Dan Emperor pursed his lips.
Silently, he took out a Pokeball and withdrew his Charizard.
He lost.
For Dan Emperor, losing didn't really matter, even though he had been on a winning streak and had grown accustomed to it.
But he knew that no one could win forever.
So losing now felt rather like a relief for him.
Finally, he didn't have to obsess over the so-called "perfect record" anymore. He could invest more energy into enjoying battles, experiencing them, and learning from them.
This battle.
In reality, Dan Emperor only lost because of the initial clash when Garchomp seized the opportunity.
Because the failure of that clash allowed Natsuhiko to continuously seize opportunities and expand his advantage, by the time Charizard was gritting its teeth and holding on, Dan Emperor hardly had any chance of a comeback.
From this, Dan Emperor saw the value in Natsuhiko's title of "Tactical Master."
"I remember, isn't this Garchomp Ms. Hilona's?"
"Ms. Hilona? No wonder it looks so familiar!"
"So, Mr. Natsuhiko used a Pokémon that wasn't his, possibly even commanding it in battle for the first time, and won against Dan Emperor, giving us such a spectacular match?"
"Terrifying tactical command ability, I couldn't sense any hint of it being their first collaboration."
"I also really want to go down and challenge, and learn tactics from Mr. Natsuhiko."
"..."
From the audience, someone finally recognized this Garchomp.
After all, one of Natsuhiko's purposes in inviting Hilona and the others was to create a buzz and attract more attention to the dojo opening.
So it's not surprising there were fans of Hilona present.
But these remarks reached Dan Emperor's ears.
He was quite shocked.
He and Charizard.
Lost to Natsuhiko and Garchomp in their first battle collaboration?
Blankly watching Natsuhiko walk towards him with a calm expression.
It was only when Natsuhiko presented the dojo's badge that Dan Emperor, with complex emotions, finally reacted.
"Mr. Natsuhiko, you..."
"I'm sorry." Natsuhiko expressed his stance before Dan Emperor could finish his hesitant words.
"Hmm?" Dan Emperor was taken aback.
Sorry?
Why sorry?
Natsuhiko awkwardly touched his nose.
"Because I know your strength, Dan Emperor, is very strong, but my Dragon Dojo was just established, and the Dragon-type Pokémon I prepared were not sufficient. The Pokémon I prepared might not fully reveal your abilities and strength, so out of necessity, I borrowed Garchomp from Hilona.
This is my fault, so I apologize to you."
He openly discussed this matter right on the spot.
To avoid some unnecessary misunderstandings.
Besides, even if Natsuhiko didn't say it, some had already guessed.
Upon hearing this, Dan Emperor's earlier slight discomfort instantly vanished.
After all, they clearly agreed to give it their all but then used someone else's Pokémon.
But after hearing Natsuhiko's sincere explanation, Dan Emperor understood that it was precisely because Natsuhiko valued him so much that he had to resort to using someone else's Pokémon.
Otherwise, he could have easily dispatched him with any random Pokémon.
In any case, the badge was given in the end.
It was exactly because of borrowing a Pokémon to confront him that showed how much Natsuhiko valued him.
Dan Emperor let out a long breath, his face breaking into a smile once again, shaking his head and saying, "No, I should be thanking Mr. Natsuhiko for valuing me so much."
While speaking, he looked intently at Natsuhiko, "Mr. Natsuhiko's strength is indeed formidable. The title of 'Tactical Master' is well-deserved."
"It's just some jokes from others, don't take it seriously." Natsuhiko waved his hand with a smile.
"Tactical Master" or whatever.
Is it a good title?
Natsuhiko felt like someone was constantly mocking his "dirty" tactics.
"Mr. Natsuhiko, although it's a bit inappropriate timing, I... still want to have a real battle with you, a three-on-three Pokémon battle, using my own Pokémon!" Dan Emperor stated earnestly.
His attitude was very sincere.
If it were someone else.
They might think it's because he couldn't accept losing.
But Dan Emperor's words were truly purely about wanting to battle with Natsuhiko, without holding back.
Natsuhiko's smile remained unchanged.
He patted Dan Emperor on the shoulder, "Next time, next time."
The circumstances weren't appropriate.
Besides, Dan Emperor's ace Charizard no longer had the ability to battle.
He had refused future Champion challenges: Lance, Flint, Hilona.
And now another, Dan Emperor!
Dan Emperor glanced around.
Hesitating, he still nodded.
Indeed, Natsuhiko's dojo opening ceremony was still ongoing, and he shouldn't let his own desire for battle affect the whole event's arrangements.
He received the purple-golden badge from Natsuhiko's hand.
Taking out a special small box, he carefully placed it inside.
Natsuhiko noticed that this didn't seem to be the box Dan Emperor used to collect Sinnoh Region dojo badges.
Because after arriving in Sinnoh, the first dojo he challenged was Natsuhiko's Dragon Dojo, but there was already a badge inside the box.
A badge that didn't belong to the Sinnoh Region.
"This is..."
Dan Emperor put away the badge box and explained, "Mr. Natsuhiko, you are the second person after challenging the dojo that I've been eager to challenge again, so I keep these badges separately."
"The second one?" Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow.
Who else was unlucky enough to be targeted by Dan Emperor?
"Yes, the first is Mr. Senri from Chenghua City in the Hoenn Region," Dan Emperor said.