After his battle with Lucian, Sato went on to fight three more matches, and luck was not on his side.
Two 2v2 relay battles and one 3v3 relay battle!
With Zoroark and Umbreon out, these three battles were incredibly tough.
His three opponents, having learned about his previous victory over Lucian, were desperate to defeat the widely acknowledged number one contender!
With that mindset, they put up a tough fight, significantly wearing down Sato's Sharpedo and Cacturne; only Weavile and Houndoom remained!
This news spread rapidly among the participants.
Now, people were saying that anyone matched against Sato in the afternoon was basically hitting the jackpot!
Those words made it clear: they saw Sato as nothing more than a stepping stone to fame.
But Sato himself? There wasn't a trace of regret in his mind about going all out against Lucian!
Even if he could redo the battle, he would still go head-to-head with him!
The difference was, after the match, Lucian had sent out his Pseudo-Elite Four Gallade, shutting down any speculation!
Meanwhile, Sato's full team had already been exposed, giving others a so-called "hope" to challenge him.
Since that was the case, an interesting idea suddenly popped into Sato's mind...
During his lunch break, he immediately called Lilian Joy.
"Lilian, how many Mega Stones have you received recently?"
"Aren't you in the tournament? How do you have time to call me?" Lilian, still groggy from lack of sleep, rubbed her panda-like dark circles and yawned.
"Oh, you're asking about the Mega Stones? I'll tell you a secret, we've already gathered over forty of them!" she said, her voice filled with pride.
'Forty Mega Stones?!'
Sato sucked in a sharp breath.
So this was the efficiency of the Joy family when they went all out on something... it was incredible!
The more Mega Stones they gathered, the higher the chances of his Pokémon getting a suitable one.
He hadn't forgotten Matriarch Haruka Joy's promise!
Since they had already collected so many Mega Stones, then his little idea shouldn't be a problem anymore!
"I encountered Lucian in the tournament, and after an intense battle, I took a lot of damage. I want to use Mega Evolution!"
Lilian, still applying eye cream, was so startled by Sato's words that her hand slipped, squeezing out way too much cream.
"Ugh! Wait a minute, I need to contact the Matriarch!"
Lilian glanced at the wasted eye cream with a heartbroken expression before rushing off to call Haruka.
Once the call connected and she explained the situation, the Matriarch quickly fell into deep thought.
Right now, only the Joy family and Sato knew about Mega Evolution.
The longer they could keep it a secret, the more leverage they had.
However, Haruka knew the truth... the search for Mega Stones had hit a bottleneck.
On the surface, they had collected nearly all known Mega Stones, but the remaining ones would take much longer to find.
So what? Should they forbid Sato from using his own discovery? That wasn't their right to begin with. Sato was just informing them as a courtesy.
Moreover, letting Sato use Mega Evolution now might not be a bad thing.
Haruka still remembered. Sato's Key Stone and Mega Stone had been specially concealed!
Others might not understand why, but maybe... this could be used to their advantage.
In just a few seconds, the Matriarch had already analyzed all the pros and cons.
"Mega Evolution is your discovery, Sato. If you want to use it, we have no objections. In fact, if anyone asks after the battle, just tell them the Joy family is handling everything, I'll take care of any problems for you."
Sato grinned and nodded.
'This woman... truly deserved to be the head of the Joy family!'
Her decisiveness, strategic mind, and the way she made it seem like she was doing Sato a favor were masterful.
Now that was the art of negotiation!
After hanging up, Haruka immediately issued a series of orders, preparing to support Sato in officially revealing the existence of Mega Evolution!
The lunch break was barely an hour long.
Although Zoroark and Umbreon had regained consciousness, their stamina was still low.
However, it didn't matter anymore!
If Lucian could once again intimidate the crowd, then so could he!
Lucian wasn't convinced? Then he'd make sure Lucian had no choice but to accept it!
That afternoon, Sato arrived at the assigned battle arena right on time. His opponent's eyes shone with undisguised excitement, but Sato remained calm, hiding the cold sneer in his heart.
"This match will be a 3v3 Relay Battle. When one side's three Pokémon are all unable to battle, or if a Trainer voluntarily forfeits, the match will end!"
The referee announced the rules with a serious expression, even sparing a glance at Sato, a trace of sympathy flashing through his eyes.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Already aware of what was coming, Houndoom was just as thrilled. The moment it was released, it couldn't resist howling toward the sky!
On the other side, Poliwrath was sent out. Clearly, the opponent had done their research and was prepared to counter Sato.
"Houndoom, Mega Evolution!"
The moment the battle started, Sato didn't hesitate to activate Mega Evolution. If he was going to make an impact, he needed to strike with overwhelming force right from the start!
A dazzling, multicolored glow engulfed Houndoom. Moments later, the sleek and imposing form of Mega Houndoom emerged, making its official debut in a public match for the first time!
At that very moment, the entire Joy family went into full action mode. Reports, broadcasts, television programs, and online news exploded with coverage about Mega Evolution, flooding every channel in an instant!
Mega Houndoom's presence was fully unleashed. The sheer aura of a Low Pseudo-Elite Four level Pokémon paralyzed Poliwrath, rendering it completely unable to attack!
"If you're not going to move, then I will!" Sato smirked, his voice bursting with confidence as he gave his command.
A massive, purple-red fireball rapidly formed, expanding to nearly two meters in width before launching straight at Poliwrath!
The fireball's speed wasn't particularly fast, but whether due to shock or sheer intimidation, Poliwrath stood frozen, completely motionless!
The purple-red flames engulfed Poliwrath, crackling wildly as the flames devoured its body.
The Poliwrath's agonized screams echoed through the battlefield!
As the flames dispersed, Poliwrath lay sprawled on the ground, charred black, its condition unknown.
Even the referee was too stunned to announce the result.
Only Sato remained calm, casually glancing at his opponent, who was now completely petrified.