"I don't care whether he's some magician." Ash took big mouthfuls of his frozen dessert. "I'm going to beat him and make it to the next round!"
Meanwhile, the television mounted on the wall was still broadcasting matches from the other fields.
The commentator's voice suddenly grew louder. Everyone looked toward the television and saw Gary easily defeat his opponent three to zero on the Grass Field.
As a favorite to win the championship, Gary was now being interviewed by several television stations after his match.
"Gary from Pallet Town has delivered a memorable victory." A female reporter in a pink business suit first introduced the result to the viewers, then held her microphone in front of Gary. "Gary, how are you feeling right now?"
"The first match is very important, and I'm happy I won." Gary folded his arms, brimming with confidence. "Of course, this battle went exactly as I expected. Now that I've made it through to the next round, I can finally relax."
Hearing his words, Ash instinctively clenched his fists.
Xia You already made it through, and now Gary has too?
Then I absolutely can't lose!!
At noon, perhaps spurred on by this, Ash went to the Pokémon Center with Misty and Brock to think up a strategy and swap out the Pokémon he would use, while Xia You, Chloe, and the Biker Gang arrived at the Water Field early and chose good seats.
Cola, popcorn, and cheering sticks were naturally essential. Xia You and Chloe sat down in the stands, and with nothing else to do, they had already eaten almost half a bucket of popcorn before the match even began.
Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and discovered that several messages had arrived in his messaging app without him noticing!