Natsui heard May's words and shook his head, both amused and helpless.
"It looks like you really want to compete against me on the same stage," he said with a laugh. "Actually, I wasn't planning to participate at first. But since you put it that way, let's make it a contest. Just know it won't be that easy to beat me. Tomorrow, I'll show you that experience really does count!"
The two of them ate while talking and laughing together. They shared all kinds of expectations and fantasies about tomorrow's competition.
Right then, Natsui's phone suddenly started ringing.
He took it out and glanced at the screen. The name he saw immediately surprised him—Anabel.
He wondered why she would be calling him at a time like this.
In an instant, countless thoughts ran through Natsui's mind. A second later, he already had a few guesses.
He gave May a small signal, then stood up and walked to a quiet corner before pressing the answer button.
Anabel's voice sounded familiar. She did not bother with small talk and asked directly, "I heard you recently returned to Kanto to challenge the Battle Frontier there?"
Those people were very good at gathering information. Natsui was not surprised that she knew what he was doing.
Besides, had he told her about it before?
Maybe he had not.
In any case, too much time had passed, and he could no longer remember clearly.
"That's right. I've been challenging the Battle Frontier lately and have already earned several Symbols," Natsui said with a smile. "Why? Did something happen?"
Anabel took a deep breath. Her voice became heavy and serious. "What I'm about to tell you may sound far too unbelievable. But please believe me. Every word I say is the truth."
The moment Anabel spoke like that, Natsui became even more certain of his guess.
"Don't worry. I've encountered things even more unbelievable than this. Go ahead and say it plainly."
As he spoke, Natsui looked back at May from a distance. Seeing her sitting there, focused on her food, he gave a knowing smile.
Then, Anabel slowly began to speak. "In the Kanto Battle Frontier, there is a Battle Tower. The Frontier Brain there is also named Anabel. And I, in a certain sense, am actually the same person as her."
Anabel paused for a moment. Perhaps she wanted to hear something in Natsui's voice. However, she did not sense any shock or other emotion from him. He was only listening quietly and carefully, as if waiting for her to continue.
Anabel was impressed by his composure and calm heart. She continued, "When I say we are the same person, I don't mean that I hold both the position of Frontier Brain at the Battle Tower and a role within the International Police. Well, in a sense, that is true, but in reality, there are currently two of us in this world."
Anabel's words sounded somewhat confusing. However, that was only true for someone who did not understand the situation. Natsui already knew all of this.
"So, you mean that there are two of you in this world at the same time, right?"
"Eh?" Hearing that, Anabel found it even stranger. "That's right. But aren't you surprised?"
Natsui laughed. "This Pokémon world is full of too many mysterious things. I stopped being surprised a long time ago. So no matter what happens, I won't be shocked. You might not even know this, but I myself am a miracle!"
It was a special way of speaking: telling the truth as if it were a joke, so that no one would believe it.
Anabel thought the "miracle" Natsui mentioned referred to everything he had accomplished on his journey and the Legendary Pokémon he had caught, so she did not think much of it.
She had no idea that Natsui had also come here from another world, just like her!
And his world had been far more real!
"I see. Then that puts me at ease," Anabel said with a long sigh. She continued, "Actually, several years ago, I passed through a strange space called an 'Ultra Wormhole.' I came here from another world and became a 'Fall.' Because of that, I lost my memories of the past. Later, I joined the International Police and became who I am now. That is why I said earlier that although the Anabel of this world and I look like the same person, strictly speaking, we are not."
The International Police used the word "Fall" for humans whose bodies carried Ultra Space energy.
When a creature passes through an Ultra Wormhole, its body becomes covered in the energy of that passage. Such humans are then targeted and hunted by Ultra Beasts. After learning this, the International Police used people carrying that energy as "bait" to lure out Ultra Beasts. Anabel was one of those people. However, she was extremely capable and performed excellently. She accomplished a great deal for the International Police, her rank kept rising, and she eventually became a regional chief like she was now.
In fact, right after joining the International Police, Anabel had once worked under Looker. But because of her outstanding performance, she was promoted step by step until she became Looker's superior. Their positions were completely reversed!
That left Looker feeling depressed for quite a long time. Whenever he brought it up, he could not help sighing.
The matter of traveling between worlds was Anabel's greatest secret. It involved highly classified information such as the "Ultra Wormhole." The fact that she was telling him now showed just how much the International Police trusted him. It also meant Anabel had run into a problem she could not avoid.
"Let me guess," Natsui said with a smile. "The reason you're telling me all this is because you want me to keep it secret when I reach the Battle Tower, right?"
"Exactly." Hearing that Natsui understood, Anabel laughed as well. "As expected of a smart person. Talking to you is easy. Just as I said, the fact that I came here from another world is top-level classified information even within the International Police. Therefore, even the Anabel of this world knows nothing about it. So I would like to ask you to definitely pretend you've never met me when you see her. Don't let her become suspicious."
"I don't understand," Natsui asked, puzzled. "Why not tell her about this?"
"That involves a whole series of extremely complicated issues," Anabel said with a bitter smile. "Putting everything else aside, if it were you, and one day a person who looked exactly like you suddenly appeared, how would you feel? What if they said they had come from another space, or even from the future?"
"It would probably feel very uncomfortable." Natsui nodded, understanding immediately. Thinking about it from that perspective, he said, "Even if the name and face are the same, and even if the memories might overlap, it would still be strange. It would be like meeting another version of yourself. It would also be like having someone else who knows all your secrets. If that went on for too long, problems would definitely appear."
"That's exactly it." Anabel sighed. "And most importantly, it would cause irreversible changes to the 'me' from the past. Or rather, to the 'me' of this other world and the normal life she should have. That's why this has to remain a secret from her. We have to find a way to resolve the Ultra Wormhole issue as quickly as possible."
"So that's how it is." Natsui did not say anything more and simply promised, "Don't worry. When I meet Miss Anabel at the Battle Tower, I definitely won't let her notice anything!"
After ending the call, Natsui returned to May's side.
May was considerate enough not to ask why he had been gone so long or who had called. Instead, she started talking about the race again, and the two of them eagerly discussed tomorrow's competition.
The full name of this event was the "Pokémon Orienteering Competition."
Contestants needed to work together with their Pokémon. They had to reach five designated points on the island, and the person who completed the full lap around the island in the shortest time would be the winner.
This kind of competition existed in both Kanto and other regions. It was very popular to watch and always full of surprises. Its popularity ranked just behind the Pokémon League and Pokémon Contests. It was basically the Pokémon version of a marathon.
However, since different people organized different races, the prizes were naturally different as well.
This time, the first-place prize was a trophy called the "Pokémon Friendship King." In addition, the winner would also receive a large quantity of Potpourri Island's specialty fruits.
These fruits were excellent. They were the highest-quality fruits produced on the island during this season. They were large, delicious, and impossible to buy with money.
They also symbolized the island's harvest.
Many locals joined the competition not for the trophy, but for those fruits.
May was also someone who loved food, just like many of them.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Natsui and May left the Pokémon Center and headed for the grassy field.
Around a hundred people had already gathered there. Some were contestants, some were their friends and family, and even more were simply there to watch the excitement.
Ceremonial cannons were fired into the sky, sending clouds of smoke into the air.
Not far away stood a red archway with the word "START" written on it. That was both the starting point and the finish line.
Natsui and May had already signed up the night before, so they directly joined the other contestants.
Nurse Joy handed every contestant a map and a compass.
"Everyone" After finishing the distribution, she smiled and said, "Please pay attention. There are five marked locations on the map, and each location has a stamp. You must reach the corresponding places, collect all five stamps, and then return here to complete the race. The contestant with the shortest time will be the first-place winner of this Pokémon Orienteering Competition! Also, please remember that only maps and compasses are allowed during the race. If anyone is found using other items or riding their Pokémon, they will be disqualified"
The crowd immediately responded with loud voices.
Natsui glanced at his opponents.
There were all kinds of people there—men, women, old people, and children. The youngest contestant looked even younger than May, while the oldest seemed to be around Tiffany's age.
Natsui could not help wondering whether they could really make it all the way.
The contestants released their partner Pokémon.
Flashes of blue light appeared one after another as May and Natsui opened their Poké Balls at the same time.
May sent out Squirtle. Her Egg had not hatched yet, and she still did not have an Eevee.
Natsui sent out his own Eevee.
The other contestants had Pokémon like Oddish, Machop, Growlithe, and Bellsprout. Most of them were unevolved or only lightly trained, and there were very few evolved Pokémon.
This event was very casual. Anyone could participate.
The contestants gathered at the starting line.
Spectators cheered from both sides of the course, and a few TV reporters were already there filming.
Soon, a whistle blew loudly. The race began!
The contestants and their Pokémon rushed forward together.
There were too many people at the start, so no one could really move quickly. Natsui and May could only advance slowly with the crowd.
Fortunately, the route was not limited to a single path.
After running a hundred meters, the road split into several branches. Contestants could choose whichever route they wanted.
The large group instantly split apart in different directions, and before long, the people blocking Natsui and May were gone.
Natsui had already checked the map when he received it and quickly chose what he felt was the best route. He immediately headed for the path on the far right, and May followed him.
Noticing Natsui glance back at her, May laughed and said, "What is it? Is it strange? I said yesterday that I was going to beat you, so of course I have to compete against you on the same route!"
Natsui knew perfectly well that she was just being lazy and did not want to choose a route herself, but he did not expose her. He simply smiled and started running faster with Eevee.
Natsui had traveled for a long time, and that experience was now showing its value.
He was young and in excellent shape. He quickly started overtaking the other runners and soon entered the leading group.
May was not left behind either. With Squirtle beside her, she stayed right behind Natsui and followed closely the entire time.