The Trial Tournament had reached the evening of the second day. Battles in the cave were rapidly decreasing, and after a full day of fierce fighting, most participants had chosen to stop and rest.
"17 White Flags, 9 Green Flags, 2 Blue Flags, and finally 2 Red Flags… for a total of 282 points!"
In a concealed underground cave, Sato and the other four sat around together. After Joseph finished calculating Sato's total points, everyone couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"What was the winning score in the last Trial Tournament?" Mark excitedly tugged at Ryoko and asked.
"I think it was 298 points. But we've only competed for two days. We'll definitely catch up tomorrow… and maybe even surpass it~" Ryoko replied, her tone full of excitement. After all, it felt like they had already secured the final victory.
"We can't afford to relax. Every Trial Tournament always includes five Red Flags. We need at least one more before we can truly rest easy," Joseph, as the team "leader", didn't hesitate to throw cold water on their enthusiasm.
"Absolutely~"
"No problem!"
"Hahaha, boss, you've got this!"
Hearing the others speak with such certainty, Sato instead frowned and shook his head.
"If getting the Red Flag at the anthill still kept us under the radar, then stealing the Swoobat Red Flag in front of everyone has me worried that tomorrow we'll be targeted."
"You mean… region-based targeting?" Phoebe caught on to the key point instantly, and her expression changed.
"After all, among the participants, we're the only ones not from the Unova Region. Whether it's a matter of pride or regional unity, they definitely won't want us taking first place."
"So what? It's not like we can just sit out a whole day. If we need to go, we go!" Mark said indifferently. He might not be the strongest, but his mouth never backed down.
"Yes, we go when we must. But if things get too tough, we just need to make sure no single team gets three Red Flags," Joseph reminded them. Everyone immediately nodded in understanding.
That night, Sato didn't go out alone to search for Mission Flags again. Instead, he chose to quietly meditate, recovering both his stamina and mental energy.
Unless something unexpected happened, three Red Flags would appear tomorrow. Each one would surely spark a brutal battle, they needed to be in top condition.
Chi~chi
In the dark, a faint rustling sound echoed. Sato opened his eyes to find Ariados anxiously scratching at the ground.
"What's wrong?"
Sato gently stroked Ariados's little head, trying to calm its restless mood.
"Dos-Dos!"
Ariados nuzzled Sato but then broke away, circling around him twice and chirping non-stop.
"It feels like it's about to advance to near Pseudo-Elite Four, but something's still missing…" Joseph's low voice suddenly came from behind.
"You're still awake…?" Sato kept his voice down too, not wanting to disturb the others.
"Viridian Power helps me recover quickly. A little lost sleep won't matter." Joseph waved it off, then pointed at Ariados. "You should focus on this one instead."
Ariados immediately moved closer, placing its front legs on Sato and looking up at him pitifully.
"Don't rush. You haven't had a full-on, intense battle in a long time. Tomorrow, you'll take the lead, fight as hard as you want."
Ariados nodded wildly, clearly thrilled.
"The most important thing now is to rest. Otherwise, if you're too tired to fight tomorrow and end up losing… don't come crying."
"DOS!" Ariados grunted defiantly, as if to say, "You're the one who's gonna cry!"
Without waiting for Sato's reply, it got into its Poké Ball and went straight to sleep.
"…Didn't expect Ariados to already be about to advance to near Pseudo-Elite Four. That's some really fast growth," Joseph said with a sigh.
"Ariados advancing quickly is a good thing. If it were slow, I'd be worried…" Sato didn't finish, but Joseph already understood perfectly.
Bug-type Pokémon did grow quickly, that was true… but their lifespans were short. Even those with extremely high potential often didn't reach full development before their bodies passed their prime.
After all, all life moves from youth to maturity, then from maturity to decline, and eventually death.
A normal Ariados had an average lifespan of only ten years. Compared to other Pokémon -or even humans- that was extremely short.
That's also why it was so rare to see Elite Four-level Trainers who specialized in Bug-types. Even the only future Bug-type Elite Four, Aaron, didn't have a true Bug-type as his ace. His strongest was Drapion, a Poison/Dark-type.
Of course, there were exceptions: like Volcarona, or the Mythical Genesect. But Ariados clearly wasn't one of them.
"Don't dwell on it too much. I've heard of a few items that can extend a Pokémon's lifespan. Once you're stronger, you can go try to find them."
"There's really stuff like that?" Sato was skeptical but couldn't help asking.
"Yeah. Things like the WorldTree Core, Ocean Dew, and Blood Crystals are said to have those effects," Joseph said like reciting a list, but clearly Sato had never heard of any of them.
"Ai ya, Ariados's issue is still a long way off. What matters most now is getting a good night's rest," Joseph said, patting Sato on the shoulder, yawning as he returned to his sleeping bag.
In that moment, Sato's lack of foundational knowledge was completely exposed. He silently memorized the names of those items… he would definitely look into them when the chance came.
---
The night passed without incident. Everyone who had rested well woke to the smell of breakfast in the air.
Pure bliss.
After eating, they geared up and set off. It was the final day, and while none of them could deny their fatigue, they were all mentally exhilarated.
After all, first place was within reach. As long as they didn't get reckless, they could win.
But two hours later, Sato and the others stood in silence as Marlon and Jona took the third Red Flag from the underground dark river, a wave of helplessness washing over them.
The underground dark river was home to a massive Seismitoad colony: extremely hostile toward any intruders.
All of Sato's team combined had only a handful of Water-types. They had no way to break through.
Most of the other participants were in the same situation.
It was a trial set in a cave, after all. Places to use Water-types were rare.
Unless someone had an amphibious Pokémon like Samurott… who would've brought one?
But of all people, Marlon had a Seismitoad. He directly convinced the leader of the Seismitoad colony and secured the Red Flag without a single battle.
Sato suddenly remembered: the host had clearly said during the rules briefing that gaining the guardian Pokémon's recognition also qualified as claiming a Mission Flag.
Unfair? Sure. But also irrefutable. If you didn't like it, you could try catching a Seismitoad and see if it would hand over the Red Flag.
Less than ten minutes after Jona got the Red Flag from the Seismitoad, the fourth Red Flag appeared.
By the time Sato's group arrived, they found that this time, the guardian Pokémon was alone.
…Elite Four level.
Bisharp.
"SATO! I-IT'S-!" Mark couldn't hold back and shouted. He recognized that Bisharp.
"Yeah, I know."
Sato grinned wide.
Their luck had turned. This time, it was their turn!