Hearing the voice, the surrounding crowd turned in unison to look at the source.
As more and more people parted to create a path, everyone saw a handsome man, accompanied by a beautiful, cold-looking woman with long hair, slowly walking in from the outer edge of the crowd.
Countless eyes were fixed on him, but the man showed no signs of panic, his steps steady as he looked straight ahead.
Needless to say, this man making a stylish entrance was, of course, Natsui.
Natsui walked up to the other trainer and repeated what he had said before.
"Since no one else dares to battle you, let me be your opponent."
The trainer first glanced at Sabrina, also stunned by the woman's beauty, but he quickly averted his gaze. His eyes were clear, and he didn't let his attention linger for even a second longer.
Hmph, no matter how beautiful a woman is, she isn't as captivating as Pokémon! And she certainly can't stop my winning streak!
Natsui, of course, had no idea what the trainer was thinking, but his reaction still impressed him.
It was human nature, an unavoidable instinct, to let one's heart flutter and gaze linger on beautiful things.
But in terms of not being swayed by beauty alone, this person was in a completely different league compared to the two Orange League Gym Leaders, Rudy and Danny.
Of course, he was also much stronger-willed than Natsui himself. At the very least, when Natsui encountered a beautiful woman, he definitely couldn't resist sneaking a few glances.
And while Natsui was sizing him up, the trainer was also observing Natsui. He squinted, and as their eyes met, he could feel an unparalleled sense of calm and composure emanating from the handsome man before him.
Indeed, anyone who dares to step out at a time like this is no simple character… It seems he must be very confident in his own abilities.
With this thought, out of respect for his opponent, he spoke first. "I'm Shane. What's your name?"
"My name is Natsui," he said casually. "Judging by your accent, you're not from the Orange Islands, are you?"
"That's right. I came all the way from the Johto region specifically to challenge the Orange League!" Shane lifted his chin, looking somewhat smug. "But to be honest, the Gym Leaders here aren't that strong. I've only been here for four or five days, and I've already gotten two badges! The Orange League, hmph, I thought it was something special, but it's nothing much after all."
Hearing him say this, the people in the crowd frowned.
Most of the passengers here were locals from the Orange Islands. How could they be happy hearing someone belittle their home region's gyms right in front of them?
But Shane's skill was on full display, and he had just defeated several trainers in a row. No matter how uncomfortable they felt, they had to consider their own strength before they could even think of retorting.
"We're in agreement on that point," Natsui said, not holding back and effectively rubbing salt in their wounds. "Compared to Kanto or other regions, the gyms here are undoubtedly unprofessional. Especially those competition formats that have nothing to do with battling. They're a real headache."
At this point, Natsui turned his head and looked at Shane's Pokémon.
It was a cute, dopey-looking Quagsire. This was the Pokémon that had just defeated five opponents in a row.
"Alright, let's get back to business. Are you planning to continue battling with this Quagsire?"
"I'd better not," Shane said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You don't look like some simple small fry. This Pokémon of mine is already a bit tired. I'd rather switch to another one to battle you."
Natsui naturally had no objections. Since they were switching Pokémon anyway, he made a suggestion. "In that case, let's make it fair and do a blind battle. We'll both take out our Poké Balls at the same time."
"A blind battle? Of course," Shane said. He first recalled his Quagsire, then took another Poké Ball from his belt.
Natsui walked to the trainer's box on the other side. Before sending out his Pokémon, he first scanned the simple battlefield.
Since it was built on the deck, the surface wasn't very durable. If he chose one of his heavyweight Pokémon, it would be bad if they accidentally damaged the deck.
Looks like I can only use the more agile ones. Having figured this out, and after a moment of thought, Natsui had a plan.
He took the third Poké Ball from his belt, exchanged a look with Shane, and the next second, both of them released their Pokémon almost simultaneously.
"Come on out, Jolteon!"
"Go, my Poliwrath!"
As the two beams of blue light faded, Natsui had sent out Jolteon, while Shane had sent out a Poliwrath.
Raising his eyebrows, Natsui remarked, "Electric against Water. It seems I have the advantage, even in a blind battle."
"That's right," Shane smiled. "I didn't expect you to send out a Jolteon. Looks like my luck isn't so good, getting countered by type advantage."
Although he said that, Natsui didn't sense any panic in his tone. It seemed he wasn't too concerned about being at a type disadvantage.
Nevertheless, Natsui still asked politely, "So? Do you need to switch your Pokémon?"
"Of course not," Shane waved his hand dismissively. "Don't underestimate me. This Poliwrath of mine is my ace! Besides, I'm also very good at fighting with a type disadvantage."
Just then, Natsui noticed that this Poliwrath was wearing a shimmering golden belt around its waist.
"What's this…?"
Shane chuckled, looking extremely proud. "This is the champion's belt that my Poliwrath and I won at the Pokémon Fighting Tournament back in our hometown, after battling our way through and defeating many powerful Pokémon! It's a rare souvenir!"
A Pokémon Fighting Tournament… Looking at the champion's belt, Natsui felt a pang of envy. Unfortunately, he didn't have any Fighting-type Pokémon, so he couldn't participate in such a competition for the time being.
While the two trainers were talking, their Pokémon had already taken their stances. A great battle was about to begin.
At the same time, the onlookers whispered among themselves, guessing who would win the fight.
Although Shane's earlier words had offended a large group of people, he had just achieved a winning streak and was on a roll. Therefore, the vast majority of them expected him to continue his victory.
However, a few people noticed Natsui's extraordinary demeanor and guessed that he must also be a skilled trainer, someone who might be able to defeat Shane and end his winning streak.
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