Chapter 0581: Winning the Baby Cup is Victory Enough

The next morning.

Delibird was still freeloading meals at Natsume's place.

The dining table was laden with dishes: Berry salad, Dugtrio triple-decker sandwiches, Buneary nut smoothies, and honey pancakes.

Larvitar unhinged its jaws and swallowed an entire sandwich in one gulp. "Larvita~ (￣～￣)"

Gengar slurped through a straw as condensation dripped from its frosty smoothie glass. "Gengar~ (⊙~⊙)"*

Natsume chewed on a lettuce leaf slathered in cream from his sandwich and glanced at Delibird.

"Delibird!" Delibird crunched noisily on pancakes, crumbs scattering everywhere as it haphazardly wiped its face with stubby wings.

Too delicious—gotta stay a few more days! o(╥﹏╥)o

"Mew~~" Mew levitated mid-air, clutching a bag of cucumber-flavored chips.

"Togepi~ (????????)??" Togepi, seated in its high chair, proudly declared it had shared those with Mew.

"Mew~!(ˊᗜˋ)" Mew nodded cheerfully, twirling in delight—then gasped as the chip bag tipped.

Chips rained downward in a "whoosh!"

Gengar lunged into a shadow below, mouth gaping wide. "Gengar~"

A blue glow halted the chips mid-air, sending them zipping back into the bag. Mew stuck out its tongue at Gengar. "Mew!"

"Gengar!" Gengar cackled, eyes rolling wildly as it waggled its tongue and claws.

"Enough messing around," Natsume mumbled through a mouthful of Miltank cereal. "Doorbell's ringing. Someone get it."

Rotom, plugged into its charger, announced loudly: "I'm on break, Rotom!"

Natsume turned to Sirfetch'd.

Sirfetch'd remained the picture of elegance, fork and knife poised flawlessly. "Sirfetch'd~"

Grace. Timeless.

"Arcanine?" Arcanine tilted its massive head with a wise expression.

If it were a Golden Retriever, it might have volunteered.

But as a Husky? Be thankful it didn’t body-slam the guest out the door instead.

Thus, all eyes landed on the freeloading Delibird.

"Delibird?" Delibird pointed at itself, bewildered.

Me? Open the door?

The table nodded in unison.

"Delibird?!" Delibird was aghast.

I’ve fought Ho-Oh!

And now you want me to play butler?!

It glared at the lavish breakfast spread, fumed—then hopped down in a huff.

Waddling furiously on stubby legs,Delibird scampered toward the entrance.

Gotta hurry, or they’ll devour everything before I get back!

Outside, Delibird stood nervously, hauling a sack of mail.

Every time it delivered here, it got the creeps.

"Mmph!" It slapped its cheeks for courage.

Just drop the mail and leave! And whatever you do—

DON’T accept snacks!

...Unless they insist. Then, well~ ♪

Lost in pink, sparkly delusions, it froze mid-daydream—face-to-face with the Delibird who’d answered the door.

"Delibird?! (〝▼皿▼)" Pryce’s Delibird radiated menace.

State your business. I’ve got pancakes to inhale.

Trembling, the mail-delivering Delibird handed over the newspaper and fled.

"Delibird! (☉_☉)"

...He’s got another Delibird out there, doesn’t he?

……

Natsume glanced at the returning Delibird. "Ah, the morning paper."

Wait... did Delibird just meet that little mail carrier?

Natsume frowned slightly. What a shame... he missed his chance to flick its forehead this morning!

Post-meal black coffee in hand, Natsume leisurely scanned the newspaper.

This was the epitome of a relaxed, retirement-like lifestyle.

Gengar split into a double, tied on an apron, and hummed while handling household chores.

Delibird sighed regretfully. "Delibird!"

As expected, the food had vanished in the blink of an eye!

The paper covered the upcoming fireworks festival, preparations for the Lily of the Valley Conference, and a notice about Michina Town's suspended tourism operations.

The entire Sinnoh League was swamped with post-Arceus incident cleanup, busier than a college entrance exam committee in June.

Yet, Sinnoh's traditional festivals and the League Tournament had to go on.

Ash, gearing up for the Lily of the Valley Conference, had already begun special training.

The Battle Frontier conqueror was now at the stage where "beating Paul counts as a win."

Well... that was mostly because the kid refused to bring his old team.

But defeat was part of a Trainer's growth.

"The fireworks festival is at the end of May," Natsume mused, skimming the paper. "Guess I'll fill out the registration form first."

Noon approached, the scorching heat intense enough to make a Shellos shed its skin.

The shimmering beach near the villa was already crowded with tourists.

Natsume lounged on a third-floor balcony sun chair, sunglasses on, and called to Gengar:

"Come closer."

"Gengar?" Gengar scratched its head and floated over.

"Whew—"

The temperature instantly dropped, a refreshing coolness spreading.

Natsume exhaled in relief. "Much better."

"Gengar! (￣▽￣)~" Waving a hand resignedly, Gengar put on matching sunglasses and pulled out a pristine A4 registration form.

Gengar could read—filling out forms was second nature by now.

The application required a Trainer ID photo, though the format wasn't strict.

"Hey, Rotom."

Natsume sipped his iced cola through a straw, a Never-Melt Ice cube bobbing in the fizz. "Snap a pic for me!"

Beep... "Valuable photo captured, Rotom!"

It was a group shot—Gengar squishing Natsume's face into the cramped frame.

"I know what this pose is called," Natsume said, studying the photo. "It's a 'cheek press.'"

"Gengar?" Gengar tilted its head.

Natsume casually scooped up Sylveon as it pranced past, nuzzling its bow with his face.

"This is a cheek press."

Sylveon's ribbons flared with a sharp white glow. "Sylveon! (╬ ò﹏ó)"

Natsume paled. "Rotom, save me!!"

But under Sylveon's intimidating aura, Rotom had already entered a Flinch state.

Beep... "System Overload, Rotom! (⊙x⊙)"

……

Afternoon, the heat intensifies.

Rotom switches to Air Conditioner Form, blowing out Icy Wind with a whoosh.

Natsume, his Speed lowered by the chill, lazily stays indoors, lounging on the sofa while browsing the chat group.

Today is Gold's day as admin.

The entire chat group is in chaos, unable to comprehend why Natsume would make such a questionable decision.

But it's set in stone—Gold has ascended to the admin throne!

[Group Owner 'Natsume-sensei' has appointed Group Member 'Muted One' as admin!]

Lorelei is shocked: !!!

Lt. Surge's eyes widen. "Holy—? Did the Group Owner wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

Whitney shrieks: "How is this even allowed?!"

Lance, currently in his office, draped in his cape and spraying hair gel, pauses mid-motion at the sight of Gold's promotion.

"...Has Natsume-sensei been compromised?" he mutters.

Natsume explains: "It's because Gold nearly sacrificed himself battling Arceus, so I promised him a day as admin."

Crystal nods blankly. "Oh... that makes sense."

"Gold always manages to turn danger into opportunity," Red chuckles. "That's a skill in itself."

"Eh, it's nothing special. I just have reliable comrades-in-arms!" Gold grins, wiping his nose smugly.

"I refuse to accept this!" Whitney crosses her arms.

[Group Member 'Whitney' has been muted for 24 hours by Group Admin 'Gold']

[Group Member 'Whitney's title has been changed to 'Goldenrod City Miltank'!]

(Whitney: ???)

What follows is a glorious display of petty vengeance.

Lt. Surge and even Silver could not survive and were all put on the Muted list.

The only reason Lorelei and Lance escape is that they're admins too—otherwise, they'd have been Poison Touched as well!

The chat descends into bloody chaos.

Natsume watches the ever-growing mute list, his eyelid twitching.

Does Gold not realize... that tomorrow will be his darkest day once his admin privileges expire?

He probably does.

But living in the moment is just 'The Hatcher's' personality.

……

Lorelei, lounging in her girly-themed Sevii Islands home, hugs a plushie while scrolling through her phone.

As an Ice-type Elite Four, summer heat is no concern for her.

Seeing Gold's rampage in the group, she smirks coldly.

If I let you out of timeout this month, I'm not Lorelei of the Elite Four!

She then DMs Natsume privately: "Natsume-sensei, can I ask you something?"

Natsume replies promptly: "What is it?"

"The Sinnoh Champion League is starting soon..."

Lorelei grins mischievously. "And Cynthia's the one presenting the awards. So... you in?"

Natsume blinks.

For a mature woman like Lorelei to still be single after all these years... it suddenly makes sense.

"I'm entering the Lily of the Valley Conference," Natsume says. "Already filled out the form."

Lorelei pauses. "...Then the Champion League after?"

"No. Winning the Baby Cup is victory enough."

Lorelei: ???

"I still need more training," Natsume adds earnestly. "A Legendary Pokémon trainer might show up mid-tournament. I'm not entirely confident."

Lorelei sends another barrage of question marks: ???

"Needs more training"? "Not entirely confident"?

Is this the same guy who just wrecked Arceus?!

Adjusting her glasses, Lorelei takes a deep breath.

"You know the League publicly posts contestant lists, right?"

If participants find out Natsume-sensei is competing...

The fallout would be catastrophic. A mass withdrawal wave might follow!

Natsume tilts his head. "They do that?"

"So," Lorelei pleads, "maybe try the Champion League instead? Or go back to Touran and challenge Victory Road..."

Her unspoken message: Please give the rookies a chance!

"Can't do that," Natsume says solemnly. "Made a promise to Cynthia. Have to win the championship..."

Lorelei stares at the message, then slams her phone shut.

Unbelievable!

She yanks off her glasses, polishing them furiously.

So annoying...!

Not jealous. Not at all!

……

Sinnoh Region, Lily of the Valley Island

Cynthia, sorting through Arceus incident paperwork, exhales wearily.

Noticing her ringing phone, she answers: "Caitlin?"

"Coming to Undella Town next holiday...?"

Cynthia checks her schedule. "Afraid not."

"Why?" Caitlin whispers.

"Watching fireworks," Cynthia replies apologetically. "Already promised Natsume."

"Uuu..." Caitlin lets out a small, wounded sound.

"Sorry. Next time," Cynthia soothes. "I'll bring apology sweets."

"You'll take months picking them," Caitlin mutters.

Cynthia pauses—she's not wrong.

...Though Natsume could help choose. He's good with desserts.

A soft smile crosses her lips as she accepts a file from an employee, nodding regally.

"Back to work," she says, phone tucked between shoulder and ear. "No sulking, Caitlin."

"Mmm..." Caitlin buries her face in her pillow. "What about... Arceus?"

"Resolved," Cynthia says, her gaze distant.

Her voice drops, recalling the figure who stood before Arceus.

"Just like your prophetic dream."

Caitlin goes silent.

Through fragmented dreams, she'd glimpsed the young man's pain, sorrow... and final resolve.

Those visions gave her a deeper understanding of 'Natsume-sensei'—enough to discard her arrogance and prejudice.

"...Bye," she mumbles.

"Goodbye," Cynthia murmurs. "Sweet dreams."

Hanging up, Cynthia refocuses on her documents—then notices the circled date on her calendar.

Last year's fireworks flicker in her memory.

A faint blush creeps up her snow-pale neck.

Tucking a golden lock behind her ear, she exhales softly.

Her eyes sharpen, pulse quickening as her lips curve.

This time... I'll make him confess to me properly!

……

Sandgem Town, Rowan Research Institute

Professor Rowan accepted the registration form, confirming:

"You're really entering the Lily of the Valley Conference?"

Natsume nodded solemnly. "Winning isn't the goal—I just want to improve myself!"

"Blastoise." Blastoise stood firmly behind Natsume, giving a resolute nod.

This tournament will have fearsome opponents.

We'll have to give it our all!

Professor Rowan pressed his lips together.

Who would've thought an Ancient Language expert would also be a Champion?

And now, that same Champion wants to use the Lily of the Valley Conference as training?!

"You're... too careful," Professor Rowan coughed lightly.

"Blastoise... ヾ(■_■)" Blastoise adjusted its sunglasses, its shell gleaming with Iron Defense's metallic sheen.

Natsume and Professor Rowan shared a silent moment.

If Trainers grow to resemble their Pokémon...

Sirfetch'd would embody Natsume's mix of caution and courage.

Blastoise, meanwhile, represents unwavering steadiness—and yes, carefulness.

After training with Delibird, its mastery of Ice-type moves has sharpened even further.

Yet another trump card added to the arsenal!

Finishing the registration, Professor Rowan added:

"The contestant list will be posted on the official site soon. Don't forget to check."

"Got it."

Outside, Delibird stood waiting, luggage slung over its shoulder.

Natsume blinked. "You're not going back?"

"Delibird!" Delibird lifted its head proudly.

Let's have another dinner before leaving...

Enjoy it here, don't miss home!