Chapter 0735: You Will Return Like Lightning(Two-in-One)

The next day.

At Rocket Delivery’s Saffron City base, a brand new day began.

Matori stared intently, reviewing the data on her computer screen, unconsciously adjusting her round glasses.

In the bottom right corner, a message from [Mentor] began to flicker in the avatar box.

Matori opened the chat window.

‘Natsume-sensei, Are You Serving Dinner Today?’ sent a message: “There?”

“At your service,” Matori replied respectfully.

“There’s something very important I need to entrust to you.”

Matori kept her expression calm, a glint flashing in her eye, even more deferential: “Don’t worry. I’ll do everything in my power to carry out the task!”

Digging up intel on the Elite Four was tricky. But gathering information on other Victory Road participants—well, that was no challenge for Matori.

“Excellent.”

Natsume nodded with satisfaction: “Remember to keep your handwriting neat. I’ll send you the reference books as well.”

“Huh?” Matori was taken aback.

Natsume-sensei: [image]

Natsume-sensei: “I’ll leave these assignments for you to finish.”

Matori spaced out for two seconds, took off her glasses, rubbed her stiff face, then put the glasses back on with a comically dramatic look.

I am the high-ranking secretary of Team Rocket, a prestigious graduate of elite schools, the kind who could land a million-dollar job at any Fortune 500 company!

“And you want me to do your homework!?”

“If not, I’ll just find someone else.”

Matori was about to reply, when she suddenly realized that Mentor’s authority easily trumped her own.

Anyway, it’s just homework, not anything suspect...

Still.

Matori clutched her head, despairing.

A Trainer so close to ‘Battle Legend’... why do you still have this much homework!?

“Send it over... I’ll finish it and mail it back.” Matori looked as ashen as a burned-out Torchic.

“I believe in you, Matori. Don’t hand off my trust to anyone else, alright?”

“U-understood...”

After closing the chat interface, Natsume nodded in satisfaction.

Like this, he could focus entirely on preparing for Victory Road!

At ten a.m., with the flight leaving soon, Natsume entrusted the package to Delibird, grabbed his backpack.

Gengar trundled along with the luggage case, shuffling after Natsume.

At the end of the street, both Natsume and Gengar turned at the same moment, looking back toward the café.

Delibird, caught in a daydream, quickly snapped to attention as the two turned, waving frantically, “Wu~”

Indeedee cupped her hands, smiling gently. Steenee and Meowstic waved their tiny hands too.

A Tailwind all the way~

Natsume smiled, nodded slightly, and turned. “Let’s go, Gengar—back to Tokyo!”

“Gengar~” Gengar snickered, slotted the luggage into its ‘pocket dimension,’ then floated up alongside.

“No secretly using Lick.”

“Gengar~(°ー°〃)”

Gengar used Lick!

…but it didn’t seem to have any effect.

Behind the café window, Alcremie peered from behind the curtain, lowering her head and softly murmuring,

“A...a Tailwind all the way…”

……

News of Natsume’s Victory Road challenge, first revealed through livestream, was now spreading everywhere thanks to relentless coverage by the media.

He was already being seen as one of the top contenders for the Elite Four seats.

On Touran’s largest trainer forums, a partial contestant list was published—Natsume’s name blazed on the roster!

Also announced were the active Elite Four and Champion, sparking heated debate.

After all, the legendary battles with mythical Pokémon seemed too fantastical, and took place far away in other leagues.

So most people’s impression of Natsume-sensei came mainly from tutorial videos and as a food content creator.

“Natsume-sensei? Just a chef. For a real champion, look to Ryo!”

“I never even heard of Natsume at last year’s Touran Conference.”

“Probably busy breeding a rookie team at the time.”

“A new team, bred up to Champion status in one year? Breeding prodigy Blue Oak can’t do better!”

“A year off, then he comes back!”

“Good grief, what kind of protagonist script is this?”

In this era where Pokémon battle is all the rage—

Everyone has Trainers they root for, and as they follow their journeys, they pour in a bit of their own passion too.

Leon’s fans admire his character and unbeatable strength as a Champion.

Cynthia’s fans are wowed by the Champion’s beauty, and awed by Garchomp’s ferocity.

People watched Natsume and his Gengar grow—from obscurity to the spotlight as ‘Natsume-sensei.’

Maybe he once carried his own glory.

But those glories are now known to no one.

Now, entering as a competition rookie, Natsume officially challenges the heights of Victory Road for the first time!

“I’m a foodie fan, just keep it chill—Natsume-sensei has been my dinner companion for ages.”

“I’m rooting for Ryo the Champion, who fought his way through a star-studded era and rose to the top as a veteran. He wasn’t a gifted prodigy, but while others faded, it was the same Ryo, now Elite Four, who finally became Champion!”

“You should return like lightning; let the league throw open its banquet! Natsume-sensei, go for the win!!”

On the forum popularity rankings, veteran Ryo ranked third.

Natsume actually surpassed him and held second place.

And the number one spot? That was truly something.

Former Dragon Type Leader, now Dragon Type Elite Four, and part-time cosplayer—little sister Shiori.

The forums often repost Shiori’s costumed photos: as the flying apsaras, the white snake with a paper parasol, the peacock flying southeast, and more.

Blending contemporary with traditional, these help spread Touran culture. Shiori’s cool beauty, long inky hair, and dazzling presence make her a huge fan favorite.

“Princess Elite Four, my princess Elite Four o(╥﹏╥)o”

“I wish I could be Miss Shiori’s Altaria—then I could carry her through the skies!”

“Manifesting Natsume as the new Fairy Elite Four to slay the dragon!”

“Shoot for the moon—maybe the new Champion!”

Browsing the forum threads, Natsume grew thoughtful.

Is it possible these people are just pretending not to know things?

Just a guess... not necessarily correct...

On the other hand, maybe he could invite the Team Rocket trio to Touran to run a Victory Road food stall.

Natsume rubbed his chin, scrolling through more posts.

In the contestant list, he spotted an old friend.

“Takuya?”

Natsume blinked in surprise.

Tokyo City Gym Leader Takuya was aiming to challenge Victory Road as well, hungry for an Elite Four seat.

“Gengar!” Gengar perked up with interest.

That’s my old friend too.

Natsume fell quiet.

Gym Leader Takuya was the very first Leader to get swept by Haunter.

That was Natsume’s first badge—and the start of every badge that followed…

Getting off the flight, Natsume shot Takuya a message.

“Heading to Victory Road, care to join me, Gym Leader Takuya? (grin)”

Half an hour later, as if his friend finally resolved himself—

“See you at the Tokyo Gyms. (sunglasses)”

……

Takuya, dressed in a suit and wearing a mask like an ordinary office worker, stood in front of Tokyo Gyms.

He looked up and immediately spotted, among the crowd, the black-haired young man also masked.

“Had something to eat?” Natsume asked, exchanging a casual greeting as he approached.

“No, I was waiting for you.” Takuya replied with a touch of annoyance.

“My flight was delayed,” Natsume said with a smile. “Otherwise, I’d have asked to borrow the kitchen and show you and Swoobat some of my cooking skills.”

Takuya’s throat bobbed with a Rollout.

Having a guest come straight in and offer to cook felt backward for a host, but honestly, he’d watched Natsume’s food videos—how could anyone say no to a Master Chef’s cooking?

“Just throw something simple together,” Takuya muttered. “We head out tonight. Victory Road opens tomorrow.”

“So soon?”

“Of course—time waits for no one.”

Natsume had originally planned to swing by Tokyo Metropolitan University, but decided it was best to depart immediately.

Dinner consisted of shredded pepper steak, stir-fried shrimp, cold cucumber salad, braised ribs, and tomato egg drop soup.

Takuya surveyed the table and said slowly, “Natsume, need a wife? I’ve got a daughter...”

“Stop right there!”

Night descended, the neon lights of Tokyo City glowing all around.

The two made their way to Tokyo City Airport.

Takuya chose his words. “There’s a rumor you defeated Groudon...”

“Let me clarify,”

Natsume coughed lightly. “That’s not a rumor. It was Primal Groudon.”

Takuya: “...”

Your entire team isn’t actually made up of legendary Pokémon, is it?!

Victory Road was near Kyoto City, filled with challengers from various regions—tournament champions, gym leaders, and all sorts of trainers.

The venue was artificially constructed, leveraging Pokémon strength to create stone forests, snowy mountains, deserts, and forests.

“I know you definitely didn’t bother reading the handbook,”

Takuya said. “Let me explain once more. The first stage requires you to defeat ten challengers in a row—ten consecutive 1v1 single battles to advance to the next round.”

“During this period, you can’t use healing items, can’t swap Pokémon, and can use Z-Move or Mega Evolution only once.”

Takuya furrowed his brow. “If you’re unlucky, even an Elite Four could run into ten tournament champions in a row—and just get ground down to nothing!”

Natsume: “...”

Bad luck—are you hinting at something!?

This format felt familiar; even Alain took on something similar in the anime.

Item healing bans were child's play for Natsume.

Whether sending out Latias or Arcanine, healing could always be done through moves.

“What about contestants who lose?”

“They can try to revive by points, but after that, it’s pretty hard to fight for an Elite Four spot.”

Natsume nodded. Either way, I can’t get eliminated in the first round—otherwise, all this strategy would be pointless.

“Move limit restrictions?”

“No restrictions.”

“Perfect.” Natsume grinned, flashing his white teeth.

No move limits—now that’s a real command space!

Takuya’s expression turned odd.

He silently mourned the poor trainer who’d end up facing Natsume in the first round...

That night.

Natsume checked into the Budew Hotel on Victory Road.

In the other suites, three trainers—all fans of Natsume—gathered to chat.

“Did you get matched with Natsume-sensei?”

“Nope, you?”

“Me neither, ha, wonder who drew the short straw.”

The last trainer’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m the unlucky one!”

The other two paused, then patted him on the shoulder in sympathy:

“That’s what you get for watching his streams too much! Now look—you’re about as unlucky as him!”

Inside his suite,

Natsume crossed his arms, considering his starting lineup for tomorrow.

“Since it’s ten straight wins, Arcanine should go out first. Intimidate deals with physical attackers, plus Morning Sun for recovery,” he murmured.

Hearing this, Arcanine, lying on the floor, slowly got up, wagged its tail, and gave an honest, goofy smile.

That lush mane radiated vibrant energy, blue static flickering through it—symbolic of Arcanine’s excitement.

“Arcanine! (Leave it to me!)”

“I could take the field too, you know.” Latias chimed in.

“Gym Leader Takuya said Victory Road restricts mythical and legendary Pokémon.”

Natsume explained, gazing upwards. “Honestly, at this point the rules might as well just list my trainer number...”

......

September 27th, Monday.

Dawn spilled down the stone steps of Victory Road. Gazing up the mountain path, the Touran League's sacred flame blazed in a silver brazier.

The source of that sacred flame was Sacred Fire—a legendary flame possessed only by Ho-Oh and Entei.

All the trainers looked up at the sacred flame, a mysterious fighting spirit rising within them!

The main arena was built halfway up the mountain. Viewers entered by ticket; there was a merchant zone and sub-arenas.

Some seeded contestants, including Natsume, had their first-round matches in the sub-arenas.

Merchant zone.

Green glanced at the Meowth coin sign nearby, his face pale.

“We’re doomed! We’re going to lose money again!”

Bea threaded through the crowd, looking left and right.

She’d traveled to the Touran Region training with martial artists, and stopped by to watch her master’s match.

Meanwhile, in the Tournament Committee area—

An unexpected guest, accompanied by students, strolled backstage.

The guest had long white eyebrows, wore a green baseball jersey, hunched with age, and smiled gently. “President Masaru, it’s been a while.”

“Mustard.” President Masaru spoke with respect. “Thank you for coming all the way from the Isle of Armor.”

Mustard had established a Touran-style dojo on the Isle of Armor; at President Masaru’s invitation, he’d come to serve as Examiner for Victory Road.

“Not at all. I’m quite interested in the challengers of Victory Road myself,” Mustard smiled.

Behind him, Klara—purple eyeshadow and a blushing face—hugged her cheeks. “This is great... I finally get to see Natsume-sensei in person!”

Avery, wearing a magician’s hat, thought, Hope you and Master don’t startle Natsume-sensei too badly...

Mustard’s signature Pokémon, Urshifu, has both Single Strike and Rapid Strike forms, inspired by Touran martial arts’ Bajiquan and Taijiquan.

Fifty years ago, Mustard won eighteen consecutive Galar league championships, but retired when asked to throw matches by the chairman. He bought the Isle of Armor, founded a dojo, and trained Leon as his student.

Even after fifty years, Battle Legend Mustard still possessed Champion-level strength!

“By the way,” Mustard asked kindly, “Has Natsume-boy’s match started yet?”

“Of course, he’s over in the sub-venues.”

President Masaru guided Mustard’s group to a broadcast screen.

On screen, the viewers’ cheers swelled like the tide—the seats were packed in every direction!

In the round arena, the referee held up two flags; the trainer on the left was already in position.

An impassioned commentator cried out:

“Next up, please welcome—Contestant Natsume!!”

Down the long, contestant hallway, light shone at the far end, and the applause grew more vivid and thunderous.

Natsume strode out of the darkness, squinted into the blazing sun, glanced up at the camera drone, and nodded with a smile.

For a moment, the giant screen showed the striking figure of the handsome trainer—setting the arena abuzz.