On platform C5, Sato stood on one side after three consecutive wins, quietly waiting for the next challenger to step up.
Once a challenge defense match started, unless Zoroark lost, Sato was required to keep fighting until he achieved five consecutive victories before he had the right to stop on his own.
Whether to continue holding the arena after that would be up to Sato, the defender.
Such harsh match conditions naturally caused most Trainers to suffer defeat and walk away. But for those who succeeded, the reward was incredibly generous: a full 500 points!
Moreover, starting from the sixth win, every additional victory would grant exponentially increasing points.
[6 wins: 1,000 points.] [7 wins: 2,000.] [8 wins: 4,000], and so on…
As for points, they were essentially the Battle Club's internal currency. Everything could be settled using points.
However, Trainers weren't quick to spend their points. Instead, they gradually accumulated them to purchase the core supply items of the Battle Club: Vitamins and the so-called Feather.
Vitamins could increase a Pokémon's fixed stat -like Protein for Attack or Calcium for Special Attack- six types in total.
Feather were even rarer, also coming in types like Health Wing, Clever Wing, and Swift Wing. These could slightly enhance a Pokémon's potential in a particular stat.
Although the effects were minimal, they were real. For most ordinary Trainers, these were incredibly valuable items.
And for Sato, his goal from the start in coming to the Battle Club had been precisely to obtain these two things.
While Sato's mind drifted out of boredom, the fourth challenger finally stepped slowly onto the platform.
"Local Trainer from Nimbasa City, Cole, here to challenge!"
Sato glanced at his opponent. Casual suit and frameless glasses, clearly going for the "refined-but-villainous look".
Then he looked at the screen showing the record:
[Cole: 78 wins, 42 losses, 1 draw.]
A total of 121 battles…
This Cole, despite his appearance, was clearly a battle maniac.
"Challenger, send out your battling Pokémon!" Don George adjusted his mustache and formally announced.
Cole didn't say much. He quickly tossed a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, a large Pokémon slowly appeared, floating in midair.
Eelektross!
A pure Electric-type Pokémon with the Levitate Ability. Theoretically, it had no type weaknesses, Ground-type moves were completely nullified.
Also, with its massive body over two meters tall, Eelektross constantly exerted intense "pressure" on opponents.
"Battle Start!"
"Eelektross, use Discharge!"
"Zoroark, Night Daze!"
Electric serpents raged while darkness devoured; instantly, the battlefield was split into two distinct zones, each pushing back against the other with no intent of retreating.
"Eelektross, Crush Claw!"
"Zoroark, Night Slash."
The moment Night Daze and Discharge canceled each other out, both sides charged forward again, launching into high-frequency close combat.
Zoroark's melee was wild and fierce, while Eelektross, though an Electric-type, retained the agile movements of fish-like Pokémon, making its close-range dodges extremely sharp.
In close combat, Zoroark was getting suppressed.
Sato's expression didn't change, but inside he was surprised, this Eelektross's melee style was an overwhelming counter to Zoroark.
It was a bit like using softness to overcome strength; not that Zoroark lacked raw power.
"Zoroark, Dark Pulse!"
Sato made a decisive choice, letting Zoroark take a direct hit from Crush Claw in exchange for using Dark Pulse to force distance between them.
"Eelektross, chase it down with Thunder Wave!"
"Zoroark, Taunt!"
"Zoro!"
Just as Zoroark pushed Eelektross back, it suddenly reached out a claw and made a beckoning gesture.
Eelektross froze for a moment.
And then, no matter what, it couldn't use Thunder Wave. Taunt locked it into using only damage-dealing moves for a while, disabling Thunder Wave completely.
"Zoroark, keep using Dark Pulse!" Sato commanded again, officially switching to a kiting tactic.
From then on, he only ordered Zoroark to use long-range moves, avoiding close combat entirely.
And gradually, Eelektross's weakness became clear.
Too slow.
When both sides were going all-in, it hadn't been obvious. But once Zoroark sped up, Eelektross couldn't keep up at all.
Sato's commands grew more fluid, while Cole, on the other hand, became increasingly anxious.
There was no doubt about Eelektross's power. In close combat, it was extremely difficult to deal with.
But Cole hadn't expected his opponent to so decisively and quickly pinpoint Eelektross's only weakness and exploit it.
'Too slow!' While Eelektross executed two moves, Zoroark could already fire off three.
And the gap widened just like that. Wounds began appearing all over Eelektross's body, its injuries multiplying rapidly.
But how did this Zoroark have such immense stamina? Even its attack frequency hadn't dropped in the slightest.
'…Was this really a Zoroark? It was acting more like a Chansey in disguise.'
"This is the end. Zoroark, Night Daze."
"Eelektross, use Discha-"
BOOM!
The two-meter-tall Eelektross was blasted to the edge of the field and crashed heavily below the platform, unable to get back up.
"Eelektross is unable to battle! Zoroark wins! Fourth round of the challenge defense goes to Sato!"
"This is the final step! GOO, SATO!" Fanna, who hadn't left the sidelines the entire time, cheered with shining eyes. (RUN x2)
Cole shook his head, calmly accepting his defeat. After retrieving Eelektross into its Poké Ball, he whispered some words of comfort beside it.
"Good luck defending your title…" Cole nodded toward Sato, then walked off the platform.
And so the defense reached its fifth round. According to the rules, this time the opponent would be directly designated by Don George.
Sato clearly understood the process, so he turned his gaze toward Don George, who had stepped in as referee.
"Today, we happen to have a rather skilled Trainer present. I've already called him, please be patient for a moment."
Sato nodded. Honestly, he was more than happy to wait a bit. That way, Zoroark could recover as much as possible.
But less than two minutes later, a commotion erupted below the stage. A man with an afro and cowboy outfit slowly made his way up amidst the crowd's excitement.
"It's Clay!"
'Clay?' Sato dug through his memory and finally remembered who this opponent was.
Future Driftveil City Gym Leader in the Unova Region, Ground-type specialist: Clay!