Half an hour later, the League staff who had come for the year-end assessment were all invited into the Gym by Sato.
Thanks to Gardevoir's early warning and message relay, the assessment results were excellent.
This year's year-end assessment wasn't about how powerful the Gym was, but rather about how well the Gym could handle citywide alerts and defensive deployment.
So when Joseph and the others directly faced the League Trainers, most of them only put up symbolic resistance before revealing their identities.
"Leader Sato, your control over Shadownight Town really impressed us. Honestly, we were thinking you just took office, so maybe we could completely overrun the place before you even noticed, hahahaha~"
The assessment "leader", Jon Rivers, was a middle-aged man, and one of the people Sato had cornered at the Gym entrance.
Grinning widely, he made no effort to hide his admiration for Sato.
"Standard operation, no need to be surprised." Sato shrugged. His flat tone made Jon pause mid-laugh.
"I'll report the assessment truthfully. I couldn't find anything to deduct points for anyway." After a moment, Jon got back on topic.
"Thank you! By the way, was this year's assessment for all Gyms also a simulated city defense battle?" Sato kept things polite, but also used the chance to probe.
"Definitely not. Each Gym's assessment varies every year. All content and difficulty levels are determined directly by the chairman. Until the assessment begins, Gym Leaders have no way of knowing the test in advance," Jon explained.
"I see. Well, since everyone's here, I had the kitchen prepare an outdoor barbecue at the training grounds. Feel free to enjoy yourselves. Also, the Pokémon Center is already coordinated. Nurse Joy has plenty of rooms ready for everyone, so once you've eaten, you can get a good rest without any worries."
As the chat ended, Sato received a signal from Joseph and quickly spoke up.
Entertaining the assessment staff was something Leader Howard had specifically instructed Sato to do.
The other Trainers immediately lit up with joy. This was a tradition at every year-end assessment. Especially for Gyms with average performance, they'd go all out to entertain the evaluators.
As for whether it actually helped?
Well… at the very least, it was comforting.
"Then thank you for your hospitality, Leader." Jon didn't hold back. They were all with the League, some things didn't need to be said aloud.
Several barbecue grills had already been set up in the training grounds. Joseph had also called in chefs from nearby restaurants, so everything was running smoothly.
"As expected of our logistics chief. Joseph, you're too fat!" Mark said through a mouthful of beef skewer, barely intelligible.
"…Fat? You better watch out or you'll eat so much you can't sleep," Joseph grinned, not bothering to argue back; no one was paying attention anyway, so there was no satisfaction in roasting Mark.
The League had sent over twenty Trainers this time. Combined with the Gym's own members, the outdoor barbecue had a great vibe.
After a while, a sudden burst of cheering erupted from the crowd. Joseph heard it and was startled, he almost thought something had gone wrong.
When he squeezed to the front, he realized it was just a Pokémon battle… and the two challengers were none other than Sato and Jon Rivers.
"I've been wanting to see what our League's rising star is capable of. Leader Sato, go easy on me!" Jon grinned as he held a Poké Ball.
"Sure, I will." Sato nodded and pulled out a Poké Ball as well.
"Haha, Captain, he's underestimating you!"
"Go get 'im, Leader Sato! Show him who's boss!"
"Captain, did you hear that? He said he's going easy on you…"
The jeers from the crowd came pouring in like they were free, and Jon himself realized: this Sato was one of those quiet types who played it cool.
"Ahem, how about I referee?" Joseph blocked Sia and stepped forward.
"Mm."
"Thanks a lot!"
"Then let's make it a 1v1 battle, just for fun," Joseph said casually.
Sato was about to agree when Jon raised his hand. "Leader Sato, dare to make it more exciting?"
"Whoa~ Captain's getting fired up!"
"Captain, Leader Sato's still a kid. Don't go overboard…"
Sato glanced at the person heckling from the sidelines, then said, "What kind of exciting?"
"Hehehe, how about a 1v1 primitive battle? You game?" Jon grinned, clearly pleased with his little trick.
"A primitive battle…? Are you sure?" Sato's gaze turned playful.
So-called "primitive battles" were ones where the Trainers also participated directly. Before the League had introduced the current "battle rules", Trainers were always part of the fight.
Even now, when the League clashed with underground forces, the Trainers were often the first targets. Because compared to Pokémon, most Trainers were the weakest link.
Take out the Trainer, and the Pokémon lose their leader; much easier to deal with.
"Never heard of it? In that case…" A flash of disappointment crossed Jon's eyes. He figured the kid must be all bark and no bite.
"Primitive battle it is. Let's make it quick." Sato cut him off and put his Poké Ball away.
He had already figured it out: Jon and his so-called "brothers" had probably come from the League's combat units. They'd be familiar with this kind of battle, which only made Sato more interested.
'Primitive battle, huh… it had been a long time…'
"In that case, no need for a referee. I'll just shout it out… BATTLE START!"
Bang!
Just as Joseph finished speaking, Jon threw out a Poké Ball toward Sato while simultaneously charging forward.
But Sato stood perfectly still, only tapping his foot lightly on the ground.
"…Why isn't he moving? Don't tell me he's frozen in fear…" Mark mumbled nervously from the crowd, clearly anxious.
A flash of red light, and a Pidgeot appeared less than two meters in front of Sato. The moment it came out, it flew straight at him.
"Gengar, Psychic."
Just when everyone thought the fight was about to end anticlimactically, Sato suddenly gave a command and lunged forward, crouching low.
"Geng~"
Gengar emerged halfway from the ground, its golden eyes glowing purple as it stared down Pidgeot. The bird had barely flapped its wings before it found itself completely immobilized.
"Pidgeot, Mirror Move! Wait… your Gengar was out this whole time?" Jon had already reached Sato and issued his command, then asked confidently.
"Gengar, dodge, Thunderbolt! Guess again~" Sato grinned. His fist, infused with Dark Energy, slammed straight into Jon's.
Bang!
Their fists collided head-on, but it was the full-grown Jon who stumbled back.
Even he couldn't believe it.
He had been forced back… by a kid.