Keeping Spinarak

As dusk approached, the sixteen matches finally came to an end. For the sake of the final reward, Sato patiently watched every match, taking note of several Trainers who had performed well before quickly leaving.

He continued training at fixed times and places. Both Zorua and Larvitar were steadily improving, while Haunter had gained something from battle and was currently fiddling with something eerily nearby.

Ghost-types were different, after all. Sato did not rashly step forward to interrupt it. He had a feeling Haunter was attempting something incredible. It was simply intuition.

The next day, Sato arrived at the plaza right on time again. The moment the host saw him, he naturally shifted everyone's attention to the upcoming match.

"Next, please welcome Sato from Bai Feng Town against Wujian from Violet City!"

Bai Feng Town was the identity Sato had just purchased. As for where Bai Feng Town actually was, Sato didn't know either. He tossed out a Poké Ball, and a red light flashed, yet nothing could be seen.

"Scyther, uphold our beliefs and cut down the enemy!"

Wujian was one of the contestants who had performed rather brilliantly yesterday. His Pokémon was Scyther, and he practiced swordsmanship alongside it. "Haunter, Confuse Ray!"

"Such a petty trick. Scyther, close your eyes and search for the opponent with your heart!"

"Toxic!" Sato ignored the other party's endless nonsense. The Confuse Ray dissipated before it could even hit Scyther, but its purpose as a distraction had already been achieved.

Meanwhile, Haunter's two Shadow Claws grabbed Scyther's right leg and left shoulder from above and below.

"Riiip!"

It sounded like tough paper being torn apart. Toxic had actually been unleashed in the form of Shadow Claws. What would it become if Haunter evolved into Gengar? "Despicable! If you have the guts, fight me head-on!" The spirit of a swordsman apparently made Wujian deeply disdain Sato's use of Toxic, and his words were filled with fury.

"Sure. Haunter, rapid-fire Shadow Balls!"

"Scyther, use Slash!"

"Jiejie jiejie~"

Only now did Haunter reveal itself behind Scyther. Nine dark-purple energy balls orbited around it!

"Whoosh!"

A Shadow Ball suddenly shot out without warning. Scyther reacted in time, turning around and splitting it apart with a Slash!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three more Shadow Balls followed, some fast and some slow, some high and some low. Scyther's eyes could not keep up with the rhythm. It barely split apart the first two, but the last one struck its soft abdomen directly!

"Cha!"

Purple light flashed across Scyther's face as Toxic took effect, instantly draining a large amount of its stamina!

"Scyther, Agility! Beat it in speed first!" Wujian had clearly noticed that Haunter's speed was absurdly fast, even a few notches faster than Scyther, which specialized in speed.

"Haunter, Shadow Punch!"

Shadow Punch was a punch that followed the opponent's shadow, a move that never missed!

"Bang!"

Scyther, moving at high speed, was suddenly struck. The impact on its body while moving so quickly was no small matter. Scyther fell straight from the air and rolled across the ground, suffering Secondary Damage.

Then the Poison Light flashed across its face again. Scyther's last bit of stamina was exhausted, and it lay sprawled on the ground in a dishevelled state. Wujian recalled Scyther and met Sato's gaze.

Unconvinced?

Sato sneered. "You're welcome to challenge me anytime!" Without waiting for the referee's final announcement, he turned and walked straight back to the waiting area.

By the end of the day, the eight matches still did not finish until dusk approached. Mainly because the quality of the battles had improved, and the host had become even more long-winded.

On the third day, his Eight-to-Four opponent seemed to have specifically studied Sato and sent out a Dodrio that was immune to Ghost-type attacks and extremely fast.

Haunter, which had always relied on speed to maneuver around its opponents, ran into quite a bit of trouble. It also exposed its... In the end, Sato caught a tiny weakness in Dodrio: its three heads occasionally argued, causing intermittent physical disharmony. Seizing that opportunity, Haunter successfully used Toxic and exhausted another opponent to death.

This time, no one below the stage dared to say they were unconvinced of Sato anymore. Among the top four, Sato was the youngest contestant and also the only Trainer who had not switched Pokémon!

Like that rich young master from before, aside from his initial Feraligatr, he later sent out Houndoom and Xatu. Sato could sense that both their Dark Type and Psychic-type talents had reached the Pseudo-Elite Four Level! However, this also made Sato realize that while his elite-force approach was not wrong, having too few Pokémon was truly a major disadvantage in formal battles! Therefore, the Spinarak Pokémon Egg that should have been sold at the Underground Trading Market was kept by Sato.

Although Spinarak's Final Evolution, Ariados, was not a particularly powerful Pokémon, its Pseudo-Elite Four Level Bug-type talent was still outstanding.

There was another reason as well: Bug-type Pokémon grew quickly and could form combat strength within a Short Period Of Time, perfectly making up for Sato's shortage of Pokémon.

Putting that aside, on the night the Eight-to-Four matches ended, Sato immediately put Haunter through intensive special training to learn a new move! On the new day, Haunter, despite not sleeping all night, was still excited and full of energy. Sato, in contrast, looked somewhat listless, with faint dark circles beneath his eyes.

Without wasting time, Sato once again "arrived on time" at the commercial plaza. Today was the Top 4 Match, and all four remaining contestants possessed considerable strength.

Among them were the rich young master Sato had been watching and the Female Trainer who was Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger. The drawing lots began quickly, and Sato's opponent was soon decided.

The Female Trainer who was Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger! "The first match will be between Hetian from Ecruteak City and Sato from Bai Feng Town!"

"Little brother, go easy on this little lady, okay?" The seemingly delicate girl spoke, and the crowd below immediately erupted into howls and cries.

As someone who had been single since birth across two lifetimes, Sato could not really understand the behavior of the people below the stage. He merely nodded politely and turned back to his command position.

"Come Out, Bellossom!"

"Haunter, Enter the Field!"

"The battle begins!"

"Haunter, turn invisible!"

"Bellossom, Petal Dance!"

"Baa~na~"

Bellossom began spinning rapidly, and countless pink petals swirled through the battlefield, creating a beautiful sight.

"Disappeared?" While everyone else was focused on the petals, only Sato noticed that his vision was filled entirely with flowers, yet Bellossom itself was nowhere to be seen.

"No! Haunter, Shadow Ball Shield!"

"Jiejie!"

Within a small area of the pink battlefield, nine Shadow Balls formed groups of three and linked together, actually creating a complete protective barrier.

Suddenly, a green blur flashed. Sato realized at the First Time that Bellossom was right behind Haunter! Thank you to reader Good Names Were All Taken 111 for the 100 Book Coin reward, thank you Yunhaias for the 100 Book Coin reward, thank you Zhen Qiankun for the 500 Book Coin reward, and thank you Seven-Prayer Wolf King for the 1,000 Book Coin reward! Thank you, everyone!!

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