Natsui used a way to delay the interviews again.
The preliminaries just ended. The qualifying tournament did not start yet. Nothing was decided. Why should he do an interview so early?
He needed to reach the finals first. If he talked too much now, the audience might dislike him. They would think he was too confident.
Natsui was firm. Alexa and Mary had to give up for now.
Alexa was okay with this. She interviewed Natsui two times before. She knew his personality, so she did not mind.
Only Mary was not sure. She knew Natsui won championships in two other regions. He was the strongest person in this tournament. If she got the first or special interview, she could go back to the main TV station.
She thought about this and looked at Alexa. She was very determined.
His opponent was chosen. He had to prepare for the next match.
Alexa and Mary left. The matches did not start yet. Ash, Morrison, and Tyson studied their opponents. They thought about which Pokémon to use. Only Natsui was doing nothing. He looked different from the others.
His Pokémon were already very strong. Also, he finished ten days of special training. Everything was ready. He and his Pokémon were in their best condition.
He was sure he could beat any opponent.
He was very confident.
Ash and the others prepared. Other matches were already happening.
The other trainers were fighting hard.
Morrison's match was first. Ash and the others went to cheer for him. Natsui was not close to them. He did not want to make new friends. He and Misty walked slowly to Arena F.
He was so confident that he did not check the other trainers.
He thought not knowing their Pokémon would make the tournament more fun and difficult.
People cheered in the other arenas. The audience liked the battles. Fans without tickets stayed outside. They gathered to watch the big screens.
The qualifying matches were in five large arenas now. These were Arenas A through E. They were in an inner circle.
These stadiums were large. They could hold 10,000 people.
TV crews were there now. They showed the matches live. There was not as much advertising as the final event, but many people watched on TV or the internet. They were very interested.
The feeling of the tournament was everywhere in the Hoenn region.
Natsui watched many matches. In the late afternoon, it was finally time for his match.
People in Hoenn did not know him yet. There was no big reaction when he arrived. Only some women cheered because he was handsome. This made his entrance a bit different.
Anthony entered from the other side. He was very jealous.
They both just started. Anthony wondered why his applause was so small.
Also, only men cheered for Anthony.
He felt this was unfair.
The announcer shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, next is the ninth match of Arena F! The red side is Natsui, and the green side is Anthony! Now, let us see what wonderful performance they have for us!"
The referee gave a signal. Natsui and Anthony threw their Poké Balls.
It was a double battle. Each person used two Pokémon. This tests how Pokémon work together. For Natsui, this was easy.
There was a blue light. Milotic and Metagross appeared on the field.
The audience cheered more when they saw these Pokémon. Rare Pokémon get more attention. Milotic and Metagross are rare and hard to train. Not many trainers have them. Seeing both at once was new for the crowd.
Anthony's Pokémon were more common.
Anthony knew Natsui was strong. He wanted to win. He used his best Pokémon, Pelipper and Magneton.
This Pelipper was the one that carried Poké Balls in its mouth. Anthony called it the world's strongest Pokémon. The Magneton evolved from the Magnemite that used to hide in the Pelipper.
They were Water and Electric types. These types are different, but they work well together. Anthony had a serious plan.
Anthony remembered Natsui used a Dragonite before. He chose Magneton because it is strong against Dragonite.
But Natsui did not use Dragonite. Anthony was surprised. But Magneton was still strong against Milotic. His choice was still good.
He thought he would win today.
The referee gave the signal. The match started.
Anthony was surprised. His Pokémon started losing immediately.
His plan was good, but he had to hit the opponent. Milotic and Metagross did not let him.
Milotic used stronger versions of Water Gun and Hydro Pump to block Pelipper. Pelipper used Air Cutter and Wing Attack, but they did not work. Milotic attacked back and hurt Pelipper.
Milotic was much stronger than Pelipper.
Anthony wanted Magneton to fight Milotic. But Metagross stopped it. Magneton could not get near Milotic. Instead, Magneton got many injuries.
Anthony was worried.
He had the type advantage, but his attacks did nothing. Everything was blocked.
He had power, but he could not use it.
He remembered losing in the past.
These were not Dragonite, but the situation was the same. Natsui was winning easily again.
He thought, "This won't do!"
He traveled a lot and got eight badges. He did not want to make the same mistake again.
Anthony stopped his bad thoughts. He tried different things. He shouted orders. He told his Pokémon to switch targets.
The switch worked, but the battle did not get better for him.
Magneton could not get close to Milotic. Milotic used long-range attacks. The water blocked the electricity. Pelipper could not beat Metagross. Both of Anthony's Pokémon were losing.
He had no more ideas.
Anthony was panicking, but Natsui was calm. Natsui stood quietly and gave a few orders.
He looked very relaxed.
This happened because Natsui's Pokémon were much stronger.
Natsui had more experience than Anthony. His Pokémon had more battles.
The main difference was the skill of the trainers.
Natsui understood Anthony's patterns quickly. He found ways to win easily.
Natsui was better in every way.
Anthony could not fight back. Natsui was serious and steady, so he did not make mistakes.
Natsui did not finish the match fast. He wanted Milotic and Metagross to get used to the tournament.
He did this in every tournament.
He wanted his Pokémon to become stronger by fighting in a big stadium. This helped them grow.
Because of this, Anthony had a very hard time.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse. Milotic and Metagross were not in a hurry. They defended and only attacked a little.
This worked very well.
10,000 people watched them. The two Pokémon became more relaxed. Milotic moved faster. Metagross was more steady. They ignored the crowd. They could fight at their full strength now.
This was very necessary.
Many trainers get nervous on this stage. If they can stay calm and fight normally, they are better than most others.
To win the tournament, you must first beat your own fear.
Natsui's old Pokémon were already used to this. Only his new Hoenn Pokémon had this problem. That is why Natsui took his time.
Anthony felt worse and worse.
He was sad, and his Pokémon did not want to fight anymore.
Natsui's Pokémon worked together perfectly. Anthony's Pokémon looked clumsy and did not help each other.
Everyone could see that Anthony would lose soon.
Mary and Ty filmed the match from the stands.
They were reporters for a small TV show. They could not go to the press area. They had to buy tickets and sit with the audience.
Ty said, "So strong! He completely toyed with the opponent. He didn't give that person a single chance..."
Mary did not know much about Pokémon battles, but she knew this was a big story.
She was excited. She said, "If all his later matches are at this level, then winning the championship is only a matter of time!"
She was more determined to get his interview.
She failed to find a special Pokémon before. Now, Natsui was her only chance to get her job back.
She did not want other reporters to talk to him first.
She would do anything to get a special interview with him.
Natsui did not know she was watching him.
Anthony's Pokémon were tired and had no spirit. Natsui decided to finish the match.
Milotic and Metagross beat Pelipper and Magneton. The stadium cheered loudly.
It felt very good to watch.
People like close matches, but they also like to see someone win easily.
The audience saw Natsui's power. They felt happy for him. Natsui received a lot of applause.
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