It was already 9 PM when they returned to their room in Village.
After showering together, Natsui and Erika lay in bed. However, Natsui didn't insist on "exercising" tonight. Wanting to conserve his energy, he simply held Erika's soft body and replayed the day's battles in his mind.
Overall, he was quite satisfied with his performance today. His Pokémon had also done exceptionally well, completely meeting his pre-match expectations and requirements.
Erika rested her cheek on Natsui's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Seeing him lost in thought, she asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"
"About the matches the day after tomorrow."
Inhaling the fragrance of her hair, Natsui smiled. "After the opening ceremony tomorrow, the real battles begin. The opponents we'll face then will all be strong contenders who fought their way out of their groups. It won't be as easy as today."
"What? Worried about the future?"
"Not really," he said, stroking Erika's smooth back, his expression serious. "My goal is to win the championship. No matter how strong the opponent is, or which round I meet them in, I'll give it my all to defeat them. It's just a matter of encountering them sooner or later!"
His tone might sound arrogant, but it stemmed from the confidence he had in his Pokémon's strength.
...
While Natsui held Erika and drifted off to sleep, full of anticipation for the future, the lights were still on in the nearby Pokémon League building, where a heated discussion was taking place.
Within the Pokémon League, different ideas had emerged regarding the planning of this conference.
Perhaps having tasted success at the Indigo Conference and felt the benefits of Natsui's high popularity, a large faction, led by Broadcast Director John, wanted to replicate the Indigo Conference strategy for the sake of ratings. They intended to continue promoting Natsui heavily, building him up as the favorite to win, and tilting the match schedule in his favor to ensure he faced opponents of comparable strength, making every battle spectacular.
Another faction, led by President Goodshow, believed the competition should be fairer. The League should not interfere with the match schedule or manipulate battles. Furthermore, the championship title should not be monopolized by one person, as this would be detrimental to the League's development. Everyone should receive equal attention.
The two sides argued endlessly over the matter, faces red and necks strained, neither willing to yield.
When the debate reached a stalemate and the meeting took a break, John and a few others went to the smoking area. Privately, they expressed considerable dissatisfaction with Mr. Goodshow.
"That old man should retire," he told a few relatives. "Ratings are what matter most! Natsui has a good image and outstanding strength. If I don't focus the attention on him, should I focus on those ordinary competitors who clearly don't look like champions?"
Somehow, these words eventually reached Mr. Goodshow's ears. However, he simply shook his head helplessly.
Their philosophies were just too different; no amount of persuasion would work.
Fortunately, when the meeting resumed, with the mediation of some moderates, both sides compromised. Mr. Goodshow tacitly allowed John to allocate more promotional resources towards Natsui, but the League absolutely could not interfere with the match scheduling. Fairness and impartiality had to be maintained.
Natsui would likely never know about these internal discussions, but he could sense some tangible changes around him.
Sure enough, the very next morning, just after breakfast, several League staff members came to invite him to shoot some promotional videos.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this, as several other popular local competitors from the Johto region were also invited to the shoot.
However, compared to them, Natsui's makeup was noticeably more elaborate, his shooting time was significantly longer, and they even used several different sets for him.
Even in group photos, he was placed squarely in the center position.
Given Natsui's personality, he didn't want to be so high-profile, but this was the Pokémon League's arrangement, and he could only comply.
He finally managed to escape from the staff members around noon, only to run into a large crowd of reporters.
Like sharks smelling blood, they had already targeted the popular competitors, and naturally, the largest group of reporters was focused on Natsui.
Natsui had no choice but to deal with some of them using rather official-sounding responses.
"Excuse me, Mr. Natsui, what is your goal for this conference?"
Looking at the microphone nearly shoved in his face, Natsui replied seriously, "Of course, it's to work hard to advance to the next round. Naturally, making it to the finals would be even better."
Someone else asked, "Are there any opponents in this conference who have left a strong impression on you?"
"I believe that anyone who made it to the preliminary rounds is very strong and deserves respect."
"Do you have anything you'd like to say to them?"
"I just hope everyone performs to the best of their ability and presents the most exciting battles to the audience."
His answers were watertight, humble yet not arrogant, giving them absolutely no opportunity to twist his words.
Seeing that they still wanted to ask more questions, Natsui quickly signaled to the nearby staff members and made a swift exit under their cover.
However, he hadn't gone far when his phone rang again.
He took it out and saw it was Alexia, the beautiful reporter from Lumiose City who had interviewed him during the Indigo Conference.
Stepping into a quiet corner, he answered the call.
A woman's voice immediately came through. "Hello, Mr. Natsui, do you remember me?"
"Of course, I remember," Natsui said, recalling their meeting in Kanto. "The famous reporter from Lumiose Press, how could I forget? By the way, Miss Alexia, is there something you need, calling at this time?"
Even as he spoke, Natsui had already guessed her purpose.
Alexia laughed. "Actually, it's the same as last time. I was hoping to do another exclusive interview with you. Please don't refuse!"
An interview again, huh...
Natsui thought for a moment and agreed.
After all, Alexia had interviewed him once during the Indigo Conference, and they had a certain level of friendship. Refusing now would seem a bit impolite.
"Alright. There's still some time before the opening ceremony, and I happen to be free right now."
"That's great!" Hearing him agree, Alexia sounded delighted on the other end. "We're in a coffee shop nearby. If it's convenient, could you come over now?"