Pokémon: Above the Top

"Orb-Orb, use Psychic!"

"Luus~"

Even after evolving into its final form, Reuniclus, Orb-Orb's cry remained adorably soft; but its strength had undergone a complete transformation.

In front of Reuniclus, a group of Carnivine lay sprawled across the ground, eyes spinning in circles. Clearly, all of them fainted.

At this moment, it had already been two days since the trio had left Veilstone City. Traveling non-stop, they were now close to Lake Valor.

Back in Veilstone, Sato had received a message from an old friend saying he was currently participating in some sort of competition at Lake Valor and enthusiastically inviting Sato to come watch.

Considering the person's future status and influence, Sato had immediately decided to go and at least show his face. Worst case, he figured he could get in a battle.

In terms of strength, that person's growth over the years had skyrocketed.

Ever since he began his journey, Sato had made quite a name for himself. Everywhere he went, he left behind countless "fans", drawing tears from both boys and girls, leaving no grass behind… ahem, that's enough exaggeration.

Still, Lake Valor was indeed worthy of being one of the three great freshwater lakes in the Sinnoh Region. The closer they got, the richer the ecological conditions became, and the Pokémon density increased accordingly.

Along the way, the trio had to frequently fend off wild Pokémon attacks. Many of them were high-quality, which caused some trouble.

Of the three, Mark was working the hardest.

The reason was obvious. Since arriving in Sinnoh, Sato had consecutively helped Ariados, Weavile, and Gengar break through. Their growth seemed as easy as eating and drinking. Mark admired it, but it also made him feel a bit pressured.

So, for once, the usually carefree Mark developed a sense of ambition. Sato and Joseph were more than happy to see that, and the moment they had the chance, they dumped all the wild Pokémon handling duties on him.

Unfortunately, wild Pseudo-Elite Four-level Pokémon were extremely rare. They couldn't just hope to encounter one unless Mark deliberately used his ability.

But Sato and the others had noticed that as Mark gained greater control over his ability, he actually started using it less frequently.

Unless it was something major, he wouldn't use it at all.

Thinking back to the time the three of them fought over capturing Lucario, both Sato and Joseph felt a chill… Mark's ability was honestly ridiculous.

By evening, the three finally arrived at the only "city" bordering Lake Valor: Valor Lakefront.

Among the three major lakes in the Sinnoh Region, Lake Valor was the only one heavily developed by humans, with a well-known tourist city built along its shore.

Every year, countless visitors came to enjoy the natural scenery centered around Lake Valor.

Valor Lakefront capitalized on the fact that the Legendary Pokémon Azelf was said to reside in the lake, drawing wave after wave of Trainers hoping to witness it.

Because Azelf was also known as the "Being of Willpower", legend had it that it would seek out Trainers with firm resolve and bless them.

Any Trainer who received its blessing would go on to achieve extraordinary things.

Whether that was true or not, no one could say for sure. But there were many stories of people who, after seeing Azelf, went on to either catch powerful Pokémon, defeat much stronger opponents, or receive guidance from top-tier Trainers.

So, seeing the neon-lit, bustling nighttime scene of Valor Lakefront, the three of them were only mildly surprised before heading straight to the address left by Sato's friend.

"Whoa… so we'll be staying here for the next few days?" Mark looked up at the towering seven-star hotel, his face filled with blissful awe.

"…Come on. It's not like we're broke. Wipe that drool off and quit acting like you've never seen the world," Joseph shook his head and dragged Mark inside.

"Slow down, slow down! I haven't finished looking!" Mark complained as he stumbled along after them.

"Excuse me, is Wallace in?" Sato stepped up to the front desk and gave the name of his "old friend", not realizing that the receptionist immediately grew alert.

"Who are you? Why are you looking for him? What's your relationship with him?"

"…" Sato's mouth twitched. He had no idea how to answer that.

"Sato~"

Speak of the devil. Just as Sato was about to argue more with the receptionist, a familiar yet strange voice called out from behind.

Resisting the goosebumps crawling over his skin, Sato turned around expressionlessly… and his chin was immediately lifted by an elegant fingertip.

"Sato~ You made me wait so long!" Wallace leaned in until his handsome face was less than ten centimeters from Sato's, oozing flamboyance.

"AHHHHHH!!!"

Before Sato could say a word, a chorus of shrill screams erupted around them, startling all three of them into a twitch.

"Shhh~"

Wallace, still holding Sato's chin with his right hand, raised his left index finger to his lips and turned to make a silencing gesture to the crowd.

Instantly, the screams vanished. The surrounding fans all covered their mouths, trying not to disturb their idol.

But… who was that hideous guy standing in front of their beloved idol? He… he actually let their idol… lift his chin?

'Too flirty!'

'I want to be lifted like that too!'

"Sat… Sa… ah! Please let go, I was wrong!"

Another wave of screams broke out… but this time, it was full of outrage.

Wallace's finger, which had been lifting Sato's chin, was now being crushed tightly in Sato's palm.

Empowered by invisible Dark Energy, Sato twisted Wallace's finger backward with the goal of testing the very limits of human finger flexibility.

He twisted…

And twisted…

And twisted!

Only after Wallace collapsed to the ground like a quail, neck retracted and begging for mercy, did Sato finally let go of the now-purple finger with a blank expression.

"Sato, you're so cruel!"

Still sitting on the floor, Wallace naturally adjusted into the most "handsome" pose possible, then dramatically complained.

"Heh… if you get any flirtier, I'll really break your legs."

"…Sato my brother, you must be hungry! I've already prepared a grand feast to welcome you properly!"

Wallace sprang up instantly, putting on a serious face, then turned around with a grand wave and marched off to lead the way.

Sato touched the chin that had just been lifted and, catching the faint sound of camera shutters around him, sighed internally.

'Great…' he was going to end up on the front page again.

The Sinnoh Region's sense of "timeliness" in news coverage truly left the other regions in the dust.

If only… it could be used for something that actually mattered.

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150 PS = Extra Chap