Early Wednesday m, a courier delivered a beautifully packaged Everstoo Natsume's home.

  This time, the delivery was made by a Pelipper, its pouch-like beak holding a delivery box ed in a roof film.

  After uning the yers of packaging, all that was left was an ordinary-looking stone, which made Natsume feel like he had been scammed.

  "Gastly?" Gastly instinctively stuck out its tongue and licked the Everstone.

  Whatever it is, just lick it first a over with!

  Due to the Piplup Cup, the school had granted Natsume a day off.

  Although Natsume preferred studying over watg matches.

  But the Academic advisor disagreed and sternly said, "Alright, matches is also a required course for Trainers, I uand that!"

  "But..."

  "No buts! If you want to be a Trainer, I fully support you!"

  The Academic advisor coughed forcefully, "I've already approved your leave, so go ahead and watch the matches!"

  Natsume sighed deeply and had no choice but to take Gastly to the Arena.

  Natsume's match was scheduled for te evening, with the other quarterfinal matches taking p the afternoon.

  Sisume articipating testant, he could sit courtside and watch the matches up close, almost like a VIP treatment.

  The summer heat was intense.

  Natsume, wearing sungsses, sat in the audieands, one haing on the back of the chair, the other holding a cold drink.

  Gastly also occupied a seat, with aoied to its forehead with a string.

  As for why the Everstone wasn't hung around Gastly's neck...

  Because Gastly doesn't have a neck.

  "Gastly!!"

  Gastly leaned forward and took a big sip of iced co from a cup through a straw, letting out a tented moan.

  Then, Gastly nodded vigorously, causing the sungsses on its forehead to slide down a in front of its eyes.

  "Gastly!"

  In front of Gastly floated the [Evolution Materials] provided by Green, which Gastly was trolling with bck mist.

  With sungsses on, Gastly looked like a big shot, carefully iing the [Evolution Materials], nodding from time to time.

  "Gastly~~" (So that's how it is~~)

  Natsume g Gastly: "You really are a genius, aren't you?"

  "Gastly!"

  "Excuse me!"

  Just then, someone from the back row cautiously tapped Natsume, soundied.

  "Is that Natsume-sensei... you're Natsume-sensei, right?"

  Natsume turned around, cautious: "First, tell me what you're here for."

  "I'm your fan, I want your autograph!"

  Natsume rexed: "Then that's me, hahe pen."

  For safety reasons, Natsume usually didn't admit his identity.

  After all, his strategies were too dirty, and sometimes he was afraid of being reized when going out.

  Seeing Natsume sigograph, the young girl was so excited she could barely speak.

  "I'm your junior... from Tokyo Metropolitan Uy's affiliated high school, I'll be peting soon, you cheer for me?"

  Natsume lowered his sungsses and looked her up and down.

  Suddenly remembering what Yuuichi had mentioned before, about the well-developed junior from the affiliated high school.

  "Reina, right?" Natsume smiled, "Good lu your match!"

  Reina's eyes widened, and she immediately stood up, bowing deeply: "I'll do my best to advao the semifinals!"

  At that moment, a wave of excmatioed.

  The entator loudly announced: "Both sides have shown incredible skill!"

  Itle arena, Tokyo Metropolitan Uy's Sakurako was fag off against Osaka Uy's Ryosuke.

  Fag Granbull's bite, Magon instantly disassembled, dodging the Fire Fang while firing three magic pulses!

  The powerful Mirror Shot left Granbull stiff and kneeling awkwardly on the ground.

  "Granbull is uo battle!" The referee blew the whistle, "Osaka Uy's Ryosuke wins!"

  "That was really well fought," Natsume praised.

  This Ryosuke was the heir to the Electric-type gym and was said to have the strength of a full-fledged Trainer.

  He had also bee the first testant to advao the semifinals in this tour.

  The match was Reina's, fag a Graveler.

  Right from the start, her Breloom used a rapid Bullet Seed barrage to take down Graveler.

  "She really is a fan," Natsume muttered, "She actually raised a Breloom."

  On the judges' paokyo's Psychic-type Gym Leader Takuya was whispering with the city's Pokémon Association President.

  "There are a lot of Grass-type rookie Traihis year."

  President Shoya pondered: "It might be reted to the popurity of the SubProtect Toxic strategy."

  Takuya was surprised: "Isn't that strategy hard to master?"

  "You're just out of touch," Shoya ughed, "My granddaughter says it's the hottest strategy on Nico Dht now!"

  Takuya shook his head: "I don't know about that... but the testant is Yuta from Tokyo's Yokohama National Uy."

  "His Swellow has a signifit advantage in this tour."

  "Huh? His oppo is Natsume?" Shoya looked at the list in his hand, surprised.

  "This is quite a disadvantage!"

  Swellow is naturally immuo Ghost-type moves, and with its Guts ability, Gastly's proud Will-O-Wisp would have little effect.

  It was clear that this would be a brutal duel!

  "Such a pity, I thought he could create a miracle," Shoya mented.

  "A non-specialized testant making it to the quarterfinals is already a record," Takuya smiled.

  "I think the Ivysaur Trainer, Kazuki, is more worth watg."

  The sun gradually tilted, and dusk approached.

  Sakurako hadn't left yet, hesitatihe testas.

  "You lost, why aren't you leaving?" Natsume asked, surprised.

  "To... to cheer for you," Sakurako whispered.

  Aside from Reina, Natsume was the st remaining Tokyo Metropolitan Uy testant.

  This showed just how intehe petition was in this year's Piplup Cup.

  Although Natsume didn't feel much, since Gastly had carried him through the preliminary rounds and group stages...

  Natsume stood up, putting his sungsses ba his pocket: "Let's go, it's our turn."

  "Gastly!"

  Gastly, wearing sungsses, slurped down the cup of d stuffed a burger into its mouth, nodding indistinctly.

  This se left Sakurako dumbfounded.

  They even brought d burgers...

  Are you here to pete or to have a piic!?

  "The duel will be between Yuta from Tokyo's Yokohama National Uy and Natsume from Tokyo Metropolitan Uy!"

  The entator announced loudly: "It's worth noting that Natsume is the only non-Battle Department testant in this tour and has already set a new record iour's history!"

  "Will he stop here or climb even higher? Let's wait and see!"

  Yuta was a lean, dark-skinned man who Natsume, appearing somewhat reserved.

  For a serious testant like this, Natsume wouldn't choose to provoke with trash talk.

  After all, the Pokémon in this battle was Swellow, known as the "Bug Swallow," and if it went all out, it was no joke.

  "Gastly!"

  Gastly floated menagly in the arena, stylishly tossing its sungsses aside.

  Yuta also took out a Poké Ball and muttered, "Go, Swellow!"

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