The second round of the Piplup Cup's group stage had begun, and the dia was buzzing with excitent.
Every reporter had caught wind of the news—the Trainer of that Gastly was about to make an appearance!
Outside the contestant entrance, a crowd of reporters with their equipnt in tow had gathered.
Even the semi-finals in previous years hadn't drawn this much attention.
Thanks to the organizers' marketing and hype, Gastly had beco one of the most talked-about dark horses of this tournant!
"Look, is that the guy?"
"Yeah, yeah! That's the one with the Gastly!"
A tall, handso young man in a white shirt, with a Poké Ball clipped to his waist and a faintly visible Gastly floating above his head, walked confidently toward the arena.
Reporters rushed toward Natsu, caras and microphones at the ready.
"Do you feel confident about this match?"
"Why didn't you participate in the previous rounds?"
"What's your expected ranking?"
Natsu smiled politely at the caras. "I'll just do my best and hope for no regrets."
Natsu's actual thoughts: It's so hot… I just want to go back and enjoy the AC!
"Gastly!"
Seeing Natsu drenched in sweat, Gastly snickered quietly.
Sucks to be you, huh? I'm a Ghost type—heat doesn't bother !
The matchups had been decided. Natsu was set to face a third-year high school student from Nara Asuka High School.
Students pursuing the Trainer path could apply for early admission to Pokémon Academy through competitions, interviews, and other ans.
But clearly, the high school student's command skills were nowhere near Natsu's level.
During the battle, Natsu's predictions were so precise that it felt like he was toying with his opponent.
"Why does it seem like Gastly knows every move Butterfree is going to make?"
"It's a difference in strength. Butterfree can't keep up with Gastly's speed!"
"No, it's Natsu's commands—they're just too sharp!"
Butterfree, its wings engulfed in Will-O-Wisp, let out a mournful cry as it plumted from the sky.
At the sa ti, the referee's flag signaled the end of the match.
"Whoa, where did this dark horse co from?!"
"I heard he's from Tokyo tropolitan University, but he's not even a battle major!"
"The match next door is over too!"
In the adjacent arena, Sakurako from Tokyo tropolitan University had completely dominated her opponent from Yokohama National University.
Sakurako's Granbull once again showcased the strength of a Fairy-type specialist family—
In internal battles, I hold back; in external battles, I go all out!
"How did I win again…?"
Natsu recalled Gastly, looking utterly puzzled.
As he was leaving through the contestant entrance, a figure suddenly blocked his path.
The person was tall and lanky, with a Poké Ball clipped to his shorts and an excited expression.
"Natsu-sensei?"
The young man exclaid, "I'm Kazuki, one of your followers! I even have a Level 10 badge in your live stream!"
Natsu thought for a mont but couldn't recall the na.
Still, if he had a Level 10 badge, he must be a long-ti fan.
Natsu smiled warmly. "Oh, it's you! Take your ti, no rush."
"My live stream ID is 'How Does Bulbasaur SubProtect Toxic,'" Kazuki said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "Thanks to your advice, it's already evolved!"
"Not bad, using a Starter Pokémon trio as your starter!" Natsu said, surprised. "Are you competing in this tournant too?"
"Yeah, I've already advanced to the Top 16!"
Natsu paused, suddenly rembering that Yuuichi had ntioned this guy before.
A freshman in the Battle Departnt at Osaka University, Kazuki ca from a family of seasoned Grass-type Trainers. He had already passed the school team selection in his first year.
In terms of background and strength, Kazuki was on par with Sakurako, if not stronger!
"That's great! Keep it up in the next rounds and aim for the championship!" Natsu patted Kazuki on the shoulder.
"No, no, no!" Kazuki shook his head vigorously. "With you in the competition, I'll be lucky to get second place."
"My Gastly might not even beat your Bulbasaur!" Natsu said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
"Don't joke around! If you brought out your other Pokémon, everyone here combined wouldn't stand a chance!"
Kazuki had seen Natsu's strategic prowess firsthand—even Sinnoh's Grass-type Gym Leader wasn't a match for him.
If Natsu-sensei wasn't a powerful Trainer, how could he have such impeccable strategic thinking?
The only conclusion was that Natsu-sensei had just caught a Gastly and happened to enter the Piplup Cup.
Natsu-sensei, who usually looked down on beginner tournants, had only joined to level up Gastly.
The fact that Natsu-sensei hadn't participated in the first two rounds and let Gastly battle on its own was proof enough!
"Just being in the sa tournant as you is an honor!" Kazuki bowed deeply.
In a way, Kazuki's reasoning wasn't entirely off.
A Trainer's strength is a combination of their command skills and their Pokémon's abilities.
Could soone who could go toe-to-toe with a master Trainer like Natsu-sensei only have one Gastly?
Absolutely not!
Plus, Natsu-sensei was so young.
Kazuki's admiration for him was boundless.
Soone like Natsu-sensei entering the Piplup Cup, even with a newly caught Gastly, was just unfair!
Please, please, don't let face Natsu-sensei!
Natsu clicked his tongue.
What you're saying makes sense…
But the problem is, I really don't have any other Pokémon!
"I only have one Gastly," Natsu said after a mont.
"You only brought one Gastly?" Kazuki's eyes lit up.
"Well… you could say that."
Natsu waved his hand wearily. "See you in the live stream tonight!"
"Don't worry, Natsu-sensei! I'll definitely send you gifts!"
Back at ho, the chat group was buzzing about a new video on YouTube.
Since these big shots were all posting in Japanese, which stood out among the other followers, Natsu had created a separate group for them.
The current mbers included: World Tournant champion Red, Kanto champion and Viridian Gym Leader Blue Oak, Sinnoh's Grass-type Gym Leader Gardenia, and the wielder of Viridian's power, Yellow.
There was also the cheerful old man who had lost to Natsu before and kept pestering him for rematches—Hoenn's Electric-type Leader, Wattson.
And then there was Gold, the unemployed drifter.
Well… Gold's title was "The Hatcher," which Natsu thought was one of the most impressive abilities in the special series.
Any Pokémon hatched by Gold was guaranteed to have at least 5 perfect IVs—a dream for any breeder!
[Gold]: OMG, OMG! The top video on YouTube is insane!
[Yellow]: (??ω??)? I saw it too, so cool!
[Blue Oak]: Lucian made a lot of mistakes. Otherwise, he could've won.
[Wattson]: Hahaha, it made this old man want to stretch his legs and get moving!
[Red]: …
Red, who typed too slowly, could only manage to send a string of ellipses before retreating into lurking mode.
[Natsu-sensei]: What video?
[Gold]: Just go watch it yourself! Get online early tonight so I can crush you!
[Natsu-sensei]: ?
[Gardenia]: Ah, Miss Cynthia is just too amazing…
Cynthia: ?
Natsu scratched his head, confused, and opened the YouTube video.
The top trending post was a newly uploaded battle video.
"Sinnoh League Championship Challenge: Cynthia VS Lucian."
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