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"Our two contestants are Ash from Pallet Town and Jeanette from Crimson City!"
Roar!
Following the commentator's introduction, cheers erupted throughout the arena once again. This time it wasn't just the voices of Jeanette's supporters—many spectators were also shouting Ash's name. Misty and Yellow were both somewhat startled by this development.
"When did Ash's popularity become so high?" the two girls said in surprise. The audience during previous matches hadn't seemed nearly this enthusiastic.
"After all, he won both matches with overwhelming dominance. His popularity has gradually been building!" Brock explained.
The world's top Trainers shared similarities with celebrities in many ways.
It wasn't surprising that popularity would increase with such performances, especially considering how impressive Ash's showings had been.
Amid the enthusiastic emotions of the audience, two figures soon appeared from opposite sides of the arena corridor. Ash was the first to emerge and stepped onto his battle platform.
On the other side, Jeanette moved at a much slower pace. She wore a red kimono, her hands folded gracefully before her, and she walked forward with dignified and elegant steps.
Everyone waited patiently as she finally reached her own battle platform. On the large screen, the avatars representing both competitors lit up simultaneously.
Ash didn't pay too much attention to the delay. After all, the cultural customs of each region were different.
"Alright, both competitors are in position!"
"On the green side is Ash from Pallet Town! He's one of the biggest dark horses of this tournament, having won his first two matches consecutively using only a single Pokémon. Will he be able to continue this incredible streak? That's the focus of everyone's attention!"
"On the red side is Jeanette from Crimson City!"
"What kind of exciting battle will both sides bring us? Let's wait and see!" The commentator worked to build the atmosphere at the venue.
Even before the match had officially started, the audience was already responding with tremendous enthusiasm.
The battle platforms carrying both Trainers slowly rose into position. Ash's expression remained calm and composed, but Jeanette on the opposite side looked as though she were facing a formidable challenge.
Neither of them hailed from major cities, but Jeanette felt considerable pressure because she carried the hopes of her entire town.
Although Pallet Town, where Ash was born, hadn't produced a top-tier Trainer in many years, there were still Trainers who entered the Indigo Plateau Conference annually—far more than from Crimson City.
At this moment, Ash could sense the pressure emanating from his opponent. Reality was quite different from the games. In the real world, beyond the famous cities, there existed countless small towns and villages.
The towns that appeared on maps in the video games were relatively well-known places like Pallet Town and Lavender Town.
However, before coming to this world, Ash had already done his research and studied the Kanto region's geography before beginning his journey. He knew that this world was far larger and more complex than the world depicted in the games.
Crimson City was a small town located not far from Celadon City. Most of the town's population consisted of women.
Because of its proximity to Celadon City, the local customs and culture were quite similar to those of the larger city. Most Trainers from the town specialized in Grass-type and Bug-type Pokémon.
"Let the match begin!"
As the battle platforms stopped rising, the official announcement for the match was made.
"Ash, I heard about you when I was in Celadon City! But it won't be that easy to use me as a stepping stone to break records!" Jeanette declared.
Because her hometown was very close to Celadon City—which was famous for its perfume development—Jeanette frequently visited the larger city.
Naturally, she had also challenged Gym Leader Erika, and during her visits to Celadon City, she had heard about Ash.
After the incident with the Three Legendary Birds, Ash's name had become quite famous throughout Celadon City. Combined with his performance in this Alliance tournament, his reputation had grown even more.
She knew that many people were now watching to see whether Ash could continue his record of winning matches using only a single Pokémon.
She understood that Ash was very strong and that she might not be able to match him.
However, no matter what happened, as the representative hope of her town, she absolutely could not give up. Even if she only managed to force Ash to use a second Pokémon, she would have proven her strength.
"I didn't think of it that way. I just want to win the match—it's that simple," Ash replied.
He was slightly taken aback by her words. Unknowingly, because of his performances, it seemed that most Trainers now harbored such thoughts.
Achieving a one-versus-three victory was indeed an honor for him, but for the defeated Trainers, even if they didn't say anything outwardly, they likely felt uncomfortable serving as a backdrop to someone else's achievement.
"I choose you!" Ash refocused his energy and set aside these distracting thoughts. What others thought didn't really matter. He threw his Poké Ball directly.
Flash!
Light shone forth, and soon a purple figure materialized on the field, forming a sharp contrast against the green grass.
"The first Pokémon that player Ash is sending out is Muk! What Pokémon will player Jeanette send to counter it?" the commentator announced, observing the Pokémon Ash had chosen.
"Muk? Ash has a Muk?" Yellow asked. Since she had never been to Pallet Town, she didn't know all of the Pokémon Ash owned.
"Yeah! He caught it while traveling, but Ash has never used it in battle before!" Misty nodded and explained.
"What?! Is it really okay to use a Pokémon he's never battled with before?" Yellow said with a hint of worry in her voice.
Of course she hoped Ash could break the record, but if he wanted to accomplish that, it stood to reason that using a familiar Pokémon would be better. She wasn't sure if this could be achieved with a Muk that had never been used in competition before.
"Records and things like that aren't important to Ash at all. Victory is what truly matters to him," Brock responded, his expression serious.
Yellow listened, glanced at Ash standing on the battlefield, and nodded slightly. She felt genuinely happy that she was getting to understand Ash better and better during this time.
"Besides, the other party is such a beautiful young lady—I don't think Ash would be so lacking in social awareness! Hehe!"
Just after finishing that thoughtful statement, Brock's expression changed completely to his usual infatuated look.
"..."
Yellow and Misty were left speechless once again. They looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly. They turned their attention toward the field and focused on watching the match, choosing to ignore the hopeless romantic beside them.