Nathan being able to respond to her question meant he understood what she was saying—and could also accurately state the location of the match.
In other words, Nathan had actually learned the island nation's language...
"We're going off to have fun now!"
Yue quickly walked a few steps ahead with frustration. She didn't want to walk alongside a freak like him—it was too demoralizing.
Back when she was learning a foreign language, it had taken her at least half a year to a full year before she dared to speak it publicly.
Watching Yue walk off, Nathan simply shrugged.
What could he do? Having a system really was this powerful.
And it was a system that cared a lot about face too.
He took a cab to the Murakami Arena, which was already bustling with people.
Although most Pasificans were of similar complexion, clothing and subtle features still allowed one to tell which country each person was from.
In the crowd, Nathan quickly spotted Evelyn and the other contestants from his country.
He walked up quickly and greeted them.
…
"Well, well, isn't it our national champion? Why are you so late?"
Leo teased when he saw his old nemesis.
(TN: Leo Ford from the first or second tournament, not sure specifically.)
"Had some things to take care of back home. Got delayed," Nathan replied casually.
After chatting for a while, the draw for match numbers at Murakami Arena began.
Due to the large crowd, no one was in a rush to draw.
There were only so many number tokens—whether you drew early or late didn't matter much.
Once most people had finished, Nathan and his fellow countrymen finally stepped up.
The drawing process was simple—a box full of number slips.
Whatever number you pulled, that was your match order.
Nathan went first, drew a number at random, and stepped aside to wait for the others.
When everyone had drawn, Leo walked over looking miserable.
"Bro, switch numbers with me, please?" he pleaded.
Nathan was confused.
"What number did you get?" he asked.
Leo didn't reply right away. He simply turned his number card around for everyone to see.
Upon seeing it, the little group around them burst into laughter.
On Leo's card was a single digit—the smallest one: 1.
No doubt about it, Leo had the worst luck imaginable. Out of nearly a thousand number slips, he had drawn the first slot.
If this had been back home, it wouldn't have been so bad. Being first just meant going early. Even if he lost, it wasn't shameful.
But now they were overseas. Losing the first match abroad? That would be humiliating for the whole nation.
"Alright, alright. I'll switch with you."
Nathan handed over his number card with a helpless sigh.
Being the first to go on stage was a lot of pressure. It would've been tough on Leo.
But while slot number one came with pressure, if you won, the attention and fame you'd gain would be massive.
Being the first victor would make you stand out.
That fit perfectly with Nathan's goal—he had been planning to promote his Dynamax Candy during the match anyway.
After swapping numbers, the group went to register, and each received a personal contestant card.
Before every match, players would need to show this card to verify their identity.
After all the pre-match formalities, Leo suggested they grab dinner together.
Nathan readily agreed. Not because he wanted to show off his fluency in the island language—definitely not.
But then he remembered Yue and Chad had come with him, so he gave them a call to ask if they wanted to join.
Yue didn't hesitate. As soon as she got the call, she immediately hailed a cab to meet up.
At dinner, they drank a little sake. Nathan felt a bit tipsy on his way back to the hotel.
Just as he was about to sleep, his phone rang—it was Kelly calling.
"Nathan, have you arrived in the Valar island Nation yet?"
Kelly's voice was urgent.
"Yeah, I'm here. What's wrong?"
"We've received intel that the Dark Organization, Chiyou has relocated their main base to the island nation."
Kelly sounded very serious.
With all the national contestants currently gathered in this country, if the Dark Organization tried anything, it would be a huge problem.
"Got it."
Nathan hung up and rubbed his slightly dizzy head.
The Dark Organization was like a ghost that just wouldn't go away.
Even after all the purges back home, they had managed to slip away and relocate their base here.
Troublesome.
But they'd better not mess with him—if they did, he would make them pay dearly.
…
The next morning, Nathan headed to Murakami Arena. Evelyn and the others had arrived early.
"Let's go! Just waiting on our number one,"
Evelyn said with a teasing smile as Nathan arrived.
He shrugged and followed the group into the venue.
After presenting their contestant cards, they took their seats in the preparation area.
Soon, music filled the arena and the host of the Pasific Regionals entered the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
Hana Nozomi began her lengthy opening speech, which nearly put Nathan to sleep.
Meanwhile, Leo was practically swooning at the sight of her.
She was his favorite celebrity from the island country. He hadn't expected such a big name to be the host of this event.
"This year's format remains the same: each player will use three Pokémon.
The match ends when all of one side's Pokémon lose the ability to battle."
Hana finished explaining the rules.
"Now, would contestant number one—Nathan Vesper from Celestia Country—please enter the arena.
And contestant number two—Matome Maya from Taiga Country—please also enter."
Hearing his name called, Nathan stretched and stood up.
"Good luck!"
"Do your best!"
Evelyn and the others cheered him on.
"I'll get us our first win... cough, I mean, the first victory."
Nathan nodded and made his way toward the battlefield.
Upon entering the field, he saw his opponent—Matome Maya.
Before the match, Nathan had reviewed most of the contestants' profiles, and he remembered Matome Maya.
Her strongest Pokémon was a Level 58 Elite-ranked Greninja.
Greninja was already considered a rare and formidable Pokémon.
But even against such a foe, Nathan remained confident.
"Come on out—Pangoro!"
In truth, he could've used other Pokémon to win easily.
But he deliberately chose Pangoro because of its massive size.
Once Pangoro appeared, Nathan casually pulled out a Dynamax Candy and tossed it over.
After eating the candy, Pangoro's size visibly expanded before everyone's eyes.
"What the hell? He's feeding his Pokémon drugs in the middle of a match!?"
"Is this what the national champion from Celestia is like? So shameless!"
Even Hana noticed and walked over with her microphone.
In careful Celestian, she asked,
"Nathan-san, may I ask what you just gave your Pokémon?"
The referee also came over. After all, the whole world was watching this match live.
Feeding your Pokémon something mid-battle? That had to be checked out.
"Oh, that? It's just a kind of Pokémon-nurturing candy called Dynamax Candy.
After consumption, it can increase a Pokémon's size by a certain percentage."
Nathan explained while holding up another piece.
In the audience, Evelyn almost laughed out loud.
He was really using the Pacific Regionals to advertise his product...
…
Back in the home country, viewers watching Nathan blatantly advertise were going wild.
"Holy crap, this move is 666! That's so Nathan—advertising during a match!"
"Say no more—buy, buy, buy! I just pre-ordered a whole truckload of Dynamax Candies."
"Poor opponent—got wrecked and used as an ad prop."
Comments flooded online forums.
You had to admit—Nathan's marketing move was genius.
The referee took the candy Nathan had shown and sent it for testing.
Soon, he returned to the arena.
"After analysis, Dynamax Candy contains no stimulants or banned substances,"
he announced to the crowd.
Which, in effect, acted as another free advertisement.
"Look, this candy has no illegal substances. Totally safe! Go buy it now!"
With that, the match officially began.
"Greninja—let's go!"
Matome Maya threw out her Poké Ball.
Everyone here had done their research on potential opponents—it was standard for any serious competitor.
(End of Chapter)