Pokémon: Above the Top

Ever since Sato arrived in the Sinnoh region, his strength had grown at a remarkable pace. As more and more of his Pokémon reached Ace level, his reputation soared alongside them.

The people of Sinnoh had gone from initial shock and resistance to now being fully accustomed to -and even impressed by- his presence. That transformation of attitude had taken time.

Among Sato's team, Sharpedo was one of his "veteran" Pokémon, and by far the one with the highest battle frequency.

In the first two years after Sato became a Trainer, Sharpedo carried both the aquatic and aerial battles on its back, striking fear into all who faced it.

Even now, many new Trainers continuously tried to imitate Sato by training a Water-type Pokémon capable of battling without being hindered by terrain.

Quite a few succeeded. But even when training their own Sharpedo, without the benefit of the Speed Boost ability, they never gained a real advantage, and many ended up better off raising Flying-types instead.

This only made people realize that Sato's Sharpedo… was one of a kind.

Its true strength came from its unique ability to accelerate continuously.

Just like in the battle earlier: despite having the option to Mega Evolve, Sharpedo didn't use it. Relying solely on its ever-increasing speed, it utterly overwhelmed Steelix.

And with Steelix as the stepping stone, it had cleanly lvlup to Low Ace.

At this point, Sato now had five Ace-level Pokémon: Ariados, Weavile, Gengar, Zoroark, and Sharpedo.

Joseph, on the other hand, remained calm. Since he had always positioned himself as support, he never forced breakthroughs, preferring to let things unfold naturally.

But Mark -standing nearby- was clearly green with envy. His own Arbok, Reuniclus, and Togekiss had all reached the cusp of breakthrough, but none had found the right opportunity yet.

Sato, of course, had taken advantage of his position as a "Gym Inspector" to push Gym Leaders into becoming stepping stones for lvlup battles.

If it had been Mark instead, most would've simply refused the challenge… or used standard Gyms level strength to go through the motions.

After all, a Gym Leader's first lesson was how to hold back without making it look obvious.

"I don't care! Next time we run into an Ace level opponent… so long as they're not a Gym Leaders, I'm taking that battle!" Mark declared, jealousy all over his face. Sato and Joseph couldn't help but laugh.

Sato, still in high spirits after Sharpedo's lvlup, quickly agreed. He, too, "worried" that if Mark kept bottling up his frustration, it would affect his health.

With the Exploration Competition concluded and the exhibition match wrapped up, the ships departed under nightfall back toward Canalave City, but Sato's group didn't return with them. They stayed behind on Iron Island.

Iron Island wasn't large, but it was deep. Its rich mineral deposits supported large numbers of Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-type Pokémon, and the cave systems had become increasingly complex due to underground Pokémon activity.

Exploring the entire island in one day was impossible. The competition was more of a publicity stunt. Holding it for just one day also prevented Trainers from venturing too deep, reducing the risk involved.

But based on the intel gathered over the past two days, the depths of Iron Island were clearly worth exploring. Who knew, maybe Mark would finally find the "breakthrough" he'd been longing for.

As for camping outdoors, it was nothing new. With Joseph handling the arrangements, everything felt far from shabby. The food and drink were as fine as ever.

Because they had gone deep into nature, with quiet and no disturbances, Sato found he actually preferred this kind of life in the wild.

…Of course, the condition was that Joseph was with him.

…A quiet night passed…

Early the next morning, the three quickly packed their gear and began the true exploration of Iron Island.

"Orb-Orb, use Flash!"

"Reu~"

Mark sent out Reuniclus to serve as the light source, also clearly signaling that he wanted to take the lead.

Sato and Joseph had no objection. They each sent out Skorupi and Bayleef, which were barely enough to handle minor wild encounters.

"LEEEEEET'S GOO!" Mark shouted energetically, striding forward… though Lucario had somehow already appeared silently at his side.

Lucario: Don't ask. I'm here to lead the way~

"Orb-Orb, use Magical Leaf!"

"Reu~"

Along the way, the most common Pokémon were Geodude and Bronzor. Under Mark's command, Reuniclus easily cleared the path, blasting through opponents like swatting away children.

Thanks to Lucario's Aura sensing, they quickly descended three levels. The Pokémon density didn't decrease, but their strength steadily rose.

Reuniclus began taking things seriously, while Skorupi -under Sato's command- started selecting "worthy" opponents for challenge battles one after another.

Bayleef followed Joseph obediently, casting Healing Pulse from time to time onto Skorupi, dutifully playing the role of support.

The Pokémon on the third floor were already quite strong, but still no match for Reuniclus. So the group continued onward, soon arriving at the sixth level.

"No Pokémon?"

Upon reaching the sixth floor, the three found it strangely quiet. Barely a single wild Pokémon in sight.

The trio exchanged glances, growing more cautious. Sato even gripped a Poké Ball, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.

"Luca!"

Suddenly, Lucario -who had remained silent except to guide them- abruptly stepped forward and blocked their path, staring tensely at the pitch-black corridor ahead.

"Aura Sphere!"

Without hesitation, Mark ordered Lucario to strike preemptively.

A glowing blue sphere whistled through the darkness, its pale light barely revealing a black-and-yellow figure ahead.

Boom!

The Aura Sphere exploded, and a painful shriek rang out. But before they could see what kind of Pokémon it was, multiple sharp whistling sounds came flying at them.

"Orb-Orb, use Protect!"

A green energy shield appeared in front of them. A barrage of sharp rocks came crashing down, thankfully, all were blocked.

"Orb-Orb, increase Flash!"

"Reu~"

Reuniclus let out a cute cry as its glowing aura suddenly intensified. Finally, Sato and the others saw the Pokémon that had ambushed them.

Mawile!

Mawile had never been a particularly popular Pokémon, but ever since the discovery of Mega Evolution, its value had skyrocketed.

Still, encountering a Mawile here on the sixth floor was surprising to the trio.

Looking closer, they realized this Mawile had actually reached Peak Elite level.

"Heh, not bad. Orb-Orb, use Focus Blast!"

A pure white Focus Blast gathered and launched instantly toward the opposing Mawile.

Blinded by the sudden intense light, the Mawile -accustomed to life underground- was momentarily disoriented.

Just as the Focus Blast was about to land, the Mawile suddenly turned its head, and the massive mouth on the back of its head bit down directly onto the attack!