Chapter 0590: Because Sirfetch'd Never Had Fighting Spirit!

Nando plucked his harp gently.

Under the melody’s command, Roserade lifted petals toward the sky like a shrine maiden praying to the gods.

Glittering specks of light drifted upward, the clouds parted, and the sunlight blazed down—Sunny Day!

Traditional Coordinators would use this gradual buildup to set the stage for a dazzling move that would shock the audience.

But Natsume was no gentleman who would let his opponent power up freely, waiting to strike only after their army had crossed the river.

In a Contest Battle, countering an opponent’s move with their own could deal a heavy blow to their score.

Though this was a League Tournament, the two were dueling in the style of Coordinators!

Natsume’s command, transmitted through telepathy, reached Togepi directly.

"Dazzling Gleam."

"Togepi~!" Togepi subtly wiggled its fingers, as if lying in wait for Roserade’s attack.

Nando strummed his harp, intending to decide the match with Solar Beam.

But as he looked up, he instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight.

"Roserade…!" Roserade tilted its head back, only to be dazzled by the glaring white light—then, without warning, a streak of radiant brilliance descended like a shooting star!

Sizzle—

"Roserade—!" The light scorched its petals, and Roserade let out a pained cry, its elegance utterly shattered.

Meanwhile, Togepi politely bowed, winking playfully. "Togepi doo-ee~! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o"

The audience stands erupted into another wave of excitement.

"How can a Togepi be this adorable?!"

"Come here, let Mama hug you!"

Up in the VIP seating, Flint blinked in surprise. "Natsume-sensei knows Contest Battles too? Since when?!"

"Back when he visited Alamos Town… he was invited as a judge for the Wallace Cup," Cynthia explained.

Aaron swayed dreamily, completely enchanted. "So cute~"

The charm of Contest Battles lay in showcasing a Pokémon’s innate appeal and the beauty of its moves.

Nando froze for a moment before realizing—that was Dazzling Gleam, stealthily amplified by the Sunny Day.

His own strategy had been laid bare, yet Natsume had followed the principles of Contest Battles, turning his opponent’s move against them!

"Roserade." Nando’s voice was almost poetic. "Magical Leaf!"

Emerald leaves spiraled around Roserade like a whirlwind before shooting toward Togepi in a dazzling barrage!

The commentator shouted, "Magical Leaf is a sure-hit move, the perfect balance of elegance and power—"

"Togepi, Mystical Fire!" Natsume snapped his fingers.

Gasps rippled through the stands.

Togepi’s tiny finger traced a circle in the air, intricate patterns swirling around it as a fiery orange serpent erupted from within!

BOOM!!

The flames clashed with the leaves, sending a whirlwind of embers and petals scattering in a dazzling explosion.

The Mystical Fire surged forward, engulfing Roserade in a blazing inferno!

"Roserade is unable to battle!"

Nando remained lost in the spectacle of the clash, a pang of melancholy striking him.

In that moment, he understood—how borrowing an opponent’s momentum could create something even more breathtaking for the audience.

This… was the enlightenment a Top Coordinator had bestowed upon him.

"Return." He recalled Roserade and sent out his second Pokémon. "Your turn, Kricketune!"

A black-and-red cricket emerged in a flash of light, its abdomen shaped like a tiny violin, its arms resembling both bowstrings and rapiers.

Nando plucked his harp, and Kricketune vibrated its wings, producing a soft, crystalline chirp.

"Kricketune, Sing!"

Natsume’s eyelid twitched, and the audience buzzed with noise.

"Holy crap, he’s using Sing? That’s so cheap!"

"With Natsume-sensei’s luck… isn’t this an instant sleep guarantee?!"

"This is Togepi we’re talking about—you really wanna gamble against that kind of luck?!"

Bad news: The Trainer was Natsume-sensei.

Good news: He had sent out Togepi!

"Togepi doo-ee~~(｀▽｀)" Togepi swayed, completely unaffected, wagging its finger.

A soothing melody, as if drifting from a distant realm, filled the air as shimmering motes of light swirled across the field.

Nando’s eyes widened slightly. "That’s… Grass Whistle?"

"He rolled Grass Whistle?! That’s illegal!!"

"Of course it’s Natsume-sensei’s Togepi—even the sleep moves it rolls are top-tier!"

This time, it wasn’t Oración, but Togepi had long since mastered Grass Whistle.

Natsume glanced at the battlefield—Kricketune’s eyelids drooped heavily, its wingbeats slowing to a sluggish rhythm.

As the sparkling remnants of Grass Whistle still drifted through the air, a streak of orange fire cut across the field, hurtling toward the now-sleeping Kricketune.

Whoosh!

The flames consumed Kricketune in eerie silence. The audience remained entranced by the lingering melody—until they realized Kricketune had already been knocked out.

"A one-hit KO?!"

"That was kinda beautiful… Is this the battle style of a Contest Master?"

"Am I the only one who thinks rolling Grass Whistle is kinda busted…?"

This was the perfect fusion of beauty and strategy!

Nando seemed to grasp something profound. As a Coordinator with a traditional style, he had just been struck by the impact of Natsume-sensei’s unorthodox approach.

In the Chat Group, watching Ash's live stream...

Wallace couldn't help but chuckle. "Natsume-sensei might just pioneer a whole new Contest style."

"What kind of Contest style?" Ruby asked curiously.

"One that blends strategy and coordination..."

Wallace gazed at Natsume-sensei, who had just recalled Togepi into its Poké Ball, and mused, "And that might include strategic switching too."

Since this was a Contest Battle, the goal was to showcase as many styles as possible.

And in Natsume-sensei's team, the white knight Sirfetch'd was still plenty cool!

"Let's go."

Nando tossed his Poké Ball with an elegant flourish, sending out his final Pokémon.

"Altaria!"

"Altaria~~!" Altaria flapped its cotton-like wings, soaring through the air with effortless grace.

This "traitor of the Dragon clan," which gained the Fairy type upon Mega Evolution, wasn’t just beautiful—it was also formidably strong.

Natsume threw a Premier Ball, and a snow-white figure emerged.

"Go, Sirfetch'd!"

"Sirfetch'd!~(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)" Sirfetch'd was overcome with sorrow.

Another day without rest...

Many in the audience were seeing a Galarian Farfetch'd for the first time.

Despite its inner turmoil, Sirfetch'd's elegance was flawless, its gaze sharp—ding!—flashing with light.

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

In the stands, Ash followed tradition and scanned it with his Pokédex.

Bruno crossed his arms, his voice grave. "It seems this Sirfetch'd's fighting spirit has reached new heights."

"Fighting spirit?" Ash asked, intrigued.

"Facing the strongest opponents naturally breeds the strongest resolve."

Bruno’s eyes hardened. "I don’t know what this Sirfetch'd has been through... but one thing’s certain."

"It must have walked through countless battles—romantic entanglements and life-or-death struggles alike!"

Natsume glanced at Sirfetch'd.

As the saying went—the strong draw their blades against the stronger.

Though Sirfetch'd’s strength was modest, its courage was truly rare.

Altaria soared higher, stirring the air. Nando strummed his harp, as if providing accompaniment.

"Altaria~~!" Altaria’s sweet, crystalline song filled the arena, yet the audience felt their fighting spirit wane.

"Is that Perish Song?!"

"He’s using Perish Song now?!"

"Hmm... Natsume-sensei knows a little about this too."

Up in the VIP seats, Flint commented, "Nando seems quite skilled with sound-based moves."

"Well, he is a wandering bard by trade," Aaron said, resting his arms behind his head. "It’s part of his personal style!"

The haunting melody of Perish Song drifted toward Sirfetch'd.

A Pokémon that lost its will to fight—like Ash’s Charizard once had—would be automatically disqualified.

But Sirfetch'd didn’t seem affected at all—

Because Sirfetch'd had never had any fighting spirit to begin with!!

"Sirfetch'd!" A fiery glint burned in Sirfetch'd’s eyes as it glared at Altaria.

Just finish the match already so I can go home and sleep!

Nando stared in shock, a flicker of disbelief in his gaze.

Why… isn’t it affected at all?!

Could its resolve be so unshakable that even Perish Song can’t interfere?!

Natsume, sensing the moment, commanded: "Brave Bird!"

"Sirfetch'd!" A fierce golden aura erupted behind Sirfetch'd, coalescing around its leek blade.

In the next instant, Sirfetch'd leapt skyward, slashing toward Altaria!

"Altaria~!" Altaria cried out, barely staying airborne. Sirfetch'd was flung back by the recoil but landed smoothly, skidding to a halt with its shield braced against the ground.

From a distance, Sirfetch'd gathered sunlight into its blade, the energy expanding.

The Sunny Day Roserade had set up earlier now fueled Sirfetch'd’s Solar Blade.

And then—

A ten-meter-long radiant blade came crashing down as Sirfetch'd roared:

"SIRFETCH'D!!"

A brilliant explosion engulfed Altaria.

Even with a 4x resistance to Grass, it couldn’t withstand a Sirfetch'd landing critical hits with every strike—its "fighting spirit" burning bright.

The audience stared, stunned, as Sirfetch'd stood with its back to the blast, snow-white fur fluttering.

"Sirfetch'd! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧" Its eyes gleamed—ding!—flashing once more.

Then, the cheers erupted.

"That Farfetch'd is SO cool!!"

"Go Sirfetch'd!!"

"The winner is Contestant Natsume!" the referee announced.

As the match concluded, Nando shook Natsume’s hand sincerely.

"Thank you for the lesson... I’ve learned much."

"No need for formalities. You fought well too."

Nando strummed his harp for the cheering crowd, bowed, and exited the stage.

Meanwhile, Natsume regrouped with Ash and the others, already preparing for his next battle.

The Top 16 matches had come to an end.

Tobias had swept his opponent as usual, while Natsume-sensei had shut out Nando in a Contest-style duel.

Discussions about the two raged across forums, but one consensus emerged—

"Natsume-sensei is definitely hiding a trump card!"

A small minority disagreed.

"Come on... Does that mean Natsume-sensei knows Darkrai’s Dark Void too?"

That night...

Tobias showed up at Natsume’s door, his expression unreadable.

Natsume tensed slightly, subtly signaling Gengar to hide in the shadows—until Tobias spoke politely:

"I heard you have no match tomorrow, so perhaps you’re free tonight."

"Would you..." Tobias extended a formal invitation.

"Care for a game of PTCG?"

For a moment, Natsume-sensei just stared.

Then, with solemn determination, he declared:

"I’m the best card player in our village!"