Blastoise had once again defeated its opponents in a one-on-two battle, and its outstanding performance successfully helped Natsui advance to the finals.
The loser left the stage dejectedly, while the winner was met with a tsunami of cheers from the audience. Among them, Misty's voice was particularly loud; even from a certain distance, Natsui could still hear her very clearly.
When he turned to look at Misty, he saw her fair, slender arms waving excitedly in the crowd, her voice nearly breaking from shouting!
But soon, his attention was drawn to Erika, who was standing next to Misty, looking at him with eyes as gentle as water.
As their eyes met, for some reason, they both looked away at the same time.
They could both clearly feel that as they traveled together longer, and the more time they spent together, a special kind of emotion was evidently weaving between them...
Gently shaking his head, Natsui collected his thoughts and recalled Blastoise with its Poké Ball.
Now, he had one foot on the trophy. Next, as long as he defeated the winner between Trinity and the other female trainer, he could win this cup.
However, although he had won, Blastoise's condition did not look very good at the moment.
From the preliminaries until now, the prolonged battles had left it covered in wounds.
This couldn't be helped; these wounds were accumulated over many battles. Especially from Feraligatr's frantic attacks just now, although Blastoise had defended against most of them, they still left many scars on its body.
The finals were this afternoon, but looking at Blastoise's condition, even with emergency treatment at the Pokémon Center, it probably wouldn't be able to recover to its normal state.
In the finals, do I really have to use my Gyarados?
Leaving the arena, Natsui met up with Erika and the others outside and immediately headed for the Pokémon Center.
But on the way, after hearing his concerns about the finals, Erika, Ash, and Brock seemed eager and excited.
It was perfect if Blastoise couldn't battle!
They really wanted to see how Natsui's red Gyarados battled. They all wanted to witness it with their own eyes and see how much this Pokémon had grown!
Seeing them like this, Natsui could only give a helpless, wry smile.
These boys, they really love to watch a good show, don't they!
But Natsui himself also knew that even if Blastoise could continue to fight, it probably couldn't last for two full matches like before.
Sigh, it seems I have no choice but to prepare to send out the red Gyarados...
When they arrived at the Pokémon Center, Natsui went to the front desk and handed Blastoise's Poké Ball to Nurse Joy.
Watching Nurse Joy walk into the treatment room, the group sat in the lobby and, while waiting, watched Trinity's battle on the TV hanging on the wall.
Just as in her previous battle against Misty, Trinity used two different Pokémon in her two matches, and once again, she won with a clean 2-0 victory.
From this, it was clear that there was a definite gap between her and her opponent.
Natsui smiled. "It looks like my next match is against Trinity. Thinking back, when she first approached me, I knew she was very strong. I didn't expect her to actually make it all the way to the finals!"
Erika nodded and analyzed, "From a strength and performance perspective, there's actually not much difference between Trinity and Tetsu. However, her Chinchou has a great advantage on this kind of water field, especially when fighting against Water Pokémon. You have to be careful!"
"I understand, I'll pay attention."
At that moment, Misty suddenly leaned in and whispered in Natsui's ear, "Natsui, I was eliminated by Miss Trinity. You have to get revenge for me this time, okay!"
Before Natsui could say anything, Ash, who was beside them, had already curled his lip.
"What's that, Misty? If you lost to Miss Trinity, you should be the one to get even. Why ask someone else to get revenge for you?"
The blockheaded Ash clearly didn't understand that although Misty's words were about wanting Natsui to get revenge for her, in reality, her tone and actions were more of a cute plea towards Natsui.
With the atmosphere ruined by Ash, Misty was instantly annoyed. She turned and glared at him, her expression a far cry from the gentle demeanor she had towards Natsui!
"None of your business! Hmph, you loser, don't you forget that I'm the one who beat you in the Top 16. If you're not happy about it, remember to get your revenge on me next time!"
"Darn it! You, Misty!!"
Hitting a sore spot, Ash was furious, but it was a fact that he had lost to Misty, and he had no ground to stand on.
"You just wait! The next time there's a competition like this, I'll definitely beat you!"
Misty lifted her chin, looking very disdainful. "Got it. I'll be looking forward to it then!"
With Ash and Misty around, the atmosphere was never dull. During a break in their bickering, they had lunch at the restaurant, and just as they put down their chopsticks, Nurse Joy's voice came over the broadcast.
"Mr. Natsui, please come to the front desk. Your Pokémon has recovered."
The announcement was broadcasted several times. By the time the third one sounded, Natsui and the others had already reached the front desk of the Pokémon Center.
Seeing Natsui, Nurse Joy, holding a tray, handed him Blastoise's Poké Ball.
"Mr. Natsui, your Blastoise has finished its recovery. However, all I could do was treat its wounds. The continuous battles over the past few days have left it mentally exhausted. I suggest you let it rest for a while longer."
"I understand. Thank you for the advice."
Natsui took the Poké Ball, sighing softly in his heart.
It seems using Gyarados is truly unavoidable. I hope the upcoming battle doesn't leave any psychological scars on Trinity...
With the previous example of Aya, he was very reluctant to offend a female trainer in this way.
...
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Natsui parted ways with Erika and the others and walked into the arena's lounge alone.
And in the room, he saw Trinity at a glance.
At this moment, Trinity was sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed, resting. Hearing footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes.
"You're here?"
Meeting his opponent before the match, and not knowing her well, coupled with the fact that he would probably have to defeat her in a rather brutal way shortly, made Natsui feel a bit awkward.
He could only nod politely, while also mentally complaining about the unreliability of the organizers. If this were the Silver Conference or any other tournament, they would definitely have placed the contestants in separate lounges, and they would never have met like this beforehand!
Fortunately, Trinity didn't seem to mind Natsui's attitude. She stood up, walked over to him, and a friendly smile appeared on her face.
"According to our previous agreement, not only did I beat Misty, but I've also successfully made it to the finals. It seems we were destined to settle things in the arena!"
Natsui had gone from being the challenger to the one being challenged. This was not only a sign of his growth in strength but also an affirmation of the results of his journey!
Being seen as a goal by others wasn't a bad thing. After all, the more you are challenged, the stronger you become!
But...
Natsui couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart.
The friendlier Trinity acts now, the greater his guilt will be after the battle.
Sigh, you have no idea what's about to happen. I really hope you can still be this 'calm' after the match...
------------------------
Support my projects and get immediate access to hundreds of chapters of Bleach, Naruto, Pokémon, and more! ✨ Key Benefit: Your favorite novels, with my quality, and always up-to-date.
Featured Novels (with hundreds of chapters available NOW!):
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem (1050 caps)
Goddess Training Manual (800 caps)
I Have Caught a Pokémon (700 caps)
Bleach Getting Stronger (330 caps)
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha (300 caps)
And many more!
Why subscribe?
🔥 Immediate Access: Read my new chapters before anyone else.
📚 Huge Library: Access my complete catalog instantly.
⭐️ High Quality: Enjoy the novels with a professional and well-crafted text written by me.