Pokémon: Above the Top

"Please, young friend, wear the Rainbow Feather on your person!" Mingguang stood up, bending forward as he solemnly presented the Rainbow Feather with both hands.

Sato also stood up, but instead of reaching out to take the Rainbow Feather, he grabbed Mingguang's hands and forcibly straightened him up.

"You still haven't told me why I need to wear the Rainbow Feather."

"Ahem, I was being too hasty." Reverend Mingguang sighed helplessly. Normally, when people heard about the Rainbow Feather, they would accept it with joy. After all, it was an item related to a Legendary Pokémon—who would question it this much?

Unfortunately, Sato had been wary of him ever since their last encounter. Even though he did not deny his interest in the Rainbow Feather, he was still extremely cautious.

"For the past hundred years, we have been tracking Ho-Oh's whereabouts, and the Rainbow Feather has shown a hint of progress."

Reverend Mingguang sat back down, still holding the Rainbow Feather in his hands as he continued.

"Every three or four decades, a Trainer carrying the Rainbow Feather has been able to see Ho-Oh. Then, the Rainbow Feather inexplicably returns to Bell Tower."

"After much deliberation, we believe that Ho-Oh is selecting a representative while also showing that it has not forgotten our Bell Tower lineage!"

At this point, Reverend Mingguang became visibly excited, resembling a fanatic devotee.

However, he quickly calmed himself and turned to look at Sato with a serious yet hopeful expression.

Sato withdrew his Dark Energy, slightly furrowing his brow.

Perhaps because Reverend Mingguang also possessed some kind of special ability, Sato could not sense any emotional fluctuations from him. Thus, he could not determine whether he was telling the truth.

"Fine, I'll keep it with me. But if it decides to leave on its own, I won't be able to stop it."

"Rest assured, the Rainbow Feather will not be lost."

Sato nodded, took the wooden box, closed it, and then decisively bid farewell.

----------

Leaving Bell Tower, Sato headed straight back to the Pokémon Center. He had stayed in Ecruteak City long enough—it was time to continue his journey.

After saying goodbye to Nurse Joy, whom he had spent over half a month with, Sato packed his belongings and set off toward the western outskirts of Ecruteak City.

Carvanha's aerial training had hit a bottleneck. After researching Johto's rivers, Sato discovered that the Whirl Islands near Olivine City would be ideal for training Carvanha's control over energy.

Since he had no fixed destination, Sato quickly decided—Olivine City it was!

Once deep in the forest, he habitually released Spinarak and Larvitar. The two had been cooped up for too long. Now, whenever they encountered a Pokémon, no matter the strength, they would charge in for a fight.

Oddish, Hoothoot, Raticate, Beedrill… one after another, Pokémon were defeated.

Wait, Beedrill?

Sato suddenly stopped and turned his head—an entire swarm of Beedrill was now charging toward them!

Sato glanced at the two troublemakers, Larvitar and Spinarak, who were now hiding behind him. He sighed—he really needed to rein them in. It seemed like they felt itchy if they didn't stir up some chaos for a day.

"Zoroark, Flamethrower! Gengar, Thunderbolt!"

He tossed two Poké Balls into the air. With their leader and second-in-command on the field, flames and lightning surged through the swarm. A large portion of the Beedrill was wiped out, but the remaining ones were relentless in their assault.

"One more time! Larvitar, Spinarak, you two help finish them off!"

Thunderbolt and Flamethrower swept across from both sides. Meanwhile, Larvitar controlled flying rocks, striking down the Beedrill that dodged the initial attack.

Spinarak wasn't about to be left behind. Its web-shooting skills were now honed to perfection, intercepting any Beedrill that slipped through and delivering them straight into Larvitar's oncoming rock barrage.

In no time, dozens of Beedrill lay defeated. Sato casually tossed a Poké Ball, capturing one with Elite-level Bug-type potential.

Even the smallest mosquito was still meat, especially now that Gengar—after evolving—had actually started eating. Keeping it fed was becoming quite the challenge.

After this little episode, Sato sternly warned the two that they shouldn't go picking fights with entire swarms. They needed to target lone Pokémon instead—that way, there would be no consequences.

Both Spinarak and Larvitar nodded seriously, acknowledging their mistake...

And then, just moments later, the two ran off and came back in trouble again.

"Awooo!"

A pack of black, menacing canine Pokémon leaped out, swiftly surrounding Sato and his team.

Dark and Fire-type Pokémon well-known throughout Johto—Houndour!

By now, Larvitar and Spinarak had more or less burned off their excess energy. As they realized what they had done, they looked up at Sato like two guilty children, tugging at his sleeve and trying to act cute.

"Good job! Zoroark, Gengar—looks like we've got more work to do!"

The two were completely dumbfounded. They exchanged glances.

"Did we hear that right?" Larvitar asked quietly.

Spinarak wiggled its legs. "I don't think so…"

What they didn't know was that, since Sato had agreed to participate in the Young Elite Tournament, he was eager to strengthen his team.

And the fastest way to do that? Capture more Pokémon—especially Dark-types, which he favored. And in this very pack, there was one Houndour with Pseudo-Elite Four potential!

"Awooo!"

At their leader's command, four Houndour leaped from different directions, executing a coordinated attack.

Meanwhile, the rest of the pack began rotating positions rapidly, trying to throw Sato's team into disarray.

"Night Daze! Shadow Ball! Larvitar, Screech! Spinarak, Scary Face!"

Explosive energy surged into the ground as Night Daze erupted, skillfully avoiding Sato and his allies while landing a devastating hit on the Houndour.

Shadow Balls followed in rapid succession, blooming like fireworks in the aftermath of the first attack, bombarding the pack from every angle.

Not to be outdone, Larvitar and Spinarak played their roles perfectly—an ear-piercing Screech mixed with the fearsome glare of Scary Face sent the younger Houndour into disarray. They whimpered anxiously, their formation breaking apart.

"Awooo!!"

A powerful wolf-like howl shattered the cacophony, instantly rallying the pack. The confusion dissipated as their leader reasserted control, their fighting spirit reigniting for a second wave of attack!

"Awoo! Awoo!"

One particularly bold Houndour lunged first, its fangs glowing ominously as it attempted a Bite on the strongest-looking opponent—Zoroark.

The next second, it was effortlessly swatted away, but another Houndour immediately took its place, seamlessly continuing the harassment.

At the same time, the rest of Sato's Pokémon were also engaged, each one entangled with an opponent.

The pack's coordinated strategy was working—they were forcing a split battle. To avoid friendly fire, Zoroark had to restrain itself from using large-scale attacks.

Sato sidestepped a leaping Houndour and turned his gaze toward the one orchestrating the battle from the sidelines—the pack leader.

He smirked. The more I watch you, the more I like you.

Bending his knees, he sprang into action, dodging another lunging Houndour and breaking through the pack's encirclement. As he landed, his hand flung a Poké Ball straight at the Houndour leader!

With a burst of light, Carvanha shot out, maintaining its Aqua Jet momentum as it slammed into the unsuspecting pack leader! A direct, devastating hit!

Carvanha and Houndour shared one major trait—they were both high-offense glass cannons. In this kind of battle, whoever landed the first strike had the advantage.

With their leader suddenly under siege, the pack's carefully coordinated tactics crumbled once more.

Sato didn't hesitate. He watched the Houndour struggle desperately to get back up.

He wouldn't give it another chance.

Poké Ball—throw!