Chapter 179. The Final Battle
Evening fell, and Natsume and the others returned to their lodgings.
In the small room, Natsume found center-parted engrossed in a phone.
So diligent?
Natsume was taken aback, having assumed that after he left, center-parted would just sleep the day away.
Feeling gratified, Natsume stepped closer—on the screen was "A Hundred Lazy Ways to Fool Your Trainer."
"What are you even watching?"
Natsume snatched the little phone from center-parted and, with a few taps, set it to Kids Mode.
"Pikachu—" Center-parted drooped its head.
Staring at that white-bearded old man lecturing all day, it has to relax its mind too, right?
"Relax your mind?"
Natsume blinked, then looked at center-parted.
"Speaking of which, I've got a great method."
"Pikachu?"
Just as center-parted wondered what he meant, the roar of an engine sounded in its head.
Mental reconfiguration—now that hit the spot, leaving it refreshed and clear-headed.
"From the quarterfinals onward, it's six-on-six.
You're going in with me tomorrow."
Grabbing center-parted by the scruff, Natsume took it to the Pokémon Center's dining area.
Ash and the others were already there with trays of food, having waited a while.
"Natsume, do you think we'll run into each other next round?" Ash asked, buzzing with excitement.
"I'd rather we meet in the finals," Natsume said, sipping Moomoo Milk.
"Of course! I'm absolutely making the finals!" Ash's fighting spirit blazed.
Seeing that, Natsume casually poured the milk from his cup over the Zapdos egg.
The milky liquid touched the shell and merged into it, vanishing from sight.
Watching this, Natsume's thoughts drifted far away.
At this Indigo Plateau Conference, there weren't any particularly powerful opponents.
And by the Top 8, everyone's information was already very public.
For Ash, there was basically no difficulty.
For himself, the only remotely difficult opponent might be Ash.
Natsume hadn't missed a single one of Ash's matches.
After all, the guy had something called the Authority of Bonds between Humans and Pokémon, which was a Divinity Natsume needed to record as well.
It was just a pity that few opponents had forced Ash into a corner, so Natsume still wasn't sure what that thing inside Ash really did.
From what he'd seen so far, it seemed to have simply and crudely boosted Ash's power.
But Natsume didn't believe that was all.
It's "Bonds," after all—surely it's connected to Pokémon somehow, right?
"Alright, I'm full.
Time to train!" Ash hugged Pikachu and dashed out.
Having nearly finished eating, Natsume headed back to the inn.
On the way, he checked the review progress of those papers.
"Researcher Natsume, hello.
Your '…' has passed the initial review and is being forwarded to the League Academy for secondary review."
Nearly half a month had gone by, and only the initial review was done.
Natsume rubbed his chin.
Researchers enjoyed many League benefits, but precisely because of that, the review mechanisms were exceedingly cumbersome.
Estimating it out, it might be over a month before his papers appeared in some journals.
Only then could he submit for doctoral qualification verification.
After passing that, he could apply for Research Institute subsidies and have a lab of his own.
Natsume kneaded his temples.
After this tournament, it seemed he'd have to stay at Professor Oak's Laboratory for two more months.
The next day, at the Indigo Plateau venue—
The quarterfinals and semifinals, with so few competitors, ended quickly.
Of course, it might also have been that the broadcast team took a hit from League officials, so there wasn't any of that all-day, one-match marathon.
"Up next, the climactic Grand Final!"
The announcer's voice rang out overhead:
"As chance would have it, both finalists hail from Pallet Town, and rumor has it they're travel companions!"
"They are—Ash Ketchum and Natsume!"
The screen split in two, zooming onto Ash's and Natsume's faces.
"Natsume, please, go all out!"
Ash looked straight at Natsume, utterly earnest.
Come to think of it, on his way to the finals, while several opponents had been troublesome, something had always felt missing to Ash.
"Let's go, Pidgeotto—take point!"
A red gleam flashed, and a sturdy Pidgeotto appeared above the opposing field.
"Screee—"
Pidgeotto stared gravely at Natsume.
As a teammate, although it felt that the Pokémon Natsume caught were all a bit… odd, their strength was undeniable.
Battle Domain, activate!
Without hesitation, Natsume opened the rules battle domain.
Simple reason: he wanted to use this chance to test something out.
A powerful musical theme blasted out, surging through the mics and speakers, lighting the whole stadium's blood on fire.
"Whoa, the League finals have BGM this year!"
Plenty of people were surprised.
Up in the skybox, the announcer was baffled.
Weird.
Did they even hire a sound engineer?
"Go, Mewtwo Ball Rotom!"
Red light flashed, and a spherical Pokémon with a narrow eye-slit in its center appeared on the field.
"It's here—Natsume's newly developed Rotom form: Poké Ball Form Rotom!"
"A never-before-used ace sent out to lead in the finals—does this mean Natsume is feeling the pressure?"
The announcer's impassioned voice boomed, and countless eyes fixed curiously on Mewtwo Ball Rotom.
Most people's impression of Natsume was of that egg that only used moves, and that Pikachu that could spam Rest to torture opponents.
They'd completely forgotten—he's the very founder researching new Rotom forms!
"Skraa—"
Up above, wingbeats faltered—Pidgeotto nearly tumbled out of the sky.
Seriously?
Pidgeotto glanced pitifully at Natsume.
"Alright.
I'll respect you and give it my all," Natsume replied, serious.
"Pidgeotto, show your spirit—use Quick Attack!"
Ash trembled with excitement.
It was his first time facing Natsume fair and square!
And on the Indigo Plateau finals stage, no less!
Ash's fervent cry reached Pidgeotto's ears, and its heart instantly steadied.
Pidgeotto was inspired.
Its fighting spirit is building.
Detected a Divinity at work.
Recording in progress.
Host, please provide more battle data.
The battle domain's announcement voice rang out in Natsume's mind, and he couldn't help but pause.
As expected, that thing inside Ash could affect Pokémon.
But why hadn't it triggered before?
In the last few matches, Natsume had quietly deployed the rules battle domain for Ash, but nothing odd had shown up.
It had just been ordinary, routine data capture.
Could it be—Natsume looked at the overjoyed Ash.
—it only activates when his emotions are running high?
Pidgeotto used Quick Attack.
It landed a critical hit.
With a thud, Rotom's form trembled, and the green HP bar above its head dropped a notch.
"Great job, Pidgeotto!" Ash pumped his fist, shouting with glee.
Pidgeotto was inspired.
Its fighting spirit tightened further.
Natsume's expression turned a shade strange.
He didn't know what that "fighting spirit" actually did, but very clearly, there was no cost to Ash using it at all.
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