Chapter 665: Natsume ：Am I Actually a Training Genius?(Two-in-One)

Unlike the high-pressure corporate atmosphere of Castelia City, Nimbasa City was a vibrant hub of leisure and entertainment.

Theme parks, concert halls, amusement rides, battle arenas—it was the perfect place for humans and Pokémon to thrive together.

The Nimbasa Music Hall, in particular, was where Natsume and Cynthia planned to hold Meloetta's vocal concert.

The audience would consist mostly of Pokémon, with invitations extended to nearby Gym Leaders like Caitlin and Shauntal.

Natsume also intended to invite the Team Rocket Trio—and maybe even coax Meowth into performing a song or two.

This wasn’t a formal concert so much as a karaoke meetup.

Gengar was already hyped: "Gengar~ (￣︶￣)↗"

Natsume rubbed his chin, considering whether to prepare earplugs in advance.

"Jigglypuff is elusive... wonder if it’ll show up tonight?"

In the anime, Jigglypuff often appeared alongside Team Rocket and Ash, its greatest dream being to find an audience that could stay awake through its entire song.

Remembering his brief encounter with the puffball, Natsume couldn’t help but smile.

With so many attendees tonight, Jigglypuff surely wouldn’t miss this chance...

Inside the Ferris Wheel Cabin

Cynthia looked regal in her black trench coat, golden hair adorned with dark accessories. Leaning against the window, she rested her cheek on her hand, lips curving slightly.

Natsume knew this scene well—he’d witnessed it once before on the Tokyo Ferris Wheel, and even now, it made his heart skip.

As the cabin ascended, the scenery outside—lawns, houses, skyscrapers—shrank beneath them. At the peak, the entire city sprawled into view.

"Beautiful," Cynthia murmured, gaze fixed on the horizon.

"It’s even prettier at 7 PM," Natsume said, recalling the guidebook. "The whole wheel lights up, cabins spinning through neon colors. Fireworks burst overhead, and Swanna glide past."

"At the very top, you can see the entire amusement park glowing in electric hues—courtesy of Elesa, the Electric-type specialist."

"Sounds lovely," Cynthia mused, eyes glinting.

"I love the Ferris wheel at 7 PM... just like I love you, Cynthia."

Cynthia, seated across from him in wide-leg black pants, turned to meet his gaze—then glanced away, a faint blush dusting her neck.

"...Mm."

She lowered her head briefly before smiling, luminous eyes lifting. "You know..."

"Hm?"

"This Ferris wheel... is for couples only."

Her voice was soft, cheeks tinged pink as she looked out the window.

Natsume, still marveling at her cuteness, froze.

Couples only?!

No wonder the ticket lady gave me that look!

A Ferris wheel ride wasn’t enough—they had to explore the park too.

When it came to choosing the next activity...

"Meloetta~!"

Meloetta pointed eagerly at the music hall, its eyes sparkling.

"Victini~!"

Victini, meanwhile, gestured to the Battle Subway, already sensing victory.

The Battle Subway was Unova’s answer to facilities like the Battle Castle and Battle Frontier, with its starting station in Nimbasa City.

Natsume-sensei crossed his arms.

"How about... rock-paper-scissors?"

The two Mythical Pokémon locked eyes, the air between them crackling.

"Meloetta~!" "Victini!"

Victini threw scissors.

Meloetta threw rock.

Victini: o(╥﹏╥)o

Meloetta: ξ(^＞^)

Natsume glanced at Victini’s "V-sign" scissors, then at Meloetta’s "music-note fist"...

"Ahem... I kinda saw Victini picking scissors coming."

"These rules seem rather unfair," Cynthia remarked.

"Er... then let's do odds-or-evens this time! Three, two—"

"Gengar!"

Among the two hands facing downward, one chubby purple paw defiantly pointed upward.

Gengar grinned, jabbing a finger toward the nearby "Cofagrigus"-themed haunted house.

"Gengar! (￣▽￣)~"

(Let's go there!)

Victini and Meloetta exchanged glances before breaking into eager smiles.

Natsume looked over at the radiant Sinnoh Champion—only to find her equally excited.

"Haunted houses here employ Ghost-types as staff."

Cynthia beamed: "Garchomp and I will take point!"

A red beam flashed from her Poké Ball as Garchomp emerged, twin scythes glinting menacingly.

"Garchomp! (▼皿▼#)"

Natsume blinked, his expression twisting into something complicated.

At this point... it's hard to say who'll be scaring whom!

……

July 16th, Friday

The veteran staff of Nimbasa City's Haunted House—especially the Yamask—would never forget this day.

Two unexpected visitors had arrived.

They appeared to be ordinary Trainers at first glance... but then again, the house had reduced many Trainers to tears before.

Yamask floated stealthily from a blind spot, its Confuse Ray shimmering, until it was practically nose-to-nose with the black-haired young man.

To its shock, the Trainer remained utterly unfazed.

Natsume: "That's it?"

Yamask: (°ー°〃)

Cynthia, curious: "So the 'human-skin mask' exhibit refers to Yamask?"

Natsume: "Got it. That mummy further back must be Dusclops."

As the two Trainers chatted casually, Yamask glanced at Garchomp—only to find the land shark grinding its scythes, eyes blazing crimson.

"Garchomp!(///￣皿￣)○" (You scared the hell outta me!)

Yamask: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

Abort mission! ABORT MISSION!

Just as Yamask tried to flee, it froze—a Gengar hung upside-down behind it, jaws stretched wide in a grotesque grin!

"Gengar~" Gengar dangled from the ceiling, wagging its tongue playfully.

Yamask's heart nearly stopped: o(╥﹏╥)o

Since when do visitors out-ghost the ghosts?!

Elsewhere, a hunched Sableye and bandage-wrapped Dusclops crept forward—

Only to plummet into Bad Dreams, shadowy specters closing in from all sides.

Darkrai materialized from the darkness, watching the two Ghost-types sob in terror. Its mouth twitched.

"Bad Dreams is an AoE passive... Nothing I can do. My bad!"

With a sigh, Darkrai produced two Pokéblocks and set them on the floor.

"Here... compensation."

It promptly picked one back up, muttering: "Actually, one should suffice for this quality..."

Exiting the haunted house into sunlight:

"That wasn't scary at all!" Natsume declared, arms crossed.

"Gengar~" Gengar smirked.

Those little guys were pretty fun!

"It was... interesting," Cynthia admitted, lips quirking. "Though I think Gengar frightened the staff. Is that okay?"

"Well... as seasoned professionals, they surely don't scare easily," Natsume reasoned confidently.

Behind them, the haunted house employees stared at the black-haired Trainer's retreating back, hearts heavy.

We weren't afraid of humans... until humans broke our spirits!

Then they collectively stiffened as Gengar glanced back over its shoulder.

"Gengar~(￣▽￣)／"

The outlaw waved cheerfully.

Had a blast today! See ya!

The Ghost-types forced shaky smiles, exchanging glances in silent agreement:

Report this to HQ immediately. Blacklist that Trainer and his Gengar—PERMANENTLY.

……

'VIP of the Renovation Crew'... 'Berry Fanatic'... 'Haunted House Blacklist'...

Natsume, now adorned with increasingly bizarre titles and prestige, made his way toward Nimbasa City's music hall.

Passing an open training field along the route, Cynthia inquired:

"That [Ultimate Technical Machine] you asked about in the group chat—have you started training with it yet?"

"Not yet," Natsume admitted. "They say mastery time depends on personal talent. With my aptitude, I'd probably need to dedicate a month or two."

Cynthia placed a hand on her hip, sighing:

"Your 'aptitude'... as in the same aptitude that made you a Champion in under a year?"

At Wyndon Arena, Natsume had revealed his true strength to Cynthia. Less than a year later, his team had grown exponentially.

Yet the ever-cautious Natsume measured himself against outliers like Red, Green, and Leon—hence his modest assessment.

Natsume paused, rubbing his chin.

"Now that you mention it... am I actually a Training Genius?"

The Rotom Dex fluttered its mechanical arms, lights blinking:

"Beep... Added to [Natsume-sensei's Dad Joke Compendium], Rotom!"

Natsume: "......Little Rotom, mute mode."

"Beep... Affirmative, Rotom~(⊙x⊙;)"

Cynthia smirked. "I’m almost curious what other jokes are in that collection..."

"Just fan-made nonsense," Natsume sighed.

During his forum lurking days, he’d stumbled upon classics like:

[Red, Leon, and Natsume-sensei plan to meet.

Red arrives late: "Sorry, was training on Mt. Silver."

Leon: "What’s Mt. Silver?"

Natsume-sensei: "What’s training?"]

Given Leon’s infamous sense of direction and Natsume’s own reputation for "rarely training," the meme had gone viral.

Natsume had even bookmarked a few for self-deprecating livestream material—

He understood the algorithm too well.

"May I see that device?" Cynthia asked.

"Sure... here."

Natsume accepted the golden bracelet from 'Doraemon-Ghost' and weighed it in his palm.

Cynthia studied it, eyes glinting:

"Grandmother mentioned similar trainers in Celestic Town’s ancient times... They used these to master Draco Meteor."

"If that’s true..." Natsume realized, "it must be tied to Arceus’ power. This bracelet resembles His golden rings—and corresponds to each type’s ultimate moves!"

Cynthia smiled. "Try wearing it now. You’ll probably master the move faster than you think."

"Now?"

"Mhm~" She nodded. "Because beyond raw talent, the bond with your Pokémon matters most."

After a moment’s thought, Natsume retrieved a Dive Ball, releasing his sunglasses-clad Blastoise.

Worth a shot. With Cynthia here, the risks are minimal.

The red beam materialized into Blastoise, who adjusted his shades with a click, shell gleaming metallically under the sun—

"Blastoise... ヾ(■_■)"

Blastoise used Iron Defense!

"Some things never change," Cynthia laughed.

Steady as a mountain spring...

Wait—Blastoise literally carries healing springs!

Natsume fastened the bracelet. "This isn’t formal training... just an experiment."

"If I’m right, The Power of One should activate this..."

(Having an ultimate move would make retrieving the Pixie Plate safer too!)

"Blastoise."

Blastoise assumed a sumo stance, kicking up dust as he locked eyes with Natsume and nodded sharply.

Natsume: "......"

Why so dramatic?!

Closing his eyes, Natsume channeled The Power of One’s pale glow, attempting to link it to the bracelet—

Nothing.

"No effect?"

"Hmm... maybe my theory was wrong."

"Or," Cynthia offered, "this device was already used. Ancient artifacts often are."

Already used?!

Natsume stiffened.

If The Power of One could activate the bracelet, and Aura of Ripple strengthened his bond with Blastoise...

He met Blastoise’s gaze.

The Pokémon removed his sunglasses, staring back with razor-sharp focus—before giving a thumbs-up.

"Blastoise."

Natsume: "......"

Don’t tell me you learned the move just by looking at me...

Even with our bond, people will report us for cheating!

But powers bestowed by Arceus defied logic...

Examining the now-dull bracelet, Natsume muttered:

"Guess my talent does surpass Gold’s after all..."

Blastoise used Iron Defense!

"Some things never change," Cynthia laughed.

Steady as a mountain spring...

Wait—Blastoise literally carries healing springs!

Natsume fastened the bracelet. "This isn’t formal training... just an experiment."

"If I’m right, The Power of One should activate this..."

(Having an ultimate move would make retrieving the Pixie Plate safer too!)

"Blastoise."

Blastoise assumed a sumo stance, kicking up dust as he locked eyes with Natsume and nodded sharply.

Natsume: "......"

Why so dramatic?!

Closing his eyes, Natsume channeled The Power of One’s pale glow, attempting to link it to the bracelet—

Nothing.

"No effect?"

"Hmm... maybe my theory was wrong."

"Or," Cynthia offered, "this device was already used. Ancient artifacts often are."

Already used?!

Natsume stiffened.

If The Power of One could activate the bracelet, and Aura of Ripple strengthened his bond with Blastoise...

He met Blastoise’s gaze.

The Pokémon removed his sunglasses, staring back with razor-sharp focus—before giving a thumbs-up.

"Blastoise."

Natsume: "......"

Don’t tell me you learned the move just by looking at me...

Even with our bond, people will report us for cheating!

But powers bestowed by Arceus defied logic...

Examining the now-dull bracelet, Natsume muttered:

"Guess my talent does surpass Gold’s after all..."

……

Nightfall.

Nimbasa City Music Hall.

As Meloetta's concert prepared to begin, attendees streamed in.

"Natsume-sensei, it's been a while."

Cheren, dressed in a white shirt—whom Natsume had met once before—greeted him with a sigh.

"I've heard of your deeds across Unova... My students admire you greatly."

'And the PTCG cards you released.'

Cheren left that part unsaid.

The card game's popularity had nearly disrupted his lessons, though he couldn't deny it did teach the kids a thing or two... A fact that left the conscientious teacher conflicted.

"Natsume-sensei, I'm Bianca!"

Beside Cheren, a cap-wearing girl adjusted her red-framed glasses with a nervous smile.

"Professor Juniper told me all about you... It's an honor!"

As the de facto protagonists of Black & White, Cheren and Bianca received a warm handshake. "Pleasure to meet you both. Please, come in."

Among the guests was Elesa, Nimbasa's Gym Leader—her black hair confirming this was her Black 2 / White 2 design.

But the real surprise was a raven-haired woman's arrival.

Sabrina, who should've had short blue hair per BW2, had seemingly regrown her shoulder-length black locks for filming.

"Sabrina?" Natsume blinked.

"Not welcome?" She side-eyed him.

"Shouldn't you be in Kanto?"

"I've got business in Unova," she said flatly. "Then I sensed Gengar's psychic signature. Led me here."

Their bond traced back to Gengar's part-time gig at Saffron Gym to support the family.

Watching Sabrina expressionlessly pinch Gengar's cheeks, Natsume muttered:

"You two really are close..."

Soon after, three "suspicious characters" arrived at the entrance.

"Drop the disguises. We're among friends," Natsume sighed.

"The Executive sees right through us, nya~!" Meowth vibrated with awe.

Too many flaws to critique. Natsume gave up, glancing instead at the full moon above the hall.

"Quite the guest list tonight..."

Perched on a moonlit beam, a pink "puffball" snoozed peacefully.

"Jigglypuff...♪"