After Professor Birch and Grovyle reminisced about the past, he handed the drink to his daughter and let her play with Grovyle. Then, he led Satoshi to a quieter corner, clearly intending to have a private conversation.
"Professor Birch, don't you have something to say?"
Satoshi knew this was a rare opportunity and decided to take the initiative.
"Honestly? Not much. The Treecko you received was indeed raised by me, that's all."
Despite being a researcher, Professor Birch wasn't someone with low emotional intelligence. He laughed it off, trying to keep things light.
"But the Treecko I sent out just three days ago has already evolved into Grovyle. And from what I observed earlier, it's about to evolve into Sceptile soon."
"How did you train it? This evolution speed—do you know how many people you'd scare to death if they found out? If I didn't see that Grovyle looks completely healthy, I would've suspected you of using some kind of dangerous enhancement drug."
Professor Birch rattled off a series of comments, all centered on Grovyle, clearly trying to change the subject.
"There's nothing wrong with my training methods," Satoshi replied calmly. "But now is not the time to talk about that. Professor Birch, don't try to dodge the question—you know what I'm asking."
There was no escaping now. This was his chance to get answers, and he wasn't going to let the Professor slip away.
"Ah… young people are always so impatient," Birch sighed.
"Yes, yes, I know you're about to give me a lecture, Professor. But let's get to the point, shall we? By the way, as a Trainer, I'm not really interested in your research career."
At this, Birch nearly choked.
"…You brat," he muttered before sighing again. "Fine. You can ask your questions, but I'll only answer selectively. And you have to believe me—we mean no harm toward you."
Satoshi wasn't entirely convinced, but he nodded.
"Alright, first question—who told Brock my name? And why did Misty act so strangely before our battle?"
Misty thought she had covered up her behavior well, but Satoshi wasn't fooled.
The night before their gym battle, Riolu had used its Aura to secretly monitor Misty. That's how Satoshi knew she had received a phone call from someone, instructing her to use her full elite strength against him.
He hadn't asked her about it then because he was in a hurry to leave. But now, he wanted answers.
"You can't know that person yet. Next question."
Professor Birch's response was immediate, as if he had anticipated the question.
Satoshi narrowed his eyes.
"Don't I have the right to know? I've already become a senior trainer in just four days. You should know that much by now."
"Your growth rate is astonishing," Birch admitted. "I didn't expect you to train Treecko so well in such a short time. But…"
Satoshi scoffed. He already knew that whenever someone started a sentence with 'but', the next thing they said was never good news.
"No matter how fast you grow, as long as you haven't reached a certain level of strength, we can't let you know who's watching you."
"Too vague," Satoshi replied. "What do you mean by 'a certain level'? Are we talking Elite-level? Champion-level? Master-level?"
"If you mean Master-level, then we have nothing to discuss," he continued. "Even reaching Elite-level takes time, and I don't have time to waste on this."
Birch hesitated for a moment before answering.
"It's hard to say, but it's definitely not Champion-level or Master-level. I'd guess… Elite-level."
Satoshi nodded slightly. That was good news.
"Alright, next question. Why did you have the gym leaders use Pokémon stronger than what was officially allowed? Were you trying to stop me or train me?"
He asked this with a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
"Of course, it was to train you," Birch replied without hesitation. "If you weren't strong enough, it would have been better for you to stay and train before moving on."
The Professor spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But I bet the person who made that decision didn't expect me to actually win."
Satoshi smirked.
"Even with the increased difficulty, I still beat them. You have to admit, I'm pretty good at tactics and combat awareness."
"Even if my Pokémon were trained well, it was my strategies and team coordination that let me defeat stronger opponents. Wouldn't you say I'm a combat genius?"
This time, Birch actually looked genuinely impressed.
"I won't deny it," the Professor admitted.
"In fact, both I and the person behind this were shocked by your performance. When you faced Brock's Mega Aerodactyl, none of us believed you had any chance of winning."
"But then… you won."
"You didn't rely on brute strength. You used endless tactics to create an upset victory—a true example of the weak defeating the strong. That's not something just anyone can do."
Satoshi leaned back slightly.
"Interesting. So if I hadn't beaten Brock, would you have forced me to stay in Pewter City and train until I did?"
"Of course not," Birch chuckled. "First of all, we had no idea you would move so fast—traveling from Pallet Town to Pewter City in a single day. That was already unexpected."
"Secondly, we thought you would lose because you spent more time traveling than training your Pokémon. It seemed logical that you'd struggle."
"But then… well, you surprised us."
Satoshi nodded. That explanation made sense, at least.
"Alright, then let me ask one more thing."
"The Poké Ball that was delivered to me right after I defeated Brock—how did that happen?"
"Even if you were watching my battle live, it would have been impossible to send me Treecko's Poké Ball so quickly. How did you pull that off?"
Satoshi locked eyes with Birch.
This was the question he had been most curious about. The timing of that Poké Ball's delivery was way too suspicious.
End of the Chapter.
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