Through the large screen, Natsui could finally see what Tucker looked like.
How could he describe him? The man looked average. It was hard to say he was handsome. He wore clothes like a giant dragonfly. His colors were a mix of bright purple and white. Below that, he wore shiny purple leather boots. The whole outfit did not match at all. Natsui found it very hard to accept his long, purple-red hair. It was tied into two pigtails. The hair on the sides of his face made him look like a large windmill.
But this was a man...
And he was a middle-aged man around thirty years old!
Natsui could only say that this outfit was more than he could accept.
It was very ugly and very strange.
Even so, Natsui still respected what Tucker chose to wear.
After all, everyone likes different things. It was clear that Tucker liked to get attention with flashy clothes and style.
Of course, he must also be very strong. There was no doubt about that.
People also said this man was very good at managing fans. He was good at performing and talking to people. This was why he was so popular.
After Tucker finished showing off, the battle finally moved to the formal stage.
The referee was also the host. He stood on a flying commentary platform. He flew over the battlefield. This made Natsui and the others respect the technology here even more.
After all, this kind of flying platform did not exist at the Indigo Conference or the Silver Conference. But it was here. It was clear how much money Scott and Tucker spent on this Battle Dome. They did not try to save money at all.
However, spending a lot of money brought back a lot of money too. The audience was crowded and excited. They were becoming even wilder because of the technology and the cool lights.
As usual, the host explained the battle rules of this place.
Natsui listened for a short time. The Battle Dome used a Double Battle format. However, when one side had two Pokémon lose, the match would end. The rules were different from the Battle Arena.
Tucker was a Frontier Brain, so he released his Pokémon first.
With two flashes of blue light, a Swampert and an Arcanine appeared on the battlefield.
Tucker was known as the "Dome Superstar." Because of his movements, his talking, and the lights, even sending out Pokémon was special.
The host shouted loudly, "Ah! The fast flame, Arcanine! The lord of water and earth, Swampert! These are the two opponents the challenger must face today! It seems Mr. Tucker's theme today is fire and ice—hot and cold!"
Tucker was good at performing, and his two Pokémon helped him. They let out a loud cry after they appeared and heard the host.
This made the crowd cheer even more!
"They really know how to put on a show..."
Misty sighed deeply when she saw this and heard the audience shouting. At the same time, May's eyes were shining. She seemed to learn something from this opening. Misty looked back and saw this. She stopped her immediately.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Misty waved her hand and said, "Don't learn from him! You should stick to your own style!"
At this time, Tucker's opponent also sent out her Pokémon.
She had already seen Swampert and Arcanine. So, she chose a team that was strong against those two Pokémon.
However, a Frontier Brain was still very strong even if the opponent had better types. This challenger was very confident. But once the fight started, she lost easily after about ten rounds.
The cheers of the audience were at their loudest now.
For Natsui, this match was very short. But it was enough to see Tucker's strength.
He was actually quite good.
He was as strong as a normal Gym Leader.
Tucker liked to use teamwork and plans to win. This helped him win even when his types were weak. This was the main reason he won this match so easily.
But Natsui had already seen his plan. Those tricks would not work anymore.
After the battle ended, Tucker performed another victory show. Only then did the crowd leave. They still wanted to see more.
After it was over, Natsui took Misty and May to find the staff to sign up.
However, they had a few small problems when they signed up.
Tucker was very busy. Also, they needed to gather an audience and promote the event. So, the match could not happen until the next morning. Not only that, but Natsui had to tell them about his past wins.
It was easy to understand why they did this.
Tucker was the Dome Superstar, so everything he did had to be exciting. Defeating a famous opponent would get more attention and make people talk.
At first, Natsui did not want trouble. He thought about using a fake name. But then he changed his mind.
He was a celebrity. Some people in the audience might have seen his matches. To avoid problems, he gave his real name. The staff member typed his name into the computer. Naturally, his many wins appeared on the screen.
The staff member looking at the computer opened his mouth in shock.
What was he looking at?
Indigo Conference Champion?
Silver Conference Champion?
Ever Grande Conference Champion?
Honorary Trainer of the Orange League?
Sea Hero of the Whirl Islands?
There were so many championships that he could hardly believe it!!
Was he allowed to help someone this famous?
He was shocked for several seconds. Then he finally moved. He stood up quickly and looked at Natsui. He talked with some difficulty and said, "Um... Mr. Natsui, your registration is complete. According to the rules, your battle is at 9:00 AM tomorrow. Please be sure to attend on time."
This was why being famous was good.
He did not need to speak much. The staff member felt a lot of pressure because such a successful Champion came to challenge. He treated him very carefully.
The staff member did not relax until the man walked out the door.
He did not wait. He ran upstairs to Tucker's room immediately.
When he opened the door, he saw Tucker posing in front of a large mirror. The manager was nearby organizing some things.
The manager saw the staff member and frowned. "What happened to make you so upset?"
Before he could catch his breath, the staff member told them that Natsui had signed up.
"Natsui?"
Tucker and his manager were very sensitive to news because of their work. They knew who Natsui was. They knew he won championships in three regions.
Even so, they were very surprised that this man came to the Battle Dome.
"Are you sure there's no mistake?" Tucker asked. "Is it really him?"
"Absolutely certain!" The staff member nodded. "I have checked it. It is him! He looks exactly the same. There is no mistake!"
Tucker's manager thought for a moment. He sighed. "Natsui... Natsui. I have seen his matches. His goals are very big. He used different Pokémon in the finals of three regions. It seems he wants to train all his Pokémon to be top trainers. I do not know why he would come here. Does he have a goal?"
After he spoke, he wanted to see Tucker's reaction. He turned his head and saw a sharp look in Tucker's eyes!
"This really is a great opportunity!" Tucker laughed loudly. "When this news is out, tomorrow's tickets will sell out! The audience will be even crazier for me!!"
The manager saw this reaction and frowned.
"This..." he said with worry, "He is extremely strong. Are you sure you can beat him? If you lose..."
"Winning or losing does not matter at all." Tucker waved his hand. He looked at him with a lot of energy. "If we promote the match, we will become more popular no matter what. If I lose, it is because he is a Champion. It is normal that I cannot beat him. People will not say anything bad. But if I win... humph."
He did not finish his sentence, but the manager understood him.
"You are confident you can defeat this person?"
"I will not know unless I try," Tucker said with a lot of confidence. "Who am I? I am the Dome Superstar! Long ago, I promised Scott I would stay and run this Battle Dome. If I had not stayed, I would have easily won the Indigo Conference. It would not be Natsui's turn at all!"
Tucker's words gave the manager courage. He nodded. He looked at the staff member and gave him orders. "In that case, go out now and share this news. Make sure every spectator knows! Also, call the reporters. We need to promote tomorrow's match in a very big way. Everyone in the Kanto region should know about it!!"
"This..." The staff member hesitated. "That might be hard to do. Is there enough time?"
"I will double your salary for this month!"
"Understood! I promise I will finish the task!!"
While the Battle Dome made plans, Natsui's group went to a Pokémon Center nearby.
The battle was tomorrow, so they stayed there for the night.
This was good. Natsui was worried that May would not have time to prepare for the Pokémon Contest. Now she had time to think and get ready.
Natsui did not need to help. Misty helped her.
The two girls talked and shared many ideas. They were very interested. Natsui could not join the conversation. So, he found something else to do.
The Pokémon Center was built on a small hill. From there, he could see a lot of the land.
The white clouds in the sky moved slowly.
This place was far from the busy cities in central Kanto. It was a quiet area with forests and plains. If you followed the road next to the Pokémon Center to the west, you would reach Cerulean City.
Cerulean City...
Misty had become sadder as they got closer, even though she talked more.
When they reached Cerulean City, she would be at her home. Being home meant it was time for her to leave him.
She was young and could not hide her feelings. Her face showed exactly what she was thinking.
But there was no way to change it. She could not travel with him forever.
People always have to return to their own lives.
Natsui stood on the grass and looked into the distance. Then he remembered something.
Since they were close to Cerulean City, they were also closer to that guy.
He had nothing to do, so he thought about going to see.
He called out to Misty and May. Then Natsui released Dragonite and sat on its back. Dragonite flew high into the clouds. The man and the Pokémon went toward Cerulean Cave!
As for who was in Cerulean Cave, the answer was clear.
Only Mewtwo would make him travel this way!
Dragonite was his mount now, and it flew as fast as possible. The land under the clouds passed by quickly. In about one hour, they passed Cerulean City. He could see Nugget Bridge in the distance.
It was a place that brought back memories.
Natsui remembered the five people who blocked the bridge when he first came there. He wondered if they were still there.
But it did not matter. He was not there to find them.
Natsui landed on the riverbank by the bridge. He was back at the old place. He followed his memories and quickly found the entrance to Cerulean Cave.
He did not know if Mewtwo was still inside after a long time. But Natsui did not know where else to look.
He hoped it was still there...
Natsui called back Dragonite. He sent out Gardevoir and then called out Gengar. With the two of them, he walked into the cave.
The path was both familiar and strange to him.
Everything looked the same as when he first came here. Nothing had changed.
After walking for a short time, wild Pokémon looked at them. But they felt the energy from Gardevoir and Gengar. No Pokémon was foolish enough to cause trouble.
Even the Pokémon that protected their territory stayed quietly in their nests. They acted like they did not see him.
During the walk, they reached the middle of the cave. Two Ultra Balls on Natsui's waist began to shake strongly.