"The little ones are in a terrible state of mind. I'm trying to talk them through it, but it doesn't seem to be helping much."
Granny Du spoke with worry written all over her face during the video conference. Meanwhile, in Kyoto, thousands of miles away, Long Lan and He Xisong nodded helplessly as well.
"Newcomers always have to go through a process like this. Once they've weathered the pressure, the road ahead will be much easier."
"We've already started easing public criticism on our end, getting some media outlets to report on the actual strength and ages of the team competing for us this year."
Granny Du nodded. "They're all good kids. They want to bring glory to their country too..."
"I understand," Long Lan said. "Don't worry. I'll keep things under control. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll have to ask you to keep a closer eye on the Pokémon League tournament."
They ended the video conference. The two old friends exchanged helpless looks and gave a bitter chuckle.
"The pressure really is heavy. Not just for those little ones, but for us too."
"Don't they say a good live broadcast depends to a large extent on its commentators? Have those commentators steer public opinion and ease the pressure online as much as possible."
He Xisong gave him a surprised look. "You know about that too?"
"What's that supposed to mean? That little girl Wei Xi is a livestreamer. As her master, isn't it perfectly normal for me to know a little about it?"
"Heh, you two really are an interesting pair, one old and one young. You're learning about livestreaming, and Wei Xi is learning your art of papering over disputes," He Xisong said with a laugh.
"Oh, get out of here. Right... how are the secret