Chapter 0627: Bonnie is So Moe-Moe!

"Brother, are you sure this is the right place?"

"It shouldn't be wrong."

"But..." Bonnie pointed at the "Under Construction" sign, tilting her head. "This place is still being renovated."

"Gengar! (～￣▽￣)～"

Clemont adjusted his backpack, watching as Gengar floated straight inside. He nodded.

"This is it."

Seizing the opportunity after Gengar's impromptu Gym challenge, the siblings decided to visit the famed Natsume-sensei.

Following Gengar's lead, they arrived at the café.

Ding-dong—

The Chimecho wind chime rang softly.

"Excuse us~" Bonnie called out politely, pushing the door open. Her eyes sparkled.

Even under construction, the café's charm was undeniable.

"So cute www!" Bonnie clasped her cheeks.

"We're here to visit Natsume-sensei, not for desserts," Clemont reminded her.

"I know..." Bonnie slumped her shoulders, sighing dramatically. "I won't cause any trouble."

Satisfied, Clemont called toward the backyard:

"Hello? I'm Clemont, the Lumiose City Gym Leader, here to visit!"

No response.

A soft click sounded.

Through the cat flap stepped a pristine, elegant Sylveon, eyeing the unexpected guests with a sidelong glance.

"Sylveon?"

After a night of "seal-clubbing," Sylveon had firmly established herself as the "Big Sis" of Lumiose City's Pokémon.

There had been unruly types like Pyroar—but they quickly learned their place.

Sylveon lazily assessed the siblings—then froze.

The little girl had already rushed over, crouching down to hug Sylveon, nuzzling her face against Sylveon's ribbon.

"It's Sylveon... Ugh, so adorable!"

Bonnie's eyes squeezed shut in delight.

This café... was amazing~

"Hey, Bonnie!" Clemont tensed. "That's Natsume-sensei's Sylveon!"

Graceful as she looked, rumors painted her as temperamental as an Electrode!

"I know~"

Bonnie lifted her bright blue eyes, studying Sylveon with a warm smile.

"My name's Bonnie! Nice to meet you!"

"Sylveon..."

Sensing the girl's pure, innocent aura, Sylveon extended a silken ribbon, lightly touching Bonnie's hand.

"Yay!"

Bonnie beamed, pressing her cheek against Sylveon's. "Now we're friends~"

Unable to retaliate, Sylveon sighed in resignation. "Sylveon..."

Little girls are such a hassle...

Relieved, Clemont rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Seems Natsume-sensei and his Pokémon aren't as terrifying as the legends say."

Somehow, his anticipation for the renowned "Natsume-sensei" grew even stronger.

……

Natsume stood with a stern expression, waiting for Gengar to float inside.

"Gengar! (￣▽￣)~*"

Gengar sneakily presented the Badge to Natsume, tossing him a "don't mention it" look.

Natsume chuckled dryly. "Guests outside?"

Gengar nodded, pointing toward Prism Tower. "Gengar!"

It seemed to be Lumiose City's Gym Leader, Clemont.

That disastrous invention expert—also the first Kalos Leader he'd encountered.

"I guess this was inevitable..."

Rubbing his temples, Natsume followed Gengar to the front hall.

Overnight, the café had been mostly restored, leaving Natsume impressed by the renovation team's efficiency.

Stepping into the café from the courtyard, Natsume paused.

A familiar blonde little girl sat at a table, chin in hands, interrogating Sylveon:

"What do you like to eat~?"

"Sylveon..."

"Macarons and ice cream, right? But Brother says they're bad for my teeth, so I hardly ever get any." Bonnie pouted.

Sylveon sighed internally.

You're the one who wants to eat them!

"N- Natsume-sensei!"

Spotting him, Clemont broke into a sweat, stammering before bowing deeply.

"I'm Lumiose City's Gym Leader. It's an honor to meet you!"

Clemont wasn't as mature as Natsume had imagined—apparently, he hadn't fully grown into the role yet.

A passionate inventor, Clemont rarely appeared in public, having inherited the Gym Leader position from his father, "Blaziken Mask" Meyer.

Natsume eyed Clemont's backpack warily—it definitely contained explosives.

Even Blastoise couldn't analyze their composition... Clemont's danger level was off the charts!

"Hello. Sorry about Gengar causing trouble," Natsume said.

"Not at all!" Clemont waved his hands. "I'm the one who needs to improve."

"Natsume-sensei!"

Bonnie raised her hand excitedly, hopping off her seat.

"I'm Bonnie! Nice to meet you!"

Her blonde pigtails swayed, baby-blue eyes sparkling, bangs neatly braided, dressed in an adorable Moe-Moe! dress.

Natsume shook her tiny hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you too, Bonnie."

"Hehe." Bonnie grinned slyly. "I heard you and Miss Cynthia are dating~"

"Bonnie..." Clemont shot her a warning look.

Bonnie sighed like a weary adult.

"But my Brother's still single... Bonnie has such a hard time!"

Clemont flushed red. "BONNIE!"

Bonnie hid behind Natsume, sticking her tongue out. "Nyeh!"

Even she couldn't explain why she felt such instant fondness for Natsume-sensei.

Maybe it was his sweet dessert-like aura, or maybe—

His Pokémon were just too cute!

The siblings' bickering gave Natsume a headache this early in the morning.

"Have you two eaten breakfast?" Natsume interrupted.

"Eh?" Clemont adjusted his thick round glasses. "No, we haven't..."

"Then sit down and chat." Natsume gestured. "What would you like?"

Bonnie scanned the menu. "Ice cream!"

"Coming right up," Natsume said. "My specialty."

Clemont protested, "Who eats ice cream for breakfast?!"

Bonnie: "Ehehe..."

"Sylveon~"

Sylveon leaped gracefully onto the counter, watching Natsume-sensei work.

Hot weather made ice cream acceptable.

Whether it counted as a meal... debatable. But "Cabbage Ice Cream" definitely did.

Shaking off the morning's shock, Natsume focused on dessert-making.

Just one Badge... no big deal!

Clemont and Bonnie took their seats.

The blonde girl swung her legs, whispering:

"Brother, Natsume-sensei is really nice..."

Clemont nodded. "If you think so, it must be true."

Bonnie stuck out her tongue playfully.

She was lively and perceptive—able to sense kindness in others.

But without her first Pokémon yet, and endless homework every night...

Her cheerful mood dimmed as she sighed, resting her chin in her hands.

"What's wrong?" Clemont asked.

"Grown-ups wouldn't understand kids' problems," Bonnie muttered.

"Tch." Clemont rolled his eyes as mechanical "Aipom Arms" emerged from his backpack to hold a newspaper.

……

Today's specialty dessert was named "Swablu Fluff Ice."

A shaved ice creation inspired by Swablu's fluffy wings, drizzled with tangy-sweet Oran Berry syrup, topped with a creamy ice cream head—the two signature tufts perfectly recreated amidst swirling cool mist.

Served in sky-blue glass cups, dusted with fine powdered sugar and star-shaped chocolate flakes.

"Gengar~" Gengar gracefully carried two servings to the table on a tray.

"Thank you, Gengar~" Bonnie swung her legs cheerfully.

"Gengar! (ノ￣▽￣)" Gengar waved modestly.

Bonnie's eyes sparkled as she stared at the frosty dessert, clenching her tiny fists. "Wow!"

"I can eat the whole thing? The whole thing?!" She gulped, glancing at Clemont.

Clemont folded his newspaper. "Just this once."

"Yay!" Bonnie raised her spoon triumphantly before diving into the "Swablu Fluff Ice's wings."

"Mmm..."

Spoon dangling from her mouth, Bonnie cupped her cheeks as if floating in bliss.

Summer shaved ice was the best!

Clemont took a spoonful, his eyes widening slightly.

Just ordinary shaved ice... yet this flavor?

Closing his eyes, he suddenly realized: "Oran Berry!"

The berry's sweet-tart profile blended perfectly with the ice's refreshing chill.

Soon, Clemont too fell victim to the summer treat's charm.

"Incredible flavor..."

Natsume leaned against the counter.

"These are on the house. Next time, you pay."

Bonnie raised her hand eagerly:

"Can Bonnie work here as a waitress?! ( ≧◇≦)"

"Rejected." Natsume deadpanned. "No child labor in my café."

"Eh? So mean..." Bonnie pouted, attacking her dessert again.

"Gengar~" Gengar patted her shoulder consolingly.

Bonnie turned to Natsume at the counter, blinking.

"Then can I visit often, Natsume-sensei?"

Clemont reminded her: "You have homework."

Bonnie: "No problem! Natsume-sensei can tutor me~"

Clemont paused, then nodded thoughtfully. "Fair point."

Given Natsume-sensei's strength and character, he'd be ideal for supervising Bonnie.

Plus, Bonnie's instincts were never wrong.

"Then I can play with Gengar and Sylveon lots~" Bonnie beamed.

"Gengar~" Gengar scratched its head sheepishly.

Watching the siblings' self-contained discussion, Natsume felt conflicted.

What exactly do they think this café is...

A daycare center?

Yet Bonnie possessed a peculiar charm rivaling even Yellow's.

In the anime, she'd bonded with Zygarde's core—a testament to her pure heart and fortune.

Rotom floated over, blinking. "What's the homework, Rotom?"

"Mostly math problems..." Bonnie sighed.

"Easy! Rotom~"

Rotom boasted: "Just snap a photo—instant solutions!"

Natsume's eye twitched.

That's basically cheating...

Soon, both siblings' bowls were empty.

Bonnie gave Clemont puppy-dog eyes.

"No." Clemont stood firm. "Thank Natsume-sensei properly—we're returning to Prism Tower!"

Bonnie sighed dramatically before hopping down to bow.

"Thank you, Champion Senior!"

Natsume: "...Just Natsume-sensei is fine."

"Can I visit again?" Bonnie's eyes shone.

Natsume hesitated, then nodded.

Hopefully the Legendary Pokémon won't scare her...

"Yippee~!"

Bonnie skipped to the door, waving. "Bye, Natsume-sensei!"

"Natsume-sensei, until next time." Clemont bowed.

Natsume nodded slightly, relieved as they departed.

Thank goodness Clemont didn't activate his "Clemontic Gear" today!

On the counter lay last night's spoils—a gleaming Electric-type Badge.

[Voltage Badge: Symbol of Lumiose Gym's challenge, radiating metallic design. (Prism Tower stands!)]

Bonnie's cheerfulness had lifted Natsume's fatigue.

"Now for some peace—"

His steps faltered as a faint notification chimed.

[Ding! New Badge detected—mission issued!]

[Objective: Collect eight Kalos Gym Badges]

[Progress: (1/8)]

[Reward: Sparkling Stone]

Natsume blinked, his expression growing peculiar.

In Mega Evolution-centric Kalos, the reward was a Z-Move catalyst?

Natsume: "...Always one step ahead, aren't you?"

[?]

Unlike previous missions, this reward might actually be useful for strengthening his team.

"Sparkling Stones" were essential for Z-Moves—crafted into Z-Rings and paired with Z-Crystals for power boosts.

But there was one catch:

The dances.

Take Waterium Z—requiring public seaweed-like wiggling—

No cringe, no power?!

After mentally reviewing Z-Move choreography, Natsume silently closed the prompt.

"This mission... I'll pass!"