Chapter 184: Competitive Heart
"Why do I have to go?"
Ash Ketchum looked baffled.
"There are two months left until the Orange League. Aren't you going to enter?"
Professor Oak and Natsume exchanged a glance. The latter immediately took the hint and began to persuade him.
"The Orange League? What's that?" Ash asked, curious.
"The Orange League is a small competition held in the Orange Archipelago. You don't even know that—are you really from Kanto?" Misty teased.
"It's on Pummelo Island. The scale isn't on the level of the Indigo Plateau Conference, but it's officially recognized. Winners are admitted to the Orange League Hall of Fame," Brock said, unfolding a map and pointing to a small island marked on it.
"Okay! Natsume, let's go to the Orange League!" Ash lit up at once.
"I'll sit this one out," Natsume waved him off.
"Why?" Ash instantly deflated. He'd hoped to face Natsume at the Orange League.
"Because I already challenged the Orange League."
"Really? How did you do, Natsume?" Ash asked, excited.
"Mm… I got blacklisted by Pummelo Island's Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader," Natsume said, rubbing his nose.
All the way until bedtime, Ash kept pestering Natsume, trying to learn what exactly he had done. Natsume didn't answer directly. He only explained briefly:
"You'll know once you reach the Hall of Fame there."
"Fine! I'll definitely defeat the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader, enter the Hall of Fame, and leave my handprint along with my Pokémon's!" Ash clenched his fist.
Even though Natsume hadn't said much, Ash still picked up plenty of information about the Orange League. For example, the Orange League challenge isn't like the Indigo Plateau Conference, where many Trainers battle and the strongest is chosen in the end. A challenger at the Orange League only needs to defeat a single person—the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader on Pummelo Island.
"That Supreme Gym Leader's strength is on par with the Elite Four. Be careful, Ash," Natsume cautioned.
"Right! Pikachu, let's start training—"
In a flash, Ash was gone.
Speaking of training—
Scarlet light flickered, and a Pokémon Egg appeared in Natsume's arms. He lowered his gaze to examine the Zapdos egg.
During his battle with Ash, Natsume had noticed several peculiarities about the Zapdos egg. For instance, all of its entries showed as ??? for its name. For now, though, Natsume gave it a temporary name and logged it into his system.
Zapdos, Lv. 32
Type: Electric + Fire
Ability: Competitive Heart
The Zapdos egg's typing had shifted from Electric/Flying to Electric/Fire—an unprecedented type combination. Its Ability had also changed from Pressure to the question-marked Competitive Heart.
However, after the bout with Ash, Natsume could now view the effects of Competitive Heart:
Competitive Heart: Zapdos marks an opposing Pokémon as a must-defeat nemesis. Until that nemesis falls, Zapdos will be difficult to defeat. When struck by a blow that would fell it, it will hang on. The number of times it can hang on depends on its will to win. Current will allows it to hang on for six turns.
Note: The above effects are from the battlefield test environment. Real-world applicability is for reference only.
Natsume narrowed his eyes. Tied to will…
"Center-parted, you've got a cellmate now."
A beam of red light flashed, and Center-parted popped out.
"Pika?"
Center-parted cocked its head, staring curiously at the Zapdos egg. After a moment, its little brain finally sorted out what was happening.
"Pika—!"
Center-parted's eyes brimmed with tears. Fantastic—at last, someone to share the burden!
"Center-parted, are you willing to train alongside the Zapdos egg?" Natsume smiled at his Pikachu.
"Pika pika!" Center-parted nodded like a pecking chick.
Willing, of course willing. Who wouldn't want to share the load!
However—
"Zapdos, dive. Dive. Keep diving!"
Inside Center-parted's mental world, across a vast plain, a Pikachu was sprinting for its life. Behind it, a chibi little figure in a jeep roared after it.
Center-parted didn't dare condense a little handgun to fight back. If it so much as stopped, the "bomber" overhead would deliver punishment! In the instant Center-parted was distracted, a "bomb" with blazing-flame markings loomed right over its head.
"Pika—"
The next day, Natsume woke up refreshed. He felt like an absolute genius!
Center-parted needed to temper the will to face fear—it needed nightmares. Zapdos needed to temper the desire for victory—it needed a challenge. So if he just turned Zapdos into Center-parted's nightmare, wouldn't that do it?
And Center-parted sure could run. For Zapdos, catching up and striking would be plenty challenging. Once Zapdos hatched, Natsume figured he'd only need to kit it out with telekinetic reinforcement. Then he could hand the "coach" role to Zapdos. The two could chase and clash in dreams, and Natsume wouldn't need to worry at all.
Pallet Town, along a roadside.
"Pika!"
A Pikachu with a center part leapt high. Its tail gleamed silver-white as it smashed straight down toward a Pokémon Egg that was bouncing along the roadside.
Hens scatter, eggs shatter!
Center-parted's face started to twist.
"Pi—Pika!"
Honora grabbed Center-parted by the scruff. Her long, slender fingers kneaded its cheeks, skimming across its cheek pouches and drawing thin crackles of electricity as she smiled.
"Center-parted, if you do that, the Pokémon Protection Association will warn you."
"Pika!"
Center-parted folded its arms, thoroughly unconvinced. It was a Pokémon too—no fear! Right now, Center-parted bitterly regretted not flatly refusing back then. It had thought Zapdos would shoulder some of the storm for it. In the end, Zapdos turned out to be the biggest storm of all!
Like some red-eyed fiend, it pressed forward without pause. Center-parted suspected it was slipping some private grudge into the mix.
"If you dare strike in the real world, why won't you dare in the dream?" Beside them, Natsume looked at Center-parted in puzzlement.
"Pika!"
Center-parted fumed, glaring at Natsume. How could that be the same? In the dream, Natsume had used telekinesis to give Zapdos a massive body—and reinforced it with telekinesis to boot. Stop for a second and you'd get blown sky-high.
"Hmph!" Center-parted turned away, looking a bit miffed.
"As I thought, there's no such thing as an absolutely lazy Pokémon. Maybe Center-parted just hasn't found its own method yet."
Ash's voice drifted over, and Center-parted's ears suddenly pricked up.
Lazy? This is called a hobby—a hobby!
"True…" Natsume patted Center-parted's head.
Center-parted's output of white mist was still too low. It wasn't necessarily cowardice; its ability was simply too limited. If it could produce enough white mist, Center-parted would likely be far braver than now.
It's just that producing white mist requires completing its Divinity. Fragments of Eternatus's Divinity aren't exactly easy to find…
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