Taking a deep breath, he calmed the urge to call Agatha on his phone.
"Miss Jade Liya, Mr. Shirane, if you called me over here just to say these things, then I'll take my leave."
Natsuhiko prepared to leave.
This sense of frustration, perhaps it was better not to deal with it.
Is being strong in superpowers so great?
However, before he could stand up, Shirane's gloved hand gently rested on his shoulder and apologized somewhat apologetically:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Natsuhiko, the young lady's temperament is just like that, please don't take it too much to heart. On her behalf, I apologize to you."
As he said this, he once again bowed slightly to Natsuhiko.
An apology from the head of the Battlefront Territory, it's impossible not to accept.
Natsuhiko, who was just about to get up, sat back down again.
Jade Liya's expression didn't change much, but she continued, "But your superpower comes from a very powerful Pokémon."
Hearing this, Natsuhiko's heart stirred slightly.
"However, you haven't found a way to use it, nor a way to enhance yourself."
"So?"
Shirane beside him smiled and said, "The young lady means she hopes you can do her a favor. In return, she will teach you a method to enhance your superpower."
If they'd said so earlier, wouldn't that have been better?
"What kind of help?"
This time, it was Jade Liya who answered, and she didn't use telepathy.
"Help me improve my relationship with my Pokémon."
Improve the relationship?
Natsuhiko was taken aback.
Instinctively, he asked, "Affinity?"
"It seems that's a saying that's been trending recently," Jade Liya said with a small sip of coffee and a smile.
Upon hearing this, Natsuhiko slowly knitted his brows and, after pondering for a moment, said:
"The affinity between Pokémon and Trainer is gradually accumulated through mutual understanding, fighting together, and growing together. It's not something that can be enhanced just because you want to.
Furthermore... you already have such strength; is your relationship with your Pokémon very poor?"
"Not really poor, but it always feels... like it's missing something, like the feeling you have with your Togetic," Jade Liya said thoughtfully.
This favor could be easy if kept simple, but if he tried to complicate it, he might not be able to help at all.
He looked at Shirane.
As there was such a powerful Trainer beside them, would they still need to ask him about the Pokémon relationship?
"The young lady's situation is somewhat special. I'm not able to provide any help, and since you're both superpower users, I think you might have some shared experiences, and Mr. Natsuhiko might be able to provide a bit of help to the young lady," Shirane explained.
This time, it was actually Shirane who suggested Jade Liya find Natsuhiko.
The relationship between Natsuhiko and his Togetic was arguably the closest and strongest he had seen among the Pokémon that had appeared in this competition.
The main point is, Natsuhiko is also a superpower user.
"Special? How so?" Natsuhiko couldn't help but ask again.
"Ahem," Shirane cleared his throat gently, looked at Jade Liya, and after receiving her consent, he slowly said:
"The young lady's Pokémon... came to her on their own. And there are quite a few visiting, from which the young lady selected a few. They follow her orders to the letter, yet there's little friendship-like interaction, and it's more like a superior-subordinate relationship."
Natsuhiko: "..."
He stared blankly at Jade Liya.
So, as a superpower user at a monstrous level, is this how popular one is among Psychic-type Pokémon?
They come in droves and even get to choose a few?
Do as they please?
Is it the same for Nancy?
Natsuhiko finally realized how great the talent gap between people can be.
Smacking his lips, he nodded a bit stiffly, "I understand."
He then continued, "One last question, why do you suddenly want to enhance your affinity with your Pokémon?"
Jade Liya lightly brushed her long hair aside and replied with a noble demeanor, "Because I want to finish the battle more elegantly."
Natsuhiko remembered.
In the original work, there was indeed a public demonstration battle between Jade Liya and Hilona, featuring her Gothitelle against Hilona's Garchomp.
The two ended in a draw, although there was a ten-minute time limit, Hilona promised to give her all before the match.
To be able to withstand Hilona's ace Garchomp for a full ten minutes is indeed a testament to great strength, truly deserving of the Elite Four title.
And after the battle, Hilona praised Jade Liya's progress, yet Jade Liya expressed she was still far from her goal, which was to achieve victory elegantly.
So "elegant victory" is Jade Liya's goal.
And just relying on the obedience of the Pokémon is not enough.
Although superpower users can make up for the lack of momentum to a certain degree through telepathy, in fact, as the power gets stronger, the role of the Trainer-Pokémon momentum becomes more important.
Otherwise, the world would have long been dominated by superpower users.
"I can try to offer some help, but I can't guarantee how effective it will be. Ultimately, it depends on the attitude of you, Miss Jade Liya, and your Pokémon.
And it's impossible in such a short time during this competition, I would rather suggest trying after the tournament," Natsuhiko said solemnly.
These things need to be clarified in advance, otherwise, if Jade Liya loses control and goes berserk...
Seems like if Jade Liya goes berserk, even Shirane would have to run away?