After the opening ceremony was the opponent selection phase.
Natsui and Ash left the stadium and met up with Koharu, Misty, and the others, heading to the nearby selection hall.
Inside the hall, there were five workstations where several smiling, youthful, and beautiful staff members were attending to the trainers who came in from time to time.
This phase was arguably very important. For trainers who were slightly weaker, if they were lucky, they could even battle progressively weaker opponents all the way through, thus advancing easily.
Seeing Natsui's group, one of the staff members said, "Good morning. Could you please show me your trainer registration?"
However, before Natsui could act, a figure flashed past him. Brock, in a single bound, had already rushed to the staff member's side.
"Ah, beautiful lady, your sweet smile has already been registered in my heart! May I ask when you get off work? Would you like to have lunch together?"
"There he goes again!"
Misty facepalmed and pushed Brock away in utter speechlessness. Koharu, seeing this, couldn't help but chuckle. It was the first time she had seen someone who looked so mature act so recklessly. When she recalled Brock's former status as a Gym Leader, the contrast was truly eye-opening.
When he was a Gym Leader, could he have been harassing the female trainers who came to challenge him like this?
Handing the Pokédex to the staff member, she performed some operations on the computer and quickly found Natsui's and Ash's information.
Ash asked impatiently, "Um, excuse me, who exactly is my opponent?"
"Ash, don't be in such a hurry." Brock broke free from Misty's grasp and leaned against the workstation like the wind. "Before the match, you have to decide on the battle field first, and only then can you choose an opponent to battle."
After speaking, he turned back to the staff member and said with a feigned air of coolness, "How about it? Am I right?"
"Y-Yes, that's right." Faced with such an intense Brock, the staff member subconsciously took a step back. "In the preliminary rounds, there are four types of battlefields: Rock, Grass, Water, and Ice. Only after winning battles on these four fields can you move on to the main stadium for the matches starting from the fifth round."
Natsui took out the small booklet that was handed out when they entered the athlete's village, flipped through a few pages, and said to Ash, "Actually, all this is written in this guide. If you had just skimmed through it, you would know a lot."
"Well, about that..." Ash scratched his head in embarrassment. "I've never opened this booklet. I have no idea where I tossed it."
At that moment, the staff member pointed to a button on the table and said to them, "Now, will the two competitors please press this switch? Wherever the screen finally stops will be your battlefield for the first round."
Ash, being the impatient type, was the first to press the button.
On the electronic screen above them, images of the four fields appeared. After the light circle spun a dozen times, it finally stopped on the Water Field.
The staff member entered the data into the computer, and the screen's image changed, directly displaying his opponent: a man with long, dark green hair, whose dress and manner seemed slightly frivolous.
Looking at him, Ash murmured, "Is this person my first opponent?"
The staff member smiled, "Congratulations on being selected for the Water Field and being scheduled for the third match. The start time is two o'clock sharp. Please don't be late."
Next was Natsui.
Natsui took a light breath and also pressed the button.
Beep, beep, beep...
The light circle spun a dozen times and slowly stopped on a field full of green grass.
At the same time, a blue-haired man wearing sunglasses appeared on the screen.
Natsui had never seen this person before, but beside him, Ash and the others let out a surprised "Ah!"
Natsui turned back and asked, "What's wrong, do you know him?"
Misty nodded, "That person's name is Damian. He's a guy with a bad personality, very unlikable. We met him when we first started our journey, and Ash's Charizard used to be his Pokémon."
So it's him!
Natsui had a moment of realization. Although he remembered the incident, he couldn't recall the man's face at all.
"Does he have any strong Pokémon?"
"Well..." Misty looked at Ash and Brock. Seeing that they were also shaking their heads, she turned back apologetically. "We didn't have much contact with him, so we didn't notice what Pokémon he had, and we don't know how strong he is."
"It's fine." Natsui didn't mind at all. "Having information is naturally a good thing, but even without it, facing an unknown battle is more challenging and interesting."
After entering the data, the staff member said to Natsui, "Congratulations, trainer, on drawing the Grass Field. Let's see... oh, you're scheduled for the second match. This match will be held at eleven in the morning. Please be sure not to be late either."
"OK, thank you!"
After the selection, there was a two-hour preparation period, after which the first match would begin simultaneously on all four fields. The losers would be eliminated directly, while the winning trainers would proceed to the second match the day after tomorrow.
Fortunately, Natsui's and Ash's match times did not overlap; otherwise, Misty and the others would have had a truly difficult time deciding who to go and cheer for.
Outside the selection hall was a commercial pedestrian street.
Both sides of the street were lined with souvenir shops, luxury stores, and dessert shops. The two girls were dazzled, wishing they could go into every single shop.
And on the street, many reporters were interviewing trainers scattered about. Besides the TV stations from the Kanto region, there were even a few overseas reporters!
Glancing around, Natsui even saw Jessie, James, and Meowth disguised as reporters, mingling in the crowd, trying to find out which trainers had rare Pokémon.
They also saw Natsui but averted their eyes, not daring to approach or cause trouble.
Not bothering each other. That's for the best.
Natsui couldn't be bothered with them. He had just taken a few steps forward when a group of people suddenly blocked his path.
"Big Bro Natsui!!!"
Natsui looked closely and saw that it was the bikers he had met on the grand sea bridge in Fuchsia City!
"Huh? What are you guys doing here?"
Masa and Misa, with big smiles, came closer and said, "We made a special trip here just to cheer for you, Big Bro!"
As they spoke, they even showed Natsui the banners, flags, and megaphone they had in their hands—a whole pile of cheering supplies.
"This..."
Natsui was genuinely touched.
Although he hadn't wanted to have too much contact with them before, for them to come all this way on such an important day, sparing no effort to cheer him on—that kind of dedication was something not just anyone could do.
Nodding firmly, Natsui said gratefully, "Thank you all so much. After my match is over, I'll treat everyone to a meal!"
"What are you saying, Big Bro?" Misa smiled. "We're your little bros! Isn't it our duty to come and cheer for you!?"
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