Chapter 0611:The Dirtiest Trainer Alive(Two-in-One)

The match against Lucian was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Until then, training and slacking off continued as usual.

Natsume lounged on the sofa, flipping through one of Shauntal's novels to pass the time.

Snow-white Sylveon perched beside him, summer drowsiness gradually taking hold as its azure eyes narrowed slightly: "Sylveon..."

Holding the book with one hand, Natsume's eyes scanned the pages while his free hand absently rubbed Sylveon's pink ears. He read aloud softly:

"'The small yet resilient Pokémon looked up at its Trainer, only to see seeds of doubt taking root—Their opponent was stronger than ever before. With a gentle cry, the Pokémon comforted its Trainer as the battle began...'"

Reading this, Natsume felt a stir in his heart.

A small yet resilient Pokémon... He recalled his first meeting with Eevee and glanced down.

His gaze met Sylveon's upturned eyes.

"Sylveon! (▼ヘ▼#)"

Natsume: "...Sorry, got carried away with the ear rubbing."

"Sylveon~o(′^｀)o" Sylveon turned its head away, signaling forgiveness this time.

Placing the book face-down on his chest, Natsume stared at Sylveon's ribbons and suddenly had an impulse—

What if I tied them in a knot?

Natsume pressed his lips together.

Too bad he didn't have superhuman physique.

Otherwise he could catch Sylveon's Iron Tail bare-handed, then lift it up with a Seismic Toss!

His gaze drifted to Sirfetch'd crouching under the AC with folded wings.

Natsume: "Leek Pancake, come here."

"Sirfetch'd?" Sirfetch'd set aside its Leek and shield before waddling over.

Natsume leaned down to pat its head.

Sirfetch'd retracted its neck slightly: "Sirfetch'd?"

"Have you been putting on weight lately?" Natsume grinned.

"Fetch'd!" Sirfetch'd shuddered.

That sounded suspiciously like foreshadowing~~

"Sirfetch'd!" (I'm going training!) It hastily grabbed its weapons and scurried outside.

Natsume blinked before calling out: "Watch out for heatstroke!"

"Sirfetch'd! (′︿‵)" A chill ran down its spine.

Was heatstroke some kind of setup?!

To go or not to go... Such a dilemma, quack~~

Sirfetch'd ultimately went to train Ice-type moves under Blastoise's guidance.

The young leek warrior didn't realize every scallion in this world comes with a hidden price tag.

Sword-and-Shield Deity (×) Emergency Rations (√)

Natsume resumed reading.

"Togepi doo-ee~! ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ"

Togepi toddled from the room to the kitchen, using Confusion to open the fridge and retrieve a giant cola bottle before sealing it shut again.

Pressing its cheek against the chilled bottle, Togepi sighed contentedly: "Togepi~"

"Larvitar..." Larvitar focused intently on stacking blocks Togepi had abandoned.

Placing the final block, Larvitar exhaled: "Larvitar!"

Noticing this, Natsume tossed a Hard Stone: "Heads up, Larvitar!"

Larvitar suddenly spun midair to catch the stone, crunching it loudly.

"Larvitar! (￣～￣)"

Natsume: "..."

Pseudo-legendary babies sure are entertaining.

These Hard Stones—part of his Lily of Valley Conference champion rewards—made perfect Larvitar snacks.

Combined with previously acquired Tanga Berries...

The custom meal plan for this pseudo-legendary was complete, offering both nutrition and taste until evolution.

During its Pupitar stage, it would cease mineral consumption, giving Natsume temporary relief.

But after evolving into Tyranitar... the feeding headaches would return.

Natsume rubbed his temples.

No wonder Gym Leaders, Elite Fours and Champions all had side hustles.

Beyond battling, raising these gold-sinking powerhouses required serious funding!

"Arcanine~" Arcanine lay sprawled with its luxurious mane, wagging its tail lazily.

A majestic lion in battle, but just a handsome derpy husky otherwise.

The big dog also served as babysitter.

Sometimes Togepi and Larvitar even mimicked its tongue-lolling expression.

"Togepi~"

Natsume: "..."

This cuteness is lethal!

Clearing his throat, Natsume rose from the sofa and shelved Shauntal's book.

The bookcase held Cynthia's collection—Shauntal's novels alongside various Sinnoh historical and mythological texts.

As his fingers trailed the spines, Natsume recalled yesterday's conversation about Giovanni's succession plan.

Much like Steven passing his Champion title to Wallace...

It wasn't about weariness or defeat.

Simply pursuing greater goals while entrusting responsibilities to worthy successors.

"Being boss is out of the question. I'll stick to pulling strings behind the scenes."

Natsume muttered before looking up: "Project Storm... neutralizing extreme weather effects..."

Wait—

"Boss, are you really going to catch a Delta Stream Rayquaza?!"

Natsume's expression twisted.

Probably overthinking it.

Additionally, per Matori's personnel report—

Due to outstanding performance in Michina Town, Jessie, James and Meowth were promoted to junior captains, equivalent to low-rank executives.

This aligned with anime continuity where the trio wore black suits post-Sinnoh as advanced executives (before later demotion).

Currently they remained commanders without subordinates.

With enough hustle, they might rise to senior executive status matching the "Three Executives."

Natsume's face grew pensive.

Original Three Executives: Sabrina, Koga, Lt. Surge.

Current Three Executives: Jessie, James, Meowth.

Talk about comparing alpha Rottweilers to scrappy mutts!

The mental image was too vivid!

……

At the Lily of the Valley Island library...

Lucian sat with crossed legs in his burgundy suit, rapidly flipping through a hardcover book while wearing lavender-tinted glasses.

Reading was Lucian's greatest passion.

After weeks buried in work, preparing for the Champion League finally granted him leisure time.

Snap!

He closed the book with a sigh.

"Done... finished..."

As a Psychic-type Elite Four member, Lucian had mastered both "Speed Reading" and "Photographic Memory."

His "Speed Reading" could rival so-called "Quantum Pulse Reading."

Compared to Caitlin's Confusion mastery or Olympia's prophetic visions, Lucian's abilities seemed modest.

Yet for strategy-focused trainers, these skills proved invaluable.

"Now to research Natsume-sensei's tactical systems..."

Lucian grabbed notepaper, muttering to himself.

"That Gengar requires special attention... For sleep tactics, 'Sleep Talk' counters best."

"Against Perish Song, rotation plus 'Taunt' should work."

"If Natsume-sensei favors rush tactics, 'Trick Room' could..."

Beads of sweat formed as Lucian scribbled frantically, filling an entire page.

Finally, he slumped back, removing his glasses to wipe his brow.

No viable countermeasures...

Who could predict what strategies Natsume-sensei might deploy—

The possibilities surrounding Gengar were endless!!

"Sleep, Toxic, Perish Song, Icy Wind speed control, Shadow Ball sweeps..."

Lucian's pen hit the table in despair.

The crux? Natsume-sensei mastered them all, even creating tutorial videos for each...

Lucian: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Since when did Gengar become this filthy?!

Since when did trainers get this dirty?!

......

Gold's group remained on Lily of the Valley Island to watch the Elite Four matches.

Professor Oak and Blue Oak departed early by ferry for research commitments, taking Delia and Ash along.

At the island's port...

The white ferry's horn sounded as it prepared to depart.

"Bye Natsume-sensei!" Ash waved vigorously from the deck railing. "Bye Gold-senpai!"

"Kid's got energy!" Gold rubbed his chin.

"Maybe he'll win next year's Unova Vertress Conference?" Crystal smiled, holding her bags.

Natsume gazed skyward.

I get it... BW Pikachu was Oscar-worthy + 'Pikachu Canoe' material...

Is Unova secretly Pokémon Hollywood?

"Didn't Sabrina-nee film movies there?" Green adjusted her sunhat curiously.

Silver stood silently in black-red attire.

Calling her 'Sabrina-nee' publicly while saying 'that old woman' privately...

"Special effects and soundtrack? Trash."

Natsume crossed his arms critically:

"Plot too."

Sabrina's film The Enchanted Gate of Magic Kingdom cast her as the villainous witch.

Despite terrible reviews, it gained cult following—

Launching Sabrina's transition from Team Rocket to stardom... somewhat like Jessie's dream.

"Lead actress couldn't act anyway~" Gold shrugged.

Natsume blinked.

......

Afternoon

Natsume gathered the still-diligently-stalling Trio in a quiet corner to announce their personnel transfer.

"We're... becoming junior captains?" Jessie's voice trembled.

"All three of us..." James swallowed hard. "P-promoted?"

Meowth looked up at the Executive with hopeful eyes. "Is it true, meow?"

Natsume nodded.

The Trio froze for a moment.

"This is amazing, meow! "

"Our hard work finally paid off!"

Natsume: "...Alright, keep it down. Don't draw attention."

"yes!"

Even without any substantial changes, the mere promotion in title was enough to move them to tears.

Natsume thought there was no one easier to motivate—ahem—no more dedicated employees than them.

Natsume: "Keep working hard, earn more funding... You might even advance to become the Three Executives one day."

The tech-savvy Trio and Team Rocket's delivery branch—

Well... a perfect match!

The Trio hugged each other, tears in their eyes.

"This... is the best feeling ever~~~! o(╥﹏╥)o"

"Wobbuffet~Wobbuffet!!"

......

June 6th, Sunday

At the Lily of the Valley Conference's main stadium, Natsume's battle against Lucian was about to begin.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Brilliant fireworks lit up the sky.

Drones circled above the arena as crowds poured in.

The Trio worked with burning enthusiasm, attracting customers.

"Get your tongue-out Gengar plushies here, meow~"

"And Sylveon ear headbands—super cute!"

Natsume waited in the contestant lounge, watching the broadcast on the big screen with slight surprise.

"There are this many spectators?"

A staff member smiled. "Thanks to your popularity, this year's Champion League is drawing as much attention as the Lily of the Valley Conference Finals."

The Champion League was already one of the highest-level battle exhibitions.

With both Natsume and Lucian being high-profile contestants, this clash of titans had fans buzzing with excitement.

"Go Natsume-sensei!!"

"Lucian! Lucian!!"

The cheers from the arena reached the lounge.

Natsume was taken aback by the turnout but felt a flicker of anticipation.

Losing other fan tournaments is fine... But this one, I have to win!

The big screen showed Lucian making his entrance.

Amid the roaring crowd, Lucian stepped out from the contestant tunnel in polished leather shoes, a book in hand.

Sunlight glinted off his lavender-tinted glasses.

Snap!

He closed the book, glanced up, and offered a faint smile to the camera drone.

The arena erupted instantly.

"Lucian's pretty popular, huh?" Green whispered to Jasmine over the deafening cheers.

Jasmine smiled softly. "He's performed exceptionally in past Champion Leagues... That's earned him quite the following."

In the VIP seats, Cynthia sat with legs crossed, draped in an elegant black trench coat with a velvet collar, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.

The cheers grew even louder as the host's electrifying voice boomed through the stadium.

"Next up—the Lily of the Valley Conference Champion, Natsume!!"

"Recording mode activated, Rotom!"

On screen, a red recording light blinked.

The camera angled upward, capturing Natsume's back as he strode into the roaring arena.

Rotom Phones buzzed around him, with livestream fans flooding in immediately.

"He's here! First-person view!"

"Natsume-sensei isn't playing Baby Cup anymore! (crying)"

"Just an Elite Four match? More like rookie crushing!"

"Go get 'em, Natsume-sensei!!"

Natsume emerged from the long contestant tunnel.

Sunlight bathed him.

The stands exploded with cheers.

Standing at the center of the soundwave, Natsume looked at Lucian across the field and felt a surreal disconnect.

A year ago, he'd watched Lucian vs. Cynthia's Champion League match on TV.

Now, he stood here himself, challenging Sinnoh's strongest Elite Four.

Thump. Thump.

His heartbeat was steady.

Natsume had already accepted this reality—as tangible as the Poké Ball in his hand.

"When Trainer and Pokémon share a bond, battles shine with brilliance," Lucian recited, one arm crossed, adjusting his glasses with a smile.

"What?"

"Something I just read." Lucian shrugged. "If I don't say it now, I might not get another chance."

"No..." He corrected himself with a calm smile. "Perhaps I'll have more time now."

Natsume: "...I'm not taking over the Elite Four position."

Lucian froze.

"Y-you're not?"

"Forgot to mention earlier." Natsume offered an apologetic smile. "I'm planning to travel to Kalos soon."

"..." Lucian's hand trembled as he pushed up his glasses.

So in the end—

Even accepting Natsume-sensei's challenge was just another overtime assignment?! ???????

"Just..."

Lucian pressed a hand to his forehead, groaning:

"Start. The. Battle."