Night fell.
The quiet Pokémon gardens were alive as Gengar and Darkrai feasted together.
Gengar & Darkrai: (⊙~⊙)
Natsume smirked. "Good thing Gengar always carries a microwave. Rotom can heat things up anytime."
Darkrai, mouth full of fried noodle bread, couldn't speak—just silently gave a thumbs-up.
"Keep at it. I've got a closing ceremony to attend," Natsume said, waving as he left.
Gengar & Darkrai watched him go: (⊙~⊙)
Darkrai swallowed hard. "Got anything to drink?"
Gengar rummaged in its pocket, pulled out a can of cola, placed it on the ground, then produced another with a flourish. "Gengar!"
Darkrai blinked.
Somehow, Gengar had surpassed even its mastery of shadow storage.
From Darkrai's centuries of experience, it had heard rumors that shadows might conceal entire worlds.
Darkrai imagined someone casually tossing fridges, microwaves, and soda cans into that world…
Click.
Darkrai expressionlessly popped the tab and chugged the fizzy drink: (′▽`〃)
No big deal. Next time, it would stash some ice-cold cola in there too.
...
Space-Time Tower, Main Hall
Spotlights flickered.
When Natsume—the savior of Alamos Town—appeared, the crowd erupted in unending cheers.
The entire town had been won over by his strength, character, and dashing looks.
Natsume smiled graciously, his gaze settling on Wallace, who stood in a white cape.
Under the spotlight's glow, alongside his partner Milotic, Wallace brought the Wallace Cup to a dazzling close.
Natsume applauded as Wallace returned to his seat. "Quite the ordeal, huh?"
"Indeed," Wallace sighed. "The toughest tournament in years…"
"Blame Ash."
"Hm?"
"Oh, he's got a thing for Legendary Pokémon. Even Ho-Oh bolts when it sees him."
Wallace: (⊙-⊙)
"I heard that your Blastoise was re-bred." Wallace smiled, "This Sootopolis Gym, Master Juan and I improved the "Rain Dance" Move, which should be helpful to you."
Natsume stammered. "R-Rain Dance?"
A Champion-level Rain Dance technique and training manual?
Blastoise was about to become the Primordial Sea incarnate!
Wallace nodded. "Also, a Fairy-type expert from Kalos—Valerie—will be visiting Sinnoh soon."
"If you're interested, I can introduce you."
Natsume considered asking about advanced breeding and training methods for Sylveon.
His team's strength was visibly skyrocketing.
Even with Rotom's data support, as a Trainer, he needed proper expertise.
Valerie, one of the few Fairy-type masters with a Sylveon as her ace, was exactly the resource he lacked.
Natsume nodded slowly.
Having this as compensation for attending the Wallace Cup was acceptable.
The move technique Rain Dance, a skill the Champion specialized in, was undoubtedly more valuable than any bonus. Natsume couldn't exactly ask for more.
"Since I can connect with Valerie, I won't bother holding it against Wallace," Natsume thought. "After all, it's Wallace who's handling this. Saves me a favor."
Suddenly, Natsume faintly realized something was off—
Knowledge is wealth. Asking Valerie for Fairy-type techniques… in the end, wouldn't he still be the one spending money?
"Tch…" Natsume winced. "Can't let my guard down for a second!"
"Are you alright?" Wallace asked with concern.
"It's nothing. Just know that both you and Steven are on my list now. Remember to come over for dinner next time," Natsume said casually.
Wallace paused, realizing it was related to the Chat Group, and smiled.
"Steven mentioned this to me once… though I usually prefer using the Navigator. Mobile phones aren't really my thing…"
The Navigator was a communication device developed by Devon Corporation in the Hoenn Region.
A simplified version of a mobile phone, it only had basic functions like calls and messages—perfect for Wallace's minimalist lifestyle.
Natsume: "Doesn't matter if you don't use it much. Just team up with Steven and send red packets."
Whether the broke girl Maylene could afford new clothes depended on you and Steven now!
Wallace hesitated but ultimately nodded.
Meanwhile, Natsume pulled out his 25-layered Book of Death (scratched out)—no, his diary—and skimmed through it.
The grudge against Steven and Wallace, that dynamic duo… would have to wait. For now, he'd focus on snatching their red packets.
The Temporal and Spatial Dragons' rampage stemmed from Arceus distorting time and space…
And the reason Arceus malfunctioned… Natsume suspected it was inextricably linked to Gold riding Togebo and charging headfirst at the almighty llama.
He scribbled furiously, his handwriting wild and bold—just two words: 'Gold.'
Natsume nodded in satisfaction.
Once he got back, he could test out his new Live Stream Strategy.
Last version, he'd claimed World's Number One, and the season was about to reset…
Being matched in the same rank as Gold meant he could use him to test team compositions and climb—
Youth had returned, and so had his fighting spirit!
...
Inside the Chat Group.
[Group Owner 'Natsume-sensei' has invited 'Artist of Water' to join the Chat Group.]
Yellow: "Welcome~ヽ(°▽°)ノ"
Gold recited like a checklist: "New member rules: post a selfie, measurements, marital status…"
Ruby scratched his head awkwardly: "Gold, Senior… that's my Master…"
Gold crossed his arms, eyes closed, nodding sagely: "Hmm… judging by the profile pic, I thought it was a green-haired beauty…"
The group chat fell silent, everyone collectively shuddering.
To boldly diss the Hoenn Champion—typical Gold!
Natsume sneakily observed Wallace's expression beside him.
A flawless smile, elegant manners, whitened knuckles…
Natsume couldn't help but sigh: Some people die at twenty but aren't buried until eighty.
Steven chuckled, defusing the tension: "The first time I met him, I made the same mistake."
Instantly, Lorelei's glasses gleamed, as if she'd uncovered scandalous gossip. Her breathing grew heavy.
Truthfully, on certain websites, one could find "Steven x Wallace" fanfiction.
And Lorelei may or may not have accidentally clicked on them…
Lorelei, cheeks flushed, smiled: "Welcome! A warm welcome!"
Red: "Group Stability -1."
Jasmine followed suit: "Group Stability -1."
Erika joined in: "Group Stability -1."
...
Gardenia trailed behind: "Group Stability -1."
Something strange seemed to have floated past.
Natsume mused: "No more admin slots left. Maybe we should remove Lance. He's busy anyway…"
Lance: "?"
"Busy cracking down on crime, understanding the people's struggles—truly a reliable Senior."
Lance snorted: "Welcome. If you need anything, ask Blue Oak. He's got free time lately."
Blue Oak: "…I still have the Viridian Gym to manage."
Lance fumed: "You just let Alakazam handle it! Multiple Trainers have complained to me, and I've been covering for you!"
Blue Oak glanced at Red beside him. Red silently suggested it was getting late and he should head down the mountain soon.
Blue Oak massaged his temples: "Fine. I'll return to Viridian Gym ASAP."
Buzz—
The phone vibrated.
[Group member 'Artist of Water' has sent a red packet! Quick, grab it!]
Natsume: "Dang it, clicked too fast! Should've let Togepi do it!"
Gold laughed maniacally: "Togebo's playing with my phone! I'm on my computer—HAHA!"
Yellow whispered: "Gold… Togebo didn't get the packet either…"
"Nani?!"
"Togebo!" Togebo, currently browsing photos Natsume-sensei had privately sent, turned its head with a glare.
The photos showed Natsume's Togepi at home, playing games…
"Natsume-sensei, you cheated!" Gold yelled indignantly.
Broke girl Maylene: "Yay~o(╥﹏╥)o, I can afford dinner tonight…"
Steven sounded surprised: "Huh. I got the luckiest draw this time."
Wallace smiled: "Now it's your turn to send a red packet."
Steven sighed: "Of course. I knew there'd be a catch."
Auntie Lorelei adjusted her glasses, a sly grin forming.
Time to log off for today~
Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Ruby hesitated before finally speaking up in the group:
"Master… about that incident in Alamos Town…"
"It's over," Wallace said warmly. "Thanks to Natsume-sensei."
Everyone nodded in agreement, their perception of Natsume-sensei gradually shifting toward 'Red' levels of reverence.
Red tilted his cap, his expectations of Natsume-sensei now aligning with 'Blue Oak' levels of exasperation.
Natsume slowly gave up on thinking.
"Catcher" Crystal sighed regretfully: "Palkia and Dialga… Never caught them. They're not even in my Pokédex…"
Natsume blinked: "You'll see their data at this year's Research Conference."
Crystal tilted her head: "Huh? Why?"
Natsume's expression turned complicated.
How could he explain that Cynthia's legendary Pokémon research materials were all obtained by him personally battling them?
Thankfully, the conference was in April.
A few months later, and Ash might've added a few more big names to the list.
Old Man Wattson cheered: "Oh right, Natsume! 'Pokémon: Battle' is getting an update soon! You've gotta play with me!"
Natsume: "Sure. What's new?"
Steven explained: "We've been collaborating with Galar's Macro Cosmos. They're introducing Dynamax mechanics… It's a pretty major change."
Natsume froze.
Dynamax in the game now?
Well then. This update just buffed 'Natsume-sensei' straight to T0 Streamer status!*
"I'll figure out the livestream content once I get home," Natsume said.
With the Alamos Town incident resolved, all that remained was Darkrai's training regimen.
Tomorrow, Natsume would pack his luggage and begin the journey back…