Not only was Kenta surprised to see Blaziken, but even Ash, Misty, Brock, and Erika in front of the screen were seeing such a Pokémon for the first time.
"What Pokémon is that?" Misty asked in astonishment.
In fact, because Natsui had resolved the Sneasel issue after arriving at the Ho-Oh-In Temple, although Ash's group and Harrison met there, there was no trigger event, nor did Team Rocket cause trouble. Harrison never revealed his Blaziken then, so they naturally hadn't seen it.
Even in the previous preliminary and Top 16 matches, because the battles weren't too challenging, Harrison hadn't needed to use his Blaziken, keeping it hidden until now.
As expected, its first appearance caused a significant visual shock to those unfamiliar with Pokémon from other regions, eliciting gasps of surprise.
Looking at the cool, standing Pokémon, Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Blaziken on screen, but the only message he got was: "Sorry, no data available."
"No data?"
Seeing their reactions, Natsui said with a sigh, "Don't bother scanning. I'll tell you. That Pokémon is called Blaziken. Its main habitat is the region we're traveling to next—Hoenn. Just like my Gardevoir, it doesn't exist on the Kanto or Johto mainland. It's a cross-'generation' existence."
"Blaziken?" Ignoring Natsui's mention of 'generation,' Erika focused on the key point, her gaze lingering on Blaziken's vibrant red color. "So, it's a Fire-type Pokémon?"
"It's Fire/Fighting. Just like Charizard and Typhlosion, it's the Fire-type starter from the Hoenn region."
"The Hoenn region starter..." Ash murmured, his eyes shining brighter, his longing for the Hoenn region growing stronger. He wished he could set off on a new adventure right now!
On the field, although Kenta had never seen Blaziken before, he guessed from its color that it was likely a Fire-type.
When two Fire-types battle, damage is halved, so the fight comes down to other abilities.
But he clearly hadn't anticipated that, besides Fire-type moves, Blaziken was also a Fighting-type!
Under this oversight, he allowed Blaziken to get close. Blaziken, naturally, showed no mercy. Unleashing a flurry of Fighting-type moves, it directly knocked out Typhlosion.
With Kenta's ace defeated right at the start, the match almost lost all suspense.
Subsequently, Harrison didn't exert much effort and consecutively defeated Kenta's remaining Pokémon. If it weren't for Kenta's Beedrill performing exceptionally well and salvaging some dignity for him, Kenta might have suffered a 6-0 defeat!
Logically, while there was a skill gap between Kenta and Harrison, it shouldn't have been this pronounced. It could only be said that facing an unknown Pokémon, combined with Typhlosion's defeat, dealt too great a blow to his confidence, causing him to underperform and not showcase his Pokémon's true strength.
"What a pity..." After watching the entire match, Natsui said, shaking his head slightly. "Whether it was the battle against Marina or against Harrison, Kenta couldn't adjust his mindset. It really doesn't do justice to all the effort he's put in throughout his journey."
Erika also sighed. "It can't be helped. Anyone in that situation would be affected to some extent."
"Yeah... Kenta was just too unlucky to run into such an opponent."
At this, Natsui stared intently at Ash, making Ash feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Strange, Natsui, why are you looking at me like that?" Ash asked, looking down at his clothes; they weren't dirty!
"Nothing," Natsui said with a smile. "I just feel that only someone as emotionally dense as you wouldn't let women or other things affect their mentality."
Catching the underlying meaning, the others chuckled lightly. Only Ash looked righteous and said, "Of course! No matter who the opponent is, I'll give it my all!"
Now, Misty and the others laughed even harder.
In the afternoon, after the match ended, Natsui's group saw the dejected Kenta in the first-floor lobby. Beside him, Marina looked pained and was quietly comforting him.
"Mr. Natsui..." Seeing Natsui's group, Kenta forced an awkward smile. "Sigh, I lost..."
Natsui didn't know how to comfort him and could only pat his shoulder.
Conversely, Kenta, knowing Natsui was Harrison's next opponent, offered a warning. "Please be very careful. Harrison's strength is formidable, especially his Blaziken. Be extremely cautious!"
After the battle, he finally knew the name of that Fire-type Pokémon, but it was too late now. What good did knowing do?
"Thanks for the advice. I will be."
Natsui shook hands with Kenta one last time, then watched the two walk into the elevator.
Like Junichi who left earlier, these two childhood friends and trainers from Greenleaf Town would likely leave this place of disappointment with similar regrets.
Sigh, what a brutal competition...
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, both matches scheduled were for competitors in the other half of the bracket. Watching throughout the day, the trainer named Jon Dickson indeed proved very strong, defeating his opponent by a significant margin.
In contrast, the other match in the afternoon was much less remarkable.
Even the winner didn't seem particularly powerful, and their match had the lowest viewership ratings among the Top 16 battles.
Looking at this, if Natsui defeated Harrison (implied next opponent), his opponent in the other half (finals) would likely be Jon Dickson (the one from the other bracket).
This development was naturally noticed by the Pokémon League.
In their subsequent promotions, they focused on the narrative of Natsui versus Jon Dickson, building hype for both sides, seemingly aiming to create a clash-of-titans scenario.
As the semi-finals approached, the excitement surrounding the Silver Conference climbed once again.
During this period, Natsui first filmed a promotional video, then was pulled into another exclusive interview by Alexia, keeping him extremely busy.
Natsui was actually surprised that Alexia hadn't left yet and was still lingering around the venue.
When everything was finally over, dragging his slightly exhausted body back to the dormitory, Natsui finally had time to rest and prepare for his match tomorrow.
Compared to the first few days of the conference, the dormitory building now felt deserted.
Aside from staff members, or during meal times, you hardly saw any competitors lingering around. This signified that the conference was nearing its end.
Boom! Boom!
Continuous fireworks exploded above Silver Town, further exciting the spectators.
After breakfast, Natsui and Erika entered the waiting room of the Silver Stadium. Sitting there, he could faintly hear the announcer's voice penetrating the walls.
Leaning back on the chair with his eyes closed, he rested for a while. Soon, prompted by the broadcast announcement, he opened his eyes, ready to go on stage.
"Good luck."
Erika walked up to Natsui, gently adjusted his collar, and was then pulled into his embrace for a soft kiss.
"Don't worry. Just wait here for news of my victory!"
They exchanged smiles. Saying goodbye to Erika, Natsui left the waiting room, walked through the competitor's passage onto the battlefield, and, amidst the cheers of the entire stadium, arrived at his trainer area, facing Harrison from afar.
This was the first time he had formally sized up Harrison. Although they had seen each other in the lobby before, they had never spoken.
Harrison looked three or four years older than him. Perhaps due to extensive travel, his skin was slightly tanned. He was tall and well-built, with short brown hair. His features were average, but he had a bright smile, clearly indicating a cheerful personality.
Since they didn't know each other, there were no words exchanged, just a friendly nod. Then, both turned their gazes towards the referee nearby.
Seeing both were ready, the referee announced loudly, "We will now select the battlefield and the first attacker!"
As the roulette on the big screen began to spin, the rapidly rotating pointer captivated both Natsui and Harrison. When the wheel slowly stopped, the pointer finally settled on the Ice Field.
Ice Field?
This field isn't bad. But being so close to the thick ice... Pokémon might be fine, but if the trainer isn't dressed warmly enough, they could easily catch a cold after standing here for so long.
Next was the draw for the first attacker.
Fortunately, this time, Natsui's bad luck finally ended. Harrison drew the first move.
On the other side, Harrison shook his head slightly in disappointment. Having studied Natsui extensively, he knew the man before him was extremely strong and already difficult to handle. Drawing the first move now only added to his woes.
But rules were rules. There was nothing he could do but brace himself and take out his first Poké Ball.
The field began to change. As the ground opened up, an Ice Field covered in thick ice was pushed up.
Before Natsui could adjust to the vast white expanse, a chill seeped into his clothes, making him shiver involuntarily.
At that moment, the announcer's voice boomed, "Both competitors are ready, and the battlefield has been confirmed! The highly anticipated Silver Conference Semi-Finals are finally starting! Let's cheer for our favorite competitors!"
Harrison's popularity clearly couldn't match Natsui's. Nevertheless, even the spectators supporting Natsui gave Harrison applause.
Harrison threw the Poké Ball in his hand forward forcefully, shouting, "Go, my Kecleon!"
Another Pokémon from the Hoenn region.
If it were an ordinary Johto trainer facing such an unknown Pokémon, they would likely panic like Kenta did. But unfortunately for Harrison, his opponent this time was Natsui. Although in this world, he had never set foot in Hoenn, back on Earth, he had cleared the Hoenn League's Ever Grande Conference countless times in the games. He was very familiar with the Pokémon there.
And this Kecleon before him, though only about a meter tall and grass-green, looking like a Grass-type, was actually a pure Normal-type Pokémon.
Appearance-wise, Kecleon greatly resembled a chameleon from Earth. It was said to have the ability to blend its body into its surroundings, freely changing its color to approach prey stealthily. The only flaw was that while it could turn invisible, the pattern on its belly wouldn't disappear, preventing complete invisibility.
Others might not know how to face it, but Natsui only needed a moment's thought to devise a counter-strategy.
Taking a Poké Ball from his pouch, Natsui also sent out his first Pokémon.
After the blue light faded, his Tyranitar appeared on the field.
"ROAR!!"
Just like his former Red Gyarados, Tyranitar liked to roar upon entering the field, spreading its terrifying pressure. Seeing this tall Pokémon covered in armor, influenced by its aura, Harrison's Kecleon actually took a step back in fear!
This made Harrison's brow furrow.
Showing fear before the battle even began was definitely not a good sign.
Looking down at its small opponent, Tyranitar revealed a cruel smile, a hint of disdain flashing in its dark eyes.
Seeing it completely disregard Kecleon, Natsui cautioned, "Don't be careless. The Pokémon in front of you can turn invisible. Be very careful. And watch out for its long tongue; that's its main attack method."
Tyranitar didn't think much of Natsui's words, but Harrison, on the opposite side, turned pale.
How does Natsui know Kecleon's characteristics!?
Has he been to Hoenn and knows this Pokémon!?
This is really bad news. He had kept Kecleon hidden, just like Blaziken, never using it before, precisely to surprise strong opponents.
He never thought it would be seen through the moment it appeared!
This is troublesome...
But troublesome or not, he knew he had to give it his all.
When the battle began, Harrison immediately gave the command, "Kecleon, disappear quick!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Kecleon's body gradually faded. In just a second or two, it blended into the white ice below, vanishing completely from sight.
This ability made the surrounding audience gasp and exclaim in surprise. Even the announcer shouted in amazement.
Being accustomed to Johto Pokémon, seeing Kecleon's incredible ability for the first time was naturally astonishing, making them further appreciate the diversity of Pokémon.
Only Natsui remained calm, squinting his eyes and carefully staring at the spot where Kecleon had just disappeared. Sure enough, he saw a faint, wave-like red pattern.
Although the pattern was faint, on the white ice surface, it was particularly conspicuous and easy to spot!
It was the very part of Kecleon's body that couldn't disappear!
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