Chapter 0663: Primal Groudon - Don't Rush Me, I'm On My Way(Two-in-One)

The aftermath of the Team Plasma incident gradually settled, and across Unova, legends began to circulate about the "Convergence of Truth and Ideals."

Rumors spoke of a hero who had won the favor of both Reshiram and Zekrom, single-handedly dismantling Team Plasma's schemes.

A feat rivaling even "Red's Solo Takedown of Team Rocket."

The International Police never publicly named this hero, leaving people to speculate wildly.

"Could it be Champion Alder? Or that prodigy girl from the Village of Dragons?"

"It must be the returned king!"

"Natsume-sensei arrived in Unova half a month ago, and Team Plasma fell half a month later... That can't be a coincidence."

"Wait, so Natsume-sensei casually wiped out Team Plasma while competing in the Youth Tournament?!"

For ordinary citizens, it was just another topic over tea.

But for witnesses of the Opelucid City incident—like Drayden and other Gym Leaders—the answer was crystal clear.

"Leaving no trace, hiding his achievements... Natsume-sensei truly lives up to the title of Champion!"

Meanwhile...

This so-called Champion was currently riding Arcanine along a countryside road, scanning the surroundings for suitable targets.

"What are you looking for, Natsume-sensei?" Ash asked curiously.

"Checking if any wild Trainers will jump out," Natsume replied.

Ash blinked, then clenched his fists, eyes burning with determination.

Even as a Champion, Natsume-sensei never misses a chance to train and grow stronger...

I need to follow his example!

Thanks to Arcanine's Intimidate, however, even wild Pokémon were scarce along the path.

With some time to kill, Natsume pulled out his Rotom Phone and opened the group chat.

Since the Movie Achievement Reward had granted him the [Ultimate Technical Machine]—a golden bracelet-like device—he figured he'd ask for usage tips.

In the Group Chat...

Iris had recently become quite close with Clair, often discussing Dragon-type Pokémon manuscripts with her.

"If you have time, you can come visit me in Blackthorn City," Clair said. "We can have a practical battle to test our skills."

"Sounds good~ I remember Uncle Lance's hometown is Blackthorn City too, right?" Iris replied.

Clair said flatly, "Uncle Lance hasn't returned home for many years. You won't find him in Blackthorn City."

Uncle Lance... The red-haired man's eyebrow twitched as he crossed his arms, his cape seeming to droop slightly.

"I'm not that much older than you all," Lance protested.

"You're even older than Auntie Lorelei," Gold chimed in while wearing goggles and wild surfing, his Aibo holding his phone with its tail.

Silver said expressionlessly, "Watch your tone when speaking about Master Lance."

Lance's lips curved upward, about to tell Gold to learn from Silver's example.

Silver added, "He just looks older."

Lt. Surge: "BAHAHAHA!"

Falkner, Lance's subordinate, stifled a laugh. "I never expected Silver to make jokes like this..."

Crystal sighed helplessly. "Don't pick up Gold's bad habits, Silver."

Suddenly, a chilling aura spread through the group chat.

Looking at the member list in the bottom right corner, 'Ice Queen Lorelei' had come online.

Without hesitation, she muted Gold, Silver, and Lt. Surge, then happily went back to reading shoujo manga.

Natsume, who had just logged in, blinked in confusion. "So many casualties... What happened here?"

"Nothing important," Lance coughed lightly. "How's your journey in Unova going?"

"I've gotten acquainted with a few Dragon-type Pokémon," Natsume replied.

"Dragon-type Pokémon?" Lance's eyes lit up with intense interest. "Which ones? Maybe I can offer some advice."

Natsume hesitated, not wanting to crush Lance's confidence.

Ash counted on his fingers: "Reshiram, Zekrom... uh, and Kyurem!"

The group chat fell into complete silence.

Lance: "......"

Blue Oak nodded in realization. "So you're the Trainer from those Unova rumors."

"I had my suspicions, but it really is you," Red said with a smile.

Iris trembled. "This... this is the world of big shots..."

Green echoed: "This is the world of big shots..."

Natsume interrupted the repetition: "Actually, I mainly wanted to ask about this. It's something I came across during my travels. (Image)"

The image showed an [Ultimate Technical Machine] - a golden bracelet-like device that appeared to be worn by Trainers rather than given to Pokémon.

Green recognized it immediately. "Isn't that the Ultimate Wristband from the Sevii Islands?"

"What's that?" Natsume asked.

Considering Natsume-sensei wasn't the first to obtain a Starter Trio, it made sense he wouldn't know about ultimate moves.

Green explained: "It's a device that synchronizes a Trainer's will with their Pokémon, allowing them to master ultimate moves!"

"By wearing the wristband, Trainer and Pokémon connect spiritually to awaken new moves... They say before Technical Machines existed, Pokémon learned moves through items like this!"

Natsume vaguely recalled related memories from the "Special Edition" manga and mused:

"Does that mean different Trainers would have different learning speeds?"

Seeing the familiar item, Red nodded:

"Exactly. Back then, Blue Oak and I learned ultimate moves from Granny Urara together... It took me about three days."

Blue Oak said calmly, "I was slightly faster. Charizard mastered Blast Burn first."

Red countered, "Venusaur learned Frenzy Plant first!"

"I remember someone almost lost to Granny Urara's Dragonite," Blue Oak raised an eyebrow.

"If I hadn't saved you, you would have lost to Granny Urara's Dragonite," Red retorted.

Green rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Instead of arguing in the group chat, why don't you two just battle it out?"

Red and Blue Oak said simultaneously: "Gladly!"

Yellow, who had wanted to mediate but couldn't get a word in, recalled blankly:

"I... I learned ultimate moves without using the Ultimate Wristband..."

When it came to Trainer talent, Yellow's abilities could probably rival Lance the Birdbrain's.

Ruby asked curiously: "Can ZUZU learn Hydro Cannon? Swampert is a Water-type Starter Trio Pokémon too."

Sapphire cheered: "I want to learn too! Once Chichi masters Blast Burn, I'll definitely surpass Ruby!"

Steven smiled. "Theoretically, all Starter Trio Pokémon can learn ultimate moves, so it should be possible."

Wallace laughed. "Learning in three days is incredibly efficient... Normally, mastering it in a month is already considered excellent."

"If you're serious about learning, I can visit Hoenn on Granny Urara's behalf," Wallace offered. "The Sootopolis Clan has some historical connections with Granny Urara's Ultimate Clan."

"Awesome!" Ruby and Sapphire replied.

Natsume stroked his chin.

I think I understand how this item works now... Similar to Key Stones and Mega Stones, it involves the Trainer guiding the Pokémon's power.

The higher the Trainer's natural talent and comprehension, the faster the Pokémon will learn the ultimate move.

Wait a minute.

I remember Gold and Silver learned ultimate moves too!

Unmuting the two, Natsume asked curiously:

"How long did it take you two to learn ultimate moves?"

Silver maintained his deadpan expression: "Less than a month... I don't remember exactly. Feraligatr never liked using it much - barely learned it and rarely uses it."

Gold wailed: "Why did it take me THREE MONTHS to learn an ultimate move?!!"

"Don't you guys need time to master moves?!"

Blue Oak: "No."

Red: "Strictly speaking... no."

Gold: Σ(°△°|||)︴

Green covered his mouth: "Who even takes three months to learn an ultimate move?"

Natsume comforted Gold: "It's fine, you'll get used to it."

Yellow offered kindly: "Maybe it's because Gold has higher compatibility with Electric-types?"

Gold paused, then wiped his nose proudly: "Hmm... you make a good point!"

When Pichu was first born, it used "Super Rising Voltage Strike" to defeat Pryce. Gold's "Egg Hatching" talent was undoubtedly impressive.

Of course, the move was really just Volt Tackle with a flashier name.

Natsume wasn't overly confident in his own Trainer talents.

If he really wanted to learn "Hydro Cannon," he'd probably need to dedicate one to two months of focused training.

Otherwise... should he really have Gengar do it for him?

"Let's put training aside for now," Natsume muttered as he stroked his chin, then suddenly thought of something. His breathing grew heavier.

Oh no.

A familiar chill spread through his heart as Natsume-sensei said hoarsely:

"Ruby and Sapphire haven't learned ultimate moves yet?"

"Doesn't that mean... Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon haven't awakened yet?!"

According to the "Special Edition" storyline, three years after Steven's near-death experience with the Hoenn duo altered the timeline for a happy ending...

Kyogre and Groudon would awaken again, this time achieving Primal Reversion.

In this Primal Reversion version, Rayquaza would also power up... achieving Mega Evolution through Dragon Ascent.

In the Pokémon XY anime when Ash arrived in Kalos...

Alain was traveling with Steven to investigate the Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre incident!

Now with Alain just starting his journey, Ruby not having learned ultimate moves, and Ash about to come to Kalos... by his calculations, Primal Groudon was already on its way!

Only now did Natsume understand the meaning behind Arceus' all-knowing smile when granting him "The Power of One":

"I believe when the time comes, you won't stand idly by."

Natsume's eyelid twitched.

I get it. Time to pack my bags and run.

In short, the farther from Hoenn, the better!

……

With a mix of apprehension and resolve, Natsume rode Arcanine back to Opelucid City.

His original plan was to return the DNA Splicers to Mayor Drayden.

But the artifact stubbornly hovered above Natsume's palm, practically screaming "I'm not leaving!" with its sheer refusal to budge.

Drayden chuckled deeply. "If you wouldn't mind, please continue carrying the DNA Splicers on your journey. Compared to this old man, I believe you're far more suited to wield and safeguard it, Natsume-sensei."

Natsume glanced at the DNA Splicers in his hand, then recalled the Rainbow Wing that had similarly latched onto his Aura. His expression turned complicated.

Another weird family member acquired!

Since he'd promised Moe-Moe! a Ferris wheel ride and needed to arrange a concert for Meloetta,

Cynthia had gone ahead to Nimbasa City with the Melody Pokémon to handle venue preparations.

After parting ways with Ash in Opelucid City—

"Keep training hard for the League Tournament, Ash."

"I will!" Ash declared, brimming with confidence.

Not like you'll win the Vertress Conference anyway...

Natsume coughed lightly. "If you enter the Youth Tournament, we might bump into each other during the opening ceremony. See you then!"

Iris waved cheerfully. "Axew, say goodbye to Natsume-sensei~"

"Yaa~ah!"

Following the farewells, Natsume took the earliest flight to Nimbasa City.

The Nimbasa Gym was built inside an amusement park, led by the dazzling Elesa.

The city's landmark Ferris wheel offered a panoramic view of the entire metropolis from its apex—

Natsume headed straight to purchase two tickets, waiting for Moe-Moe! to arrive.

As he approached the ticket booth, his steps faltered at the sight of a familiar green-haired young man in line ahead.

"N...?"