and higher… breaking through into Pseudo-Elite Four in one leap.

If Ariados had broken through first because of how quickly Bug-types tend to evolve.

Then Weavile was the oldest among Sato's Pokémon and had the most built-up strength, so after defeating Gliscor, its breakthrough came naturally.

"Congratulations, Weavile!" Sato laughed joyfully. So far, everything on this trip to Sinnoh had gone incredibly smoothly.

The successive advances of Ariados and Weavile made Sato extremely happy, but thinking about it carefully, it really wasn't all that surprising.

After three years of building up, most of his partners had long been stuck at Peak Elite, with their "foundations" fully ready.

Now they were like barrels of gunpowder: no need to light a match; even a small spark could make them ignite.

So, the most important thing right now was to find them suitable opponents for their breakthroughs and complete this "final rite".

"Come back and rest for now. Feel the power of your new stage and try to master it as soon as possible," Sato said as he returned Weavile to its Poké Ball.

"Boss, we've got a problem!"

Sato turned around to see Joseph and Mark walking over with frowns on their faces, looking puzzled.

Gliscor was already taken care of. With only Floatzel left, there shouldn't be much trouble. So what could the problem be?

"Boss, you might not believe this, but even if we hadn't come, Boshire Town would've fallen into a huge crisis before long!" Mark said seriously, then began eagerly repeating what Komachi had just told them.

As for Komachi herself, she had naturally gone off to take care of the unconscious Gliscor.

It turned out that the strange fact that Boshire Town had no other Trainers had already been true for nearly a hundred years, going all the way back to Komachi's grandfather's era.

At that time, the League hadn't yet become the dominant power in Sinnoh. Various factions were fighting for control, each wanting to rule the Sinnoh region.

Even remote towns like Boshire would occasionally hear news from the outside world.

Komachi's grandfather was named Guso. In his youth, he and a few others around his age were fascinated by the vast and colorful world beyond. They didn't want to spend their whole lives confined to Boshire Town.

So, after planning for a while, Guso rallied a few friends and, on a dark and windy night, took a fishing boat and left Boshire Town.

Years passed. Just when the people of Boshire had grown used to Guso and his friends leaving without a word, Guso returned.

He came back alone.

When the families of his companions questioned him, asking why only he had come back, Guso said nothing. He simply remained silent.

Not long after, the townspeople realized that Guso had become incredibly powerful.

Whether they were going out to sea to fish or heading into the mountains to hunt, Guso would quietly send out his Pokémon to protect everyone in town.

Originally, such a person should've been respected and admired by all. But because he had left with friends and returned alone, people never truly accepted him.

At first, no one welcomed Guso's "compensatory" actions. But there was no way to stop a strong Trainer from stubbornly doing what he believed in.

Gradually, people came to accept Guso's silent efforts. Eventually, they even started to feel like it was only natural. It became a habit.

This was Guso's way of atoning… to the people of Boshire Town.

From beginning to end, Guso never said a word in his own defense.

Until the day he died, the only thing the residents cared about was one question: "When you're gone, who's going to protect us from getting hurt? That's your responsibility!"

And so, Guso's only son, Guro, took on the duty of protecting Boshire.

Although Guro wasn't particularly strong, he had spent many years living alongside his father's Pokémon. Following Guso's dying wish, the still-living Gliscor, Floatzel, and… Yanmega chose to stay and continue protecting Boshire Town.

Unlike Guso, who had always been stubborn, Guro had sensed the way people treated his family differently since he was a child.

Once he understood the full story, Guro knew he had no right to blame his father. All he could do was use his own strength to slowly erase the prejudice and hatred passed down from the previous generation.

Especially after his father's death, Guro -now free from emotional burdens- began openly negotiating with the locals.

He would continue to protect Boshire Town, but the grudges of the past had to end there. He didn't want his own child to be affected too.

Everyone compromised. But then a new problem emerged, the three Pokémon also didn't have much time left.

When Guso passed away, he wasn't even fifty yet, so he was still able to leave Gliscor and the others with Guro for a few more years.

But what about after those three Pokémon died? Boshire Town had long lost its ability to resist outside threats. Without Gliscor and the others to protect it, even a minor retaliation from wild Pokémon might be more than they could handle.

In the end, Guro left Gliscor and Floatzel behind to continue guarding Boshire Town, while he took Yanmega and the Cherrim his father had given him and left once again.

"So the Gliscor and Floatzel we encountered these past few days… are actually products Guro created after learning about Totem Pokémon?" Sato said, unable to stop a trace of admiration from rising in his heart. Raising Totem Pokémon… was that something a normal person could even do?

"That's what Komachi said. And also, the ferry line to Boshire Town, the school in the town center… those were all things Guro forcibly established while he was still alive. His goal was to connect Boshire to the outside world and gradually help it gain the ability to defend itself," Mark nodded, adding more context.

"But even now, Komachi is still the only Trainer in Boshire Town. So it seems the results are pretty underwhelming," Joseph shook his head, clearly not optimistic about the town's future.

Boshire Town's development had become distorted. It had completely neglected the orientation for new Trainers. In the Pokémon world, it was an oddity.

It was just like the saying: it's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go back. Once people had a more comfortable life, why would they go through hardship, risk their lives, and struggle to succeed?

"Then what exactly did you mean earlier when you said we've got a problem?" Sato, after sighing slightly, suddenly recalled another issue.

"The current Gliscor and Floatzel were both raised by Guro. Although they're 'Totem Pokémon', they don't hold the authority of true Totems. They can't command the surrounding wild Pokémon at all. All they can do is constantly fight to suppress threats, which makes protecting Boshire Town incredibly exhausting."

"And now that Guro has passed away, even though he told Gliscor and Floatzel on his deathbed to listen to his daughter Komachi…"

"Komachi hasn't lived alongside those two Pokémon. They don't have any bond with her. Right now, they're still guarding Boshire Town mostly out of respect for their old companion, Cherrim…"

"Oh right, Cherrim is the one Komachi was holding earlier. It's quite old…"

"So, Boshire Town could fall into crisis at any time. Everything depends on Gliscor and Floatzel's moods."

Joseph and Mark explained in sync, laying out the entire problem "clearly and thoroughly".