Chapter 93: Double Standards Are Unacceptable
The remaining matches played out without any surprises.
Electabuzz, weakened by Toxic, quickly lost momentum, and within two minutes, it was knocked out.
Sneasel fared even worse, after being hit by Xatu's Miracle Eye, it was completely dominated by Psychic attacks.
Then, with a single Flamethrower from Houndoom, it was instantly eliminated.
With that, Sato and Wester officially advanced to the semifinals!
Unlike the previous day, Sato didn't leave the venue. He had already finished his investigations, so he decided to stay and watch the other battles.
Winning the Tournament came with a significant cash prize, but the real reward was the one-week training session with an Elite Four member.
Even if its actual value was questionable, just being personally guided by a member of the Elite Four was an opportunity most trainers could only dream of.
If possible, Sato also wanted to compete for the championship, but the next three matches left him stunned.
Every battle featured Pokémon at Elite Peak level, flawless coordination, advanced battle strategies, Sato couldn't help but feel that his team's placement in the semifinals… was a bit unearned.
His gaze shifted to Wester.
Ten to one, this was his doing. Even a tournament like this had been tampered with…
Sato figured it was best to keep things simple for himself.
...
With only four matches scheduled today, the organizers didn't waste any time, all battles were finished by noon.
Afterward, Sato and Wester left the venue together, heading out to find something to eat.
"Tomorrow, there's no easy matchup. Are you finally going to use Zoroark? Otherwise, winning will be tough."
Wester spoke openly, showing no concern about Sato knowing that he had rigged the tournament.
So direct.
As an opponent, this kind of behavior was despicable, like when they had intercepted Sato's Pokémon data before.
But as his teammate, Sato had no right to complain, after all, he was enjoying the benefits.
Double standards were unacceptable.
"No need. Even if I use Zoroark, we'll still have a hard time winning."
Compared to his past life, Sato's growth rate in this life was staggering. Because of that, he often worried that his Pokémon hadn't built a solid base.
That's why Zoroark had remained at Elite Intermediate since its evolution, and Sato wasn't rushing it at all.
"Be careful for the next few days," Sato warned after a brief hesitation.
"Hmm? Alright."
Wester was momentarily surprised, but he didn't press for details, he simply kept Sato's words in mind.
As Wester lowered his head in thought, Sato felt relieved, but also annoyed.
Handsome, rich, and now understanding too? How were other people supposed to compete?
Suddenly, Sato grabbed Wester's arm and pulled him into a side alley.
A few moments later, two ordinary-looking men walked to the corner where Sato had turned. They glanced briefly down the alley before continuing forward.
The entire sequence took less than three seconds.
Across the street, Sato and Wester stood at another intersection, silently watching the two men.
To passersby, their actions seemed completely normal, people naturally glanced down alleys when passing by. But anyone paying close attention would immediately notice something was off.
"We're being followed?"
"Yeah. Don't alert them, let's deal with it after the tournament ends."
Wester's confusion deepened, but seeing that Sato wasn't explaining, he chose not to ask.
Obvious attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden threats are much harder to deal with.
Then again, now that the hidden threat had been exposed, it was no longer a real danger.
…
In the semifinals, Sato and Wester finally suffered defeat.
Ariados and Houndoom experienced a rare loss, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Even with fourth place, the prize money was substantial, though Wester didn't care about it at all.
Still, Sato transferred half of it to him immediately.
Neither of them left the tournament immediately, they still needed to attend the award ceremony after the finals tomorrow.
Wester had no shame in sticking around for recognition, and Sato had his own reasons for staying.
Sato soon realized that all four semifinalists were being followed and monitored. Sen had already received the warning message, and there was nothing more Sato could do for him.
With his anonymous alerts being sent daily, it was only a matter of time before Sen took them seriously, a one-time warning could be seen as a prank, but after multiple times, he wouldn't be able to ignore it.
As for the targets of the Blue Badge assassins, Sato had already figured it out, they were after the four semifinalists.
Meanwhile, Green Badge assassins were assigned to eliminating weak or non-combatant League officials.
As for his master's target, Sato still wasn't sure.
The only small advantage was that, aside from Wester staying in a luxury hotel, all the other trainers were staying at the Pokémon Center.
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Time passed at a steady, unhurried pace.
Sato had memorized the entire layout of the Pokémon Center, even venturing into staff-only areas under the guise of helping Nurse Joy.
Finally, the last day arrived, the finals concluded amidst thunderous cheers, and the award ceremony took place.
Sato held onto the certificate given by the organizers, but his mind was entirely preoccupied with the impending assassination attempt.
Sen and Yanagi (Pryce) sat just as they had on the first day, their expressions unchanged, as if they weren't concerned at all.
Once the ceremony ended, a wave of interviews followed. By the time everything wrapped up, it was already afternoon.
Then, the Top 32 trainers, including Sato, were invited back by the organizers for a grand feast at a reserved hotel; a final event to officially conclude the tournament.
Sato, being a kid, naturally didn't drink, keeping himself fully alert. Throughout the night, he subtly used his Dark Energy to sense his surroundings, staying on guard.
When it was finally time to leave, he boarded one of the organizer's transport vehicles along with the other trainers, returning to the Pokémon Center.
Several of the older trainers had gotten completely drunk, staggering out of the vehicle.
Sato, however, remained silent, his eyes cast downward, deep in thought.
As he approached the Pokémon Center, its red neon lights glowing overhead, his body began to tremble slightly.
Every time he found himself in a situation like this, it wasn't fear that took over.
It was excitement.
After exchanging casual goodnights, the trainers dispersed, each heading to their rooms.
Sato returned to his luxury suite.
Through the narrow gap in the curtains, he could sense the activity outside, tonight, the area around the Pokémon Center was particularly lively.
How many of them were plainclothes officers? How many were disguised assassins?
Even random passersby might just be pretending, each silently observing, secretly wary of one another.
Sato remained calm, took a quick shower, and then went to help Nurse Joy.
The night deepened, Joy had tried several times to convince him to rest, but after failing to change his mind, she let him be.
Having someone to talk to during a late-night shift wasn't so bad, after all.
Crash!
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the building.
Sato immediately stood up, turning toward the source of the noise... the dormitory area.
"Sato, go back to your room! I'll check it out!"
Completely unaware of the situation, Nurse Joy quickly grabbed Chansey and rushed off.
Sato followed closely behind.
Gengar was already hiding in his shadow and Zoroark moved silently at his side.