Another clear and sunny morning. Wingull chirped crisply on the deck, and now and then, one or two Wailmer leapt playfully out of the nearby sea, following the ship.
These round, plump creatures were very gentle. Perhaps because their evolved form, Wailord, was already massive, they were full of curiosity about the cruise ship, which was even larger than Wailord by far.
It was said that if a ship sailing at sea was followed by Wailmer, the travelers would be blessed by the "Sea God" and enjoy a smooth and peaceful journey.
However, when Sato accidentally saw a crew member secretly capturing the Wailmer that had been following them into a Poké Ball, only to replace them with a fresh batch full of energy, he thought:
'Anyone who still believed that legend…
Was a complete fool!'
With no more mood to admire the blue sea and sky, Sato pulled Pichu out from the arms of an unfamiliar girl, and regardless of her indignation, went straight back to his room.
"Hmph!"
Mark, who was playing with Togepi in the living room, gave a loud huff when he saw Sato walk in, making sure he heard it.
Sato heard him.
…And ignored it.
Clearly, Mark was still brooding over Sato participating in the tournament, but after watching him defeat opponents one after another, Mark felt his stance was becoming more and more untenable.
Actually, Mark had already regretted trying to stop Sato last night, but he was too proud to apologize.
Now, Mark huffed again on reflex. When he saw Sato completely ignore him, he panicked.
'Did the boss really get mad?'
Mark felt wronged. How did he end up with a "boss" like this who didn't care about his feelings?
He swore, as long as Sato took the initiative to apologize... took the initiative to... just talk to him, that'd be enough, he'd forgive him.
"Joseph, when's lunch?"
"Almost done, just wait a bit."
"Let me know when it's ready. I'm heading back to the room."
After saying that to Joseph, Sato went straight back to his room, not even glancing at Mark, who was holding his head high like a sulking Taillow.
'Spoiled you too much…'
From behind the sofa, Arbok cautiously poked out its head, sensing the almost tangible "resentment" swirling around its Trainer.
'I don't know what's going on, and I don't dare ask. Time to slither away quietly...'
---
By 9 PM, Sato estimated that the advanced bracket matches were about to begin, so he got ready to leave.
When he arrived at the living room, he was surprised to find Mark, for once, seriously reading a book.
'But… since when did books print their covers upside down?'
Sato was surprised to realize that Mark was still sulking, while Joseph looked over with a gloating expression that didn't even try to hide itself.
"…My match is about to start. Are you two coming to watch?"
"I'm fine either way. What about you, Mark?" Joseph pretended to be innocent as he tossed the question to Mark.
Mark looked up with an aggrieved expression at Sato.
'If you didn't know any better, you'd think he'd been severely mistreated.'
"You coming?" Sato asked again with a laugh.
"Of course! Without me watching your back, you might get unlucky and lose the match!" Mark felt like he'd won a round, tossing the book aside cheerfully and dashing out ahead of them.
"..."
---
The three arrived at the arena. Sato was taken away by the staff, while Joseph and Mark headed for the spectator seats, making sure to place their bets on Sato winning.
The advanced bracket matches usually began at 10:30 PM and ended at 3:00 AM. Even with such a flipped schedule, the crowds never seemed to thin.
The biggest difference between the advanced bracket and the warm-up matches was that the prize money started at 100,000 Pokédollars per match, and winners would also receive a 5% profit share.
Don't underestimate that 5%, as long as Sato could win, the profit share alone would exceed the base prize.
Here, if you had the strength, making money wasn't hard. The hard part was winning consistently, while also maintaining enough strength to handle any surprise.
After all, Pokémon being maimed or even killed, was not uncommon.
Time quickly reached 10:30 PM. As the reigning "Rookie King", Sato was scheduled to appear in the first match of the advanced bracket.
When his opponent appeared on the command platform, Sato's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
Abell, contestant No. 48, was nicknamed "The Mutilator." Just from that nickname, one could guess what kind of twisted opponent this refined-looking man really was.
Still, Sato wasn't afraid, just significantly more cautious.
At that moment, a giant spinning wheel suddenly appeared on the big screen. The wheel had two concentric rings.
The inner ring was divided into three sections, labeled "Single," "Double," and "Mixed."
The outer ring was divided into four parts, labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4.
"Contestants, please spin to determine the match format!"
The wheel on the screen spun rapidly. Abell called stop first; the inner ring stopped on the word "Mixed."
At the same time, the numbers 1 and 2 on the outer ring instantly changed to 3 and 4. That meant the entire outer ring now only had 3 and 4, each occupying half.
Sato stared blankly at the spinning wheel, 'A setup like this to decide the format? It could easily be manipulated from behind the scenes.'
But audiences just loved this kind of thing. The moment they saw the match would be a mixed battle, the crowd erupted in excitement.
Whether it was three or four Pokémon in the mix didn't matter; more Pokémon meant more chaos, and the more intense the fight, the happier they were.
"Stop."
Sato cooperatively called stop. The pointer landed on number 3, meaning this match would be a 3v3 mixed battle.
'All this flashy nonsense…'
It felt to Sato like filler just to pad things out.
Fortunately, the referee didn't drag things out any further and announced directly:
"Both contestants, release your Pokémon!"
Bang bang bang…
A series of Poké Balls opened, and in a flash, six Pokémon appeared on the battlefield simultaneously.
On Sato's side, Sharpedo, Ariados, and Weavile stood side by side.
But Ariados quickly retreated to the rear while Sharpedo and Weavile automatically stepped in front to shield it.
Abell sent out Electrode, Golem, and Venusaur.
Because it was a three-on-three mixed battle with all Pokémon out at once, type synergy mattered somewhat; but more importantly, it all came down to the Pokémon's overall strength and the Trainer's commands.
And in terms of strength, Abell's three Peak Elite Pokémon completely outclassed Sato's lineup in level.
The advanced bracket was making it very clear from the first match: young contestants like Sato were not going to be treated kindly.
In the advanced bracket, anyone below Mid Elite was virtually nonexistent.
"Battle Start!"
As the referee's voice rang out, neither Sato nor Abell hesitated, they issued their commands at the same time.
"Sharpedo, Surf- Ariados, Toxic- Weavile, Swords Dance!"
"Double Rollout! Vine Whip Blitz!"
'What kind of absurd commands…' Sato muttered internally while remaining fully alert.