Top four!
The second competitor advancing to the top four is also a surprise to most people, the biggest dark horse in this competition, Natsuhiko!
Attention on Natsuhiko has reached unprecedented heights, even surpassing Lance and the others to some extent.
The audience is eager to see how far Natsuhiko can go.
Can he continue forward and reach the finals?
Or even...
Win the championship?!
The story of a commoner defeating a genius, defeating the wealthy, defeating the powerful is the most compelling.
Of course, this doesn't stop the audience from supporting Lance, Flint, Hilona, and the others.
Wants and supports are two different things.
Natsuhiko summoned Cherrim to give some simple treatment to several Pokémon, including Karin's three Pokémon.
They couldn't leave because they were blocked by the host.
"First congratulations to competitor Natsuhiko for successfully entering the top four, entering the semifinals, and thanks to competitor Karin for bringing us such a wonderful competition," the host equally balanced his words and showed no favoritism.
For these interviews, as a professional movie actor, Karin was already accustomed to it, and Natsuhiko was also quite composed facing the camera.
Firstly, there was a simple interview with Karin, expressing support for her ability and strength, which drew cheers from many of Karin's fans in the audience.
Although she lost.
But Karin showed them a way to deal with "Aircraft," making many people see the truth.
Tactics are dead, people are alive; no tactic is truly unsolvable, and if you think carefully, you can always come up with solutions.
Then it was time to interview Natsuhiko.
"Tactical Master Natsuhiko..."
Before the words were spoken, Natsuhiko's expression was a bit awkward hearing this title.
"May I ask what Pokémon this is? Everyone is very curious."
"Togekiss, the evolved form of Togetic." Natsuhiko did not hold back and revealed the name.
"Togekiss! Has the audience remembered? This Pokémon is called Togekiss and is the evolved form of Togetic!" The host appeared to be a bit excited.
He could finally report back, those people really urged him urgently, and he didn't have the chance to interrupt the competition, so now he's relieved.
"So, Mr. Natsuhiko, can you tell us how Togetic evolves into Togekiss?" the host asked again.
Natsuhiko subtly furrowed his brows but still replied, "The Stone of Light."
It was bound to be known.
If he chose to hide it in this setting, it would surely bring some unwanted talk from people waiting to see Natsuhiko fail.
Don't doubt it.
A famous person once said, as many people like something, as many people hate it.
Natsuhiko, the dark horse, has garnered much support but will also attract some narrow-minded people's "jealousy."
However, he quickly added, "I don't know the specific details, my Togekiss just evolved yesterday, and there are many aspects I haven't figured out, but I will find a friend to write a professional report."
"No problem, we will look forward to the report from Mr. Natsuhiko's friend."
The host continued the interview.
"Just now, competitor Kona revealed to us that the 'Song of Destruction Tactics' was taught by competitor Natsuhiko?"
This time many eye-catching tactics have emerged, the "Song of Destruction Tactics" is one of them, and Natsuhiko's Togekiss is also considered a tactic itself.
"Not really taught, more like everyone... joint discussion, exploring together," Natsuhiko responded.
"Haha—competitor Natsuhiko is indeed humble."
The host smiled and leaned close to Natsuhiko, seemingly lowering his voice, but the microphone didn't leave his mouth.
"As far as I know, the competitor Nanami who entered the top thirty-two but withdrew, her Chansey used the 'Quality Shrinking Rockslide' tactic, also originated from competitor Natsuhiko."
Wow!!!
As soon as this sentence was out, the stadium was in an uproar.
Natsuhiko looked at him in surprise, then scanned the entire arena looking for Nanami.
Although he hadn't forbidden Nanami from speaking, this "Quality" tactic is different from the "Song of Destruction Tactics" and "Aircraft Tactics," it's purely disgusting tactics that deserve a beating.
In the seats, Nanami covered her face with both hands.
Actually, she wasn't to blame because she hadn't revealed this information to the host.
But...
On another side, Ash Ketchum was crazily waving at Natsuhiko on the arena.
He said it.
Natsuhiko covered his face.
At this point, the name "Tactical Master" is inescapable.
People still have a deep impression of the tactic used by Nanami; indeed, it's "disgusting" but undoubtedly strong.
With three formed tactics hanging on him, coupled with his successful entry into the semifinals, even if Natsuhiko doesn't want to admit his tactical ability, others won't believe it.
"Haha," Natsuhiko laughed dryly.
Not sure how to explain.
The host's eyes turned.
"Since competitor Natsuhiko is so well-versed in Pokémon battle tactics, would you be interested in being a special commentator for this competition?"
The roaring voice in his earpiece subsided.
This was a gimmick to attract more attention to the upcoming matches.
After the battle between Natsuhiko and Karin, the attention on the internet and television had reached an unprecedented height for this competition.
But once their battle ended, it began to decline.
This made the companies responsible for this live broadcast feel pained.
Having already tasted the thrill of the peak, who wants to lose it?
So someone boldly proposed this idea and quickly obtained approval, which was then relayed to the host.
"Commentary?"
Hearing this, Natsuhiko was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, not free." The host raised his eyebrows.
Not free?
Should have said so sooner.
Natsuhiko tentatively responded, "Actually, my ability to interpret others' tactics is average."
"No worries, I believe the audience is also looking forward to seeing Natsuhiko's insights from a competitor's perspective, isn't that right?"
Yes! Yes! Yes!!
Commentary! Commentary! Commentary!!
The host was skilled at stirring the atmosphere, and the audience was encouraging.
"Alright then." Natsuhiko agreed "reluctantly."
Since it's not free but a paid job, taking it on isn't impossible.
He had never watched a match from a commentary position before.
Then.
Natsuhiko handed the Pokémon to Miss Joy at the sideline and was led by the host to the commentary seat.
As proven.
The big shots at the live broadcast companies made the right decision; the declining viewership began to rise again.
Although not as high as the peak, it showed signs of warming up.
After all.
Everyone is curious about what kind of commentary this "Tactical Master" will bring to the competition.
The previous commentator was really not impressive, hardly had any sense of presence.
And after confirming this, the competition continued.
The next round featured Hilona and Jade Liya!
----
Going out for the New Year dinner, the update afterward will be slightly delayed.
Explaining why the Fairy Type hasn't been announced: currently, there's only Togekiss as a Fairy, announcing it won't convince people that Natsuhiko's Togekiss is special, attracting unnecessary covetous attention.