Chapter 0640: Natsume Decides to Lay Low

Natsume stared at the two gleaming badges in his palm, his expression turning peculiar.

Just when I was getting sentimental, you hit me with this?

Glancing in the direction Delibird had gone, Natsume resolved to give it a couple of good forehead flicks once it started working at the café.

"Wait, this isn’t Delibird’s fault…"

Pondering, Natsume pulled out the notebook he always carried and flipped through its thick pages. Between the lines, every inch seemed to scream one word: 'Gold.'

"Wow, I’ve written so much since returning from the Hall of Origin!"

Muttering to himself, he jotted down today’s entry.

[June 30th, Sunny.

Delibird crossed oceans to deliver me badges. Touching.

Viola. Grant.

Delibird (crossed out). Pryce (crossed out)...

Gold. This grudge is hereby recorded by one 'Natsume'!]

Having completed his daily "divergent thinking training," Natsume nodded in satisfaction and closed the notebook.

The delivery envelope also contained several printed photos, neatly framed and ready to be displayed as café decorations.

"These must be the photography works Viola mentioned sending…"

Natsume was of mixed emotions.

Sure, Viola tossing in her Bug Badge was one thing—but why had Grant included his Cliff Badge too?

Was I one step closer to getting a Sparkling Stone and performing that embarrassing Z-Move dance?!

Shaking his head, Natsume decided not to dwell on it. He skimmed through the photos instead.

"When the time comes… I’ll just make Magical Girl Gengar do the dancing."

Hearing this, Gengar blinked, then struck a sparkling "Shinin'!!☆" pose with a peace sign.

"Gengar~! (^_^)☆"

Natsume: "...You know what? That actually kinda works."

Ding-ding!

The wind chimes jingled as he pushed the café door open.

Settling onto the sofa, Natsume carefully examined two small photo frames.

"Sylveon~" Sylveon gracefully leaped down from the counter, its snowy ribbons coiling around his arm as it peered at the photos with bright blue eyes.

"This one’s from Viola," Natsume said, tilting his head. "Honestly, just this shot alone could get you into the online prelims for the 'Pokémon Showcase.'"

The Pokémon Showcase was Kalos’ exclusive glamorous competition, where trainers—known as [Performers]—differed slightly from traditional Coordinators.

Participants uploaded short films and MVs of their Pokémon to build popularity and gather votes.

While Coordinators emphasized flashy battle techniques, Performers focused on showcasing their and their Pokémon’s charm—essentially, "idol culture."

Serena from Pokémon XY was one such Performer.

Marnie from Spikemuth in Sword & Shield likely followed the same path.

"Sylveon~" Sylveon lifted its head disdainfully.

Making this chaotic gremlin sister dress up and debut as an idol?

Over my dead fluff!

Natsume: "..."

He briefly imagined Sylveon blushing in a frilly dress…

...I kinda want to try it now.

No. Self-control. Remember: play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Clearing his throat, Natsume stood and placed the frames on the shelf before pulling out a book to skim.

The café was empty in the golden-hour glow.

Outside, Pupitar rammed into boulders with loud "Duang!" sounds, stress-relieving while practicing Iron Head.

"Next time, I should livestream 'Pupitar Shatters Rocks' for the fans."

Natsume mused as he flipped pages.

The robotic vacuum whirred across the floor—until a pulse of aura from the back room locked onto it.

Vacuum: "..."

First Gengar kicks me over, now Blastoise treats me like a bomb threat… This job SUCKS.

The café’s lazy atmosphere seemed to infect Arcanine too.

Arcanine yawned, sprawled behind the counter like a regal, overfed lion. Its tail gave a half-hearted wag.

Even the Rainbow Wing caught the lethargy, glowing faintly in power-saving mode.

Rainbow Wing: "..."

I’m basically a decorative feather at this point.

Noticing this, Natsume smirked and set his book down.

"Think you’ll trick me into fueling you with Aura Ripple?"

Nice try.

The wing flickered pathetically: o(╥﹏╥)o

……

Kanto Region, Kanto League.

The red-haired man, draped in his cape, frowned at Inspector Falkner.

"Team Plasma and Team Rocket were both spotted in Unova?"

"Correct."

Falkner brushed aside his long black bangs, expression grave.

"Team Plasma remnants are wanted criminals by the Unova League. As for Team Rocket..."

"Should we even still call them that, or just 'Rocket Delivery' now?" Lance massaged his temples, arms crossed.

Falkner nodded. "But we can't confirm whether Team Rocket might exploit Legendary Pokémon again to further their ambitions. Especially with the so-called 'Opelucid Legend' circulating wildly in Unova."

The red-haired man's brow furrowed deeper as he fell into silent contemplation.

He believed people could change—just as he himself had once lost his way between justice and obsession.

And given prior events... Natsume clearly had connections with Team Rocket.

Yet Lance trusted Natsume-sensei's character and judgment—

This was a trainer acknowledged by Mew and even Arceus.

"Explain this 'Opelucid Legend' to me again," Lance said darkly.

"Understood." Falkner straightened. "Before his arrest, Team Plasma's leader Ghetsis claimed a 'king' would inherit his will and liberate all Pokémon in Unova."

"Liberate Pokémon?" A flicker of memory passed through Lance's eyes before he scoffed. "Just an excuse for ambition. True visionaries don't hide behind such pretenses."

Falkner continued without comment:

"We've identified a young man named N as this 'king' Ghetsis spoke of. We've contacted Unova's International Police to investigate him."

"And the investigation results?"

Falkner took a deep breath. "Nothing conclusive."

Lance frowned as Falkner continued his report:

"N and his companions possess mysterious abilities similar to Pokémon's. They can communicate with Pokémon and use this to evade investigation."

"Currently, a detective codenamed 'Handsome' continues tracking N's movements and has submitted detailed reports about the 'Opelucid Legend.'"

Lance's expression grew graver as he nodded. "Go on."

Inspector Falkner explained: "According to Unova's founding legend, two brothers waged war - one pursuing ideals with Zekrom, the other seeking truth with the Reshiram."

"The final outcome remains unknown. But we know this conflict ultimately shaped modern Unova's cities."

"Team Plasma exploits this founding legend to spread their doctrine: that this 'king' Ghetsis spoke of will arrive riding one of the Opelucid dragons to destroy and rebirth Unova. They demand people abandon Poké Balls and join Team Plasma to welcome this 'king.'"

Lance sneered. "Wasn't that their playbook two years ago?"

"Correct. After the awakened dragon destroyed Team Plasma, Ghetsis's previous misdeeds were uncovered, leading to his arrest."

Falkner continued:

"However, many Team Plasma members in Unova still believe their 'king' will return."

"Under normal circumstances, the Champion alone could handle these remaining Team Plasma stragglers—" Falkner trailed off.

Lance picked up the thread with a deep frown:

"But this is happening precisely when Alder's will is broken..."

Falkner nodded:

"We have no authority to intervene in Unova's affairs. Not even Champion Cynthia, despite her good relations with Alder, can overstep this boundary."

"So..."

The red-haired man adjusted his cape, arms crossed, a glimmer in his eyes as he said:

"What we need is someone not bound by official titles... but undoubtedly a... Champion."

Silence filled the room as shadows played across their faces.

Lance and Inspector Falkner exchanged glances - both already knowing the answer in their hearts.

"How should we even broach this?" Lance actually showed a trace of a bitter smile.

That particular Champion wasn't the proactive type. Saving Unova would be all risk with no reward for him - "justice" alone seemed too flimsy a motivation.

Though Lance himself firmly believed in "justice," constantly monitored Unova's situation, and tried to help Alder using his Inspector credentials...

"This subordinate doesn't know," Falkner shook his head.

"But I believe Natsume-sensei will have his own considerations."

A Champion would ultimately have their Champion moment - the conviction they bore, the courage they showed.

Lance nodded silently, his expression growing increasingly complicated.

The problem was—

For Natsume-sensei... these "Champion moments" seemed to happen alarmingly often!

Remembering Natsume-sensei mentioning in the group chat about his upcoming trip to Unova...

Lance crossed his arms, sinking deep into thought.

……

Midsummer.

A sudden chill ran down Natsume's spine—that all-too-familiar sense of impending doom.

"Gengar?" Gengar gave him a puzzled look.

"It's... probably nothing."

Natsume's expression darkened.

Which bastard is scheming against me this time?!

Gazing skyward, Natsume mentally reviewed his recent activities, muttering:

"Haven't triggered any death flags lately..."

Then it hit him. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

No flags?

Promising to find the Pixie Plate for a certain llama was the biggest flag of all!

Who knew where that plate was now? If it was with that legendary, he wasn't remotely prepared for that dungeon crawl.

At the very least, he needed to scam Ho-Oh's cameraman out of some Sacred Ash first!

Natsume sighed at the heavens:

"Maybe... I should take a trip? Lay low for a while?"

Cynthia was currently vacationing in Undella Town, Unova, with her bestie Caitlin.

Begging his wife for food sounded infinitely better than waiting in Lumiose City for disaster to strike.

Plus, the World Tournament Youth Cup was coming up—perfect timing for some protagonist buffs.

Satisfied with this plan, Natsume nodded.

Try to stab me in the back?

Joke's on you—I'll be busy getting pampered by a cute girl!

"Treat Delibird to dinner tonight... then off to Unova."

His thoughts raced: "And I should probably con Sinnoh's Darkrai into being my bodyguard..."

Even legends like "The Battler" Red had their humiliating moments—frozen, petrified, tripped up when least expected.

These days, a Champion as cautious as Natsume was a rare breed indeed!

Beep—!

Rotom Dex suddenly vibrated: "Incoming call from Codename: 'Handsome'! Rotom!"

Natsume blinked at the late-hour notification.

This time of night?

"Answer it."

The screen flickered to reveal a weathered old man in a brown trench coat, his greased hair tousled from travel.

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir. Been tied up with an investigation—meant to visit your café sooner—"

The detective ran a small agency near Natsume's café and had promised to drop by.

"—but I'm currently stuck in Unova. Won't be back for a while." He offered an apologetic smile.

"Not a problem," Natsume said slowly. "But why call me?"

'Handsome's' gaze sharpened.

"I need your authorization... to arrest a young man named N."

That name—and the flood of plot memories it triggered—hit Natsume like a truck.

He stood frozen, utterly speechless.