Natsui had no interest in mocking Harley.
If Harley thought he saw a sneer, that was only because of his own mindset. In reality, Natsui was not even looking at him.
Even people like Maxie and Archie did not earn Natsui's respect. Someone like Harley was not even on the level of a Team Rocket Executive.
It sounded harsh, but it was the truth.
To May, Harley might be a strong rival. But to Natsui, Harley was not even as threatening as a Team Rocket Executive. In a large-scale battle, Harley's Pokémon would be no different from a grunt's Pokémon. Natsui's main team could take them down with a single move.
He only had a few petty tricks, and they were easy to see through.
It was obvious that Natsui would not waste time mocking someone like that.
Natsui would only pay attention to Harley if he became a real threat.
He was very proud!
Back to the main story.
Winning the Modama Contest brought May one step closer to her goal.
Beating Harley again also gave her more confidence. That feeling was very important for her growth.
At the back exit of the building, Natsui was leaning against a wall. He had come out first. He watched the audience leave through the front entrance, and they were still talking about the match.
May came out of the building. She was holding her Ribbon and looked very happy. The moment she saw him, she smiled.
She was not stupid. She knew Munchlax had used Fling at the last moment because Natsui had taught it. She wanted to thank him properly.
"Natsui, half the credit for this Ribbon belongs to you! If you hadn't taught Munchlax that move, I really wouldn't have known what to do~"
She was telling the truth. At that last moment on stage, her mind had gone blank. She had no idea what to do. If Munchlax had not used what it learned in training, she would have lost.
"Doesn't that just prove you still have a lot of room to improve? As for me? I only did what I should have done. It's no big deal." Natsui tossed May's backpack to her and smiled. "Alright, winning is worth celebrating, but we still have a journey ahead of us. Time to hit the road!"
May smiled back at Natsui.
"Right!"
The town on Metal Island was built around a nature theme. It was about the same size as Modama Town. However, it was not as large or as busy as Modama Town.
The two of them found a ship at the pier. It was headed back to the Kanto mainland. Since it was such a simple trip, they did not need to ride Dragonite again. Flying on Dragonite was still a rough experience.
Their next destination was the peninsula where Fuchsia City was located. It was not far away. The ship would get there in about half a day.
Natsui wanted to challenge the Battle Tube next. It was also near Fuchsia City.
They got off the ship at a port town. Since it was already late, they headed to the local Pokémon Center.
They were checking in when they suddenly heard a familiar voice from the dining area.
"Hey, handsome guy over there, want to come over and join me?"
It was a woman's voice. She sounded mature and familiar. He had heard her before.
Curious, Natsui looked over. He saw a woman sitting at one of the dining tables, waving at him. She had glasses and red hair tied in a ponytail.
Hm?
He recognized her immediately. It was Lorelei, one of the Kanto Elite Four.
He had not expected to meet her here.
"What a coincidence." May was curious too. Natsui walked over to Lorelei and sat down across from her. "I didn't expect to see you here!"
"It is a coincidence. I didn't think you'd return to Kanto. So? Is there a reason you came back this time?"
Lorelei looked at Natsui with a smile. It had been a while since she had seen him, and she could already tell that his presence had changed from before.
Natsui told her about his Battle Frontier challenge, and Lorelei was surprised.
"I really didn't expect that after winning the Championships in three regions, you would still come to challenge a place like this!"
Natsui did not think there was anything wrong with that. Lorelei sounded like she did not think much of the Battle Frontier. He chuckled. "What's wrong with 'a place like this'?"
"Don't underestimate those Frontier Brains. There are some extremely strong people among them, and their Pokémon shouldn't be underestimated either. If you keep thinking like that, even you might lose to them!"
Natsui noticed May looking at Lorelei, so he introduced them.
"This is May, my current traveling companion. She's a Pokémon Coordinator. May, this is Lorelei. She's one of the Kanto Elite Four."
"The Elite Four!?"
May was very surprised. Lorelei was smart and beautiful. She looked like she was only in her twenties, yet she was one of the Elite Four.
It was not because of her age. Phoebe of the Hoenn Elite Four was even younger than Lorelei.
What surprised May was that someone so important was here greeting Natsui like an old friend. The two of them were talking so naturally.
Then she thought about it. Natsui was already Champion-level in three regions. It was completely normal for him to know Elite Four members.
Lorelei looked at May with some curiosity and nodded. "A Pokémon Coordinator?"
"At your age, you're about the same age I was when I first started traveling. Seeing you reminds me a little of my younger self. Keep working hard. Even if it's not the same path as ours, it's still a dream full of challenges. It isn't easy for a young girl."
Women are often good at making people like them, and Lorelei was especially good at it. After hearing that, May immediately liked her a lot.
Then Lorelei seemed to remember something and looked at Natsui.
"Back then, you were the one who had that guy named Drake challenge me, right?"
Drake?
Natsui looked confused. He had heard that name before.
"Hey, don't play dumb." Lorelei let out an annoyed sound. "The Head Trainer of the Orange Archipelago!"
"Oh, oh! That guy."
Only after hearing "Orange Archipelago" did Natsui finally remember. He remembered that very famous man, the one many people called the strongest trainer in the Orange Islands.
But...
Had he really told Drake to challenge Lorelei?
It seemed like he had.
"So, did he win?"
"Of course not." Lorelei smiled. "I gave him a proper lesson instead. I beat him thoroughly!"
Lorelei did not go into detail about what happened, but Natsui could already imagine the scene of Drake getting crushed by her.
"That sounds kind of miserable..."
Drake was not someone either of them cared much about. They only mentioned him briefly before moving on to other topics.
Lorelei was only here by chance. As one of the Elite Four, she had attended an event in Cerulean City. Since it was already late, she decided to stay here for the night, and just happened to run into Natsui.
Since it was a rare meeting, and their positions were somewhat similar now, they had a lot to talk about. They chatted until late at night before finally returning to their rooms. The next morning, they greeted each other and went their separate ways.
Fuchsia City was located on a peninsula, but it was not actually on the coast.
After leaving the port town, they headed northeast and entered a forest. Rather than taking the main road, they planned to cut through the forest and reach Fuchsia City faster.
But as they walked, something started to feel off.
"Natsui..." May held her Eevee Egg in her arms and walked beside him. "Don't you think this forest is a little..."
"A little too quiet, right?" Natsui looked around the forest and nodded. "Yeah. In such a large forest, not hearing a single sound is definitely strange. Be careful. Something must have happened here."
Hearing Natsui say that, May immediately became more cautious. She kept looking around as they walked.
They continued deeper into the forest, where the trees grew closer and denser.
Suddenly, someone appeared. A young woman jumped out and blocked their path.
At the same time, a Plusle leaped from the woman's shoulder and copied her动作, stretching out its little arms to block the way as well.
"Please stop!" the woman shouted. "This area is off-limits! You two can't go any farther!"
At first, Natsui thought she was some kind of robber, and he was briefly interested. But that expectation quickly vanished.
Still...
Off-limits?
Why hadn't he heard anything about that?
Natsui took a closer look at the woman.
She looked young, maybe one or two years younger than him. She was pretty, with blue-green hair tied into a ponytail that flared upward and outward. She had red eyes, a small build, and wore an orange-and-white uniform over a black bodysuit. She looked energetic and eye-catching.
Why did she look so familiar?
Then Natsui remembered where he had seen her before: in the anime.
A guess formed in his mind, so he asked, "Off-limits? What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Yeah," May added. "This is a wild forest. Why is it off-limits to us?"
The woman remained calm. "The situation inside is very complicated. It can't be explained clearly in just a sentence or two. In short, a serious incident has taken place in the forest. Once we Pokémon Rangers resolve it, the area will be open to normal trainers again!"
Natsui glanced at the armband on her arm and saw the symbol on it. He nodded.
She really was a Pokémon Ranger.
"Then it looks like we came to the right place." Natsui smiled. He took out his wallet and showed her his ID. It identified him as a Special Investigator for the International Police. "I'm not a normal trainer. I'm a Special Investigator for the International Police. Maybe I can help."
"A Special Investigator for the International Police?"
May looked at the ID in Natsui's hand. She had no idea he had a title like that.
The woman's eyes widened. She took the ID and checked it carefully. It was real.
"How rude of me." The woman returned the ID and became much more polite. "I didn't expect to run into someone from the International Police here. In that case, please come with me."
Natsui was a little surprised too. He had only gotten the ID as an honorary title and never thought he would actually use it. But it turned out to be surprisingly useful.
Being affiliated with the International Police really was convenient.
The two of them followed the woman deeper into the forest, and she introduced herself.
"My name is Solana. I was sent here by the Ranger Union to handle a special incident."
At last, Natsui had met a real Pokémon Ranger.
Pokémon Rangers and the Ranger Union were easy enough to understand. They were an organization devoted to protecting nature and Pokémon.
They were also very mysterious. Ordinary trainers almost never saw them. They usually only appeared in places where nature was being damaged.
It was a worldwide organization. They did not use Poké Balls. Instead, they used a Capture Styler. With that tool, they connected with a Pokémon's heart and formed a temporary bond, borrowing its power to protect people and nature.
It was a great profession. They worked in dangerous places while remaining mostly unknown. They were experts in dealing with accidents and natural disasters.
Natsui also introduced himself and May.
"I'm Natsui. Aside from being a Special Investigator for the International Police, I'm also a trainer traveling around. And the one beside me is my travel companion, May."
"Natsui?"
Solana looked confused. The name felt familiar to her somehow. Since she did not pay much attention to outside news, she could not place it.
It was just... where had she heard that name before?