March 12th, Friday
Morning sunlight filtered into the yard where tender green Revival Herbs swayed in the breeze.
"Blastoiseヾ(■_■)"
The shades-wearing tortoise, now sporting a straw hat, diligently watered plants with a Squirtle-shaped watering can.
"National Calisthenics Routine #7, Rotom!"
Gengar attempted to follow the broadcast instructions, stretching its stubby arms downward before despairing at its inability to touch its toes.
"Gengar! (｀Д｀)"
On the second-floor balcony, Natsume suffered consecutive losses against Togepi in PTCG, questioning his life choices.
"Togepi doo-ee~!" Togepi gleefully drew a turtle on Natsume's cheek with marker.
"I quit!"
Natsume overturned the cards, idly stroking Sylveon's silky fur while opening the group chat on his phone.
"Sylveon! (｀Д′)"
Sylveon lazily settled onto his lap after failing to shake him off.
Two days had passed since the Regigigas incident.
Snowpoint Temple's reconstruction progressed steadily.
When Natsume inquired about the progress, Candice replied cheerfully:
"With Mr. Brandon and the Three Regis assisting, work's moving much faster!"
Natsume gazed skyward, imagining Regirock and Registeel hauling construction materials.
Their summoned rocks and steel would make excellent building supplies...
[Group Member 'Ash from Pallet Town' uploaded an image!]
Gold curiously opened the photo: "New training spot?"
"Iron Island!" Ash grinned. "Pikachu and I just defeated an Aggron!"
"Not bad!" Gold praised like a proud older brother. "Though Mt. Silver's still tougher!"
"Good point!" Ash's eyes sparkled. "I'll challenge Senior Red there after returning to Kanto!"
The wild Pokémon around Red's Mt. Silver stronghold had grown exceptionally powerful under his influence.
Had Red not maintained balance, they might've started challenging Gyms themselves.
"Who was it that fled Mt. Silver after two days?" Crystal teased.
"Because Senior Red handled everything!" Gold boasted.
Lance, draped in his cape, smiled knowingly:
"How did your Lake of Rage match against Silver go yesterday?"
Gold waved dismissively: "Barely won! No need for interviews, Whitney!"
Whitney: "??? Nobody was asking!"
Natsume blinked: "Silver actually lost?"
If Boss Giovanni hears this, he might capture Deoxys just to teach Gold a lesson!
Silver's expression remained stoic as he recalled yesterday's battle—
The calm lake surface reflected their standoff as both trainers threw Poké Balls simultaneously.
"Gyarados, Whirlpool," Silver commanded coldly.
The red-scaled beast created towering waterspouts with its thrashing tail.
Gold, wearing goggles, surfed the chaos on Mantine's back before suddenly recalling it—
—and rolling into a pool cue shot that launched a Poké Ball behind Silver.
"Politoed, Hypnosis!"
The hypnotic spiral began spinning before Silver could react.
[Group Member 'Gold' muted for 5 minutes by Admin 'Natsume-sensei']
Steven chuckled: "I was quite entertained though."
"Flooding violates chat rules," Natsume explained. "Also, raw Hypnosis is poor sportsmanship!"
Landing sleep moves without setup was pure gambling—Gold had embraced his inner risk-taker.
Once unmuted, Gold challenged: "Ilex Forest next Monday! Best two out of three!"
Silver responded icily: "Bring Paras mushrooms for Green."
Paras species status: Endangered
Meanwhile in Hoenn, Ruby admired Ash's photo:
"Your Pikachu has excellent contest potential!"
Ash and Pikachu exchanged confused looks.
"Pikachu... cute?"
"With proper training," Ruby insisted, "it could win high-tier Cute Division ribbons!"
"Pikachu?" Pikachu tilted its head, staring back at Ash.
"Yep, definitely cute!"
Ruby, whose talent lay in Pokémon Contests, had a keen eye. She patted her chest confidently.
"If you enter the Cute Category, you could at least win a High-Class Ribbon!"
Pokémon Contests were divided into five judging categories: Clever, Tough, Cute, Beautiful, and Cool. Each category had Ribbons of different tiers.
Coordinators needed to travel across regions to collect different Ribbons.
However, the Wallace Cup, personally hosted by Wallace, awarded only the Aqua Ribbon. Yet, its prestige surpassed even Master Rank Ribbons and granted direct entry to the Grand Festival.
This was the influence of Wallace—Hoenn's Champion and the Top Coordinator.
"Gengar!" Gengar floated leisurely through the air, wrapped snugly in a little blanket.
Click!
Natsume snapped a photo of Gengar and sent it to the group chat.
"Our Gengar is super cute too!"
Sapphire tilted her head. "Isn't Gengar usually considered cool?"
Ruby studied the photo Natsume had sent and laughed.
"Natsume-sensei's Gengar isn't just cute—it leans more toward 'Clever'!"
Natsume paused slightly before nodding.
"True… Gengar's always been sharp."
"Gengar! （´v｀）" Gengar swung its crimson tongue toward him.
Natsume sidestepped the lick just as Jasmine, usually reserved, unexpectedly chimed in:
"The Wallace Cup this year… should be starting soon, right?"
"That's right, Leader Jasmine!"
Ruby, her eyes sparkling, tightened her headband.
"The Wallace Cup, hosted by Master Wallace, will be held around late March, near the spring equinox."
"By then, the cherry blossoms near Lake Valor will be in full bloom. Coordinators are sure to love it!"
Yellow asked curiously, "Miss Jasmine, are you planning to compete?"
Jasmine blushed and shook her head. "I just want to watch the event."
"Then I'll go with you!"
Yellow clenched her fists, brimming with determination.
"Lake Valor also has a fishing competition. I'm planning to check that out too!"
She's totally just going for the fishing…
Natsume silently complained.
Buzz—
His phone vibrated. Natsume closed the chat and answered the call.
It was Oleana from the Pokémon Company.
"Pokémon: FireRed has entered the main storyline development phase."
Oleana spoke precisely. "The battle mechanics will follow Devon Corporation's Pokémon: Battle, using real-time command input. Of course, the difficulty will be adjusted downward."
Natsume nodded.
Difficulty… Players will find ways to challenge themselves anyway.
Some would beat the game with just a Magikarp, or complete it without healing items. There were always players who pushed limits.
In the original games, the starter Pokémon types—Grass, Water, and Fire—corresponded to increasing difficulty levels.
Players who picked Charmander unknowingly chose the hardest mode.
Back then, Natsume didn't know that…
He'd picked Charmander and got wrecked by Brock and Misty.
Which just proved how brutal the early-game was for Kanto Trainers!
"Good work."
Natsume said, "Leave the promotion to me… I'll handle the music video."
As development progressed, he planned to invite Ash and the others to participate in the promotional video.
Once filming wraps up, I can treat everyone to a meal…
Natsume fiddled with the Babiri Berry in his hand, deep in thought.
After splurging on the kids recently, Natsume's wallet was feeling the pinch.
If he had Ash sing the theme song… it probably wouldn't cost much.
For the MV, he could ask Delia and Professor Oak from Pallet Town to make cameos—they wouldn't charge him.
With that, production costs would stay low. The biggest expense would be composing the song—
Might as well just use the original…
Natsume murmured, "I already know the tune and lyrics by heart anyway…"
That iconic opening theme from the first season—starting with "Pokémon, GetDaze!"—
He just needed to jot it down when he had the chance.
I wonder how good Ash is at singing.
Natsume mused. If he's terrible, I might need to coach him… or find a voice actor.
Meowth can sing decently… Or maybe that pink Jigglypuff?
As he pondered, his phone buzzed again.
"Natsume-sensei, please reconsider being a judge for the Wallace Cup!"
Ruby pleaded. "Master Wallace will pay you… and it's a very generous fee!"
Natsume blinked.
Well, well… Just when I'm broke, someone delivers cash to my doorstep.
He checked his Flawless Commands Lv3, then crushed a Skill Level-Up Ticket without hesitation.
[Ding! Skill upgraded to 'Flawless Commands Lv4'!]
Now I'm a Top Coordinator too!
Natsume nodded in satisfaction and replied:
"The pay doesn't matter. I just really want to see the performances live!"
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