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After leaving the beach, Kai and Sabrina didn't bother wandering around any further and instead headed straight back to the inn where they were staying.
Along the way, Sabrina still seemed puzzled about why Kai had placed a bet with that fruit vendor.
"You won the Indigo League. You're a champion, a respected Trainer. Why would you bother making a bet with some random merchant? If word gets out, won't people look down on you?"
Seeing her slightly furrowed brows, as if she truly disapproved of his actions, Kai simply laughed and shook his head, entirely unbothered.
"It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I wanted to give him a surprise. Imagine tomorrow when that fruit vendor realizes that the person he made a bet with is actually the challenger in the Winner's Cup his reaction will be priceless!"
Hearing such an immature reason, Sabrina found it both ridiculous and amusing. She rolled her eyes at him.
"That's so pointless."
Noticing that she still seemed to care, Kai wrapped an arm around her, comforting her.
"Alright, alright. But come on he made such a blind assumption that Drake would win, without even knowing who his opponent was. So I just played a harmless prank on him. It's nothing serious, so don't let it bother you too much!"
As they talked, they walked through the streets and soon arrived at the inn, stepping into their room.
Kai kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling while thinking about his strategy for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Sabrina sat down on the sofa, idly turning on the TV.
Overhead, the old ceiling fan spun weakly, producing a creaky, unsettling noise, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Based on the videos he had watched at the beach and the conversation with the fruit vendor, Kai had already deduced which Pokémon Drake would likely use in tomorrow's match.
Ditto, Onix, Venusaur, Gengar, Electabuzz, and his ace, Dragonite were the six Pokémon Drake always used.
If nothing unexpected happened, Kai figured he would be facing this exact lineup.
However...
Even though he had an idea of his opponent's team, he only had eight Pokémon available. Dratini was still too young to battle, and Blastoise had been sent back to the lab.
That meant he had to carefully pick his six Pokémon from the limited options he had.
At that moment, he suddenly heard the TV broadcasting a segment about tomorrow's battle.
He sat up and looked at the screen.
A man and a woman, both hosts, were seated in a studio, preparing viewers for the Winner's Cup match.
The male host, dressed in a casual suit, spoke with a smooth, deep voice:
"…As we mentioned earlier, tomorrow at 10:00 AM, the long-awaited Winner's Cup match will take place at Pummelo Stadium! We encourage everyone to come to watch this grand event and cheer for both Trainers!"
The female host, who had short hair and a playful demeanour, nodded and responded in an adorably excited tone:
"Time flies! It's been so long since we last had a Winner's Cup battle! I can't wait!"
"Exactly!" The male host suddenly adopted a mysterious expression. "And from what I've heard this time, Drake's opponent is not an ordinary challenger he's someone special!"
"Oh?" The female host played along, curious. "Who is he? What's so special about him?"
The male host confidently turned to the camera and dramatically revealed the challenger's identity:
"This challenger is a truly formidable contender! From what I know, although he has only participated in one major tournament so far, he swept through the competition with overwhelming strength and has never been defeated!"
"Whoa! That amazing?" The female host gasped, playing up her excitement. "Don't keep us in suspense! Tell us, who is this mystery challenger?!"
The male host dragged out the moment with a long pause before suddenly exclaiming:
"It's none other than the recent Indigo League Champion, Kai!"
"What?! Kai?!" The female host gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "He's here?! No way! I watched his matches before he's not only an incredibly skilled Trainer but also handsome! And his Pokémon left such a strong impression on me!"
"Exactly!" The male host nodded in agreement. "I was surprised too. After conquering the Indigo League, Kai has set his sights on the Orange League! It seems like our region's strength is finally being recognized! But now, it's a showdown between two undefeated Trainers will Drake continue his winning streak, or will Kai claim victory? I'm sure tomorrow's battle will be legendary!"
"I can't wait!" The female host clasped her hands together excitedly. Then, as if receiving a signal from off-screen, she quickly turned back to the camera, smiling sweetly.
"That's all for today's special broadcast! Don't forget tomorrow at 10:00 AM, the Winner's Cup will be broadcast exclusively on Orange TV! Don't miss it!"
As the two hosts waved goodbye, the TV cut to commercials.
Sabrina leaned back into the sofa, letting herself sink into its softness. Then she turned to Kai.
"That was quite the special feature… Seems like they're taking you very seriously."
"I wasn't expecting this either," Kai shook his head. "I told them I just wanted to be treated like a normal challenger. But it looks like the Orange League has decided to go all out with the publicity. Now there's no way to avoid attention."
Kai could already foresee that once tomorrow's match aired, it would spark major discussions.
Not just among local Orange Islands viewers, but also in Kanto, where many people would tune in via livestream.
This kind of widespread exposure came with an invisible pressure.
Kai glanced down at his Poké Balls.
Gardevoir, Gyarados, Charizard, Jolteon, Venusaur, Crystal Onix, and Scyther…
Then, he looked at Haunter's shadow on the floor, deep in thought.
How should I arrange my team?
After a moment of consideration, he released all of his Pokémon and gathered them for a quick meeting, briefing them on some key battle points for tomorrow.
That night, Kai found himself unable to sleep.
To keep his mind from spiralling with overthinking, he ended up distracting himself with Sabrina several times until he was completely exhausted.
Eventually, he collapsed onto her stomach, finally drifting off into a deep sleep.
At this point, he had done everything he could.
Now, it all came down to how things played out in the battle tomorrow.
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