October 5th, Saturday.
Sunlight spilled into the yard as Gengar began its morning training on schedule.
"Gengar!" With a whistle hanging from its chest, Gengar led a group of its underlings in a jog around Gold's yard, its stubby legs moving steadily.
Gold leaned on the railing, yawning. "Natsume-sensei, why does it feel like Gengar trains harder than you do?"
"Just your imagination," Silver said flatly.
Although Natsume-sensei rarely seemed to train, the fact that his Pokémon could autonomously follow a training regimen spoke volumes about his advanced methods.
"Pokémon grow to resemble their Trainers more and more over time," Silver said, his expression cold. "Just like your special Togekiss."
"Gengar's diligence is a reflection of..." Silver crossed his arms, then sighed. "Never mind. You wouldn't understand."
"Hmm... I think I get it," Gold said thoughtfully.
Natsume's expression turned odd.
You get it?!
I don't even want it to be this hardworking!
Looking at Gengar, who had stayed up all night and was now full of energy again, Natsume rubbed his temples and muttered, "Guess Ghost-types don't get exhausted..."
The flight back to Tokyo was scheduled for noon.
Natsume stayed at Gold's place a little longer before saying his goodbyes.
"Natsume-sensei... Next time we meet, I'll definitely beat you!" Gold said through gritted teeth.
Natsume nodded. "There'll be chances... I'll need to ask you to record a card in a couple of days."
"Heh, I was waiting for you to say that!" Gold grinned, completely unaware, and gave a thumbs-up.
Silver planned to stay in Johto to continue training his Pokémon, determined to prove his resolve to Giovanni.
What Silver didn't know was that his father was also thinking about how to earn his son's forgiveness...
A father's love and a son's filial piety—that's what it was all about.
Natsume thought to himself: If words can solve the problem, there's no need for fighting.
Love and justice are what a 'charming and delightful villain' should strive for!
Of course, establishing a new organization wouldn't happen overnight, and there was always the possibility of Giovanni backing out.
But Natsume believed that a father would make the right choice.
"Let's go, Gengar!" Natsume called out.
"Gengar!" Gengar grinned, its sharp teeth showing, and bounded over. With a perfect dive, it disappeared into Natsume's shadow.
The temperature around them dropped by 5°C, and Natsume-sensei couldn't help but shiver.
"Well, at least I won't need air conditioning in the summer!"
...
On the way to Goldenrod City Airport, Natsume took stock of what he'd gained from this Johto trip.
The most important task—evolving Gengar—had been successfully completed.
But the subsequent breeding and training for Gengar would require another significant investment...
Not to mention, Natsume-sensei still needed to get the [Psychic] move manuals from Sabrina so Gengar could learn to levitate.
"This money has to be spent!" Natsume said through gritted teeth.
Additionally, there was the [King's Rock] that Gold had gifted him.
Natsume twirled the angular metal crown in his hand, deep in thought.
Aside from helping Slowpoke evolve, the [King's Rock] had the added effect of potentially causing the opponent to flinch.
"Whatever... At least it looks cool," Natsume said with a complicated expression.
As for the International Police, the middle-aged uncle with the codename 'Handsome' had invited Natsume-sensei to join.
Although Natsume hadn't accepted any official position, the duties of a police academy supervisor seemed to boil down to just continuing to post videos.
This was somewhat tempting for Natsume.
If you added in the creative incentives and the Executive bonuses from Team Rocket...
"Doesn't that mean... I'd be earning three paychecks for one video?"
Natsume stroked his chin, then his eyes lit up.
...
The flight landed at Tokyo Airport.
Returning to his long-absent neighborhood, Squirtle placed its hand on the doorknob, sensing the situation inside before cautiously nodding.
Hmm... No ambush in the house!
Watching Squirtle carefully push the door open, Natsume felt a mix of emotions.
With Squirtle around... I guess I don't have to worry about sneak attacks anymore?
Growlithe let out a howl and dashed around the house.
Sylveon walked gracefully, its pink ribbons swaying in the breeze, but after just two steps, it flopped sideways onto the carpet with a plop.
The sound effect was automatically added by Natsume's imagination.
You've been sleeping as soon as you get home... No wonder you're getting fatter!
"Sylveon!" Sylveon blinked its large, azure eyes and pointed a ribbon toward the kitchen.
Natsume was momentarily stunned, then chuckled helplessly. "Alright, I'll get to cooking!"
Sylveon's eyes curved into crescents as it smiled sweetly. "Sylveon!"
It was a long-awaited dinner.
As the little ones devoured their meal, Natsume-sensei took off his apron and opened the chat group to receive the [Psychic] manuals Sabrina had sent.
Sabrina: "I've listed the specifics in the document. As per your request, it's only 5 million Pokémon Coins. Quite a bargain."
Natsume gulped.
Do we have different definitions of 'bargain'?
But when he opened the list and saw the starter version costing nearly 10 million Pokémon Coins, Natsume wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Thank you, Sabrina!"
"No problem."
Sabrina tucked her shoulder-length black hair behind her ear, wondering why she had gone out of her way to help Natsume.
Perhaps it was because Natsume-sensei, someone who had caught the attention of both Red and Giovanni, shared something in common with them.
A pure, unyielding desire to grow stronger.
Meanwhile, Natsume printed out the [Psychic] document and carefully scanned through it.
"Hmm..." Natsume nodded slowly. "I see."
A good move manual should be both in-depth and easy to understand.
If Natsume-sensei could understand it, then Gengar certainly could.
After handing the [Psychic] manuals to Gengar, the Ghost-type's eyes welled up with tears.
"Gengar!" Clutching the manuals tightly, Gengar nodded vigorously.
Looking at Gengar's determined expression, Natsume felt a mix of emotions.
"Whatever... I can still afford to raise it with this month's game revenue."
The three games from Pokémon Studio were undoubtedly hits, though they hadn't been on the market long enough to generate substantial profits.
After covering the costs for [Psychic], Natsume would still have no trouble raising funds for new projects next month.
"But... I still need to make videos," Natsume muttered.
Although the income from being a content creator wasn't much to look at, getting paid three times for one video...
Not bad at all!
Opening the team editor, Natsume began preparing the team composition for tomorrow's livestream.
"A speed-focused team... Tailwind is still the best way to control the pace..."
...
Ten hours earlier.
New Bark Town.
Natsume-sensei had just left on the bus.
Gold, with his arms behind his head, was about to head home for a nap.
From the town's research institute, a bespectacled, oval-headed researcher came running out.
"Gold..." Professor Elm panted. "Has Natsume already left?"
Gold scratched his head. "Natsume-sensei just left. Why?"
In Professor Elm's arms was a pale white Pokémon egg with red and blue patches.
This was the egg he had wanted to entrust to Natsume-sensei, the one kept in the research institute's backyard.
Last night, he had called Professor Rowan to ask about Natsume and received glowing praise.
This had further solidified Professor Elm's resolve to entrust the egg to Natsume.
But it seemed he was too late...
Professor Elm scratched his head. "Gold, do you know Natsume-sensei's address?"
"Oh, I can ask him in the group chat," Gold said, waving his phone.
Professor Elm nodded.
He had initially considered asking Gold to deliver the egg to Natsume.
But then he thought better of it—he couldn't risk the egg picking up bad habits from Gold.
All his efforts would be wasted!
"Is Crystal in the group too?" Professor Elm asked.
"Yeah!"
Professor Elm breathed a sigh of relief. In that case, I'll ask Crystal to deliver the egg to Natsume...
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