Saffron City was the transportation hub of the Kanto Region, with roads leading in every direction. After resting for a day and letting all his Pokémon recover, Liu Qing drove into Cerulean City. To its east was a highway leading to Lavender Town. As before, he stopped in towns along the way whenever he grew tired. A few days later, he had passed through Lavender Town and reached a small town to its south. Even from a distance, he could see a towering building glittering under lights despite it being broad daylight. A large crowd had gathered around it, though he had no idea what they were doing.
As soon as Liu Qing drove over, the crowd erupted as though a thunderclap had gone off, and a dense mass of people rushed toward him. Startled, he slammed on the brakes. Realizing things were going badly, he hurriedly tried to reverse, but the crowd had already surrounded him. Fortunately, a piercing honk sounded just then, and a red sports car darted between the crowd and his car before anyone could react. Scott climbed out, spread his arms to hold the crowd back, and shouted, "Everyone, please head to the Press Conference Hall!"
"Scott, what the hell are you doing?" Liu Qing got out of his car and demanded irritably. "I'm here for a challenge, not some boring interview."
"Oh, Liu Qing, you're here!" Scott looked helpless too. Turning toward him, he lowered his voice. "There's nothing I can do. Your opponent this time is a superstar. It would be stranger if he didn't draw a crowd. Just give them a few answers during the interview."
*Like hell I'd believe you. If you meant well, you would've told me in advance. Even if you wouldn't clear the place for me, I could've