Before the Fossil revival machine was fully developed, Pokémon fossils only held collector's value. But in the near future, Devon Corporation would be the first to pioneer Fossil revival technology.
By then, a well-preserved Pokémon Fossil could easily sell for eight or ten million.
So whether it was 100,000 or 200,000, to someone like Sato who wasn't short on money, it was nothing more than a completely risk-free, spontaneous investment.
Besides, Mark was one of the Three -strategically suspicious- pillars of the Shadownight Gym. In front of outsiders, Sato definitely had to have his back.
And now the stall owner was the one looking sour. Pokémon fossils were extremely rare, otherwise, he wouldn't have priced it so blatantly at 200,000.
But now that he'd suddenly slashed it in half, he started to suspect whether these people had set him up on purpose…
"What, now that I've got money, you won't sell~? Weren't you bragging just a minute ago…?"
Mark refused to let up, and his smug attitude made the stall owner grit his teeth.
"I'LL SELL!"
The stall owner roared, then snatched the debit card from Sato's hand and swiped it viciously through the reader.
"Easy, easy~ No matter how hard you swipe, you're only gonna get a fraction of two-hundred grand. Don't waste your strength~" Mark added shamelessly.
Stall owner: RAAAAAAGH (╯‵皿′)╯!!!
The stall owner really wanted to snap back with "stop pretending to be a Snorlax with a full wallet!" but in the end, he held his tongue.
If that money really was just pocket change, it'd be a double slap in the face…
Seeing the cardholder standing there cool as ice, he ultimately chose to give in.
---◓---
"We Trainers… what a good day it's been~"
On the way back, Mark hugged the Fossil he'd bought with Sato's card, humming cheerfully the entire time.
It wasn't until they returned to the hotel that Sato finally stopped him casually.
"Alright, hand over the Fossil."
"Huh? B-but I…" Mark instinctively tried to resist, but then remembered that it had been Sato's money. He could only change his words on the fly.
"I-It was me… who carried it back!"
"Mm… I know. Eat two extra bowls of rice later to make up for it."
Mark: [_?]...
Something felt off… but he couldn't quite find a way to argue back.
In the end, Mark could only watch as Sato mercilessly snatched the Fossil from his arms and stored it into his spatial backpack.
"Wait a sec! Boss, why didn't you say so earlier? I carried this thing all the way back! iIt's heavy!"
"Well, I saw how much you liked it, so I let you carry it a little longer."
Off to the side, Fitzwilliam burst out laughing on the spot, with a Psyduck-style "kwaa!"
Mark: ???
Even Joseph, who was still heavy-hearted, couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. His mood visibly lifted.
He could tell Sato was joking around on purpose to cheer him up.
Afterward, Joseph walked off alone to contact his uncle, clearly intending to try and find the old man who had given him Comfey.
Fitzwilliam went off to report to Drake, while Mark declared that his heart had suffered a deep wound and only bed-cuddles could heal it…
As usual, Sato rented the hotel's private training room to make up for the morning practice he'd missed.
It wasn't until dinnertime that everyone gathered at the restaurant once more.
Taking advantage of everyone being present, Elite Four Drake announced the arrangement for the second half of the exchange match.
"In three days, the two of you will face Kalos's Elite Four candidate in the E4 Battle Arena. Let me make one thing clear. The final Trainer sent by the Kalos League is Siebold. He possesses at least one Elite Four level Pokémon!"
"Hsssss…"
Everyone at the scene gasped; but at the same time, they grew even more excited.
This was an Elite Four level battle! Had their own Gym Leader already grown that powerful?
Yes, even the head of the Narcissus Family, Mars, had been defeated by their Gym Leader. Now facing just one or two Elite Four Pokémon seemed… almost easier by comparison.
"Sato, I know you've defeated true Elite Four Trainers more than once, but don't get careless. Even among Trainers of the same rank, the gap in strength can be very obvious. The higher the level, the wider that gap becomes!"
"Yes, I know." Sato nodded "obediently", "humbly" accepting the advice.
Trainers like Mars -who poured most of their energy into managing a Family- often had half their strength stacked up through sheer resources. The higher their level, the more obvious their weaknesses became.
But among the Elite Four candidates of the Kalos League, such cases would clearly be much rarer.
Joseph's older brother Siebold must have realized this too. That was probably why he held back when Joseph had challenged him.
Even when their father Mars had interrupted mid-battle -trying to make Siebold a stepping stone for his younger brother's fame- Siebold hadn't resisted. Instead, he'd gone with the flow and chosen to leave.
---◓---
Time flew, and three days passed in a flash. During that time, neither Sato nor Fitzwilliam stepped out of the hotel.
Drake also made a last-minute effort, earnestly training them for three straight days.
And if anyone benefited the most from it… it was undoubtedly Sato's Hydreigon!
---◓---
"This is where the match is happening? What kind of 'Elite Four-only battlefield' is this supposed to be?!"
Mark couldn't help but complain as he stepped off the plane and stared at the vast stretch of barren wilderness before him.
"Elite Four Trainers have immense destructive power. Battling outdoors is the best choice. And don't be fooled by how empty it looks. There are definitely artificial rivers dug throughout the center. It fully accommodates any type of Pokémon."
Fitzwilliam explained proactively; it was clear he'd been to places like this more than once.
"Sato, pay attention to my brother's Greninja and Blastoise. Those two are definitely his aces."
Seeing Joseph so shamelessly siding with an outsider, the group struggled to hold back their laughter. They wondered what kind of expression his brother Siebold would have if he saw this.
"Got it," Sato nodded at Joseph, then without hesitation called his Honchkrow and climbed onto its back.
In this kind of match, air-based command provided the best view of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Joseph's brother Siebold also mounted a Mantine and flew into the battlefield.
The referee, already in place, stood steadily atop a heavily reinforced Magnezone enclosed in iron bars and began to announce the rules.
"…Then, both sides, send out your Pokémon!"
Boom! Boom!
Two flashes of red light. Primarina and Gengar appeared on the battlefield simultaneously.
Everyone recognized Sato's golden-eyed Gengar, but most people present had never seen Siebold's Primarina before, an extremely rare Pokémon.
But Sato knew it well… He was very aware that it had the Fairy type and was the Water-type starter from the distant Alola.
"NOW, BATTLE BEGIN!"
"Primarina, Hyper Voice!"
"Gengar, Toxic."
The moment the battle started, the two sides immediately took completely different approaches.
"Sitting" atop a bubble, Primarina opened with a powerful Hyper Voice that formed rippling blue soundwaves.
Meanwhile, Gengar vanished and swiftly closed the distance, launching Toxic onto Primarina before it could react.
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150 PS - CH