"Ladies and gentlemen, at this moment, the Indigo Conference, which has lasted for half a month, is finally coming to a close. Now, let's give the warmest round of applause to welcome back our trainers and their Pokémon!"
The main cauldron was ablaze!
At 6:00 PM, as the sun gradually set, the sky grew darker.
Amidst the announcer's resounding voice, over 200 trainers marched in neat formations from the contestant tunnels on both sides of the field, waving to the people in the stands.
Each trainer was accompanied by one of their Pokémon. Seeing them appear, the spectators rose to their feet, applauding and shouting the names of their favorite competitors.
Although these trainers had been eliminated early on, they had been invited back by the Pokémon League and had all returned to the Indigo Plateau to attend the closing ceremony.
However, not all trainers who received the invitation chose to return to the place of their defeat. A proud person like Gary, at least, would surely not have the face to show up again.
But even with a few trainers missing, it couldn't stop the people from pouring their final burst of enthusiasm onto the field that had once been filled with so much passion!
Sitting in the stands, Misty and Brock applauded along with the crowd. Their eyes searched among the many trainers, and after a moment, they quickly located Ash.
At that moment, Ash was walking side-by-side with Ritchie. Flanked by their two Pikachus, the pair looked as conspicuous as twins. However, Ash was so nervous that his movements were stiff, and he walked like a puppet, as if a few wooden planks had been attached to his body!
Misty found this so amusing that she was almost doubled over with laughter.
More than ten minutes later, after the trainers had completed a lap around the field, they stood in neat rows before the podium and began to listen to President Goodshow's closing address.
Just like at the opening ceremony, Mr. Goodshow's speech was brief and humorous, earning unanimous praise from everyone.
After the speech, the trainers went up on stage one by one to receive a souvenir from this year's Indigo Conference from his hands.
The souvenir was shaped like a pair of closed wings. When the wings were opened, a beautiful memento and a golden Poké Ball badge representing the Pokémon League could be seen inside.
This was proof of their participation in the conference, a way to honor the valiant performance of each trainer in the competition.
Finally, after all the other trainers had received their souvenirs, it was time for the most important part of this grand closing ceremony—the awards presentation!
With Natsui in the lead, followed closely by Corey and Melissa, the three of them slowly walked up to the winner's podium.
As the champion, runner-up, and third-place winner of this year's Indigo Conference, Mr. Goodshow first awarded the silver and bronze medals to Corey and Melissa, and then turned his attention to Natsui.
"Congratulations, young man," Mr. Goodshow said with a kind smile. "Your performance was outstanding. I see great potential in you, and I hope you will continue to strive for even more brilliant achievements!"
Looking at the white-haired but still vigorous old man, Natsui nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Mr. President. I will!"
Taking the gold medal from a staff member, Mr. Goodshow placed it around Natsui's neck. He then presented a gleaming golden trophy shaped like a Poké Ball into Natsui's hands.
At that moment, a photographer stepped onto the stage and captured this image forever.
Watching the flash go off, the trainers below the stage looked on with a mixture of envy and dejection.
By now, night had fallen. Just as Natsui stood on the podium, waving to the crowd, the lights in the stadium suddenly went out with a 'click'!
The entire Indigo Stadium was plunged into darkness. Just as everyone was wondering what was happening, thousands of fireworks suddenly shot into the sky, and as they bloomed into beautiful patterns, they also lit up the festive night.
...
After the closing ceremony, Natsui and his friends found a restaurant, and the group of several dozen people celebrated together boisterously.
However, during the meal, amidst all the joy, he was also made to drink a lot of alcohol. By the time he returned to his room in the evening, his steps were unsteady, he reeked of alcohol, and his head was spinning. Only after a cold shower did he finally feel clear-headed again.
"Phew..."
Letting out a long breath, Natsui leaned back and lay spread-eagled on the soft bed.
Only then did he feel that the world had finally quieted down.
This time, besides the trophy and the gold medal, he had also received a handsome sum of prize money. Even after deducting a large amount in taxes, he still had an income of over 3 million.
It seemed that overnight, he had not only won the championship but also become a millionaire. It could be said he had achieved both fame and fortune!
But even though all of this had really happened, as Natsui lay in bed and thought back on it, it all still felt so unreal, like a dream.
Coming back to his senses, he picked up his phone. Since the end of the match that morning, he had received congratulatory messages from many friends. After being busy until now, he finally had the time to reply to them one by one.
...
The next morning, after breakfast, everyone began to pack their things and leave.
First was Koharu, who left with Professor Sakuragi's group.
It was clear that she had changed a lot during this short trip, and one could also sense her reluctance to part with Natsui. But it couldn't be helped. After returning to Vermilion City, she still had to continue her studies and return to her normal life.
Ash, Misty, and Brock also had to return to Pallet Town to attend the celebration party that Delia and Professor Oak were preparing for him in their hometown.
Although he had only made it to the Top 16, for a child participating in the conference for the first time, this was still a remarkable achievement.
After saying goodbye to them, in the blink of an eye, only he, Sabrina, and the bikers were left in the dorm.
Seeing Misa and Masa approach, Natsui thought for a moment and called Misa aside alone.
"What are your plans after you go back this time?"
Misa looked completely puzzled. "Plans? We don't have any. It'll probably be the same as before."
Natsui said thoughtfully, "I have an idea. I'm planning to put up some money to set up a base for you all. You can think of it as your regular activity center."
"A base? An activity center?" Misa's eyes lit up with interest. "What kind?"
Natsui shook his head. "Maybe a bar, a pool hall, or some other kind of facility. It would be best if it could serve as a base while also earning some funds for your activities. That way, when you come to cheer me on at future events, you can stay in a better place instead of camping out in the wild."
"As expected of the boss, so thoughtful!"
Seeing that Misa had no objections, Natsui took out his phone and directly opened the payment interface.
"Since you agree, then you'll be in charge of this matter."
"Eh? Me?" Misa's eyes widened in surprise. "Why should I be in charge? Aren't you going to handle it yourself? Are you really not afraid that we'll just run off with the money?"
Natsui shrugged. "If that happens, it just means I misjudged you. But I still believe in my judgment and know that you can be trusted!"
Misa was deeply touched and patted her chest so hard it made her peaks tremble.
"In that case, leave it to me! Hehe, I'll definitely manage the boss's industry well!"
Natsui said no more and directly transferred two million to her. Although it wasn't a huge amount, the place where they lived was a small city. If they were careful with the money, they could still set something up properly.
He deposited the remaining one million plus into the bank. Since he had no great material needs, this money was enough for him to live comfortably for a long time.
After Misa and the others had waved goodbye and left, Natsui finally turned his head to Sabrina.
"Alright, now it's just you and me. So, where are you headed? Back to Saffron City?"
Unexpectedly, Sabrina shook her head and smiled. "I'm not going back. I've decided to temporarily step down from my duties as Gym Leader and travel with you for a while!"
This time, it was Natsui's turn to stare with wide-eyed shock.
"What!? Travel with me!?"
Seeing his reaction, Sabrina's expression turned stern, and she frowned. "What? Not happy about it?"
"How could that be possible! Of course I'm very happy!" Natsui grinned, offering a rare smooth-talking line. "If I have a great beauty like you accompanying me, even the toughest journey would surely become a pleasure!"
Hearing him say this, the smile returned to Sabrina's face.
"I see. In that case, Champion, where are we heading next?"
Natsui pointed towards the distance and laughed heartily. "I've already decided. Next, we'll keep heading south and set off for the Orange Islands!"
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