That afternoon.
Natsume followed an excited Gengar to the Contestant Village's Training Facilities.
Contestants could train in sealed arenas or battle in open fields.
"Arcanine~~凸(｀0´)凸" Arcanine howled with husky-like majesty, drawing stares from nearby trainers.
Natsume wasn't worried about intel leaks—
His team had been the same six for ages. What was there to hide?
But rumor had it… the world suspected Natsume-sensei might unleash a Mythical Pokémon in the finals.
No—even a Legendary!
After all, he'd already fought Leon in an exhibition match. Showing up here? Total overkill.
"Wait… so I'm the 'Legendary Pokémon guy' now?" Natsume mused, rubbing his chin.
Inside the sealed training arena, equipment like artificial sunlight and gravity fields hummed.
"Gengar~" Gengar had already led Arcanine into a well-practiced routine.
"Sirfetch'd~" Sirfetch'd, having witnessed Togepi's dominance yesterday, shed silent tears.
I thought I was strong…
But in this team, I'm still barely above the bottom!
Gotta work harder! Gotta push forward~!
Brock, fresh off security duty at a sub-venue, tracked Natsume down after a quick call.
"Natsume-sensei!" The dark-skinned gym leader keyed in the arena passcode and waved.
Natsume lifted a hand. "Who won your venue today?"
"Johto's seeded contestant, Takao. His Mismagius swept the match."
Brock's expression was subtle: "Also a Perish Song user."
Natsume blinked.
Mismagius using Perish Song? That's not ideal!
Though his own Gengar hadn't mastered Perish Song yet.
Even if it was an inherited move, plenty of Pokémon had mastered inherited moves through training.
In a way…
Not mastering Perish Song might not be such a bad thing.
Brock stood in the Sunlight Chamber for a moment before deciding not to disturb Natsume-sensei's training.
He'd heard that Gym Leader Erika would be coming to watch the matches at the Indigo Plateau Conference today.
Brock fell into thought.
With her dazzling signature move, Solar Beam…
Maybe she could offer Natsume-sensei some inspiration.
As he pondered, Brock's phone buzzed.
"I've arrived at Indigo Plateau~"
In the chat group, Erika typed: "Is anyone near the open plaza?"
"Sister Green is," Yellow replied. "But she's probably busy promoting her merchandise…"
"@Erika, come to the training facilities in the Contestant Village," Brock suggested. "Natsume-sensei and I are here right now…"
...
"Erika's coming?" Natsume looked surprised.
"A Celadon Gym trainer is competing today… Leader Erika's here to cheer them on."
Natsume vaguely remembered a particularly strong Bellsprout from Ash's year—was it from Celadon Gym?
"Gengar~!" Gengar's voice called out.
Natsume turned to see the lively training atmosphere.
"Sirfetch'd!" Sirfetch'd swung its leek, sweating profusely.
"Sirfetch'd's working hard to get stronger too…" Natsume sighed with mixed emotions.
He couldn't let it down.
Maybe he'd let Sirfetch'd fight in the next match.
Win or lose, it was all about the experience.
At the same time, sunlight poured through the training arena's entrance.
Erika, dressed in an elegant green furisode, stepped inside gracefully, offering a slight bow and a smile.
"Natsume-sensei, Mr. Brock, it's been a while."
Seeing the visiting Gym Leader, Natsume suddenly realized something.
It wasn't just that the Indigo Plateau Conference Tournament Committee had connections.
The entire Kanto League—Gym Leaders, Elite Four, even the Champion—were all old acquaintances!
On top of that, Natsume was also Team Rocket's mentor…
His level of influence over the Kanto League might've surpassed even Giovanni's back in the day.
Natsume coughed lightly. "What do you two want to drink? I'll grab some water."
"No need to trouble yourself."
"It's fine." Natsume glanced toward the edge of the arena. "There's a vending machine right there."
Brock paused. "Water's fine. Thanks."
"Same here~"
Natsume walked toward the vending machine.
Brock crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he observed the center of the arena, murmuring:
"I never expected… Natsume-sensei to train Gengar to this level."
Not only could it strictly follow the trainer's training regimen, but it could also push the other team members to improve.
This kind of ability… might only be rivaled by someone like Blue Oak, who assembled a main team in just six months.
"Breeding is also one of Natsume-sensei's specialties," Erika said softly, gazing up at the artificial sunlight with a faint smile.
"But when it comes to sunlight… his training plan still has some gaps."
Brock frowned slightly. "Is the light intensity not strong enough?"
"No…"
Erika stepped forward, her graceful presence radiating a calming aura, her movements carrying a faint floral scent.
"Arcanine's been trying to learn a new move."
She tossed a Poké Ball with a smile. "And it's only missing one last breakthrough."
"Arcanine?" Arcanine tilted its head, confused by the Bellossom in front of it.
Under the sunlight, Bellossom danced gracefully, petals swirling as a dazzling orb of light formed above it.
"Aim for the target," Erika commanded, raising her hand. "Solar Beam!"
BOOM!
A brilliant beam of light erupted, scorching a black mark onto the training dummy.
Arcanine stared blankly for a long moment—before a lightbulb practically lit up above its head.
"Arcanine~o(≧Д≦)っ!"
So THAT'S how it's done!
"Arcanine~!" It grinned, its expression practically screaming "I'm a genius!"
The next second, shimmering Grass-type energy gathered as Arcanine opened its maw, charging up its own Solar Beam!
Clink—
A water bottle rolled out of the machine.
Natsume grabbed one and turned—only to freeze.
The Solar Beam shot toward the target… but its aim was slightly off, slamming into the arena wall instead.
CRACK!
A spiderweb of fissures spread across the surface.
Natsume had a complicated look on his face.
I was gone for two minutes, and it already learned a new move?!
"It's already quite good," Erika said, smiling at Arcanine. "Just needs a little more accuracy."
"Arcanine~~(◕▽◕)"
Don't lie to me!
Solar Beam's accuracy is supposed to be perfect!
More importantly…
Natsume stared at the crumbling wall, his chest tightening.
Please don't let it use this move at home…
"Sirfetch'd! (╥﹏╥)"
What about me?! I've been stuck trying to learn a new move forever!
"I only offered a small hint," Erika said, accepting the water with a playful shake. "Consider this my thanks~!"
Natsume exhaled heavily.
Even on a rest day, I run into good fortune…
Fine. He gritted his teeth.
Next match, I'm fighting seriously!
"As for Sirfetch'd…" Erika glanced back. "A Miracle Seed could sharpen its sensitivity to Grass-type energy."
"Maybe the day it masters Solar Blade isn't too far off!" she added cheerfully.
Critical hit!
Natsume sighed, utterly drained.
"You two go ahead and watch the matches. I need to prepare for the next round."
Brock blinked, his expression shifting into something almost impressed.
Natsume-sensei, taking command seriously starting from the Top 32?
"This year's Indigo Plateau Conference…" he muttered under his breath.
"…is going to be brutal."
--------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Get early access to 460+ Advanced Chapters!
👉 Support now: patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
--------------------------------------