Chapter 0616: Today's Roast... Kalos Edition

June 8th, Tuesday.

Two days had passed since the conclusion of the Champion League.

The tale of Natsume shutting out Sinnoh's strongest Elite Four and confessing to the Champion was still the talk of the town.

What shocked the spectators most was the revelation that the two Champions had already been in a relationship, choosing this moment to make it official.

The day's trending topics were dominated by the news.

"I approve of this marriage!"

"Who could resist a Natsume-sensei who can cook and pull off dirty strategies?"

"Every Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy in the region must be heartbroken today!"

After the Champion League, Natsume's livestream gained a permanent guest commentator.

Gengar could now freely seek advice from Cynthia's Pokémon and pass it on to the younger members of the team.

"Gengar~ (≧◇≦)"

Objectively speaking, Natsume's team's average level still fell short of a Champion's main squad.

Neither Sylveon nor Arcanine had reached the threshold of a Champion's core team.

If he wanted to maintain his standing at home, retrieving Arceus's Fairy Plate from Kalos was a necessary step.

With the Lily of the Valley Conference concluded, spectators gradually left the island.

Natsume remained at his temporary residence, pondering his next move.

"The Kalos PTCG expansion pack should be ready for release soon," Natsume muttered, typing on his laptop.

"Tobias has been pestering me for ages... and I promised him a 'Darkrai·Limited' card as a tournament bonus..."

The Pokémon world was brimming with tournaments.

Aside from casual events like card battles, the most prestigious was the World Tournament hosted by the Galar region.

Held every three years, the last champion was Leon, with Lance taking second place.

Though, given that the finals took place in Wyndon's Dynamax environment, whether Leon could retain his title if the finals were held at Indigo Plateau remained debatable.

Cynthia had shown keen interest in the next Champion League...

While Natsume had no intention of participating, accompanying her wouldn't be unreasonable.

Natsume sighed. "Looks like there's still a lot to do..."

Morning sunlight streamed through the window as Natsume continued typing. Sylveon paced in front of him before finally lashing out with its ribbons in frustration.

"Sylveon! (╬ ò﹏ó)?"

Natsume blinked, then chuckled. "I'll play with you later."

"Sylveon!" Sylveon lifted its head haughtily and trotted off to the hamster wheel.

"Gengar~"

Gengar was on the balcony, fiddling with Rotom·Wash.

Thanks to the time fragment loaded into Rotom, laundry was now done at lightning speed.

A multitasking marvel—livestream editing, laundry, cooking, Pokéblock crafting—Rotom was the ultimate tool Pokémon in Natsume-sensei's household!

"System overload, Rotom~! o(TヘTo)"

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

Lazing at home in the summer heat, Sirfetch'd couldn't be bothered to go outside.

Another exhausting day...

Maybe I'll make myself some leek juice later!

"Blastoise… ヾ(■_■)"

Retreating into its shell at the bottom of the fish tank, Blastoise remained motionless.

The harsh sunlight wasn't ideal for training...

I'll wait for cloudy weather!

Sensing Sirfetch'd slacking off through its aura, Blastoise stiffened.

Could it be... Sirfetch'd had foreseen this all along?!

"Blastoise..."

With a solemn expression, Blastoise retreated further into its shell.

Through some unspoken understanding, the "genius duo" of Sirfetch'd and Blastoise had reached a mutual agreement to skip training today.

"Gastrodon~" Cynthia's Gastrodon slithered leisurely across the room, leaving a trail of slime behind.

A cleaning robot followed closely, beeping as it mopped up the mess.

Cynthia herself was absent—she'd left early for the Sinnoh League to attend Elite Four meetings and wrap up post-tournament duties.

With the major events over, her workload would lighten considerably.

By midday, Natsume tied on his apron and stepped into the kitchen to research recipes—only to pause mid-step.

Wait a minute...

The Kanto arc was "The Dragon King Returns."

The Sinnoh arc was "Sinnoh's Live-in Son-in-Law."

So the next arc is... "Househusband Chronicles"?

"I, Natsume, am not some freeloader!"

With a determined glare, Natsume slammed his kitchen knife onto the cutting board and pulled out his phone.

"First, let me look up how to make Casteliacones..."

Ash had already departed for Unova.

The Vertress Conference would begin in four months.

Counting this Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash had competed in four leagues without a single win—time wasn't on his side!

Though, in Unova, Ash hadn't caught any standout team members like Infernape.

His most notable capture was the intimidating Krookodile—

Which, like Blastoise, loved wearing sunglasses to look cool.

Natsume muttered, "...Did Ash only catch Sandile because of the sunglasses?"

His own travel plans differed from Ash's, much to Natsume's relief.

At least when he went to Kalos... he wouldn't get dragged into movie plots by that knucklehead!

Crunch!

Natsume turned toward the sound.

"Larvitar..."

Larvitar sat in front of the TV, munching on chips with tiny hands.

Under Togepi's influence, Larvitar had developed a fondness for snacks.

According to Giovanni's breeding notes, Larvitar was nearing evolution.

Once it became a Pupitar, it would enter a cocoon-like state, unable to eat anything.

"Better enjoy the good stuff while you can," Natsume said sympathetically.

"Larvitar... (°ー°〃)"

Larvitar froze, then slowly turned its head, meeting Natsume's gaze.

With trembling eyes, it hesitantly offered its bag of chips.

"La...rvitar... (〃ω〃)"

Natsume: "......"

Well, might as well take advantage of the future Desert Tyrant while it's still cute...

After storing the freshly made Casteliacones in the fridge, Natsume stepped onto the balcony, leaning against the railing as he surveyed the yard.

"Arcanine~~" Arcanine lounged lazily in the sun, its injuries from the battle with Lucian fully healed.

Smiling, Natsume turned his attention to his next agenda.

"Now that I think about it… Professor Augustine Sycamore left me his business card…"

Professor Augustine Sycamore was a renowned researcher from the Kalos Region and an expert in Mega Evolution research.

Contacting him first… would make the upcoming travel plans much smoother.

Natsume pulled out the business card Augustine Sycamore had given him.

It was from a research conference, where Augustine had offered it himself… Back then, Alain was still his assistant. Natsume wondered if he had started his journey yet.

Following the number on the business card, Natsume called Professor Augustine Sycamore’s research institute.

"You’re coming to the Kalos Region for travel?"

Professor Sycamore laughed in his signature tenor, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. "That’s—absolutely wonderful!"

"There's one more small favor I'd like to ask."

Natsume spoke politely: "I was hoping you might keep an eye out... for any suitable residences in Lumiose City."

Compared to the sleepy rural charm of Sandgem Town, Lumiose City stood as a glittering metropolis.

Natsume still remembered getting hopelessly lost in Lumiose's winding streets while playing Pokémon XY... having to hail taxis just to navigate to key locations.

Yet... Lumiose's thriving culinary scene, packed with renowned restaurants and cafés, made it particularly appealing.

This gourmet paradise was one of Natsume's primary reasons for choosing Lumiose as his first stop.

After hearing Natsume's request, Professor Sycamore chuckled warmly:

No problem, I'll keep an eye out for it.!"

Following some pleasant small talk, Natsume ended the call.

The entire Kalos Region exuded romance - even their Champion Diantha prioritized her acting career over battling.

Of course, this Champion's underwhelming battle performance...

Fit perfectly with Kalos's longstanding traditions:

The beast from Tokyo lands at Shalour Port.

The cunning strategist marches on Laverre City.

Natsume approaches Dendemille Town.

The master tactician arrives at his loyal Lumiose!