Chapter 0608: New Berries, New Poké Balls(Two-in-One)

The Lily of the Valley Conference had concluded, but post-tournament discussions were still in full swing.

Blastoise—having fought four intense battles and transformed into a veritable war fortress with Mega Evolution—became the center of attention among fans.

"Mega Launcher (×) Super Reactor (√)"

"Could Tobias' Darkrai... survive that Hydro Pump?"

"Ten-year fan here—Natsume-sensei really was just using Water Gun!"

There was no doubt that both the unyielding Infernape and the meteor-diving Charizard had performed at championship-level standards.

And Lucario, making its debut, had elevated the battle's intensity to new heights.

As forum fans put it—Ash had showcased his skill and style...

But Natsume-sensei's Blastoise was just too steady!!

Not only did it trade blows with Infernape under Torrent, but its Mega Launcher ability had outright overpowered Lucario's signature Aura Sphere!

Eliminated contestants from this year's conference wiped their tears.

"We never stood a chance..."

"First the Divine Beast Man, then the True Rookie... and the champion was a rock-solid veteran!"

"Charizard... my Charizard... o(╥﹏╥)o"

With this tournament, Ash—now a four-time runner-up—still had his loyal followers.

But there was no denying that his command skills still lagged behind even Paul's.

Strategies like "Seismic Toss rush-in" were visually spectacular... but carried equally high risks.

Had Blastoise gone all-out with a single punch at close range, Charizard wouldn't have even had time to flap its wings.

Losing to Natsume-sensei might have been a blessing in disguise—at least Ash could learn from the experience and grow as a Trainer.

Natsume fell into thought.

Ash in Sinnoh is still green... and his team lacks a key Mega Evolution candidate.

I wonder if he'll stand a chance against Alain's Charizard X once he bonds with Greninja in Kalos.

By then...

I'll probably be honeymooning—ahem—hunting for Plates with Moe-Moe!

"Gotta find out where they live... I think Handsome Detective has an office in Lumiose City."

Natsume rubbed his chin, his expression turning sly.

"...And I'll need to avoid those Construction guys again."

……

Night deepened.

The Lily of the Valley Island was illuminated by dazzling fireworks as tourists lingered to enjoy the spectacle.

The display symbolized the closing of the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Meanwhile, in three days, the island would host the Champion League—an exclusive tournament where only Conference Champions could participate.

Conference Champions could challenge any member of the Elite Four.

Victory would grant them the option to either take that Elite Four's seat or continue onward to challenge the reigning League Champion.

A successful challenger would then become the region's new Champion.

Iris had risen this way by defeating Alder, while others like Steven and Wallace had voluntarily stepped down.

The gap between a Conference Champion and a League Champion was vast.

A new Conference Champion emerged every year, but few ever ascended to the Elite Four or Champion status.

Most fell to Lorelei's Cloyster in Kanto, Flint's Infernape in Sinnoh, and so on.

Even in the anime, Tobias—despite being a Conference Champion—had failed to defeat Flint, showcasing the Elite Four's overwhelming strength.

By comparison, Red—who had dominated his debut Conference and crushed Lance to become Champion—was terrifyingly gifted.

Ash, meanwhile, only claimed his first Conference victory in Alola.

And since Alola's League was brand new, that victory had made him its inaugural Champion.

...Did that seem a little too convenient?

Natsume shook his head.

Returning to his temporary lodgings on the island, he found Blastoise meticulously applying a Full Restore to its shell, the spray emitting a faint "+1" glow.

Satisfied with its now-pristine, metallic sheen, Blastoise smirked. "Blastoise."

Natsume: "..."

As everyone knew, the Kanto starter trio's Venusaur and Charizard were dual-typed.

So it was only natural that his Blastoise was [Water + Steel], right?

Watching Blastoise habitually check for toxins with its aura, Natsume muttered, "Steel-types don't even get poisoned..."

The Conference's original prize had been a Moltres Feather—identical to the Indigo Plateau's reward.

But since Natsume already possessed the superior Rainbow Wing, he'd negotiated for a Hard Stone mined from Oreburgh instead.

The Hard Stone boosted Rock-type moves—perfect for sustaining Larvitar until its evolution into Pupitar.

At the same time, the long-dormant System chimed.

[Ding! Major Quest 'Sinnoh League' complete.]

[Progress: (3/3)]

[Objective: Win the Lily of the Valley Conference.]

[Rewards: Cherish Ball ×1, Nugget ×1, High-Quality Berry ×1!]

Natsume blinked.

I had this quest?

He vaguely recalled Devon Corp's "Infinity Project," which could teleport objects across dimensions—somewhat similar to this System's mechanics.

Natsume: "...Why another berry?"

What, does the System think a food content creator can't run out of ingredients?!

The randomly selected berry was a Chople Berry—also called the "Fighting-Resist Berry," modeled after wax apples.

[Chople Berry: Weakens super-effective Fighting-type moves. (Its spicy flesh is indispensable in cold regions.)]

"Spicy?!" Natsume's eyes lit up.

Wasn't there a post-tournament banquet tonight?

He coughed. "...Guess the Champion has to cook after all."

The spice wasn't the point—resisting Fighting moves was.

Tyranitar's quadruple weakness to Fighting meant early exposure to Chople Berries could toughen it up.

A Desert Tyrant getting one-shot by Mach Punch? Unacceptable.

Comparing heat levels, Petaya Berry scored 30, while Chople Berry was 15.

...Still pretty hot.

With some flavor adjustments, the berries could be safely fed to Larvitar.

Natsume glanced at Larvitar, who was tilting its head curiously while watching Togepi play video games.

Rare berries... premium ores... Hall of Origin floor tiles (wait, no)...

Even Red's Snorlax never got this kind of royal treatment!

Now that Chople Berry was unlocked, it could be freely exchanged through the System anytime.

Natsume suddenly found himself looking forward to obtaining Yache Berries (anti-Ice) and Rindo Berries (anti-Grass) next.

After all, Tyranitar's defensive weaknesses were terrible - a little preventive care couldn't hurt...

As for the other rewards:

The Nugget was purely decorative - a massive golden ingot so blindingly shiny it made Natsume squint.

"Blastoise... ヾ(■_■)"

Blastoise carefully inspected the nugget, verifying it wasn't explosive before adjusting its sunglasses.

If we ever go bankrupt, this will be our financial lifeline...

The final reward was a special Poké Ball called Cherish Ball.

The Cherish Ball's crimson surface was adorned with black-gold accents - an extremely rare collector's item representing the Poké Ball factory's finest craftsmanship.

While Silph Co. had created the Master Ball and Devon Corporation countered with the Luxury Ball - one excelling in capture rates, the other in friendship building - the Cherish Ball was...

Completely useless except for showing off!

"How tacky!" Natsume scoffed, though he still clipped the Cherish Ball to his belt for critical evaluation purposes.

That said...

Only Mythical Pokémon typically warranted distribution in Cherish Balls.

Natsume studied the translucent red sphere warily.

"...You're trouble."

[?]

"Gengar~" Gengar stood under the AC, mouth wide open enjoying the cool air.

"Togepi doo-ee!" Togepi ripped open a jumbo chip bag for Larvitar, who immediately face-planted into it.

"Larvitar~ (￣～￣)" Larvitar emerged covered in crumbs.

Togepi blinked, then toddled off to get another bag for itself.

After calming himself, Natsume placed the championship trophy in the display case and absentmindedly petted Sylveon's snowy fur.

"Sylveon~!" It bristled indignantly at having its proud strut interrupted.

"I should have dinner with Cynthia tonight," Natsume mused. "And check on Ash."

Losing the finals must have been disappointing for the kid.

But hey -

At least he hasn't suffered through losing to Tobias yet!

That'll hurt way more!

……

Chat Group

Red: "There's always next year!"

Blue Oak: "Facing Natsume-sensei was tough. You performed well."

Ash beamed at the rare praise from Blue.

Gold: "Ash and I specialize in wild battles!"

Lance: "In official matches, you'd lose to him."

Gold: "I just never collected eight badges!"

Silver: "You mean you couldn't defeat the gym leaders."

Gold: "Says the guy who stole badges to compete!"

As the bickering escalated, Kris hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

Gold couldn't even clear the gym challenges?

Then again, Johto's leaders probably went all-out against him...

Flint: "So Natsume-sensei - which Elite Four will you challenge?!"

Among Sinnoh's Elite Four, Flint - though recently appointed - had risen to second strongest.

The weakest was Bug-type specialist Aaron, followed by Granny Bertha (Ground).

The strongest and most capable was Psychic-type expert Lucian.

Natsume: "Haven't decided if I'll compete."

Going all-out in the Baby Cup was exhausting enough.

The Elite Four challenge would require calling in serious backup...

Darkrai would break Lucian, and waking Regigigas would make Brandon cry again.

Flint: "I'll be waiting!"

Despite inevitable defeat, Flint burned for a full-power battle.

Fire-type trainers - always such hot-blooded idiots...

Natsume sighed.

Too tired to deal with another "Blaze" comeback...

If he did compete, Granny Bertha was semi-retired and rarely accepted challenges anymore.

That left either Aaron or Lucian...

Lucian adjusted his glasses. "I await your challenge at any time."

Finally, Natsume's turn!

Then I can clock out, go home, read, and enjoy a nice cold beer. Perfect.

……

7:00 PM

The summer night was stifling, the sea glimmering faintly as cicadas chirred endlessly.

Lily of the Valley Island—a forest-covered paradise—was illuminated at its center by the Sinnoh League and tournament arena's blazing lights.

While some audience members departed by ferry, others arrived specifically for the Champion League.

Having finished her duties, Cynthia returned to her League quarters, ready to shed her black trench coat.

It's too hot... I want ice cream.

With a soft sigh, she pushed the door open—

—and was greeted by a refreshing blast of AC. Her eyes slid shut in relief.

"Dinner with Professor Oak and the others tonight?" Natsume stood, puffing up slightly. "I'll cook."

"Right after winning the Conference, you're cooking yourself?" Cynthia arched a brow, hand resting beneath her chin.

"The Baby Cup was just a hobby."

Natsume smirked. "I, Lu, have always aspired to be a culinary god!"

"...Is there ice cream?"

"...Yes."

"Let's go!" Cynthia's eyes crinkled.

While Moe-Moe! went upstairs to change—

"Garchomp!! (▼皿▼#)"

Garchomp scraped its scythes together, glaring at Natsume with clear dissatisfaction.

Lucario, meanwhile, leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed.

After this long, it was already familiar with Natsume's aura...

"Gengar~ (￣▽￣)／" Gengar casually offered Garchomp an ice-cold cola.

"Garchomp..." A sweatdrop rolled down Garchomp's temple as it stared at the bottle, scythes fidgeting awkwardly.

Eventually, it half-sprawled across the table, sipping through a straw with bliss. "Garchomp..."

Natsume frowned slightly, pondering the night's menu.

As the former first seat of Totsuki's Elite Ten, I once conquered Headmaster Senzaemon with my spicy cuisine!

...Wait, that never happened?

After thirty minutes, Natsume suddenly remembered—

Moe-Moe! has wardrobe indecision too!

"Lucario." Natsume jerked his chin upward. "Go check."

"Lucario." It nodded, pushing off the wall—then froze.

...Why am I obeying him?

"Lucario!" With a huff, it stomped back to its spot.

Natsume: "Then I'll go myself."

Lucario hesitated before stiffly nodding. "Lucario... (ー`′ー)"

Natsume smirked.

Trying to out-psych me? Nice try.

His phone lit up.

[Cynthia: "Still deciding..."]

[Natsume: "I'll pick for you!"]