In a private room in the distance, a mysterious middle-aged man swirled a glass of red wine as he watched Hu Bin's impressive performance outside. "Looks like that old fellow President Lu Gu has found a promising young talent!"
Then the mysterious man turned to the young man beside him. "Ai He, go test him. See whether he's capable of joining the operation we've arranged!"
Ai He nodded and walked out!
The host stood onstage, utterly awkward. At this rate, he wouldn't meet his boss's targets! The plan had been to hold plenty of matches and build up the crowd's excitement. What should have been a red-hot event had gone cold after Hu Bin and Torchic utterly demolished their opponents!
This is so frustrating! They're going to dock my pay!
Once again, the host shot Hu Bin and Torchic a resentful look, sending a chill down both their backs!
Just then, Ai He stepped onto the stage and told the host, "I want to challenge him!"
The host nearly cried when he heard those words. A hero! You've saved me from disaster!
The audience below erupted with excitement, too. Another Pokémon battle to watch! What a treat!
The host now looked at Ai He as though he were his savior, bathed in the radiant glow of human kindness!
The host gave Ai He a grateful smile. "May I ask your name?"
"Ai He!" Ai He introduced himself succinctly.
The host had weathered plenty of storms in his time and had seen more than enough people with Ai He's aloof attitude. Without missing a beat, he said, "All right, everyone, let's give our challenger Ai He a round of applause! Hu Bin and Ai He will face off in a fierce battle to decide the winner!"
The audience welcomed their hero