"Boys, look who I brought along!"
Drake roared with laughter at the sailors before him, drawing everyone's attention to Xia You.
Just as Drake had said, all his sailors had watched videos of Xia You's matches before and had discussed him more than once. Naturally, his face was familiar to them.
Someone immediately recognized him, pointed at him, and cried out in surprise.
"My god, it's Xia You!"
"Huh? What's he doing here?!"
"He's come to Hoenn?!"
"Are you going to compete in the Ever Grande Conference?!"
The sailors instantly crowded around Xia You, studying him with excited, delighted eyes. Someone even reached out to touch his arm.
They looked so cautious, as though the person standing before them wasn't real, but an illusion!
"He's alive!"
"Idiot, what are you talking about? Of course he's alive!"
"Ah... sorry, I meant I can't believe he's actually standing right in front of me!"
Everyone talked over one another, their excitement even giving Misty a fright.
She was bewildered, wondering how Xia You had suddenly gained so many male fans. With his looks and the strength of his Pokémon, he had always been a huge hit with young girls, but how was he so popular among men, too?
Even Xia You struggled to handle their enthusiasm. It felt like he was back in Kanto, meeting that Biker Gang for the first time.
Still... given the choice, he would actually have preferred to be surrounded by pretty girls rather than these brawny sailors...
The man who had lowered the rope ladder spoke up. "Welcome aboard. May I ask if you're here to battle the captain?"
The mention of a battle made the sailors beside him even more excited.
A battle between a man with two regional conference championships under his belt and one of