After winning his second Ribbon, Terrance returned to the lobby, grabbed his backpack, and prepared to leave.
"Terrance-senpai, which Pokémon Contest are you planning to enter next?" Sora asked as she approached him.
"It should be the Verdanturf Conference, right? That's the one happening right after the Lilycove Conference," Reiko guessed. "Why? You want to avoid facing Terrance?"
"No!!" Sora looked at Reiko with dissatisfaction.
Reiko laughed, "Just kidding, but it would be really tough to win if you encounter Terrance again. I've experienced it firsthand."
Watching the two bicker, Terrance recalled and said, "No, I'm not planning to enter the Verdanturf Conference. I already have Verdanturf Ribbon, so there's not much point in participating again."
"I haven't decided on a specific place yet," Terrance added.
"Alright, I'm going to participate in the Verdanturf Conference again," Sora said. She didn't even pass the primary judging in the Lilycove Conference… Right now, Sora urgently needed another Pokémon Contest to regain her confidence.
"In that case, let's part ways here," Reiko said. "If possible, I hope we meet again at the Grand Festival… though I don't think I stand much of a chance this time…"
Terrance nodded, said his goodbyes, and then planned to stay at the Pokémon Center for a day to plan for his next journey.
However, outside the contestants' exit, two people stopped Terrance. They were, of course, Yuu Tachibana and Yui Lizzie.
"Excuse me…" Terrance looked at the two girls in confusion.
"Hello, I'm Yuu Tachibana."
"Hello, I'm Yui Lizzie."
The two introduced themselves to Terrance and explained their intentions.
"Sorry… I haven't made any plans yet," Terrance said.
"Ah…" Yuu Tachibana looked at Terrance in disappointment and was just about to ask something when a commotion erupted outside.
"What's going on…" The three of them looked out to see a dozen people rushing over. Even before they arrived, their voices could be heard.
"Mr. Terrance, may I ask where you will be participating in the next Pokémon Contest?"
"Mr. Terrance, can I have your contact details…"
"Mr. Terrance, please accept me as your apprentice…"
"Mr. Terrance…"
Voices came from all around, and all three of them stared wide-eyed, quite taken aback by the scene. Even Terrance himself was completely stunned.
"Um…"
As the dozen or so people arrived beside the three, surrounding Terrance, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He quickly said, "I'll probably go to one of the Pokémon Contests held after the Verdanturf Conference."
"Mr. Terrance, can you give us a specific location, or at least your contact details…" A girl clasped her hands together, wearing a pleading expression as she earnestly requested Terrance.
"Mr. Terrance, do you have Bowei? I can follow you there…" [*Author here uses Bowei opposite of Weibo, a chinese social media platform.]
Terrance felt his scalp tingling as he was surrounded by a dozen people bombarding him with questions. Finally, he understood the feeling of irritation: "I don't really use the internet much."
Faced with a barrage of eager questions, Terrance hesitated about whether to decide on a specific Pokémon Contest location. If he wasn't mistaken…this group of people should be his fans…
Terrance was taken aback. So quickly? He had thought it would take until the Grand Festival for him to gain some audience support.
But he didn't expect that after participating in just two Pokémon Contests in Hoenn, he would draw quite a bit of attention, with people starting to ask where he would compete next.
In the crowd, a woman with short red-hair and two young men blended in, observing Terrance. Suddenly, the red-haired woman grabbed Terrance and announced to everyone, "I'm Mr. Terrance's manager! Please give us some time to consider, and we will soon announce Mr. Terrance's next destination."
With that, she pulled a bewildered Terrance into restroom, while the two young men with camera equipment blocked the crowd, their expressions calm but twitching slightly.
"???" Yuu Tachibana looked at Yui, both of them filled with confusion…
Manager?!
But he had only participated in two Pokémon Contests! Although his performance was good, why is he already being treated like a big star?
****************************
Inside the restroom.
Terrance stared at the woman with black-framed glasses in front of him, stunned by the series of unexpected events.
"What do you mean by 'manager'?" Terrance asked.
When she grabbed him, he could have broken free or even subdued her, but her actions had actually helped him out. Moreover, he was curious about her intentions.
So… Terrance followed her into the restroom.
"That was just something I blurted out," the woman replied casually: "I'm a reporter."
Saying that, she pulled out a microphone from her waist and continued, "Those two outside blocking the crowd? One's a cameraman, and the other's a Trainer."
"A reporter? A cameraman?" Terrance was still puzzled. "An interview?"
The woman laughed. "Of course not. We're not paparazzi, and we're not particularly interested in Pokémon Contests."
"We've actually met before. Let me think… weren't you riding an Altaria to Slateport City, or maybe it was… Mt. Chimney?"
Terrance stared at her, recalling the explosion incident at Mt. Chimney involving Team Magma.
He missed the Intermediate Breeder exam because he was rushing to Fallarbor Town, and he did have some impression of her.
"The yacht?" Terrence tentatively asked.
"That's right, so you saw us!" the woman said, surprised. "As you can see, although we're similar to a reporter team, we are a bit different from a traditional reporter team. My name is Maki, and I'm a member of an Adventure Team."
"The two outside are Ishi and Arvin."
Adventure Team?
Terrance had never heard of such a thing.
"What does an Adventure Team want with me? It's not just to help me out, right?" Terrance asked.
"It's a long story," Maki sighed. "But shouldn't you deal with those people outside first? My partners might not be able to hold them off much longer."
"If you trust me, please announce that your next Pokémon Contest will be in Mauville City," Maki looked at Terrance with keen, sparkling eyes.
Mauville City's Pokémon Contest was the one after the Verdanturf Conference, scheduled for just over a month later.
Terrance didn't know what Maki was up to, but he did need to tell his "fans" outside a specific location.
His path as a Coordinator was just beginning, and he needed the audience's support, which was crucial for building his popularity.
"Explain everything to me later," Terrance said, then he left and walked outside.
Watching Terrance' back, Maki was momentarily stunned. Despite being much older than him, she felt oddly passive in this situation.
"Never mind, age doesn't matter. As long as he's a strong Trainer…"
Outside, Ishi and Arvin were blocking the crowd, explaining and stalling… until Terrance emerged, much to their relief.
"I plan to participate in the Mauville City's Pokémon Contest next… thank you all for your support," Terrance told the dozen or so people.
"And thank you for enjoying my battles. I will definitely win the Mauville Conference's Ribbon."
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