In the reception room of the Petalburg Gym, Natsui and Misty sat somewhat restrained. In front of them was a low table filled with fruits and snacks, and on the other side of the low table sat Norman and Caroline.
Taking a sip of tea, Natsui paused for a moment, then continued to speak to the couple: "…And right at that moment, Misty punched Drew in the face! Not only did she make him stumble, but she also fiercely vented that anger for May!"
What he was talking about was naturally the unpleasant friction that had occurred with Drew before they participated in the Slateport City Pokémon Contest with May last time.
To avoid worrying her parents, Natsui believed that even if May spoke with them every day, she definitely hadn't told Norman and Caroline about these things.
Sure enough, after listening to this with furrowed brows, Norman and Caroline simultaneously turned their gazes to Misty, who was sitting to the side.
"May, that child, only reports the good news and not the bad. There are some things she has never mentioned to us. If not for you two, we still wouldn't know she suffered such grievances out there. Misty… thank you so much! It's truly May's good fortune to have a friend like you!"
Misty shifted her body coyly and smiled embarrassedly. "You're too polite. Although May and I haven't known each other for long, we really hit it off. Seeing that boy acting all high and mighty, I just did what a friend should do!"
Misty's modesty at this moment earned her even more affection from Norman and Caroline.
Looking at this girl who was the same age as their daughter and equally beautiful, they both really liked her straightforward yet slightly unruly personality.
Turning her attention back to Natsui, Caroline couldn't wait to ask, "And what happened after that?"
"After that… we met Raoul Contesta and Lila again. With their help, May made great progress. That's also the reason she was able to successfully enter the second round during her first time participating in a Pokémon Contest. I believe May should have mentioned these things to you. However, there are actually some details in there. I'll let Misty tell you about them next."
Natsui directly pushed Misty out.
Mainly because he had been talking for so long, his mouth was dry. Even drinking tea continuously hadn't relieved it. Moreover, his understanding of May wasn't as deep as Misty's; this was about all he knew. Rather than being stumped by Norman and Caroline later, it was better to proactively yield the opportunity of being the "narrator" to Misty, so he could also enjoy some leisure.
Misty naturally wasn't clear about the little thoughts in Natsui's mind. She vividly described what happened on the day of the Pokémon Contest and shared some of her own views. For the Norman couple, this was a brand-new perspective, one they had never heard from May's mouth.
The husband and wife listened with great interest, and this chat lasted for the better part of the day in an instant.
The hour hand on the wall turned round and round.
The white clouds outside the window drifted by, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. Hmm, today should also be good weather.
Yawn~
Listening to the conversation beside his ears, Natsui had already yawned more than once. Until the tea in his cup had been refilled several times, and he had gone to the restroom three times, and his legs had gone numb from sitting, there was still no sign of the Norman couple stopping.
Boring, absolutely boring.
He really didn't understand why Caroline and Misty had so many topics to chat about.
The two of them chatted about May, then moved on to Max, then from Max to their own likes and interests, and finally circled back to May again. It was simply endless.
He had gotten up early today specifically and visited in the morning just to prevent any unforeseen events from happening with the battle. Unexpectedly… an unforeseen event still occurred.
He looked up at Norman opposite him.
He saw this man with a faint smile on his face, listening earnestly to his wife chatting with Misty, nodding from time to time. When he noticed Natsui's gaze, he looked over gently.
Even such trivial matters he could listen to without a hint of impatience. Sigh, he really was an out-and-out good man, good father, and good husband…
Compared to him, thinking of the several women with whom he had complicated relationships, Natsui already felt he was moving closer and closer to the direction of a scumbag.
Fortunately, this long chat came to an abrupt end with the 'Gurgle' sound coming from a stomach.
Several people turned their heads simultaneously to look. Natsui rubbed his stomach and smiled bitterly. "I didn't eat much this morning, so I'm already hungry."
"Oh my." Caroline finally came back to her senses. She glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled apologetically. "It's already noon? I'm really sorry to have delayed you for so long! Please wait a moment, I'll go prepare lunch right now. Since you've finally come for a visit, I must treat you well today!"
Before Natsui and Misty could refuse or be polite, Caroline had already stood up and left.
After she left, Norman apologized to Natsui and Misty. "Sorry, you must have been unable to sit still for a long time, right? Actually, ever since May and Max left for their journey, Caroline has been very lonely and hasn't adapted well. That's why I let her pull you guys into talking non-stop. There was no helping it; as a grown man, it's hard for me to say anything usually, and since you are May's friends, that's why I didn't stop it."
So that was it…
Natsui and Misty finally realized.
No wonder. With Norman's personality, it would be impossible to make a challenger wait so long without getting to the main topic. It turned out he had such intentions!
...
Lunch was a sumptuous seafood feast that filled the entire dining table.
It was evident that Caroline was very good at cooking these things. Not only were there many types of seafood, but the taste was also extremely delicious.
Natsui and Misty ate very heartily. Of course, it would have been even better if Caroline hadn't had a ceaseless stream of questions during the meal.
After lunch, Natsui finally waited for his Gym Battle with Norman.
Inside the Petalburg Gym battlefield, Natsui and Norman stood on two sides, each standing in the Trainer's command area of their respective half-court.
A very young apprentice came to the center of the field to act as the referee.
However, before he could open his mouth to explain the rules, Norman interrupted him. He crossed his arms over his chest and said to Natsui:
"I don't need to introduce my rules to you again, do I?"
Natsui nodded.
Before parting with May and Max last time, during a casual chat, he had heard Max mutter about the affairs of the Petalburg Gym. He knew the rule here was three-on-three. In fact, if he hadn't stopped Max at the time, that child who somewhat worshipped him would probably have blurted out all the weaknesses of Norman's Pokémon.
Truly a case of family misfortune.
"How do you want to fight? Do you want to use your full main lineup? To be honest, I also want to cross hands with you, a dual-region Champion!"
"Please don't." Natsui shook his head. "Although I came to challenge the Gym, my main focus is also on training my Pokémon. You should just treat me as an ordinary challenger."
This was a 'quasi' Elite Four level Trainer. Natsui had no intention of fighting such people for the time being. It was better to wait until he had toured the world and challenged every region before coming back to have a serious battle with these people.
"Is that so?" Norman didn't mind; he just nodded. "Then I understand."
Saying that, he took out a Poké Ball from his chest pocket. As he threw it, a blue light flashed, and the Pokémon Natsui had seen before entering the door appeared on the battlefield.
It was a Slakoth.
Its appearance looked just like a sloth commonly found on Earth. Its face looked a bit dull, and it had brownish-gray fur with darker stripes on its back.
Seeing this Pokémon, Misty in the spectator seats took out her Pokédex and pointed it at it.
The Pokédex beeped: "Slakoth, the Slacker Pokémon. Normal type. This Pokémon spends most of its day sleeping. It lies down for more than 20 hours a day. It is satisfied as long as it can eat 3 leaves. Because its heart beats only once a minute, no matter what happens, it will stay lying down and will almost never be seen moving."
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Sorry, everyone I had the posting schedule set up incorrectly over the last four days, which is why the latest chapters didn't go up. I apologize for the mistake, and thank you for your patience. The uploads should be back on track now.
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