"Huh?" Natsui was surprised when he heard this. "Does everyone in Kanto know? What do you mean?"
Misty took out her phone and showed it to Natsui. She told him about the news she found during the day.
"I don't know why, but all afternoon, the TV and radio have been full of news about your battle with Tucker tomorrow. Even phone apps keep sending messages. In just half a day, I've seen hundreds of messages about it!"
Misty did not understand why this was happening. But Natsui knew the reason immediately.
Hundreds of messages?
Someone had paid to push this news.
He knew it was Tucker. When Tucker saw Natsui coming to challenge him, he saw a chance. He wanted to use Natsui's fame to make himself more popular!
He is very ambitious.
It was just a normal match, but Tucker wanted everyone to know. He was acting as if he would lose millions of dollars if he did not use this chance. He did not even ask Natsui first.
People like this exist in every world.
Maybe Tucker did not do it, but that was very unlikely. Tucker was the one who would gain the most from this.
However, this could be good or bad for him. Was Tucker really sure he could handle all this attention?
Natsui guessed Tucker's thoughts. Tucker thought that no matter if he won or lost the battle tomorrow, he would get more attention because of it.
Of course, it was impossible for him to win.
Since this was happening, Natsui could not lose the match in front of everyone. He would fight with all his strength. As long as he performed well, not even a Frontier Brain or the Elite Four could take a single point from him.
He guessed Tucker probably thought the same way. Although Tucker would try to beat him, he had a backup plan.
He wanted to lose with dignity and then get a lot of popularity from the viewers!
If Tucker had talked to him before, Natsui might have helped. He could train his Pokémon, win the symbol, and help Tucker at the same time.
They did not have to be friends, but they did not have to be enemies.
But now...
Smirk.
Natsui had already made up his mind. He would show people that no one should use him like this!
After resting for the night, Natsui and the others finished breakfast early the next morning. They left the Pokémon Center and walked toward the Battle Dome.
Last night, Natsui saw many news stories about today's battle on his phone.
It was clear that someone was controlling everything from behind. They were making Tucker look like someone who was as strong as Natsui.
Many confused people really thought this would be a great battle with Legendary Pokémon. They were very interested.
Some people who lived nearby even bought tickets late at night to watch the match in person!
More than twelve TV stations had arrived. They set up their equipment and planned to show the battle to everyone in Kanto!
With all this news, Natsui's friends heard about it too.
Just last night, he received many phone calls. People were asking about the match. Even Erika learned that Natsui was back in Kanto because of these reports!
She was very surprised and happy, but she also complained because Natsui had not told her anything.
Natsui really could not explain.
He wanted to go to Celadon City suddenly to surprise Erika. But Tucker's news ruined his plan.
This made Natsui even more unhappy with Tucker.
Because of that person's selfish actions, Natsui's plans were ruined!
When he arrived at the Battle Dome, he saw many people lining up. The line was almost one kilometer long. It was clear how much people expected from this battle!
In the crowd, there were many fans with signs supporting Tucker. Most of these fans were young women. They were talking and laughing in line. They had Tucker's support goods. They had high hopes for him.
You could see how well Tucker managed his fans!
Natsui pulled his hat down low. He wanted to walk past the line, but his phone rang.
It was the staff from the Battle Dome.
Tucker's team wanted the match to go perfectly!
The match was at 9:00 AM, but they were already calling to rush him before 8:00 AM.
The call was simple. They wanted to know where he was and said he had to be there.
After the call, Natsui sighed.
He was getting more and more annoyed by Tucker and his people. These actions did not respect his personal space.
The only good news was that there were also many fans for him in the line.
He was a real Champion who had won the Indigo League, the Silver Conference, and the Ever Grande Conference with overwhelming strength!
People remembered his battles. He had many fans who liked his skills or his looks. As more people gathered, there seemed to be more of them than Tucker's fans!
Many regular people would watch the battle on TV. But true fans traveled very far to come here in person.
Natsui never tried to build a fanbase, but he still had one!
Natsui took Misty and May through a side door. They avoided the crowd and went into the players' lounge.
He would stay here until the match started. It was his final time to get ready.
Once they entered the lounge, Misty looked around with curiosity.
The Battle Dome had very good equipment. The lounge looked expensive. In the corner, there was even a machine to transfer Poké Balls. Usually, these only appeared in Pokémon Centers!
She sat on the sofa.
"This place is nice. Natsui, the match starts soon. Which Pokémon will you use against that guy?"
Misty and May also had a very bad impression of Tucker. Misty called him "that guy," showing she did not like him.
Natsui laughed. "Tucker planned this very carefully. He made a big stage. I cannot ignore his 'kindness.' I must help him finish this show."
Misty and May looked at him with excitement.
"So...?"
"Tucker thinks he wins no matter what. But losing with dignity and losing badly are very different!"
A Poké Ball moved from Natsui's belt to his hand. At the same time, Gengar appeared from the shadows and smiled at Misty and May.
"Tucker is very confident. He thinks he is as strong as I am. I will show him true despair! He will pay for what he did!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for waiting!!"
At 9:00 AM, a host appeared in the air over the field. His voice was loud and excited.
"As you know, everyone is watching today's match at the Battle Dome! The defender is our superstar, Tucker! The challenger is also famous. He is the champion of the Indigo League, the Silver Conference, and the Ever Grande Conference—Natsui!!"
The crowd cheered loudly. The cameras moved around quickly.
The host waited and then continued, "Both players are very strong and popular in Kanto. So, who will be stronger? Let's stop talking and look at their best moments!"
The screens in the hall went black. Then, a large screen played Natsui's best battle moments from his conferences. When those ended, the other screen showed Tucker's best moments in the Battle Dome.
With the music, the videos were very good. It made people feel excited!
However, Tucker's video looked even more exciting than Natsui's.
It was clear that the Battle Dome team was trying to make Tucker look as strong as Natsui. He was just a Frontier Brain, but in their ads, he seemed to be equal to a Champion.
The audience did not know the details. They only thought that today would be a fair and exciting battle. They cheered a lot.
After the videos ended, the spotlights gathered. Natsui's figure slowly appeared as the elevator rose.
His face was calm and relaxed. He waved his hand to the people. The cheers were very loud. It showed how popular Natsui was.
But Tucker's entrance was much bigger.
First, colorful lights lit up the field. Then, flowers fell from the sky. In the middle of this, Tucker appeared on a swing while wearing a strange outfit!!
He moved back and forth in the air many times. Then, he jumped down from a high point and stood in the center of the field. When the spotlight hit him, Tucker bowed. Like a star, he gave the people a big smile and a dramatic bow.
His entrance was carefully planned. The audience cheered loudly for him.
But when Tucker looked at Natsui, he saw that the man's face was the same as always. He did not care about the entrance.
This made him feel unhappy.
He thought he and Natsui were equal rivals. He wanted Natsui to be friendly so everyone could see they respected each other.
This ruined his plan. He wanted to show a friendly conversation.
And he felt that Natsui looked unfriendly!
Tucker felt uncomfortable. However, he did not worry too much. He thought Natsui was just someone he could use. Since they could not talk, Natsui just needed to play his role.
But he still had to say some formal words.
"Natsui," he laughed.
"Welcome to the Battle Dome. I want to see an exciting match from you today. I hope it matches the 'Symbol of Tactics'!"
He was talking about the symbol for defeating him. However, Natsui only nodded. He did not say anything back.
This was another cold rejection for Tucker.
Doing this might make people think Natsui was rude, but that was what he wanted!
He thought, you want to put on a show?
Then do it alone!
You play your part, and I will fight. I am only here to get the symbol. You want me to help you?
Dream on.
Tucker's team did not expect Natsui to be so cold!
They thought that as a Champion, Natsui would at least be polite. They did not expect this.
If only Tucker was talking, he did not look like a great rival.
Instead, he looked like a clown!
It felt like Natsui completely ignored them!
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