A.J. looked around at the other competitors in the venue, then said to Natsui, "Since we've both made it this far, as the man who once defeated me, I actually hope we don't meet too early in the next rounds!"
"Oh?" Natsui raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
A.J. laughed heartily. "I made a point to watch your matches. You've become much stronger than when we first met, and it seems like you're still holding back. I tried to put myself in your opponents' shoes and wondered if I could really win against such a powerful foe. But the more I thought about it, the more it fired me up! That's why I hope we can settle things on the stage of the final match!"
"I see," Natsui nodded. "Then it looks like we both have to do our best. We can't let ourselves get eliminated halfway through!"
At that moment, the trainers in the hall began to take their fishing rods one by one, choosing a spot and casting their hooks into the pool.
Not wanting to delay, Natsui took the fishing rod Koharu handed him and, mimicking the others, cast his hook into the water as well.
A school of dopey Magikarp was swimming aimlessly in the pool, looking rather listless.
According to the staff, the fishing rods provided by the Pokémon League were tied with a special lure designed to quickly attract Magikarp.
However, Natsui had never fished before in his life, so his movements were inevitably clumsy.
Luckily, there was an idle Water Pokémon expert right there with him.
Under Misty's guidance, Natsui quickly got the hang of it and learned some of the key points.
But surprisingly, several Magikarp swam right past Natsui's hook, completely indifferent to the food in front of them. After a long wait, still not a single Magikarp had taken the bait.
In contrast, the other trainers were having frequent success and were quickly assigned to their groups.
Ash, in particular, had a stroke of incredible luck. The moment he cast his hook into the water, a Magikarp bit it!
He laughed joyfully as he held the Magikarp, but when the staff member announced the number, his smile instantly froze on his face.
The staff member pointed to the large screen and said softly, "Trainer Ash, your number is A3, and your next opponent is the other A3, trainer Ritchie!"
"What!?"
Hearing this, Ash and Ritchie looked at each other in shock, their hearts sinking at the same time.
We just became friends who admire each other, and now we have to fight for a spot to advance?
The two stood in silence, the atmosphere becoming extremely heavy!
Nearby, Natsui shook his head.
What a cruel twist of fate!
But right now, he was in no mood to worry about others. As more and more Magikarp were caught, almost all the other trainers had their matchups set, while his own hook remained empty.
"This is so strange," Koharu said, crouching next to Natsui with her chin in her hands, looking at the pool. "The bait is fine, your arm is steady, and the rod isn't shaking much. So why won't these Magikarp bite your hook!?"
"Who knows," Natsui shrugged. "Everyone else has already been matched up. Right now, I'm tempted to just jump into the water and catch one with my bare hands!"
Misty laughed, then leaned over to look for a moment, seeming to have discovered something.
"I think it's because you have the scent of your Gyarados on you. Don't be fooled by how dopey Magikarp look; even though Gyarados is their evolved form, they're still terrified of its intimidating presence!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Natsui first raised his eyebrows in surprise at Misty's plausible analysis, then scratched his head. "Then what should I do? Am I really going to be the last one left after everyone else is done?"
Hearing this, Haunter emerged halfway from Natsui's shadow, shot him a helpless look, and then extended a finger, wiggling it slightly.
An invisible force passed into the water. A Magikarp, as if being dragged by a pair of ruthless hands, was forced to open its mouth and was yanked onto the hook!
After doing this, Haunter silently slipped back into the shadows, completely unnoticed by anyone.
"Wow! It took the bait!"
Even Natsui didn't notice the strange occurrence at his feet. Seeing the Magikarp on the line, he quickly pulled with all his might, fishing it out of the pool.
A staff member looked at the tag on the Magikarp and, after entering the number into the computer, smiled and said, "Trainer Natsui, your number is A4, and your next opponent is the other A4, trainer Yoshiki!"
Yoshiki?
Natsui turned to look at the big screen, where the face of a young man with curly green hair appeared.
Natsui found his face completely unfamiliar, and the name didn't ring any bells either.
But since he had made it to the Top 16, he was surely no pushover!
By now, all the groupings had been decided. After returning the fishing rod, Natsui took another look at the tournament bracket.
Among his acquaintances, A.J. and Corey were both assigned to Group B, so it seemed he wouldn't face them before the finals.
The real difficulty was that both he and Ash had been placed in Group A!
If Ash won his battle against Ritchie, according to the bracket, his next opponent would be Natsui!
Having to fight friends back-to-back was undoubtedly a huge mental strain for Ash.
After the drawing was over, he didn't even say goodbye to Ritchie and left alone, looking heavily preoccupied.
As his traveling companions, Misty and Brock exchanged a glance with Natsui, then chased after Ash with worried expressions.
Natsui shook his head at this, then turned to Koharu.
"Well, now that the results are out, let's get going too."
According to the schedule, as the third and fourth matches of Group A, Natsui's and Ash's battles were set for tomorrow afternoon.
This gave him ample time to research his opponent, Yoshiki, and see if he could find any weaknesses.
After lunch, Natsui and Koharu returned to their dorm.
Inside the room, his Dratini was playing with Jolteon and Koharu's Yamper.
Seeing Natsui return, Dratini flew over to him and chirped happily.
After a long period of guidance, Dratini's personality issues had been mostly corrected. Although it was still a bit shy around strangers, once the Indigo Conference was over, he could definitely take it on his travels and battles!
But before he could even take a sip of water, Natsui received a message from the girl back in Kalos.
It was from their chat that he learned that Alexa's interview had finally been published in Kalos the day before!
'Kalos Trainer Crosses the Ocean to Challenge the Indigo League!'
Once this news was released, it immediately caused a small stir. However, because the people there had limited interest in the Indigo Conference, it didn't create a huge wave, only circulating for a short time within relevant circles or among those who were paying close attention!
But it was this news, along with the clear and handsome photograph, that brought immense joy to the girl who had been following his journey!
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