Bea stood frozen long after Natsume's figure vanished, her dark-skinned fists clenched tight.
A blazing fire burned in her eyes.
I will earn Natsume-sensei's recognition at the P1 Grand Prix!
Meanwhile, Natsume walked home in a daze.
Me? Train Bea?
People's physiques are different—not everyone can trade punches with a Machamp like her!
Sure, technically he could pull off some "receive, neutralize, counter" moves…
But if Bea decided to fight dirty? That'd be way too dangerous!
Clearing his throat, Natsume shook his head.
Dinner for the little ones takes priority.
...
Back home, Sylveon tilted its head, wide azure eyes dripping with innocence.
"Sylveon~"
Natsume's irritation melted instantly (not that he'd been truly angry).
"Next time you visit a gym," he pinched Sylveon's cheeks, "don't go alone. I'd worry."
"Sylveon! ヽ(#`Д′)?"
The little one huffed, dodging his hands—but after a pause, gave a grudging nod.
Fine… Next time I'll bring everyone!
Natsume sighed. That's "reflection" for you: sincere remorse, zero change in behavior.
Still, this was just another day in his life.
"Dinner's ready," he chuckled.
"Sylveon! (≧▽≦)"
Post-meal, Natsume opened his notebook to prep lesson plans for December's inter-school tournament.
Giselle's Marowak: Keep drilling its signature Bonemerang.
Gladion's Lycanroc: "Just let it get punched."
Benefits?
Builds endurance.
Trains Counter.
Arcanine stops sneaking off to demolish the training room (since Lycanroc becomes its sparring partner).
"Genius," Natsume fist-pumped. "Training savant, thy name is Natsume!"
As for the third team member…
Bea would've been ideal, but her fighting pilgrimage made her ineligible to represent Celadon School.
"Worst case," he mused, "I'll bribe that card-obsessed student with UR cards."
His phone buzzed—a message from the ever-reliable Blue Oak in the group chat:
Blue Oak: "@Natsume-sensei, there's a tournament at Mt. Moon."
Natsume: "P1 Grand Prix?"
Blue Oak (surprised): "Of course a Fighting Master like you would track it."
Green (scrolling notes): "P1 Grand Prix—Mt. Moon foothills. Open to all League martial artists. Side note: Great spot to sell energy drinks and merch—"
Natsume's eye twitched. Sis, your stallkeeper instincts rival the Trio's!
Crystal: "I entered Hitmonchan in the lightweight division once. Brutal."
Brock: "Challengers flood in from other regions."
Gold (excited): "Can I enter Sudowoodo? It's got killer hooks!"
Silver: "It's a Rock type, idiot."
Red: "My Snorlax won heavyweight. Type's just a number."
Gold (deadpan): "Senior, your Snorlax cheats with sheer stats."
Lorelei: "Bruno's judging this year. I can… adjust the brackets."
Lance: "That's blatant rigging!"
Lorelei (smirking): "Call it 'friendly seeding.' Our group's winning anyway."
Natsume: "Wait—who's competing?"
Lorelei: "You aren't? Your Unburden strat seemed tailor-made for P1!"
Natsume hesitated. Was that my plan all along?!
Blue Oak: "Champion prize: 5 million Pokémon Coins + Focus Band."
Natsume's soul left his body.
FIVE MILLION?!
He turned to Gengar, currently curling dumbbells.
"Wanna be a Fighting Star?"
"Gengar?"
A revelation struck Natsume:"SubProtectToxic has limits. But a triple-punch Gengar doesn't."
And let's not forget the Punch Turtle at home.
Who says you need Fighting-types? Ash used Snorlax to steamroll Fighting Gyms!
Natsume: "@BlueOak, when's the P1 Grand Prix?"
Blue Oak: "Late December. You're joining?"
Timing worked—post inter-school tourney, pre-holidays.
Even if Gengar didn't win, its Fighting immunity guaranteed a top-eight finish.
…Assuming no one else is deranged enough to enter a Ghost-type in a boxing match.
Natsume (dead serious): "Prize money's irrelevant. I just really, really love punching things."
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