In the next battles, Natsui's Milotic, Metagross, and Eevee each took a turn on the field.
To be honest, Robert was actually very strong. He was almost on Tyson's level. He had reached the finals by defeating many other opponents.
Under normal circumstances, it would have taken more effort for Natsui to win with this lineup if he had not used Pokémon like Jolteon or Tyranitar.
But Robert no longer had the will to fight. His attacks had lost their edge, and his defense had fallen apart. In that condition, there was no way he could beat Natsui.
It was a sad thing.
He had reached the finals, but he was not ready for a stage like this. He was already afraid before the battle even began, and that fear made him weaker. The pressure crushed his performance.
If Steven or Ash had been in his place, they would not have been affected like that.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Not everyone has a mind as strong as theirs. Robert was just an ordinary trainer stepping onto the finals stage for the first time. Running into Natsui there was the worst luck of his life.
"Champion!"
"Champion!"
"Champion!"
At last, Gardevoir was the final Pokémon sent out to end the battle. She won with ease.
That meant the championship match was over.
"The new Ever Grande Conference Champion is here!" the host shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice nearly cracking. "Natsui has defeated Robert by a score of 6 to 0! Now, let's congratulate our champion, the trainer who broke records and dominated the entire tournament, Natsui!"
The audience exploded like a giant wave. Their cheers drowned out everything else. It felt as if the entire world had disappeared, leaving behind only the roar of the crowd.
What does true popularity look like?
This was it.
Natsui had been perfect throughout the tournament. He was far stronger than every other competitor. He had conquered both his opponents and the audience. With their cheers, the crowd declared him the most beloved trainer of this Ever Grande Conference!
Natsui stood in the trainer's command area. For a moment, his ears rang from the noise. He looked out at the scene in front of him.
He had done this twice before. This time, only Tyson had truly counted as a strong opponent. He had defeated everyone else with ease.
Even so, his heart was still beating fast.
Countless trainers dream of becoming a champion. To be praised by so many people on a stage like this felt incredible.
Then Robert walked toward him.
His face was full of respect as he held out his hand.
"Congratulations. You truly deserve this championship. I accept my defeat completely."
Robert meant every word.
If he had lost to someone else, he might have felt frustrated or unwilling to accept it. But facing Natsui, he could not even feel anger.
Natsui was simply too strong. Robert could only feel helpless and genuinely impressed.
"You're very strong too," Natsui said with a smile as he shook his hand. "You didn't win this time, but I believe you can win the next conference."
Robert had been unlucky, but also lucky.
He was unlucky because he met Natsui in the finals, which gave him a terrible experience and ended in a crushing loss. In that sense, he might have been the most unfortunate finalist of all.
But he was also lucky. In the original course of events, he would never have reached the finals at all. He only got there and became known because Natsui had defeated Tyson earlier.
In a way, Natsui had helped him rise, and then personally crushed him.
They only spoke briefly. Then Robert stepped back and joined the crowd in clapping.
Natsui waved to the audience for more than a minute before he and Robert walked toward the podium.
There, he saw Mr. Goodshow, the President of the Pokémon League, standing with a complicated expression on his face.
"Congratulations. Congratulations on winning another conference."
Mr. Goodshow was probably the person who least wanted Natsui to win.
Natsui knew perfectly well that the old man was not being sincere, but he still smiled.
"Thank you. Don't worry, I'll keep working hard. I'll try to win in the next region too."
Those words stabbed Mr. Goodshow right through the chest. His smile froze instantly.
Natsui had said exactly what he did not want to hear.
Was he really planning to go to other regions and keep entering Pokémon League conferences?
That was terrible news.
Mr. Goodshow forced out an awkward smile. On a stage like this, he could not show what he was really feeling.
So he walked past Natsui and went to congratulate Robert and the trainer who had taken third place the day before. He shook their hands and said a few polite words.
Then Mr. Goodshow stepped aside.
The three winners stood on the podium while assistants handed them their trophies one by one. In front of the sacred flame, they waved to the fans.
Cannons fired, and ribbons and balloons filled the sky. The whole stadium felt like one giant celebration.
At the very end, Natsui posed for a photo with his full team in front of the cameras.
That officially marked the end of the Ever Grande Conference.
It was finally over.
From the moment he had arrived in Hoenn until now, this entire journey had finally come to an end.
Natsui walked through the players' tunnel, only to find reporters already waiting for him. They swarmed him so tightly that there was no way out.
This time, he could not avoid them. He had to stay and answer a few questions. Only after the reporters were satisfied did he finally manage to escape and make his way to the players' lounge.
The moment he stepped inside, Ash and the others immediately started congratulating him.
"Natsui! Congratulations on winning your third conference trophy!"
"Congratulations on the win!"
At that moment, Misty handed him his phone back.
Ever since he won, Natsui's phone had been going crazy. In just ten minutes, he had already received a huge number of messages. Almost everyone who had his number was sending congratulations.
There were too many to answer right away. He would have to wait until later that night to properly thank them all.
But for now, it was time for the usual celebration dinner after winning!
Ash was looking forward to that part the most.
In fact, ever since Natsui came back to the room, Ash had already been shouting about eating a huge meal.
...
The conference was over, but the excitement it created did not end so quickly.
People were still talking about the incredible battles from the last few days. It had become one of the hottest topics around.
However, Natsui and his friends were no longer thinking about that.
Trainers never stop moving forward. After one night of celebrating, Natsui and Ash were already preparing for the next journey.
This time, they were heading to the Battle Frontier in the Kanto region.
The Battle Frontier had seven battle facilities. Each one had its own Frontier Brain, and defeating them earned a Frontier Symbol.
These facilities were separate from the standard Gym challenge. They were extremely professional, and every Frontier Brain was very powerful. Some even used rare Pokémon. Many of them were stronger than ordinary Gym Leaders and were said to rival the Elite Four.
It was not as famous as the Pokémon League itself, but it was still an extremely high-level battleground.
When Natsui told Ash about this place in Kanto, Ash became instantly interested.
He had already been planning to go back to Kanto anyway, so he did not hesitate at all. He immediately wanted to head for the Battle Frontier.
Natsui was not in a hurry to move on to another region now that the conference was over. Going through the Battle Frontier on the way back to Kanto suited him just fine. It would also let him take Misty home, so it worked out well for everyone.
Only Max had to leave the group and return home to Petalburg City.
He was sad to say goodbye to Ash and Brock. But he knew he had already been traveling for a long time, and it was time to go home and see his family again.
But when he turned to look at May, his sister was not even looking at him.
"Um..." May said awkwardly. "You go back by yourself. I have something to do in Kanto too."
"What!?" Max's eyes went wide. "You're going to Kanto too!?"
May and Misty had kept it a secret, so no one else had noticed anything. Up until now, no one except the two of them knew that May planned to travel with Natsui.
Even as her brother, Max was only now learning that May had no intention of going home with him!
Natsui, Ash, and Brock were confused too, but they did not say much.
To them, May and Misty had become good friends, so it did not seem especially strange that May might want to visit Misty's home for a while.
Only Max could not accept the fact that he would be the only one going home.
"What are you going to Kanto for?"
May looked at Misty, nervous as she tried to come up with an excuse.
Misty immediately pulled May behind her and stared at Max.
"This is girl stuff. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Max might have dared to question his sister, but he was definitely afraid of Misty.
Even so, he still hated the idea of being the only one sent home.
"But what about Dad and Mom? Would they really agree to—"
Before he could finish, Misty cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"That's not something you need to worry about. I'll talk to your parents myself. And don't worry, I'll bring your sister back safely later."
Since Misty had spoken that firmly, Max looked at his sister one last time. May gave him an apologetic smile, and in the end, he could only sigh.
Early the next morning, the group arrived at the docks in Ever Grande City.
They had originally planned to return to Kanto by first sending Max home and then leaving from Petalburg City. But Morrison offered to handle that part himself.
"You guys can just leave from here. I'll take Max home."
"Eh?" May asked. "Is that really okay?"
"No problem!" Morrison said with a loud laugh. "I'm really happy I got to meet all of you and become friends. I can't go to Kanto with you, but I can still do one more thing for you!"
Ash and the others were all very touched. Even Natsui had to admit Morrison really was a good friend.
Only Max was not happy at all.
He and Morrison did not have much to talk about, and he could already imagine how boring the trip back to Petalburg City would be.
He wanted to refuse. But Morrison was being kind, and his sister had already agreed. In the end, he could only sigh again.
They watched Morrison and Max board their ship. Max looked miserable the whole time.
Then Natsui, Misty, and Ash boarded the ship heading for Kanto.
...
The ship's horn sounded loudly as a large vessel from Hoenn approached the harbor across the blue sea.
This was the ship Natsui and the others were on.
After sailing for several days, they finally arrived in Kanto that morning. The port city waiting for them was one Natsui knew very well: Vermilion City.
He still remembered the first time he had come to Kanto from Kalos. Vermilion City had been the first city he reached.
Now he was returning here again in almost the same way.
But his feelings were very different now.
Back then, his mind had been filled only with Pokémon. But now...
Sabrina, Erika... are you both doing well?
Those two were among the most important women in his life. After being away for so long, he missed them.
The closer the ship got to the harbor, the more nervous Natsui felt.
After all, he was coming home.
Ash and the others had no idea what he was thinking. They simply stood beside him and looked at the port from the deck.
"We're finally back."
Ash was also full of emotion.
This was his home. Every time he finished a journey, he always returned to Kanto to rest for a while. Even though he had only reached the Top 8 this time, he had still learned a lot.
He was happy.