In fact, almost anyone who knows a little about recent news had probably heard Natsui's name. This was especially true in places like Kanto and Johto.
After all, the Pokémon League was extremely popular. Even if Natsui had not won, people would still know the champion's name.
Also, the tournament drew the attention of the entire continent. People like Lucy and the three delinquent girls were professionals in this field. They had definitely watched the matches. However, a long time had passed. Back then, everyone focused only on the Pokémon and ignored the trainers. Because of that, many people did not remember Natsui's face. They failed to recognize him right away.
Now that Lucy had pointed out Natsui's identity, the three delinquent girls finally realized who he was.
"Ah, so it's you!"
"I saw your battle when you won the championship. It was seriously amazing!"
"Hey, Mr. Champion, want to give me an autograph? I think you should sign it right on my chest. Oh, and by the way, did you bring a pen? If not, you can just use your finger!"
These women were unbelievably bold.
After learning that Natsui was actually that champion, the three delinquent girls' eyes lit up again. Their behavior became even more exaggerated. They crowded around him and even pushed May to the side.
You had to understand that Trainers were common. A Champion, however, was not someone you saw every day, let alone one coming here to challenge them.
A few more delinquent girls with the same style heard the commotion and came out from inside the facility to see what was happening. They looked at Natsui as if he were some kind of rare Pokémon. They surrounded him and stared at him nonstop.
This reminded Natsui of Erika and the Celadon Gym.
Both places had female Gym Leaders and female staff. Both groups loved to gossip. When they gathered together, they were quite noisy. However, the women here were definitely far more reckless than the ones at the Celadon Gym.
Some people might enjoy being surrounded by girls like this, but Natsui did not. He did not like this kind of praise. If possible, he would rather Lucy had not recognized him at all. He wanted to be treated like an ordinary person.
But there was no way around it. Once you became famous and did things ordinary people could not, you had to pay a price. He had seen this kind of scene many times before, and it would probably keep happening in the future.
Of course, that was only true for someone with Natsui's personality. For people who enjoyed this kind of attention, it would be a completely different story.
However, Lucy was a Frontier Brain. She would not allow these girls to keep fooling around. She shouted once, and all the delinquent girls crowding around Natsui immediately backed away.
That made Natsui respect Lucy a little more.
These delinquents were not especially honest or obedient people. No matter how Lucy usually dealt with them, the fact that a single sentence from her could make them listen at a critical moment showed that she truly knew how to lead her team. She deserved the title of Frontier Brain.
Soon, they returned to the main point. Lucy and the group of delinquents led the two of them into the Battle Pike.
Behind the large door was a massive space. It looked like the inside of a giant pipe.
Natsui looked around. Standing there felt like being inside some enormous water pipe. He finally understood why this place was called the Battle Pike.
The battlefield was located in the center of this space.
This was nothing like an ordinary battlefield. The terrain was not limited to a single type. Instead, it was a complex field filled with bushes, mud, and winding pools of water. There were even twelve floating platforms and small islands!
You could fight in the water, on land, or in the air. In short, this place looked like a real wild battlefield. It was far more interesting than those boring standard fields.
Natsui had visited many facilities before, but this one had the most varied battlefield.
Natsui and Lucy walked up the tall steps and stood in the Trainer command areas on opposite sides, facing each other from a distance.
Her name was Lucy, but she gave off the feeling of a boss. Just standing there made it impossible for anyone to think she was weak.
A delinquent girl with short blue-green hair stepped onto the referee's platform. She wore a matching blue-green tube top.
She announced, "The Frontier Battle between Indigo League Champion Natsui and Pike Queen Lucy will now begin. The number of Pokémon to be used is two. The first side to win two matches will be the victor. Please send out your Pokémon!"
People called Lucy the Pike Queen, and that was not just because she was the Frontier Brain. It was not because of her appearance either. It was because of her strength. She had fought countless challengers and won far more often than she lost in this facility. She ruled this place through sheer strength like a queen. That was why she had earned that title.
Her strength was indeed very high, but she still felt tremendous pressure because the opponent standing before her was a League Champion like Natsui.
This man simply stood there without moving, making no extra motions. He looked as though he had many openings, yet Lucy could feel an overwhelming aura coming from him.
Earlier, he had seemed a little helpless while being surrounded by the girls. But now, standing in the Trainer command area, the confidence in his eyes and the pressure he gave off were completely different.
Is this a Champion?
No... rather, is this the man who holds the championship titles of three different regions?
He really is completely different from the challengers who came before.
Lucy knew this battle would be extremely difficult. Even so, her expression did not change. Calmly, she took a Poké Ball from her chest.
On the opposite side, Natsui took out a Poké Ball almost at the same time. Both of them opened their Poké Balls together, and the spectators soon saw the first Pokémon of the match.
It was a coincidence. As the blue light faded, two identical Milotic appeared in the water before their respective Trainers.
No one had expected them to choose the same Pokémon.
"Eh? They're both Milotic!?" The delinquent girls watching found it hard to believe.
There were countless kinds of Pokémon, so seeing the same one appear in a battle was already uncommon. It could happen, of course. But in a situation like this, for both sides to send out a rare Pokémon like Milotic at the same time was an incredible coincidence.
It was not only the spectators who were surprised. Even Natsui and Lucy had not expected the other side to choose the same Pokémon.
Lucy was facing a powerful opponent, so she had to fight with everything she had. Milotic was one of her main Pokémon. Since her strongest Pokémon was Seviper, it made perfect sense for her to send Milotic out first.
Natsui, meanwhile, was currently training his own Milotic. Also, since more than half of the battlefield was water, it was only natural for him to choose it.
Each of them had their own reasons. That was what created this coincidence.
"I didn't expect you to have a Milotic too." Lucy was a little surprised, but her voice remained steady. She calmly said, "Good. Since the Pokémon are the same and their types are evenly matched, this is the perfect chance to test our strength. Now, let me see what you're really capable of!"
Hearing about someone was never the same as seeing it for yourself.
Natsui was very famous. He had won three regional tournaments and seemed almost unbeatable. But people had only seen that through broadcasts and reports. Lucy wanted to experience it herself. She wanted to know whether he was truly as strong as the rumors claimed.
More importantly, she wanted to battle this man and see the difference between them with her own eyes.
The two Milotic swam to their positions, their beautiful bodies shining under the lights and over the water.
Both sides were ready. The delinquent girl acting as referee swung her hand down.
"Battle—begin!"
The moment she finished speaking, both Pokémon moved at once.
Both Milotic made the exact same move. They opened their mouths and fired Hydro Pump at each other.
The two Hydro Pumps crossed paths and collided head-on in midair. Water exploded outward and rained down over the battlefield.
They had used the same move, so neither side gained any advantage.
That had only been the Pokémon acting on instinct. Now that the battle had properly begun, it was time for the two Trainers to take control.
"Milotic, use Twister!"
That command came from Lucy, not Natsui.
Natsui often used this move with Water-type Pokémon. He liked combining it with other attacks, so he did not expect Lucy to use it against him.
Since Natsui was skilled at using Twister, he naturally knew how to deal with it as well.
"Milotic, we'll do the same. Use Twister!"
Two Twisters appeared on the field, growing larger and larger as they advanced toward the center of the battlefield.
The directions of the wind were different, but the strength was equal. They did not crash into each other. Instead, the two Twisters merged and formed an even larger whirlwind.
A larger whirlwind meant even stronger wind power.
Water, bushes, and stones were all pulled up and swept inside. A muddy waterspout quickly formed, blocking the view on both sides.
At that moment, the difference in their styles became clear.
Lucy had used Twister as a straightforward attack, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake so she could seize a chance to strike.
Ten seconds later, she was stunned. Natsui's Milotic was riding the flow of the waterspout, descending from above at incredible speed, and then slammed down with Iron Tail onto her Milotic.
Smack!
She had not expected an attack from above. Lucy's Milotic was hit head-on, and the force sent it crashing into the water.
"Milotic!!"
The delinquent girls watching shouted in alarm, but Lucy did not cry out.
All of them had stood up by then.
They had been with Lucy ever since the Battle Pike opened, and they had never seen her Milotic lose the upper hand so quickly.
This Milotic was Lucy's second-strongest Pokémon. Her strongest was Seviper. It was absolutely not some random Pokémon from an ordinary Trainer.
Lucy had been caught off guard by that Iron Tail from above, but it also showed just how creative her opponent was.
The Iron Tail had hit with tremendous force. Fortunately, the water had helped Milotic absorb part of the impact.
It was clearly hurt, but after staying underwater for a few seconds, Lucy's Milotic leaped back out and launched itself at Natsui's Milotic with Tackle.
But the attack missed.
The delinquent girls were delighted to see Milotic reappear.
Although the attack failed, Lucy's Milotic did not stop. It immediately continued pressing the offense against Natsui's Milotic.
"That's more like it." The delinquent girls sat back down, looking relaxed again as they said, "Looks like big sis is back to her usual style. Once she starts attacking and keeps the pressure on, nobody can withstand her offense!"
Natsui was too far away to hear them, but May heard every word clearly.
She knew Lucy was strong, but she did not agree with them.
In a Pokémon battle, nothing was absolute.
No one could withstand Lucy's offense?
That was only because they had never seen Natsui battle before.
May was not the kind of huge fan Misty was, and she did not think Natsui was some flawless person. But she knew he had faced countless powerful opponents and had never lost an official match. A relentless offensive style would not be enough to trouble him.
She disagreed, but she did not say it out loud. She only kept it to herself.
And just as she expected, the battle quickly proved her right.
On the field, Lucy's Milotic kept attacking. It used Iron Tail, Tackle, and Wrap, nearly everything in its arsenal except Water-type moves. Natsui's Milotic handled every one of them.
At the same time, Natsui launched counterattacks of his own, breaking Lucy's Milotic's rhythm. Then his Milotic struck with Iron Tail once again, catching Lucy's Milotic off guard.
The delinquent girls fell silent again. Not one of them said a word.
May felt delighted. She looked at them proudly.
See? There was no such thing as an offense no one could stop. Now you understand just how amazing Natsui is, right?