A video call with Akari

That morning, after the situation in town had been dealt with, Saturn and the others were taken away by the International Police who had arrived.

Naturally, the authorities would not disclose the truth behind the earthquake, to avoid causing unnecessary panic and further trouble.

Although the earthquake had temporarily interrupted the Lily of the Valley Conference, the organizers soon announced that the quarterfinals would be postponed by three days, after which the competition would resume.

As compensation, half the ticket price for all subsequent matches would also be refunded...

Even without a refund, most people would still have watched. They had come all this way, after all. Besides, the earthquake was an uncontrollable natural disaster and had little to do with the Pokémon League.

It was something no one could have prevented. Still, everyone was pleased to see such sincerity from the League officials, especially the vendors. Who wouldn't be happy about a few extra days of business?

But while some were happy, others were miserable...

Upon hearing that the matches had been postponed, Ash felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him in the middle of winter. He had already rested for two days, and today he was finally supposed to have this crucial match. Were they kidding him?!

He had already finished his preparations, since his opponent was one of his major rivals in the Sinnoh Region... But with things as they were, he could only use these next few days to keep training his Pokémon!

Most of the other quarterfinalists felt much the same way.

There were exceptions, though, such as Tobias, the tournament's biggest favorite to win, who had swept his way into the quarterfinals. He was currently walking down a street littered with wreckage. Now that no one was paying