Eddie sat in his hotel room, holding a tablet computer as he scrolled through information about the contestants registered for the Quartz Conference.
As for Sabrina, after they had finished their activities and taken a shower together, she mentioned feeling tired and had fallen asleep.
"There's no particularly valuable intelligence here. I don't see any really strong opponents. I'm guessing the top four spots in this Quartz Conference will go to the Pokédex holders."
Eddie looked through the competitor list but couldn't find anyone who posed a serious threat. The trainers who had reached Gym Leader-level strength were already considered exceptionally strong, and he didn't spot anyone at the quasi-Elite level.
That outcome made sense, though. The Quartz Conference had strict regulations stating that contestants couldn't be older than twenty years old.
Some competitors over twenty were allowed to participate as special exceptions this time around, but only because they had just started their journey six months ago.
Eddie knew the real reason behind that exception probably wasn't quite so simple, but most people wouldn't think too deeply about these matters.
After all, aside from Eddie himself, the strongest competitor in the entire player group only had Elite-level strength at best. Eddie looked down on that level of power, and so did the other native competitors.
Of course, the native residents had no idea that the player group consisted of actual players from another world. They simply assumed this group of seven hundred and forty people had suddenly decided to become trainers and embarked on adventures together on a whim.
"I checked Ash's bracket... The four of us are all in different sections. What a coincidence."
After contestants completed registration, they were assigned to their respective competition brackets. Eddie did a quick review and confirmed that he, Ash, Gary, and Green were not placed in any of the same ten brackets.
Eddie couldn't tell if this was genuine coincidence or if someone had arranged things behind the scenes, but it didn't really matter. Whether they battled earlier or later in the tournament made no difference in the end.
Considering the strength of these four Pokédex holders, basically no one could match them before the finals anyway.
After Eddie finished reviewing the situation in the Kanto Region, he took some extra time to look at competitions happening in other regions.
He discovered that he didn't recognize any familiar characters in those other locations. However, due to certain special circumstances, the winners of competitions in other regions had to face the current Pokémon Champion in a battle. Only after defeating the standing Champion could the winner claim the title of Pokémon Champion. Otherwise, they remained simply a tournament winner.
For some reason, though, the Kanto Region and Johto Region didn't have active Pokémon Champions. The Johto Region didn't even have an Elite Four. All their League competitions took place at the Quartz Plateau.
Therefore, whoever won this Quartz Conference would be directly promoted to Pokémon Champion status. They would become the Pokémon Champion of the Kanto Region and simultaneously serve as the Acting Pokémon Champion of the Johto Region until the next Quartz Conference one year later, when a new Johto Region Champion would be selected.
"It's been half a year since I arrived in this world. Then, one year from now, the Masked Man incident will happen. Finally, a year and a half after that, the ancient battle involving the Legendary Pokémon in the Hoenn Region will begin. That's a total of three years from now. Then, the world will descend into reality."
Eddie thought about the timeline ahead and felt confident that by that point, even if he hadn't reached Master-level trainer status, he would at least be a top-tier Champion-level trainer. By then, very few people would be capable of defeating him.
"Alright, now that I've checked everything, should we continue where we left off?"
Eddie closed his laptop and looked at Sabrina, who was sleeping beside him.
Looking at Sabrina's cold and beautiful face, Eddie felt his excitement rising again.
Don't let Sabrina's cold personality and seemingly unapproachable demeanor fool you. She was actually very obedient and would listen to whatever Eddie asked of her. She represented a different type compared to women like Erika and Misty.
Misty appeared lively and energetic on the surface but was actually quite sensitive deep down. Erika seemed gentle and kind on the outside but possessed considerable inner strength. Sabrina looked arrogant and distant, but emotionally, she basically listened to whatever her partner wanted.
"What are you thinking about? Have you finished checking all the information?"
Being stared at so intently by Eddie, Sabrina, who had been pretending to sleep, couldn't help but feel her heart racing. She opened her eyes and asked.
"I've finished reviewing the data. Basically, the only opponents I need to pay special attention to are Ash and Gary."
Eddie already knew Sabrina had been pretending to sleep, so he wasn't surprised by her sudden question. He simply responded with a smile.
"But now that I've checked everything, there's no need to discuss it further. The opening ceremony of the Quartz Conference will be held in a few days. Why don't we continue our friendly activities and have some more in-depth exchanges right now?"
Eddie glanced at the sky outside the window, which was gradually growing darker, and smiled softly.
"You're not leaving?"
"Why would I leave? Of course I'm staying with you, Sabrina."
Listening to Eddie's words, Sabrina's face once again showed an attractive rosy color. She didn't want Eddie to leave either, especially since she had just given herself to him completely.
At the very least, Sabrina had no intention of letting Eddie leave her room today.
The next day, Eddie finally released all the tension he had been holding in over the past two months and felt completely refreshed.
In the early morning hours, he said goodbye to Sabrina, who hadn't slept all night, and returned temporarily to his own hotel room.
He couldn't stay at the Alliance Hotel forever, so he should at least return to his assigned lodging during the day and greet the other competitors properly.
Yesterday, he simply couldn't wait to visit Sabrina once he remembered she was staying here, but today he realized he should at least make an appearance and say hello to other people.
As for what he would do after saying those hellos, Eddie had many options available...
Eddie stepped off the hotel elevator and was about to exit through the hotel lobby when his footsteps suddenly froze.
He was surprised to discover that a young woman in a kimono sat in the hotel lobby, leisurely drinking morning tea. As if sensing Eddie's gaze, the woman turned her head and looked in his direction. After spotting Eddie, she appeared stunned for a moment, and then her face showed clear happiness.
However, after that initial joy, the woman seemed to remember something, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Why did I have to run into Erika here?!
Eddie glanced at the time displayed on his Pokédex. It was already past five in the morning! Her sleeping and waking habits were incredibly disciplined!
He had miscalculated by coming down at this hour and running into her.
Eddie knew it was still very early in the morning, which was why he came down from the hotel. He had even left in a hurry, so he hadn't even bothered to use his Psychic abilities to disguise himself.
Well, now that Erika had discovered him, how was Eddie going to explain why he was walking down from a hotel floor so early in the morning—a floor that only Gym Leaders and League executives were authorized to stay on?