Pokémon: Above the Top

Time passed, and it had already been three months since Sato destroyed Team Rocket's research base.

During that time, Sato also celebrated his twelfth birthday in this life.

…Every time someone remembered that Sato was only twelve, everyone in the Gym couldn't help but secretly murmur "monster".

And thanks to Joseph's careful attention, everyone "secretly" organized a moderately sized surprise party on Sato's birthday.

Although Sato had long been used to not celebrating birthdays, he didn't want to spoil everyone's mood either, so he "obediently" listened to the birthday song, closed his eyes to make a wish, cut the cake, handed out slices and…

Ahem, the last part didn't happen. No one dared to smear cake on Sato's face.

Still, it was a fulfilling moment, and it made Sina and the others -who were usually trained to death by Sato- change their view of him.

He wasn't extremely, extremely, extremely hard to approach… just extremely, extremely hard.

---

"The desert Mimicry space is finally complete. The final inspection will be done today, and then it can be put to use."

At this moment, Joseph and Sato were standing outside the construction site, where a engineer wearing a safety helmet was reporting to Sato.

"Thank you for your hard work. Since the Mimicry space will go into use immediately after completion, please make sure nothing goes wrong."

Sato made a serious request. After all, this concerned the future of his ace, Pupitar; there was no room for carelessness.

"Don't worry, this isn't the first Mimicry space I've built. There won't be any problems at all," the engineer assured confidently before turning around to get back to work.

"I'll go contact Joy," Sato said and walked straight to the backyard. He couldn't wait any longer.

Joseph watched Sato walk away and helplessly shook his head; it was rare to see him this unsettled.

In the video call, Lilian Joy, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, still looked sleep-deprived as usual.

When she learned that Sato planned to bring Pupitar back for good, she immediately perked up.

"The Gym's Mimicry space is already finished? Hopefully it's not a shoddy job… environmental conditions have a big impact on Pupitar's growth."

Lilian couldn't help but comment. Ever since the issue with Tyranitar's Mega Stone, Sato and the Joy family no longer had the close bond they once shared.

Right now, Pupitar was still being kept in Joy Town, which was practically the last thread maintaining their relationship. Once Sato took Pupitar back permanently, without regular interaction, that relationship would naturally fade.

"Hold on, I'll go get Pupitar," Lilian said. She had no reason to refuse.

Ten minutes later, Pupitar hadn't appeared, but Sato saw someone else he hadn't seen in a long time… Haruka Joy.

"Long time no see, Haruka," Sato greeted her with a smile, his expression unchanged.

"What a surprising transformation… as expected, the world belongs to the young," Haruka sighed a bit, then continued asking about Sato's recent status.

"Sato, even though it might be too late now, I still owe you an apology… I'm sorry!" Aunt Haruka spoke seriously through the screen.

"Haruka, you don't need to say that. The Joy family is huge, and not everything can be decided by you alone. I understand," Sato replied. After all, things had already come to this point.

"Sato, rest assured. I've always been fighting to get you that Tyranitar Mega Stone. I truly believe it won't be settled until the stone is officially in your hands. And your growth has been so incredible that some people have had no choice but to start listening to me."

"Then I'll trouble you with that, Haruka."

Sato cheerfully agreed, though he didn't tell her that Lance had already given him the Tyranitar Mega Stone long ago.

But no one ever complains about having too many Mega Stones. Sato wasn't some inexperienced kid, if there was a benefit, he would take it.

"Lilian's back, so I won't keep you any longer. Be careful during training, and reach out if you need anything."

"Okay," Sato nodded, though deep down, he no longer cared as much as he used to.

"Sato, I'm going to transfer Pupitar to you now. It's almost ready to shed skin for the second time, so keep an eye on that," Lilian returned to the screen, already holding a Poké Ball in her hand.

"Thanks."

The wired Transfer device activated, and Pupitar was quickly sent over. Sato immediately opened the Poké Ball.

"TAAAR~"

Pupitar's eyes curved with joy, it was clearly happy to see Sato.

"The Gym's Mimicry space is complete. From now on, you can stay by my side as you grow," Sato said while stroking Pupitar's rough, worn, gray armor. He knew it wasn't because Lilian hadn't taken good care of it, it was due to Pupitar getting ready to shed skin.

"Pu-pu~"

Pupitar jumped with excitement, shaking off a good amount of dirt and stones from its body.

"That's all, I'm hanging up." Sato ended the call with a sharp "click," completely straightforward and efficient.

On the other end, Lilian hesitated to speak. She stared at the blackened screen and sighed helplessly.

She knew that if she wanted to see Sato again, it might be a very, very long time.

"Let's go. I'll take you to see the new Mimicry space. If you're not satisfied, we can still make some adjustments."

"Pu!"

And with that, Sato left slowly with Pupitar, leaving a trail of dirt and gravel behind them.

As the name implies, a Mimicry space simulates natural environments to promote energy absorption and speed up the growth of Pokémon.

The desert Mimicry environment was ideal for Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokémon. Since Pupitar was destined to become the "tyrant of the desert", training here would be twice as effective.

Later on, Sato would also build Mimicry environments for torrent, caves, forests, black holes, and more. After all, he wasn't short on money.

Two months ago, the portal to the Reverse World had been successfully established. Using the power of the Relic Crown, materials could now be sent back and forth periodically.

As a result, Zillion's living conditions were no longer an issue, and the Reverse World -an undeveloped realm- had become Sato's private resource depot.

With Pupitar's official return, old friends like Zoroark all came by to say hello.

Seeing the "weathered" Pupitar, Ariados was quite worried and even offered its share of Sweet Milk.

"Pu-pu~"

Pupitar smiled and declined. Looking at the "little sister" who used to trail behind it and had now reached Peak Elite, Pupitar's determination to grow stronger became even more resolute.

"No rush. We'll be here when you're ready to soar," Sato said as he patted Pupitar, offering comfort.

Pupitar shook its head indifferently. After spending so much time asleep accumulating energy, it had become more calm and steady.

"You're about to shed anyway. Let's go take a trip back." Sato said this not only because of the Mimicry space.

"Pu?" Pupitar didn't quite get it. Go back? Wasn't this its new home?

"To the Indigo Plateau… to find Tyranitar!" Sato said with a smile, and Pupitar trembled all over. This time, it was truly excited.