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Having weathered extreme highs and lows, Sato's mental resilience was rock-solid. He quickly shoved aside the fact that he couldn't awaken any exceptional psychic talents and instead chose to look on the bright side.
"No matter what, I was able to spend 50 million PokeDollars to become a psychic—honestly, I hit the jackpot. Sure, the talent is a bit lacking, but that's okay. As long as I can learn telepathy in the future, it's enough. A person should know contentment. I shouldn't get stuck on this."
After thoroughly thinking things through from a positive angle, the gloom in Sato's heart melted away like snow in spring. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Refreshed after a hot shower, Sato stepped out of the bathroom. He quickly dried himself with a towel and got dressed, then left his room without wasting a second.
He was fully aware that now was not the time to obsess over psychic abilities. What he needed to do was raise Growlithe's level to 43 before the afternoon of the day after tomorrow.
Growlithe was currently at level 40, but he only had about a day and a half left. Gaining three more levels after level 40 in such a short period wouldn't be easy.
After all, Growlithe wasn't just a string of data in a game—he was a living, breathing Pokémon who could get tired and injured. There was a physical limit to what his body could handle.
Even so, Sato was determined to try. After a hearty breakfast, he immediately took Growlithe toward the battle arenas.
At the large battle complex, on the battlefield in Zone C, Growlithe, now level 40, launched into a winning streak the moment he arrived.
In a three-on-three match, Growlithe used Flame Charge to push his speed to the limit and finished things off with a lightning-fast Flame Wheel, knocking out a Persian and securing an impressive three-win streak.
Half an hour later, wearing his blazing battle armor, Growlithe nimbly maneuvered through the battlefield and, without taking a single hit, kited a level 41 Machoke into submission. The win marked his stunning seventh victory in a row.
An hour later, Growlithe, now on an 11-win streak, finally met his toughest opponent yet: a Rhydon that could use Surf.
Despite Sato's expert commands and Growlithe giving it his all, the significant type disadvantage and slight level gap led to their first loss—defeated by the level 43 Rhydon. The streak came to an end.
As if it were fate, Growlithe encountered the same Rhydon again after another hour of effort under Sato's sharp command. This time, after another fresh 11-win streak, they faced off once more on the 12th match.
Once again, Growlithe found himself at a major disadvantage from the start. The opponent repeatedly used wide-range Icy Wind attacks, crippling Growlithe's usual hit-and-run speed tactics before they could even take shape.
But under Sato's direction, the battered and bruised Growlithe finally seized an opportunity and turned the tables. With a Reversal executed at the brink of collapse, he brought down the level 43 Rhydon, stunning the entire crowd with an unbelievable comeback. The win secured an awe-inspiring 12-win streak.
Sato spent nearly the entire day at the battle complex, directing Growlithe through one opponent after another, while trying to take as little damage as possible. Though they suffered defeats, the victories far outnumbered them.
As Sato continued winning battles using only Growlithe, his name gradually began to spread around the venue. Some enthusiastic spectators even began affectionately calling him the "Dog Lover Extraordinaire."
Thanks to his growing reputation, more and more challengers came seeking him out. Unfortunately, most of them were nobodies hoping to piggyback off his fame.
Still, Sato was in no position to be picky. He accepted every challenge, using the high-intensity battles to relentlessly push Growlithe's pre-evolution potential to its limits.
As a Fire-type Pokémon, Growlithe was naturally combative and had a far stronger desire to grow stronger than most Pokémon. With gem-grade PokeBlocks rapidly restoring his stamina and Bellossom providing excellent healing, Growlithe kept up a high fighting spirit and didn't complain once.
By the end of the day, Sato had directed Growlithe through an astonishing 72 battles of varying intensity—with a win rate of over 80%. It was, without exaggeration, a small miracle.
Though the consequence of this feat was another scolding and eye-roll from Nurse Joy—and Growlithe being forced to rest for 12 hours to fully recover—the effort paid off. Growlithe had reached level 42, just one step away from their goal of level 43.
At 8 PM, inside an upscale café, Sato sat reading a Pokémon training book while waiting for someone who was still nowhere to be seen.
"Are all women naturally late? We agreed to meet here at 7:30. It's past eight already. She's not standing me up, is she?"
Sato put the book down and took a sip from the cup of freshly ground coffee that had long gone cold. Glancing at the time displayed on his Team Rocket wristwatch, he frowned, clearly somewhat irritated.
But since he was the one needing help this time, he forced himself to stay patient. He signaled the server to bring a third cup of coffee and picked up his book again.
The person he was anxiously waiting for was none other than his temporary ally, Maya.
Since Growlithe could no longer fight for the day and there was nothing else urgent to attend to, Sato decided to make good use of the rare free time to consult with Maya, a certified psychic, about some psychic-related matters.
However, it had already been over half an hour, and his so-called temporary mentor still hadn't shown up.
Fortunately, after another ten or so minutes, Maya finally arrived. She was wearing a black dress, oversized sunglasses, and a large face mask that covered nearly her entire face.
But Sato immediately noticed that something was off—her posture was unnatural. Her right leg moved with far less range than her left, with a slight twitch to it. Clearly, she was injured.
"What happened to you? You don't look so good."
Sato gave her a careful once-over. When he caught a faint whiff of blood coming from her, the irritation he'd felt just moments ago vanished completely. He quickly asked in a soft voice.
"I might have to withdraw from this competition, Mr. Sato."
Maya was silent for a moment. Then she took off her sunglasses and mask, revealing a swollen, bruised face and a blackened eye. What she said next made Sato's expression change drastically.