Amidst the roaring applause of the stadium, Natsui walked out of the arena through the contestant tunnel.
At the exit, Koharu, Misty, and the others had been waiting for a long ti. When he appeared, they all gathered around, applauding and congratulating him.
Further away, the biker gang was holding back several reporters and fans, preventing them from getting close and disturbing them.
"That was a fantastic battle!" Brock praised. "Congratulations on the win, and congratulations on advancing! Now, both you and Ash are in the Top 16!"
A brilliant smile appeared on Natsui's face as well.
He was, of course, the happiest one about advancing to the fifth round.
But speaking of Ash…
Natsui turned and scanned the area. He saw Professor Oak and Delia standing nearby, but after looking around, he couldn't find Ash anywhere.
"Where's Ash?"
Misty covered her mouth and giggled. "That Ash... after he saw Gary leave with a sigh, he followed him with a complicated look on his face. I think he's probably comforting him right now."
As expected of his first rival and good friend, Ash still can't help but care about Gary...
However, hearing Gary's na ntioned, Natsui turned to Professor Oak and said sowhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, Professor. I hope Gary isn't too upset about being defeated by ."
Unexpectedly, Professor Oak just smiled and waved his hand.
"It's alright. In a competition, there will always be losers. Besides, I believe this defeat is actually good dicine for Gary!"
"Good dicine?" Koharu gave him a confused look. His own grandson was just defeated, why doesn't he seem worried at all?
"Yes," Professor Oak said earnestly. "That boy, Gary, has always been arrogant. He's so used to things going his way that he looks down on all his opponents. I think this loss will help him understand that there's always soone better out there. It will be a great help for his future growth!"
Natsui nodded. They say no one knows a son better than his father, and Professor Oak certainly had a clear understanding of his grandson.
And as expected of a highly respected scholar, his way of thinking was clearly more rational, not showing any favoritism towards Gary just because of their blood ties!
In fact, future events would unfold just as Professor Oak had predicted. After his defeats in the Indigo and Silver Conferences, Gary's personality did indeed change drastically. Not only did he learn to respect others and be humble and polite, but he also found his true dream.
It could be said that these two defeats were what allowed Gary to truly understand himself, thus completely changing the course of his life!
...
After all the preliminary rounds were over, the next stage was the main tournant, where the 16 trainers who had erged victorious would compete for the championship.
But before that, due to the increased difficulty of the battles, there would be a two-day break for the competitors to rest and adjust, so they could present their best selves to the public.
Taking this opportunity, with the help of Misty and Brock, Natsui used the ti to conduct special training for his Pokémon, striving for steady progress and even better results.
As for Ash, during the break, he happened to et another trainer nad Ritchie while he was out one day!
And the Team Rocket trio, who had been relentlessly pursuing Ash from the very beginning, launched another attack to steal his Pikachu. However, after so coordination and communication, Ash and Ritchie easily repelled them and even beca friends in the process!
When Ash brought Ritchie back and introduced him to everyone, Natsui looked at the boy, who was about the sa age as Ash and even dressed similarly, and fell into a brief mont of contemplation.
Could it be that so things are fated to happen, truly unavoidable in the grand sche of things?
"My na is Ritchie. It's nice to et you all."
Brock and the others gave a warm welco to this boy who also had a Pikachu. After so conversation, it beca clear that although he looked very similar to Ash, their personalities were quite different.
Not only was Ritchie more polite, but he was also calr. After hearing Ash's account of their adventure together, it was clear that Ritchie didn't panic in the face of trouble and knew how to use his head to solve problems.
As they were talking, Koharu studied Ritchie for a mont, then leaned close to Natsui and whispered, "Why does this person give the feeling that he's like... like..."
Natsui finished her sentence, "Like an upgraded version of Ash, right?"
Seeing Koharu nod, Natsui glanced around. Seeing that no one else was paying attention to them, he turned to her and said, "Just watch. This person will be Ash's greatest rival in this tournant. If he's not careful, Ash's Indigo League journey might just end here!"
"Eh? Really?"
Koharu looked at Ritchie again with surprise. Although she didn't understand why Natsui was so certain, her trust in him was such that she didn't even question where he got his information.
When the short break ended, a refreshed Natsui, along with the other fifteen competitors, arrived at the drawing venue.
This ti, the five registration desks in the hall had been removed and replaced by a large pool of water.
The pool wasn't deep, and through the clear water, sixteen Magikarp could be seen swimming around inside.
A staff mber approached and explained to everyone, "Welco, trainers. From the fifth round onward, our matches will be held in the main Indigo Stadium. The advancent rules have also changed. You will be divided into two groups, A and B. The eight trainers in each group will compete until one winner erges. The final championship match will be held between the winners of the two groups!"
With that, she pointed to the pool at her side.
"This simple pool you see here is what will decide your groupings. Each Magikarp inside is marked with a number. Each of you will use a fishing rod, and you will be grouped for your matches based on the number you fish up!"
While listening to the staff mber's explanation, Natsui's eyes swept over the faces of the remaining trainers.
Besides himself, Ash, and Ritchie, the only other people he recognized among those who had made it to the Top 16 were A.J. and Corey, whom he had t on New Island!
The rest were all unfamiliar faces!
Just then, A.J. also saw Natsui and ca over to greet him.
"Did you know? After defeating two of the top contenders in a row, everyone is now betting on you. You've beco the biggest competitor for all of us!"
"Is that so?"
Natsui had indeed heard rumors to that effect.
In truth, looking at the entire Indigo Conference, it wasn't that Natsui was overwhelmingly powerful, but rather that the competitors who had entered were not exceptionally strong!
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