Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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The red Gyarados was still very stubborn. It wasn't until Ursaring had beaten it to within an inch of its life and it once again felt the looming threat of death that it finally let out a pitiful wail of surrender.

Sato ordered Ursaring to stop, then slowly walked over to the battered, near-death red Gyarados. First, he activated the high-tech running shoes beneath his feet—and the next instant, he kicked the Gyarados hard in its already swollen face.

"Roooaar~~~"

With that kick, the red Gyarados's head was sent flying again. Already badly injured, it let out another miserable howl. And when it looked at Sato again, there was finally fear in its eyes.

The red Gyarados wasn't stupid. If Ursaring could beat it like a helpless child, and Ursaring himself obeyed Sato without question, that could only mean Sato could deal with it at will—and take its life just as easily.

"Put away that arrogance. In front of me, you're no better than a bug on the roadside, something I can crush at any moment. If you ever dare pull that stunt again, I'll end you. Got that?"

Sato walked up to the red Gyarados again. Raising his foot slightly, he stared coldly into its eyes as he issued the warning.

He felt no sympathy for the Gyarados's miserable state. It had brought this on itself. If it ever dared to attack him again, Sato wouldn't hesitate to personally teach it a lesson again. Besides, with violent Pokemon like Gyarados, a soft approach was never an option. 

"Rrrr..."

Sensing death once again creeping close, the red Shiny Gyarados finally lowered its proud head to Sato in submission.

"What a stubborn fool. You really had to be beaten half to death before learning some fear and common sense. Bellossom, if you would—go ahead and heal it."

Seeing the Gyarados finally submit, Sato was very satisfied internally, though he still wore a look of intensity on his face. After giving instructions to Bellossom, who had been waiting on standby to provide treatment, he turned and walked away.

Compared to the gaping wound it had suffered earlier, the beating Ursaring gave it was mostly superficial—just flesh wounds. Ursaring had shown some restraint and avoided hitting its vital points, so the Gyarados hadn't suffered any lasting damage to muscles or bones.

After about ten minutes of treatment from Bellossom on a Grassy Terrain, the red Gyarados's injuries healed quickly. However, due to Ursaring repeatedly slapping its face, that area was still badly swollen and would take at least a day or two to fully recover.

Sato had three main tasks today:

First, he needed to find other contestants, defeat them, and take their number tags. That way, he could retrieve Ditto as soon as possible to prepare for his infiltration plan.

Ditto was the core of that plan. The sooner he got it back, the better his chances of successfully impersonating Aoki.

In fact, the current tournament rules worked in Sato's favor for this plan. Due to the restrictions, Aoki couldn't have a full team of pre-trained Pokémon. Most would have been caught anew on the island.

So even if Sato's team included Pokémon like Arcanine and Bellossom, it wouldn't raise much suspicion. At worst, people would just be jealous of his luck.

Second, he needed to find a well-qualified Scyther and train it quickly.

Scyther was Aoki's signature Pokémon. If Sato wanted to convincingly impersonate him, he absolutely needed a strong Scyther on hand.

But Sato was still Sato—he didn't want a fully trained, inflexible Scyther. His Rain Team plan involved Scizor, Scyther's evolved form, who played a key role as a dual-defensive asset.

Even though Scizor's main role would be defense, with Swords Dance and Agility, plus the potential to Mega Evolve, it could still serve as a powerful sweeper.

Scizor's biggest drawback was its tendency to overheat during intense combat. Its steel-plated body had poor heat dissipation. Without frequent pauses to cool down, Scizor could essentially cook itself from the inside.

But in a Rain Team? That was different. The constant downpour would actively help it cool down, greatly enhancing its endurance in battle. And with Fire-type moves weakened in the rain, Scizor was a perfect fit for such a team.

So, Sato was determined to catch a young, high-potential Scyther on this mysterious island—not just to complete his disguise, but also to prepare for his future Rain Team.

In fact, he had previously discovered a gold-rated Scyther on a deserted island near Cinnabar. He had planned to catch it after getting stronger, but now the situation had changed, so he had to give up on that one.

Third, he needed to grind levels—relentlessly.

That was the only way he could build the strength needed for the battles ahead. Now that Bellossom was on his team, training had to be accelerated.

Actually, just yesterday, Sato had completed an intense training session. On his way to subdue the red Gyarados, he'd led his team to defeat swarms of Poliwag and Tympole clans.

As a result, Arcanine, who had plateaued for days, finally reached level 44. Bellossom, who defeated the most enemies, reached level 43. Ariados, who had played a supporting role throughout, rose to level 36.

Even Kecleon, who had occasionally jumped in to finish off opponents with Lick and Shadow Sneak, leveled up to 30.

Only Ursaring—who acted more as Sato's personal bodyguard—didn't gain much. Its level remained the same.

After considering these three objectives, Sato decided to head northwest of Spider Forest to a place called Pinsir Forest. According to the map, a powerful Scyther clan had taken root there.

Pinsir, being Bug-type Pokémon with aggressive temperaments and strong territorial instincts, were just the kind of Pokémon Sato strongly disliked—perfect training fodder for his team.

Also, Pinsir Forest was over a hundred kilometers away from Slakoth Forest. With such a long trek, the chances of running into other contestants were quite high.

In fact, Pinsir Forest was famous for its many "Sweet Trees"—trees that secreted delicious nectar. This nectar attracted many Bug-types who fed on it.

Currently, three major Bug-type clans resided in Pinsir Forest: the Pinsir clan, the Scyther clan, and the Heracross clan.

The forest was named after the Pinsir clan because they occupied the largest territory and had even produced a Pinsir of about the Elite Four-level strength.

After beating up some nosy Vigoroth and escaping their pursuit, Sato rode Arcanine from Slakoth Forest into Spider Forest, then smoothly passed through to the border with Shiftry Forest.

"This river's seriously wide… what a pain. And it's crawling with aggressive Carvanha. Crossing won't be easy."

Sato frowned as he looked at the river that split Spider Forest from Shiftry Forest. The map had labeled it a "small river," which now seemed ridiculous.

Even though he had red Gyarados, he didn't dare let it carry him across—not after the brutal punishment he'd just given it. Knowing Gyarados's nature, there was no way it wasn't harboring resentment.

And with so many Carvanha in the water, one misstep could spell disaster. Sato couldn't afford to gamble his life on the red Gyarados just yet.

"Arcanine, head upstream and follow the river."

After some thought, Sato made his decision. Based on his understanding, river channels tended to narrow upstream. With Arcanine's speed and leaping ability, a narrower spot would allow them to cross in one jump.