"Focus Energy?"
Pokémon Hunter J swallowed hard, cold sweat dripping.
No—this isn't Focus Energy!
This is straight-up Overwhelming Aura !
A crimson glow wreathed Sirfetch'd's leek blade like molten steel.
Then—it lunged.
Sirfetch'd's eyes burned as it brought the leek down in a devastating overhead slash.
Behind it, a golden phoenix silhouette—Ho-Oh's very image—exploded into view. Wings of light unfurled, as if Sirfetch'd had grown radiant pinions, shrieking through the air in a meteoric dive!
BRAVE BIRD!!
Big flashy wings. 100% crit. Damage numbers off the charts.
"SIRFETCH'D!!" No fear. No hesitation. Only the cutting edge.
CLANG—!!!
Sparks flew.
"DRAPION—!!" The scorpion's pincers shattered, its body hurled backward, green ichor splattering the ground.
Natsume, arriving late, blinked at the carnage.
"…Yikes." He winced. "Can Pokémon Center even fix that?"
His gaze shifted to J, her face ashen.
…Wait, it's over?
Sirfetch'd solo'd her ace without me?
"Sirfetch'd!" The white knight stood tall, leek resting on its shoulder—flawless victory.
Natsume nodded. "Good work. Leek pancakes tonight."
"SIRFETCH'D!? (╰_╯)" You're bullying me!!
But seriously—was J always this weak?
Natsume frowned, ego slightly bruised.
Or… did my team just get that much stronger?
"Tch."
Defeated, J shot a glance at Salamence's crater.
Then—SMOKE BOMB!
She bolted for the trees.
"Gengar." Natsume snapped his fingers. "Shadow Punch."
WHOOSH—!
Gengar materialized in front of J, grinning like a nightmare.
"Gengar! " (Where ya goin', dumbass?)
THWACK!
J's eyes bulged as the ghost's fist buried itself in her gut. She crumpled, wheezing.
Rustle…
"Rotom, Thunder Wave."
Natsume stepped through the grass, icy. "Gengar, Hypnosis."
Poachers deserved poacher treatment.
"Y-you…" J gasped, glaring. "How long… have you been planning this?!"
"Planning?" Natsume echoed, amused.
J's face twisted.
This man—Team Rocket's Mentor—hid in plain sight.
The League, the police… none realized the true monster among them.
Sunlight cut across Natsume's sharp features, Gengar hovering beside him like a specter.
Natsume gazed skyward, murmuring:
"Do you remember… how many slices of bread you've eaten?"
J's blood ran cold.
This guy… might be pure evil.
Then—ZZAP!
Thunder Wave's paralysis locked her muscles. Hypnosis dragged her under.
I'm done for—!
"Sirfetch'd, tie her up with Grass Knot."
Natsume glanced at Rotom. "Gift-wrap her for Officer Jenny. If Lance can't handle this, he should quit being Champion."
"Sirfetch'd!" Sirfetch'd saluted, then trussed J up like a holiday turkey.
One less problem.
Natsume studied Salamence's unconscious form in the crater.
…Am I really this strong now?
Sure, it was a gang-up, but 1v1… I might be Elite Four-tier?
He turned to Blastoise.
"You do know Heal Pulse, right?"
"Blastoiseヾ(■_■)" Shades glinting, it gave a thumbs-up.
Of course it knew Heal Pulse!
Emergency Heal Pulse + Aqua Ring + Max Revive + Potion spam = immortality.
"Patch Salamence up."
Natsume rolled up his sleeves.
"Once it's awake, you all get 1v1s against it. Win or lose—extra snacks."
As J's ace, Salamence was near-Elite Four level.
Perfect benchmark for the team's growth.
Also… critical for household ranking.
The team erupted in cheers.
Sylveon's squeals nearly shattered eardrums.
"Blastoise…ヾ(■_■)" It adjusted its shades, smug, before scalding Salamence with a jet of—
Wait.
Natsume froze.
"That's not Heal Pulse—that's Hot Water !?
Upon closer inspection—
Blastoise wasn't healing.
It was brewing Energy Root tea inside its cannons.
Red packed hot spring water into his Charizard's tail.
You packed herbal tea into your shell?!
…Peak Blastoise behavior.
"Salamence…" The dragon groaned as warm, sweet liquid splashed its face.
Energy flooded back. With a roar, it surged upright, wings flaring!
"SALAMENCE!" It glared down at the tiny foes, claw curling in a bring it motion.
Gang up on me again, I dare you.
Natsume: "Gengar, you're up. Timer starts now."
"Gengar! (`▽′)"
Shadow Ball + Sludge Bomb barrage—
Five minutes later, Salamence faceplanted into the crater, swirl-eyed.
"Huh. Not bad."
Natsume nodded.
"Blastoise, Heal Pulse. Next—Sylveon."
"ONE SHOT?! Fairy types cheat!"
Natsume paled.
"H-heal Pulse again! Blastoise, you're next—"
"BLASTOISE." It tossed its shades aside, cracking its knuckles.
The team whooped as the beatdown escalated into outright war crimes…
...
Sunset dusk.
Lucian closed his book, puzzled. "Why hasn't Natsume-sensei returned yet? It's been so long."
"Should I go check?" Ash scratched his head.
Lucian adjusted his glasses, hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Let's go. Just in case."
The two headed toward the spot where Natsume-sensei had been staking out.
Explosions echoed in the distance. Lucian's heart sank as he quickened his pace, Ash following closely.
When they finally saw the scene, their jaws dropped in unison.
"Togepi… is soloing Salamence?!" Ash shouted.
"Isn't it gonna get swallowed whole?!" Lucian felt his mind go numb.
Yet, the Salamence in front of Togepi looked utterly exhausted, its spirit broken, as if questioning its very existence as a Dragon-type.
"Salamence!" Salamence wept bitterly.
Fighting seven Pokémon in a row… Even a Champion wouldn't last this long!
"Togepi doo-ee~! ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ"
Togepi wagged its tiny finger, and a blinding Dazzling Gleam seared toward Salamence.
"Salamence—" Salamence closed its eyes in resignation.
The next moment, Salamence plummeted from the sky, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Lucian, witnessing this scene, stood frozen in disbelief.
When I fought it, this Salamence was a total beast!
Could it be… that even Pokémon abide by the rule of "Moe is Justice"?
Ash tilted his head, deep in thought.
"Gold's Togepi once defeated a Tyranitar when it was just a baby."
"So for Natsume-sensei's Togepi, this is totally reasonable, right?"
"Mm…" Lucian adjusted his glasses, his expression conflicted.
Reasonable my foot!
I bet Natsume-sensei made Togepi hold an Everstone just so it could enter the Baby Cup!
Meanwhile, Pokémon Hunter J, tightly bound by Grass Knots, slowly regained consciousness—only to witness a horrifying sight.
Her strongest Ace, Salamence, was being utterly crushed by Natsume-sensei's Togepi.
He's clearly Champion-level! Why is he out here bullying low-tier Pokémon?!
"Ugh… Just kill me!" Pokémon Hunter J's eyes rolled back as she fainted again.
"That's enough for today."
Natsume gave a satisfied nod.
Taking on seven Pokémon one after another still counts as a solo battle… Totally fair!
Lucian and Ash swallowed hard before cautiously approaching.
"Pokémon Hunter J… is dealt with?" Lucian asked.
Natsume glanced toward the unconscious hunter. "The rest is Officer Jenny's job."
Lucian exhaled in relief, pushing up his blue-tinted glasses.
At least… I can finally take a break.
Thanks to Natsume-sensei, this mess got resolved properly.
Taking down a Sinnoh poaching ring? That's a huge accomplishment.
Lucian stroked his chin, deep in thought.
If I report this to the Sinnoh League…
An official League reward should satisfy Natsume-sensei, right?
Meanwhile, Natsume turned to Ash.
"You good?"
"Never better!" Ash flexed, grinning.
Natsume's eyelid twitched.
My bad. Forgot you're built like a Machamp.
"Next stop—Snowpoint Gym!" Ash pumped his fists. "Come with me, Natsume-sensei!"
"I'm heading to Snowpoint City next to challenge the Gym there!"
Ash beamed. "Natsume-sensei, you should come with me!"
Natsume nodded.
After this wild battle, he was exhausted.
Snowpoint City would be a good place to rest.
Plus, they had famous ice cream there… Maybe he could even sneak in some recipe research.
After contacting Officer Jenny and delegating the cleanup, Natsume declared with renewed vigor:
"First, let's get dinner in Snowpoint City!"
"Awesome, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.
"Pikachu~!" Pikachu swayed cutely.
"Ash, don't forget to thank Senior Lucian for treating us!" Natsume said seriously.
"Thanks for the meal, Senior Lucian!"
"Wait, why me?"
This grudge... I'LL REMEMBER IT, NATSUME!
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