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After commanding Growlithe to defeat a Rhyhorn, Sato quickly left the battlefield with him and headed to the exclusive rest area for challengers to recuperate.
Once Growlithe had eaten several gem-grade PokeBlocks to recover his strength, and after Bellossom healed his injuries, Sato returned to the field with him, ready to face the next opponent.
Since finishing his morning training, Sato had come to this largest battle arena in Cinnabar Island and had been entering match after match using Growlithe.
As of the previous round, Growlithe had already participated in 8 battles at this arena, with a current record of 6 wins and 2 losses.
In all 8 matches, Growlithe, currently at level 38, faced opponents of the same level range—every single one being elite-class Pokémon at level 30 and above.
Although these intense same-level battles hadn't pushed him past level 38 yet, Sato estimated Growlithe was very close to reaching level 39.
Indeed, Sato's main goal in coming to the battlefield was to squeeze out every last bit of potential that Growlithe had before evolving—by using a large number of Pokémon battles to do so.
From the Pokédex data he remembered, Sato knew that Growlithe would naturally learn Heat Wave at level 41, and then Outrage at level 43.
(Note: Heat Wave – Fire-type special move, 95 power. Effect: Attacks the opponent with searing air. May inflict burn.)
(Note: Outrage – Dragon-type physical move, 120 power. Effect: Unleashes a powerful flurry of attacks for a few turns, then causes confusion.)
Both Heat Wave and Outrage are extremely rare and powerful moves—especially Outrage, which can serve as a trump card for a counterattack at critical moments.
Sato could already imagine that once Growlithe mastered these two moves, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap—especially after learning Outrage, his power would skyrocket instantly.
That was precisely why, even though Growlithe was already level 38, Sato had not yet used the mutated Fire Stone to evolve him into Arcanine. A major reason was because of this.
Sato knew that once Growlithe evolved into Arcanine, he would no longer be able to learn Heat Wave and Outrage by leveling up.
For Arcanine to learn those moves, the only option would be via TMs. While the Heat Wave TM was potentially attainable—thanks to Sato's financial resources— the Outrage TM, being Dragon-type, was virtually impossible to get.
It was even rarer than TMs like Mystical Fire, Taunt, or Heal Pulse.
In fact, Sato suspected that the Outrage TM didn't even exist in the Pokémon world and could only be learned through tutelage.
And the only places capable of teaching such a move were powerful Dragon-specialist factions like the Dragon Clan in Johto, the Draconid people in Hoenn, and the Village of Dragons in Unova.
But clearly, Sato didn't have the kind of influence needed to get these ancient and prestigious powers to teach Outrage to his Arcanine.
After all, Dragon-types are only weak to Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type moves.
These Dragon-type specialist factions would almost never help outsiders to teach their Pokémon Outrage—a devastating move that counters Dragon-types.
Especially not to a Pokémon like Arcanine, who can naturally learn the powerful move Extreme Speed via leveling up. These groups would be even less likely to allow Outrage to be taught in that case.
(Note: Extreme Speed – Normal-type physical move, 80 power. Effect: A lightning-fast dash attack that always goes first.)
To put it simply, Extreme Speed is a powerful upgrade to Quick Attack. While Quick Attack only has +1 priority and 40 power, Extreme Speed has +2 priority and 80 power.
Everyone knows that Quick Attack is incredibly useful in real battles. It pairs well with close-range moves, allowing fast engagement, and it enhances the damage of follow-up attacks via instant acceleration.
For example, during his time in Hoenn, Ash often had Pikachu use Quick Attack with Volt Tackle. Though a common combo, its effectiveness was undeniable.
As the upgraded version, Extreme Speed enhances a Pokémon's burst speed even more. Once used, it almost guarantees a speed advantage over the opponent.
(Note: This is why Dragonite is so formidable—even without Mega Evolution, once it learns Extreme Speed, its massive stats as a Dragon-type allow it to dominate most Pokémon in actual combat.)
Now imagine this—if Arcanine masters the multitasking skill of split-second reaction, and then combines Extreme Speed with Outrage, it could become a Dragon-slaying monster feared by all Dragon-types.
A 120-power Outrage—under type advantage—paired with the speed and pressure of Extreme Speed would one-shot most Dragon-type Pokémon instantly.
After hearing from Maya about the rules of the second stage of the Rookie Competition, Sato had already decided to bring Growlithe as his main Pokémon for that initial phase.
As for why he wasn't bringing his mainstays like Swampert, Crobat, or Bellossom—
The reason was simple. After exploring the tropical jungle, he learned that Swampert, Crobat, and Bellossom were all disadvantaged in that terrain.
The tropical rainforest undoubtedly housed large numbers of Grass-type Pokémon, which would spell disaster for Swampert due to its 4x Grass-type weakness.
It might be awkward to admit, but that was a hard truth Sato learned the day he nearly died to a cunning Shiftry.
As for Crobat, its greatest strength—speed in flight—would be heavily restricted by the dense vegetation. Once entangled (by, say, countless Vine Whips), escape would be nearly impossible.
Then there was Bellossom. Despite being a Grass-type and an excellent healer, her deterrent power would be minimal against the jungle's numerous other Grass- and Bug-types.
In short, Sato had concluded that in order to survive in a rainforest teeming with Grass- and Bug-type Pokémon, Fire-types were the best option.
And among all Fire-types, Growlithe was undoubtedly outstanding. For the following reasons:
- Growlithe knows a large number of powerful Fire-type moves—no fear when surrounded by Grass or Bug-types. Just burn them all down.
- It is an excellent scout with a strong innate sense of loyalty and protectiveness. With Growlithe standing guard, Sato could rest easy.
- Once Growlithe evolve into Arcanine, not only will his power soar, but Sato will also have a strong land-based mount in the jungle.
With that, Growlithe would cover offense, reconnaissance, and emergency evacuation when facing overwhelming enemies.
Considering all of this, Sato was now eager to use frequent Pokémon battles to uncover Growlithe's full potential.
His current goal was singular: push Growlithe to level 43 as soon as possible—then use the mutated top-grade Fire Stone to evolve him into Arcanine and greatly boost his base stats.
As long as Growlithe successfully reaches level 43 and then evolves via that Fire Stone, Sato was confident he'd hold a massive early-game advantage in the next round of the tournament.