After passing through the forest, the group had brunch at a Pokémon Center. It was at the edge of the woods. They asked Nurse Joy for the exact location of the Battle Factory. Then, they set off once again.
They walked through a canyon that was not very long. Soon, a huge steel building appeared in front of them. It looked like a factory.
"The name is correct. It is a Battle Factory..." Max looked up at the huge building. He felt a great sense of surprise. "I thought it was just a name. I did not expect it to look like a real factory! But what does it produce? It cannot be just for the name, right?"
"Who knows," Natsui said. He shook his head. "Everything will be clear once we go inside and look."
The group was ready to enter the Battle Factory. At that moment, they heard a man's voice from above.
"Mr. Natsui, Ash, I've been waiting for you!"
The group looked up. Scott was on a balcony on the second floor of the factory. He wore a blue shirt. He was smiling and waving at them!
"Mr. Scott!" Ash was very happy to see him. "I did not expect you to be here!"
"Eh?" May saw him greet Scott. She was confused. "Do you two know each other too?"
"Of course," Ash said with a smile. "I passed the Viridian Gym when I was going back to Pallet Town. I met Mr. Scott there. I also had a battle with Ms. Agatha! She is one of the Elite Four. It was then that Mr. Scott told me about the Battle Frontier again."
"What? One of the Elite Four?"
May, Max, and Brock had just learned that this happened to Ash on his way home. They started asking for details immediately.
"How was it? Is Agatha very strong?"
"Did you beat her?"
Ash scratched his cheek with his finger. He laughed awkwardly. "Well... actually, I was the one who lost. Ms. Agatha's Pokémon were just too strong..."
While they were talking, Scott came down the stairs. He ran to Natsui and the others. He was breathing hard.
Scott greeted Ash briefly. Then he looked at Natsui. He felt sorry. "Um... Mr. Natsui, I am very sorry about what happened at the Battle Dome..."
Scott is the boss of the Battle Frontier. He knew exactly what happened at the Battle Dome. The story was everywhere on the internet. Everyone was talking about it!
People were complaining about Tucker. They said he was weak. They were angry that he compared himself to Natsui.
After that match, everyone laughed at Tucker.
But Scott could not do anything. He was the owner of the Battle Frontier, but he invited the Frontier Brains to work for him. Each person had a different personality. Their strength was very great. He had no control over them. He needed these people to make the Battle Frontier famous. He did not want to make them angry. Even if he wanted to stop them, he could not.
Natsui understood this very well. He did not blame Scott. The matter was in the past. If Scott did not mention it, Natsui would have forgotten about Tucker.
"It is okay," he said. He shook his head and smiled. "I know that was just his own behavior. It has nothing to do with you or the Battle Frontier. I do not mind. It has already passed."
Scott nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, yes, it has already passed."
The conversation was strange to the others. Ash and Max did not understand. They whispered to Brock to ask him.
Brock did not know much about it either. He only knew that the battle between Natsui and Tucker was big news in the Kanto region. But that was all. He was not there, so he did not know the details.
They talked for a short time. Then Scott led the group toward the factory gates.
Before they reached the door, they heard a loud engine. Suddenly, the doors opened. A strange red armored car with six wheels drove out!
The car was very unusual. It was rugged and had many angles. It had many huge exhaust pipes at the back. They made thick black smoke!
The car seemed to be out of control. It drove in circles in front of the entrance. Its brakes were broken.
A worried voice came from inside the car.
"Really..." Scott sighed. "I did not expect it to go out of control again..."
He turned to Natsui and the others. "Could you please help stop that car?"
"No problem, leave it to us!"
Ash, May, and Brock wanted to help. They all released their Pokémon. Natsui just stood there and watched. He knew they did not need his help.
Three blue lights appeared. Ash's Grovyle, May's Combusken, and Brock's Mudkip appeared.
The Pokémon were different types. All three starter Pokémon from Hoenn were together!
With the help of these three Pokémon and Pikachu, they stopped the car quickly.
But they did not just stop the car. They damaged it.
The car was strong, but the Pokémon were stronger. They broke it apart.
The damage was not too big. They broke one or two wheels. Their actions stopped the car from causing more trouble.
The armored car stopped completely. The door opened. A man jumped down from the roof. He wore a red cap, a long vest, and long pants.
"Thanks to you, I am finally saved." The man wiped sweat from his head. "This machine is like a wild horse. It does not listen to me, the owner. Anyway, thank you very much!"
Then he saw the broken tires. He saw that other parts were also damaged. He looked upset.
"Oh dear, this is bad. I built this machine myself. It is a great work. Now it needs to be fixed again..."
"It is just a normal car. It is not a big deal." Scott waved his hand and smiled. "Let me introduce you..."
The man interrupted him.
"You are saying it is just a normal car!?" The man looked angry. His voice was loud. He pointed to the car. He looked very proud. "This machine's name is Noland J9! I built it with my own hands. It runs on steam! Isn't it stylish?"
Ash and the others looked at each other. The car did not look stylish to them.
Max said in a low voice, "It is just a steam car, right? But that is very old. Today, we use clean energy and nuclear power. That is the trend for the future."
The man heard his small voice. He became very excited.
"What do you know?" He tilted his head and laughed loudly. "Steam is a man's romance! A real man should play with a machine like this!"
The topic was changing too much. Scott stopped them.
"Stop, stop, stop. Do not say any more." He looked at the man. "Remember the person I told you about yesterday? He is here now!"
The man became serious. He stopped talking about his car. He walked closer and looked at Natsui's group. He looked at Natsui.
"Are you that Champion?"
"It is me."
Natsui could see the man clearly now. He had brown hair and a beard. He had some lines on his face. He looked at least 35 years old. He had strong muscles on his arms. He looked like someone who had worked in a repair shop for many years. But his clothes made him look younger.
Natsui nodded. The man laughed loudly. "It really is you! Great, I have been waiting for this! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Noland. I am the Frontier Brain of this Battle Factory!"
May, Max, and Brock had already guessed this. They knew someone in the factory would be the leader. Only Ash was surprised when Noland said who he was.
Ash and the others introduced themselves too.
Noland looked at Natsui with excitement.
"I knew you were coming. I have been waiting for this! I want to have a match with you!"
"Of course," Natsui said. He looked at Noland. "That is why I came here."
Noland really wanted to have a great battle with Natsui.
Scott smiled at Noland. "If you want to fight this Champion, you must try your best. Do not forget, he defeated Tucker in only two moves!"
"I am not like that man who likes to show off," Noland said with confidence. "My Pokémon are very strong!"
"And me! And me!" Ash said quickly. "I am also here to challenge the Battle Factory. You cannot only fight Natsui!"
"I will not forget you." Noland laughed. "Scott told me about you. When you fought Agatha, you showed great spirit. I will also fight you with my full strength!"
Noland led the group into the Battle Factory.
He was going to battle both of them. But he did not go to the battlefield yet. He went to a grassy area inside the factory.
A young man was feeding many Pokémon there. He looked at Noland.
"Master, who are these people?"
Noland smiled and introduced them.
"This is my apprentice, Sergio. He helps me here. Sergio, these people are here to challenge me. The one in the middle is Natsui. He won three championships in a row."
"Eh? Are you Mr. Natsui?" Sergio ran over. He was excited. He looked at Natsui. "Mr. Scott told us you were coming. Master has been waiting for this day. You are finally here!"
Noland really wanted this battle.
Ash felt a little jealous. Natsui got all the attention. Ash felt like an extra.
But then he thought about Natsui. Natsui was very strong and had many achievements. It was normal for Noland to be excited.
Ash believed in Natsui!
Sergio said hello. Then Noland pointed at the Pokémon. He smiled at Natsui and Ash. "These are all my Pokémon. Usually, I let challengers choose their opponent. But for you two, I have special Pokémon!"
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"Heh, I will keep it a secret for now," Noland smiled mysteriously. "You will know when it is time to battle!"
Natsui already knew the answer. He did not want to ruin the surprise, but he laughed. "It is Articuno, right?"
"What!?"
Noland and Sergio were very shocked. Natsui knew the secret of the Battle Factory!
How did he know?
Noland looked at Scott. He wanted to know if Scott told him. But Scott did not know the secret.
Ash and the others were also very surprised.
Ash's eyes were wide. He asked, "Natsui, are you saying that the Articuno we just saw is Mr. Noland's Pokémon?"