Natsui's words were a little unfair to Brock, but neither Ash nor Max said anything.
After all, the logic made sense.
Even though they were all friends, Natsui had never traveled with Brock. Their relationship was naturally a little more distant. On top of that, everyone had different feelings and preferences. It was Natsui's freedom to decide who he wanted to support.
Only Ash and Max found it hard to say anything. They had traveled with both May and Brock for a long time, and one of them was even May's younger brother.
Their thoughts soon returned to the arena. The battle on the stage was still going on.
After the setback just now, Brock finally managed to create some distance. He wanted Marshtomp to repeat the same trick and use Mud Shot to limit Eevee's movements.
But May would not let Brock have his way. She immediately told Eevee to use Dig.
In the next moment, Eevee disappeared underground, broke Marshtomp's rhythm, and forced Brock to change his plan at once.
It was easy to see that the strength of the two finalists was clearly a level above the other contestants.
Compared to the earlier matches, this one was a true back-and-forth battle. Neither side could fully overwhelm the other, and that made the audience cheer even louder.
However, for some reason, people also felt that this fight did not really look like the style of a normal Pokémon Contest. Instead, it felt more like a real duel between Trainers.
But that did not matter. Whether it was a Contest Battle or a regular battle, as long as it was exciting, that was enough.
And no matter how intense a battle is, there always comes a moment when a winner is decided.
In the end, May's Eevee performed better.
After repeatedly breaking Marshtomp's rhythm with Dig and then seizing the right opening, Eevee secured the win and earned May the Gardenia Ribbon.
Brock could only shake his head helplessly at the result.
It was a little disappointing, and of course he regretted not being able to go further. Even so, they were still good friends and travel companions. He still clapped and sincerely congratulated May.
It was obvious that by staying at Natsui's side, May had truly improved.
Amid the loud cheers of the audience, May accepted her fourth Ribbon.
At that point, she only needed one more to qualify for the Grand Festival, which was now getting closer and closer.
In terms of their individual progress, May and Natsui were nearly on the same pace.
That was a good thing. It meant they would not end up wasting too much of each other's time.
As for Brock, even though he had lost the final, he was not discouraged at all.
After all, Yuma had practically become his coach. Simply being around such a beautiful woman was already enough to make Brock happy. On top of that, during the break earlier, Yuma had entered the contestants' waiting room and personally guided him.
For Brock, everything seemed to be heading in a good direction.
However, after the group left the venue and walked out through the front gate, Brock was immediately hit by a soul-crushing sight.
He saw Yuma standing together with the rookie Coordinator, Mollie.
That scene made Brock's heart skip a beat.
When she noticed Brock, Yuma gave him a faint smile and said, "Brock, after watching your match just now, I can already tell you're an excellent Pokémon Coordinator. I really don't have anything left to teach you."
The moment he heard those words, Brock felt his heart sink straight to the bottom.
"Miss Yuma, what do you mean by that?"
Yuma smiled and looked toward Mollie.
"Today was her first Contest too. I've decided to become her coach instead."
"What!?"
In that instant, it felt to Brock as though the entire sky had collapsed. Even so, he still wanted to try one last time.
"Um... I feel like I..."
Unexpectedly, before he could finish, Yuma simply shook her head.
"Brock, you should keep working hard too. I hope we meet again someday at the Grand Festival."
After saying that, she left with Mollie without giving Brock any chance to continue.
Brock took another critical hit.
For a moment, Natsui felt as if he could actually see Brock turning into glass and shattering into pieces beneath the evening sunlight.
It really was tragic.
Natsui shook his head helplessly.
To be honest, this outcome had been easy to predict from the start. Brock's personality was one reason. That desperate attitude of his whenever he met a beautiful woman was probably too much for Yuma to handle. But more importantly, Brock was already too skilled. There was no joy for Yuma in teaching him.
Why had Yuma approached Brock in the first place?
Wasn't it because she wanted to bring a Pokémon Breeder's techniques into Pokémon Contests?
But Brock had made it all the way to second place in his very first Contest. What was she supposed to teach him after that?
Compared to ordinary people, Brock did not look like a beginner at all.
Even Ash could only pat Brock on the shoulder and laugh as he tried to comfort him.
"Alright, don't be so depressed. Just try harder next time."
"Next time?"
Brock's face changed dramatically. Then he shouted toward the sky in frustration, "There won't be a next time! I'm never becoming a Pokémon Coordinator again!"
It was easy to see that Brock's Contest debut had ended in bitter memories.
But for Brock, this probably did not matter that much. After all, he had already been rejected by women so many times before.
...
After resting one night in Gardenia Town, the two groups said goodbye early the next morning and set out once again for their own destinations.
Ash's group was heading toward the next Battle Frontier facility, while Natsui was naturally going to challenge the Battle Tower.
After leaving Gardenia Town, the Battle Tower was no longer very far away.
Speaking of Battle Towers, Natsui had seen one before in LaRousse City in Hoenn. That was the high-tech city where he had encountered wild Deoxys and Rayquaza and later fought those strange block robots.
However, the Battle Tower there belonged to the Hoenn Battle Frontier and had nothing to do with Kanto. Back then, Natsui had only passed through and never challenged it.
The Battle Tower in Kanto stood deep within a vast forest on the eastern side of the mainland.
After traveling for more than a day, Natsui and May had already reached that area.
Because the location was so remote, there were no clear roads beneath their feet, no proper paths, and no obvious landmarks to guide them. The moment they entered the forest, they became completely lost.
Fortunately, Natsui was not Ash. He would not just wander around blindly. After finding the only lake in the forest, he simply followed the flow of water and gradually worked out the direction of the Battle Tower.
But before they could get very close, a sudden loud buzzing sound came from deeper in the trees.
At first, Natsui and May thought it was just wild Pokémon making noise.
But the next moment, a group of Beedrill rushed out from the woods and came straight at them.
"Beedrill!?"
May was startled and immediately stepped back.
Natsui was about to move when a calm voice suddenly rang out from nearby.
"Please stop. They aren't attacking because they're angry without reason."
A slim figure with short purple hair stepped out from the trees.
The person had delicate features and a lean, almost boyish build. At first glance, anyone would have mistaken them for a young man.
The moment Natsui saw that face, however, he recognized the person immediately.
Anabel.
That was right. Even though her appearance was androgynous enough to fool most people, she was the Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower.
And also...
Natsui kept his expression perfectly calm. Just as the Anabel from the International Police had warned him, he acted as though he knew nothing at all.
The Beedrill circled nearby, but Anabel calmly approached their nest and pointed toward the Weedle inside.
"They're only trying to protect their young."
As if understanding her words, the Beedrill quickly settled down.
May let out a breath of relief.
Before she could say anything else, the surface of the lake beside them suddenly exploded.
A Gyarados burst out of the water and roared.
May nearly jumped in shock.
But Anabel did not panic at all. She ran forward, spoke softly to the angry Gyarados, and then quickly pulled a sharp twig from its side.
The Gyarados shuddered for a moment, then gradually calmed down.
After letting out a much softer cry, it slid back into the water and disappeared.
Seeing all of that, May looked at Anabel with clear surprise.
"You're amazing..."
Anabel smiled a little shyly.
"It's nothing. I just spend a lot of time with Pokémon."
Only then did she look properly at Natsui and May.
"Are you two here because of the Battle Tower?"
Natsui smiled and nodded.
"That's right. I'm here to challenge the Frontier Brain."
"I thought so."
Anabel laughed lightly.
"Actually, people don't usually come all the way here for any other reason. Oh, right, I should introduce myself first. My name is Anabel."
May quickly introduced herself and Natsui as well.
After that, Anabel looked at their damp clothes and the state of the ground around them from the Beedrill incident and the splash from Gyarados.
"You should come with me first. My house is nearby. You can rest there for a bit before going to the Battle Tower."
Led by Anabel, the two followed her through the forest.
Along the way, they learned that she often spent her time patrolling the area around the Battle Tower.
As the one who watched over this forest, she kept track of its condition and also helped any wild Pokémon she found in trouble.
The more May listened, the less she could connect this calm, slightly boyish girl to the grand title of Salon Maiden.
Soon, they arrived at a quiet house near the Battle Tower.
After resting briefly and freshening up, Natsui and May thanked Anabel and quickly set off again.
They still had a challenge waiting for them.
When they finally stood before the Battle Tower itself, the building rose high above the forest, sleek and imposing.
At that moment, a tower assistant stepped forward to greet them.
Natsui stated his intention without hesitation.
"I'm here to challenge the Frontier Brain."
The assistant nodded and led them inside.
Once they entered the battle arena, the assistant raised a hand and announced in a clear voice, "The Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower, Anabel!"
May's eyes widened.
The same person they had just met in the forest calmly walked onto the field from the opposite side.
"Eh!? It's you!?"
Anabel gave a small smile.
"I was going to explain earlier, but you two left too quickly."
May could only stare in surprise. She had never expected that the calm, androgynous girl from the forest was actually the Frontier Brain.
Natsui, meanwhile, kept his expression steady and simply stepped forward to his position.
The battle was about to begin.
"The Frontier Battle between the challenger Natsui and the Salon Maiden Anabel will now begin! Each side will use three Pokémon. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon!"
The rules sounded almost the same as those of an ordinary Gym match.
That was one of the strangest things about the Battle Frontier.
Some of its facilities were less practical than official Gyms, and their popularity was not necessarily higher either. Other than the fact that the Frontier Brains themselves were very strong, there were not many obvious advantages.
No wonder Scott had to work so hard traveling around and promoting the Battle Frontier.
Natsui's thoughts returned to the battlefield.
At that moment, Anabel had already taken out a Poké Ball.
With one strong throw, she sent it into the air. A flash of blue light appeared, and an Alakazam materialized in front of Natsui.
At the very least, while this Anabel looked completely different from the one from the International Police, there was no doubt at all about her Pokémon.