Blastoise's oppressive aura filled the air.
Ash swallowed hard.
"Squirtle!? Σ(°△°|||)︴"
Squirtle stared at the sunglasses-wearing Blastoise, utterly speechless.
Then, sweating bullets, it forced a shaky grin.
"Blastoise ヾ(■_■)" Blastoise gave a solemn nod.
To think our trainer would send me against this Squirtle…
Does that mean—?
A glint flashed in Blastoise's eyes.
This Squirtle… has some hidden trump card!?
"Blastoise…" Blastoise wiped its brow, expression dead serious.
I'll have to go all out!
"Show some guts!"
Ash threw his arm forward, shouting:
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
"Blastoise, Water Gun."
Squirtle took a deep breath, mustering its courage, and fired a thin stream of water.
Blastoise braced itself, twin cannons primed—
BOOOOM!
Two torrents collided, forming a roaring hydro dragon that smashed into Squirtle!
Squirtle: "Squirtle"
Watching Squirtle get blasted out of bounds by its own Withdraw…
"Blastoise…" Blastoise exhaled in relief.
Close one… Mission accomplished.
Ash recalled his fainted Squirtle, silent for a long moment.
The same team that beat Mr. Brandon's Regice…
Yet against Natsume-sensei…
I couldn't even take down one Pokémon.
A shutout like this could crush a trainer's spirit.
But Ash adjusted his cap, trading a look with his now-"awake" Pikachu—and smiled.
"Pikachu!" Ash called.
"Pikachu?"
Pikachu tilted its head, then grinned.
"Pika-chu!"
The crowd remained stunned.
A Frontier Brain victor… swept this easily by Natsume-sensei?!
Just how strong is he at full power?!
"Sensei, you said you didn't do Baby Cup battles!"
"Bloody brilliant—WAIT, I MISSED MY FLIGHT!"
To fans, Natsume-sensei's trollish ways were nothing new.
An unorthodox "Champion" like him…
…was its own kind of business card.
Strong. Handsome. Unapologetically real.
His only flaw might be his abysmal luck.
Bystanders, however, gaped in disbelief.
"Didn't he just say—"
"—'I'm not much of a battler'?"
"OH COME ON, SENSEI!"
Natsume recalled Blastoise, nodding.
One less name on the grudge list…
Turns out, I can still beat Ash! He grinned.
Checking the time, he walked over and ruffled Ash's hair.
"Quit spacing out! "
"O-oh!" Ash snapped back to reality.
Amid cheers, the two headed for the terminal.
"Natsume-sensei."
Ash suddenly spoke. "I think… I found my direction."
"Hm?"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town."
He stared ahead, eyes blazing.
"My goal is to become the strongest Pokémon Master!"
Not just a Master—the strongest?
Natsume chuckled.
In this world, only "Red" might claim that title.
But for Ash?
Maybe "Strongest Battle Maniac" is doable.
"Go for it!"
Natsume messed up Ash's hair again.
"The future's yours!"
Ash, now disheveled, grinned.
"I'm heading out too."
Natsume gazed forward, expression softening.
"Toward… my own future."
...
In the Chat Group
Lance: "Has Natsume-sensei left yet?"
"Ash went to see him off, so it should be soon," Lorelei said.
Yellow, the blonde, shuddered for some reason and muttered:
"Somehow... I feel a little sorry for the Trainers in Sinnoh..."
"Have you decided yet?"
Blue Oak @Ash: "For the next League, are you staying in Kanto or traveling somewhere else?"
"I've decided!"
Ash stared at the figure disappearing into the distance, his eyes blazing with determination:
"I'm going to challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh and become the Champion there!"
"You might run into Natsume-sensei, you know," Gold taunted mercilessly.
"Eh!? Then—then I'll at least beat one of his Pokémon!"
Natsume-sensei asked curiously, "When did Gold rejoin the group?"
Lorelei suddenly realized: "I was just about to ask that!"
"It was Senior Lance!"
Gold instantly threw Lance under the bus, wiping his nose smugly:
"I asked Silver, who then asked Lance—"
[Group member 'Gold' has been removed by admin 'Lance']
Lance asked in surprise, "What just happened?"
"Let's lock him out for 24 hours first..."
Lorelei adjusted her glasses, suddenly feeling a little sympathetic:
"Never mind, that's too harsh. How about 12?"
"Auntie Lorelei is so kind~" Yellow giggled, then suddenly flushed red and frantically tried to recall the message.
Wh-where's the undo button?!
Lorelei smiled, a vein pulsing on her forehead.
Considering Yellow was indeed a whole generation younger, Lorelei let out a long sigh.
Fine. If it's Yellow, she'd let it slide...
Natsume-sensei felt a chill down his spine.
Who knew the "asking-for-death virus" spread so fast?
"I'd better be more careful too..." Natsume murmured.
...
[Flight to Jubilife Airport, Sinnoh, preparing for takeoff...]
The airport announcement echoed in his ears.
Natsume found a secluded corner and let out all his little ones.
"Gengar! (`▽´)"
Gengar stood on the ground, wearing a tiny backpack, wiggling its butt excitedly.
"Sylveon~ o(｀^´)o" Sylveon's snow-white ribbons curled around Natsume's arm, turning its head away tsundere-style.
"Arcanine~! (｀0´)" The big goof grinned dopily, drawing stares.
"Blastoise... ヾ(■_■)" Blastoise adjusted its sunglasses, using its aura to scan for potential bombs in the airport.
"Togepi doo-ee~ (◠‿◠✿)" Togepi sat on Arcanine's back, swinging its little legs while holding a handheld console.
"Sirfetch'd! ~(┯_┯)σ" Sirfetch'd wept.
How are they all so strong?! How am I supposed to keep up!?
Rotom Dex suddenly floated in front of the group and shouted:
"Say cheese!"
For a moment, the scene descended into chaos—howls, Sylveon cries, and general mayhem.
Natsume half-heartedly flashed a peace sign and said offhandedly:
"Rotom, you'll have to earn the electricity bill for our new home in Sinnoh yourself."
"System Overload, Rotom! o(TヘTo)"
"Alright."
Natsume stood ready.
Bright sunlight streamed through the airport windows, casting a glow on Natsume-sensei's sharp profile.
He glanced at his little ones surrounding him.
"Everyone!"
A faint smile crossed Natsume-sensei's face.
"Let's set off—on a brand-new journey!"
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