Pokemon: The Legendary Trainer

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In the wild, aside from carefully observing the battlefield and issuing precise commands to their Pokémon, the most important skill for a Trainer is learning how to protect themselves.

Because in the eyes of wild Pokémon, physically frail Trainers are always the top priority targets for attacks.

The wild Pokémon operating in the central region of the mysterious island were not only high-level but also possessed considerable combat experience—enough to make them prioritize attacking the Trainers first in any skirmish.

Take this moment for example: a level 47 Weavile was responsible for ambushing Thomas, while a level 46 Drapion struck from the ground in an attempt to take out Sato.

In addition to the two attackers, a level 44 Houndoom and a level 43 Liepard were lying in wait within the nearby grass, prepared to provide long-range fire support if Weavile and Drapion failed.

Despite the sudden ambush, neither Sato nor Thomas showed any change in expression. Instead, a hint of mockery flashed in both their eyes.

Since entering the island's central region, they had grown used to attacks of this caliber. Through countless real-life combat scenarios, they had developed reflexive instincts to evade fatal strikes.

In truth, these wild Pokémon had acted a bit too hastily. Had they waited just a bit longer, Sato and Thomas might have let their guard down while taking out PokeBalls to summon their Pokémon—potentially exposing a critical opening.

But now that their opponents had made the first move, Sato and Thomas no longer had to guess where the attack was coming from.

In perfect sync, the two rolled forward, cleanly dodging Weavile's and Drapion's surprise strikes.

"Swampert, Hammer Arm!"

"Seismitoad, Drain Punch!"

While evading, the two Trainers simultaneously tossed the PokeBalls already in their hands toward the blind spots behind Weavile and Drapion, issuing their commands mid-throw.

In the next instant, the PokeBalls burst open behind the two ambushers, releasing white beams of light—Swampert and Seismitoad emerged from behind, squarely in their enemies' blind spots.

Thanks to Sato and Thomas's precision throws, both Pokémon appeared in the optimal position for a sneak attack, catching their foes completely off guard.

There was no need to elaborate on Swampert's power. With a mighty Hammer Arm, Drapion—being part Dark-type—was instantly knocked into a crater, defeated in one blow.

Seismitoad wasn't far behind. Benefiting from a quadruple type advantage, its Drain Punch easily knocked out the unsuspecting Weavile.

Ever since the battle against Ranka, Thomas had prioritized training Seismitoad as one of his main Pokémon. He also frequently let Seismitoad spend time with Swampert to build rapport.

As for Houndoom, Heracross, and Slakoth—just like Sato—Thomas had consulted them and ultimately released them back into the wild.

Perhaps due to their shared typing or Seismitoad's respectful attitude, Swampert had a favorable impression of Seismitoad. Not only did it accept him as a follower, but Swampert often brought Seismitoad along in battle to assist with interference or finishing blows.

Thanks to this, Seismitoad's level had risen rapidly—now reaching level 53. Under Swampert's guidance, it had even learned powerful Ground-type moves like Earth Power and Earthquake.

In just a few seconds, the ambushing Drapion and Weavile were both down. The waiting Houndoom and Liepard, hiding in the grass, were stunned. They exchanged glances, then turned and fled in opposite directions without hesitation.

"This Weavile's not bad. Thomas, you should consider capturing it. If you use it well, it'll be a sharp blade against Psychic- and Dragon-type Pokémon."

Sato didn't bother having Swampert pursue the fleeing Houndoom and Liepard. Instead, he activated his system's scanning function to analyze the two defeated Pokémon. Upon discovering Weavile's impressive stats, he made the suggestion to Thomas.

The central region of the mysterious island was home to its elite wild Pokémon. Any creature that survived the harsh natural trials here was bound to possess solid potential.

Take this Weavile for instance—level 47, individual value (IV) of 162, only 13 points shy of the golden-grade threshold. That already made it a high-quality Pokémon.

If Thomas could successfully tame it and do some fine-tuning, Weavile could immediately join the frontlines as a powerful asset.

That said, in Sato's view, the Pokémon roaming the central region had rather high levels and were generally older. Their battle styles were well-developed, but many carried long-term injuries from constant fighting—injuries that had stunted their growth potential.

Because of this, high-level wild Pokémon from the central region were actually less valuable for training than lower-level, high-IV Pokémon from the island's outer regions.

All in all, these Pokémon were the kind that Sato found hard to make use of himself, yet too good to simply discard—perfect candidates for strengthening his subordinates.

After all, for most Trainers, these were outstanding Pokémon. They required little effort or resources to train before becoming reliable combatants.

"Thank you, Lord Sato. In that case, I won't be shy."

Upon hearing Sato's advice, Thomas's face lit up with joy. He immediately thanked him, then pulled out a black PokeBall and tossed it toward the unconscious Weavile.

Since becoming Sato's subordinate, Thomas had already captured two excellent Pokémon on his recommendation—Zangoose and Rhyhorn.

After some training, Thomas realized both Pokémon not only leveled up faster than average but also possessed remarkable traits.

Zangoose was extremely combative and had a unique ability—it grew stronger when poisoned. Several times, it had staged miraculous comebacks using pre-prepared poison berries.

As a result, Thomas had developed the habit of always carrying both poison-inducing and Pecha Berries.

Then there was Rhyhorn, who, thanks to its Rock Head ability, turned out to be far more extraordinary. It had draconic blood in its lineage, which granted it superior physical stats and innate strength—several tiers above average. It had also learned Dragon Rush, a powerful physical Dragon-type move. (It's speculated its father was a high-level Dragon-type Pokémon.)

After Sato encouraged Thomas to capture Rhyhorn, he even gave him a tailored training strategy based on Rhyhorn's abilities and moves.

That strategy involved combining Double-Edge and Dragon Rush into a synergized combo move.

Given how exceptional the advice was—especially coming from his superior—Thomas had adopted it without hesitation. As a result, Rhyhorn had become the most explosively powerful Pokémon in his lineup.

When Rhyhorn performed a full-speed Dragon Smash (Double-Edge + Dragon Rush), its destructive force could shake a small hill. Even elitePokémon over ten levels higher struggled to withstand the blow.

With Zangoose and Rhyhorn as success stories, Thomas now had full confidence in Sato's eye for Pokémon.

So when Sato recommended that he capture Weavile, Thomas didn't hesitate in the slightest.

In fact, he was currently lacking a Dark- and Ice-type Pokémon. A dual-type like Weavile was exactly what he needed.

Not long ago, Sato had battled a powerful Psychic user. The opponent was so agile that Thomas was reduced to dead weight for most of the fight.

It was only when Sato's Crobat used Taunt to seal the opponent's annoying Teleport that his Swampert—with the Protean ability gained through Kecleon—was able to instantly take down the opponent's ace Alakazam and reverse the situation.

Had Thomas possessed a Weavile then, he could've at least Taunted the opponent's Psychic-type Pokémon and prevented them from repeatedly dodging attacks via teleportation—providing vital openings for Sato's Pokémon to strike.

Also, during several of Sato's battles with Vanna, Thomas's Pokémon couldn't withstand direct engagements. They could only provide limited long-range support.

But most of Vanna's Pokémon were Dragon-types. Without moves that directly countered their typing, it was difficult to do any real damage.

Had he possessed a Weavile back then, he could've unleashed a Icy Wind to hinder her dragons and pressure them with this "dragon-slaying blade," forcing them to fight more cautiously.

In any case, with Weavile now in his ranks, Thomas would be able to offer much more substantial support to his boss in future battles.