Chapter 0617: Pokémon Rainbow Café

Kalos, Lumiose City.

Augustine Sycamore Research Institute.

In the lush gardens, a young man in a black jacket with a blue neck accessory walked along the corridor, followed by a Charizard with its tail flame burning brightly. The Charizard wore a distinctive Mega Evolution device around its neck, with a Mega Stone gleaming at its center.

Professor Sycamore, one hand in the pocket of his white coat and the other stroking his stubble, brightened upon seeing the young man and called out cheerfully:

"Alain! Perfect timing—there's something I need your help with!"

Alain approached and listened to Professor Sycamore's request, his expression shifting to mild surprise.

"Natsume-sensei is coming to Kalos for his travels?"

"That's right."

Professor Sycamore grinned, hands now both in his pockets. "You seem quite interested in him."

Alain nodded respectfully.

"At the recent Sinnoh Champion League, Natsume-sensei defeated Elite Four Lucian—a Psychic-type specialist—with his Mega Gengar."

"Oh? I've been researching the Bond Phenomenon lately, so I haven't kept up with the tournaments." Professor Sycamore blinked in surprise.

Professor Sycamore had met Natsume-sensei at a research conference. The young scholar's expertise in ancient texts had left a lasting impression.

He hadn't expected Natsume to also be capable of defeating Sinnoh's strongest Elite Four.

This revelation genuinely caught him off guard.

"Their strategic battle was intense, but Natsume-sensei ultimately outmaneuvered Lucian and achieved a shutout."

Alain paused before adding, "Ah, there's another piece of news—not sure if you've heard."

"What is it?" Augustine Sycamore crossed his arms. "Something about Natsume-sensei?"

Alain nodded. "After the Champion League concluded, Natsume-sensei publicly confessed to Champion Cynthia—and apparently..."

"They've already been in a relationship for some time."

Professor Sycamore double-checked his phone to confirm he hadn't misheard, then burst into hearty laughter.

"Hahaha! Seems my instincts at the research conference were spot-on!"

Even back then, Professor Sycamore had sensed something between them.

The people of Kalos adored romance.

Professor Sycamore himself had been quite the playboy in his youth and was still considered a "heartthrob" by many.

He wholeheartedly approved of their public relationship—and was deeply moved by it.

"Sounds like they might as well be coming to Kalos for their honeymoon."

He chuckled before continuing, "Alain, that café on the southern street of Lumiose—the one Lysandre used to own—seems to be vacant now. Could you look into it?"

"Consider it done."

Alain's Charizard's Mega device and Evolution Stone had been gifts from Lysandre himself.

However, after those gifts were given, Lysandre's "new world" plans collapsed, and he was imprisoned.

Rumors suggested Lysandre Labs was now dabbling in "Virtual Imaging" technology, possibly collaborating with the Pokémon Company.

Who knew how that would turn out...

Alain shook his head and glanced back at Charizard, quietly tightening his fist.

No matter what.

His goal was to win the next Lumiose Conference and become the strongest Mega Evolution messenger.

To achieve that... he needed to keep learning from and challenging the best!

"I hope Natsume-sensei arrives in Lumiose City soon," Alain thought to himself.

"Oh, Alain—"

Professor Sycamore, halfway out the door, turned back.

"The Evolution Stone detector picked up another signal recently—from Geosenge Town."

"Initial analysis suggests it might be a Tyranitarite or Garchompite."

"Mind investigating the ancient ruins there? If you could retrieve the stone, that'd be ideal."

"Leave it to me and Charizard!"

Alain clenched his fist confidently.

……

June 9th, Wednesday - Sunny

Sinnoh Region, Lily of the Valley Island.

The scorching sun blazed outside, temperatures reaching a sweltering 35°C.

"Sirfetch'd…(´-ω-`)"

Sirfetch'd glanced at the glaring sunlight outside the window before nestling beside the standing air conditioner, folding its wings contentedly as it closed its eyes.

I might as well be a useless duck at this point...

Drowsiness gradually took over as Sirfetch'd's snow-white head bobbed up and down, drifting into a peaceful nap.

Sirfetch'd used 'Rest'!

Natsume, Gengar, and Blastoise sat side by side on the sofa.

From left to right: iced cola, iced cola, and steaming hot tea.

Swish—

Both Natsume and Gengar turned their heads toward Blastoise in unison.

"Blastoise ヾ(■_■)"

Blastoise leisurely lifted its tea, blowing away the rising steam.

Isn't it perfectly reasonable to enjoy a stomach-warming, energy-boosting tea in the summer?

Unable to argue, Natsume cleared his throat and leaned back, reminiscing about Pokémon XY's storyline.

Compared to Sinnoh's rival Paul, Ash's Kalos rival Alain was undoubtedly stronger.

Long before Ash arrived in Kalos, Alain had already been traveling with his Charizard, challenging Mega Evolution messengers—even defeating the Fire-type Elite Four member Malva at one point.

However, compared to Sinnoh's Elite Four, who showcased remarkable battle prowess, Kalos's Elite Four seemed slightly less impressive.

Aside from the meme-worthy "Kalos slander"... it might also be because battling wasn't their main focus.

Then again...

Natsume's own "main focus" was being a chef, food content creator, and part-time game developer...

So he really had no room to complain.

Given that Kalos was a culinary capital—with Lumiose City's central streets packed with cafés—Natsume had been considering opening his own.

Not for profit, but as a passion project.

Experimenting with new ice cream desserts, developing fresh recipes, and inviting friends to visit.

Luring (ahem)... inviting more Pokémon—even Legendaries—to hang out or work part-time.

This might just become his main motivation for going to Kalos.

"Finding Plates is secondary... Opening a café and living the easy life—that's the real goal!"

Natsume nodded in satisfaction.

Plus, the café could double as a secret base for the trio.

If they ever blew through their funds again... at least they wouldn't be homeless.

In Pokémon XY, Lysandre had once run the Café Soleil, which became hugely popular in Lumiose City.

But in this timeline, Lysandre had already been imprisoned... leaving no major villains to cause trouble.

"If I recall... Lysandre's dream was to create a world without conflict."

Natsume stroked his chin.

A world without conflict... Wasn't that just a world where everything was decided by card games?

"That lion-headed guy would've been perfect for playing cards. His hologram tech would've been great for PTCG too... Maybe we could've partnered with his lab."

Then he paused.

Wait... Is Team Rainbow Rocket in this world a little... off?

Team Rocket was a delivery company.

Lysandre's Team Flare... was a toy company?!

Natsume coughed. "Ahem! Let's focus on the café first..."

The café could employ Pokémon as staff, even functioning as a mini Pokémon sanctuary.

For stray or hard-to-catch Pokémon, Natsume planned to invite them to stay, hang out, and maybe help out if they wanted.

Like a singing Jigglypuff, Mew from the Tree of Beginning, or even the Rainbow Guardian Marshadow...

He was sure more adorable Pokémon would join the café's roster over time.

Of course, these were just preliminary ideas.

Everything depended on finding the right location in Kalos first.

But one thing was already decided:

The café's name.

Pokémon Rainbow Café

Inspired by a certain mobile game Natsume-sensei particularly enjoyed.

Curry rice, ice cream, macarons... These would all be on the menu.

"Sirfetch'd~( -'`-)"

Glancing at the napping Sirfetch'd, Natsume pondered.

Maybe I should add grilled leeks to the menu...

It's not like they won't grow back if you stick them in soil!

"Sirfetch'd!~(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)"

Sirfetch'd jolted awake, as if sensing impending doom, a chill running down its spine.

Something tells me... life is about to get even harder...

……

Saffron City, Silph Co. Headquarters - Pokémon Company

Oleana, dressed in a crisp white coat, clapped her hands to address the employees before her:

"The President isn't in today, so I hope everyone can put in extra effort to complete their tasks."

"Let's do our best!"

With the release of Pokémon: FireRed, Pokémon Company had rapidly become one of the most promising and influential new corporations.

However, the company's current resources were still limited, and the President frequently slacked off.

As both Secretary and Vice President, Oleana shouldered most of the responsibilities—and executed them flawlessly.

Additionally, fueled by personal interest, she continued researching Gigantamax phenomena after work hours...

And had quietly collected quite a few of Natsume's Trainer Cards.

The bustling office echoed with ringing phones.

"Yes, I can hear you." Oleana balanced the receiver between her shoulder and ear while efficiently signing documents, multitasking with practiced ease.

Her managerial skills were historically unparalleled—having once single-handedly overseen Galar's massive Macro Cosmos operations.

The only ones who might rival her capabilities were Joseph Stone, founder of Devon Corporation, and Matori, who managed Team Rocket's operations.

As her workday ended, Oleana wrapped herself in a brown trench coat, stepping into Saffron City's neon-lit streets.

Buzz—

Her phone vibrated. Answering promptly, she responded professionally: "How may I assist you?"

"Another hard day's work—thank you, Oleana." Natsume's voice came through.

"Simply doing my job," she replied.

Natsume continued: "I've submitted a request to Professor Magnolia, Galar's Dynamax expert. During your next leave, you could join her Gigantamax research team."

Oleana froze mid-step amidst the bustling crosswalk, momentarily stunned.

Researching Gigantamax had always been her life's passion.

In another timeline, she'd calculated Galar's impending energy crisis for Chairman Rose and even developed the prototype Dynamax Band alone.

But here... Oleana was too busy with overtime.

And Chairman Rose was too preoccupied with corporate affairs to go hunting for Eternatus.

Perhaps this was the ideal resolution to Galar's crisis.

Taking a steadying breath, Oleana's eyes shimmered.

"Understood... You have my deepest gratitude!"

Natsume added: "One more thing—I'll be allocating funds to open a café."

Oleana blinked, then cautiously advised: "With all due respect, sudden entry into the food industry may not be strategically sound—"

Natsume's expression turned complicated as he imagined his gluttonous team devouring pastries meant for customers...

"...Profitability isn't the goal here," he sighed.

Oleana paused, then bowed slightly.

"Very well. Consider it done."

After hanging up, Natsume gazed at the sky.

There was no rush to depart for Lumiose City yet.

First, he planned to revisit Sandgem Town, Alamos Town, and other locales with his beloved "Moe-Moe!"

If he could recruit some café helpers along the way—even better.

Counting Tohjo, Kanto, and Sinnoh... Kalos would be the fourth region on his journey.

"Can't shake this bad feeling though—"

Natsume muttered skyward:

"The Joy and Jenny clans made sense..."

"decorating family? That's just absurd..."