Chapter 0578: The Lily of the Valley Conference(Two-in-One)

The distant river of Michina Town glittered under the sunlight.

Regigigas stood dormant behind Natsume, like an ancient, colossal statue.

A gentle breeze swept across the wilderness, rustling the wheat fields—peaceful and full of life.

"So..."

Cynthia fell silent for a long moment after hearing about Natsume's exploits in the Hall of Origin.

"You actually fought Arceus head-on?"

"That was just an avatar."

Natsume looked up at the sky.

The fear of facing Arceus, Gold's reckless charge, the resolve behind Gengar's Mega Evolution...

Giovanni shielding Silver, the Trio rushing forward, Sirfetch'd slashing at Arceus...

All of it had melted into exhaustion, washed away in that earlier embrace.

A massive airship disappeared into the sea of clouds, its engines roaring as the winds carried the mist apart.

"But I proved something to it..."

Natsume exhaled, smiling.

"My conviction—and my bond with Pokémon."

"Gengar~~!" Gengar popped out of the shadows, flashing a peace sign and a toothy grin.

The Premier Ball at Natsume’s waist trembled slightly, Sirfetch'd shivering inside: "Sirfetch'd!!~(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)"

Stop talking! What if Arceus holds a grudge?!

Cynthia turned slowly, her golden hair swaying as her eyes locked onto Natsume.

Last year, in snow-covered Wyndon, he had bared his heart to fulfill a child’s wish.

Now, he must have carried the hopes of many, choosing to become a Champion.

Her gaze softened into a beautiful smile as she asked:

"Are you planning to enter the Lily of the Valley Conference next?"

Natsume nodded. "Didn’t you say you’d be the one presenting the Champion’s award?"

"That’s true..." Cynthia mused. "But with your current strength..."

"Don’t worry."

Natsume smirked confidently. "When it comes to tournaments, Gengar and I are professionals!"

"Gengar~（o(^▽^)o" Gengar waved its tiny fists.

Cynthia blinked, then chuckled, recalling the public’s opinion of Natsume.

Perhaps... this was the unique charm of a true Champion.

"I need to report this incident to the Sinnoh League..."

Cynthia gazed at the revitalized Michina Town, her lips curving upward.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be home soon."

"Then we’ll watch the fireworks together."

Natsume grinned. "Looking forward to seeing you with your hair up and in a yukata."

Cynthia froze for a second.

Memories surfaced—childhood firework festivals with her grandmother.

Carolina’s image overlapped with the young man before her.

She smiled. "You’ll need Garchomp’s permission first."

"Garchomp!!" A pair of crimson eyes gleamed behind her as Garchomp glared down at Natsume.

Carolina lifted its chin with a proud huff.

"Carolina!"

Fine, since you actually pulled off something heroic this time... I’ll allow it!

"Looks like Garchomp gave the green light." Natsume grinned.

"Then I don’t mind either." Cynthia’s eyes curved in amusement.

The fireworks festival would be held around the same time as the Lily of the Valley Conference.

With Cynthia busy overseeing preparations, she wouldn’t have time to spare.

But she could always delegate the work to Lucian...

After all, the Sinnoh Champion had just quelled Arceus’ rampage—she deserved some rest.

As for the other Elite Four members... Granny Bertha was nearing retirement, Aaron was just a bug-obsessed kid, and Flint was a battle-crazed hothead.

Lucian, as the most competent of Sinnoh’s Elite Four?

Forcing overtime on him was completely justified!

Natsume gazed at the sky, suddenly feeling a mix of pity and melancholy.

The roar of the massive airship faded into the distance.

The regal golden-haired beauty soared away on Garchomp, leaving a trail of scattered clouds in her wake.

Natsume still needed to return Regigigas to its rightful place.

Meanwhile, Gold was busy boasting about their earlier exploits.

"Old man, Natsume-sensei and I totally teamed up to take down Arceus!"

Leaning on his pool cue beside Pryce’s wheelchair, he wiped his nose with a smug grin.

"That’s the real power of a Pokédex Holder!"

Pryce sat motionless, his expression icy, though his mind churned with thoughts.

He’d always believed Gold could achieve anything if he put his mind to it.

But right now, the kid’s obnoxious smirk was really testing his patience...

Silver returned from the cliffside, calm as ever after his confrontation with Giovanni.

Natsume greeted him curiously. "What’d you two talk about?"

"I’ll defeat him myself." Silver said flatly.

Natsume blinked.

I thought you two had finally made up...

Then again, maybe this was just their twisted way of showing affection.

Giovanni’s greatest wish was for Silver to surpass him.

And Silver’s goal was to defeat his father—

Now that’s what you call a heartwarming father-son bond!

"Mew~~"

Nearby, Mew was playing with Togepi, the two darting through the tall grass.

The feline Mythical levitated just out of reach as Togepi chased after it, only to trip on a rock: "Doo-ee!"

As Togepi tumbled downhill, Mew caught it with Confusion, giggling behind a paw. "Mew~~"

"Togepi doo-ee~~ヾ" Togepi bounced eagerly, begging for another round.

Soon, they were playing a game of "leap off the hill and get caught midair."

Natsume watched nervously—though with Mew around, there wasn’t much danger.

Mew rarely got to go out, so it was making the most of playtime.

"Mew~~o(￣▽￣)ｄ" "Togepi doo-ee~~ヾ(^▽^)ノ"

Despite being thousands of years old...

Who says legends can’t be playful?

Darkrai hovered within Natsume’s elongated shadow, its dark ribbons fluttering in the wind.

It gazed at the clear sky—the earlier battle felt like a distant dream.

Still... it had kept its promise, standing by its partner.

Even against Arceus.

Darkrai closed its eyes with an air of cool detachment.

Then its brow twitched.

The more it thought about it, the angrier it got!

This guy actually managed to piss off Arceus?!

I agreed way too easily!!

Darkrai shook its head with a sigh.

But... Natsume had truly saved the world from Arceus’ wrath.

That courage and conviction were why Darkrai had taken a liking to this human.

Arms crossed, it meditated peacefully—

Until Natsume’s footsteps approached.

Darkrai’s eyes snapped open. "This isn’t getting settled without a whole truckload!"

Natsume paused.

Your appetite’s smaller than my Larvitar’s...

"I’ll have it delivered to Alamos Town."

Natsume chuckled, then raised a hand as The Power of One’s glow shimmered.

"But first... let me set a marker!"

"What’s this?"

Darkrai stared as Natsume’s telepathic voice echoed in its mind.

"Now we can stay in touch whenever."

Darkrai looked surprised.

It had helped Natsume for the food—no, the bond.

But now, The Power of One deepened their connection, letting Darkrai sense Natsume’s presence.

"Fine..."

Darkrai sighed, recalling Natsume standing against Arceus.

Since Alicia... this might be the second human it could trust.

Besides.

If they’d already fought Arceus, what other Legendary could possibly—

Darkrai's expression suddenly twisted into something complicated as it muttered:

"...Actually, let's not."

......

Meanwhile, Team Rocket's trio was exploring Giovanni's aerial battleship, poking around curiously.

"So many advanced instruments, meow!" Meowth's eyes sparkled like he'd found treasure.

"So that's how it works..."

James examined the battleship's main engine while stroking his chin.

"Maybe we three should try building one next time..."

Replicating an aerial battleship wouldn't be difficult for the trio technically.

The real issue was funding - the engineering challenges were trivial by comparison.

In the main cabin, Giovanni tended to his wounds with bandages, glancing at surveillance footage of the trio.

"How did they get aboard..." he muttered.

Remembering they were essentially Natsume's subordinates, and needing to maintain his mentor's secret identity by departing early, Giovanni sighed in resignation.

Suddenly, the corner of his mouth curved upward as an idea struck him.

It had been Natsume who suggested the "Rainbow Initiative" that helped reconcile with Silver.

And when facing Silver directly, Giovanni realized his son had his own convictions.

Therefore... designating reserve leadership for Team Rocket became necessary.

Perhaps no one but Giovanni himself could truly bear the title of "Team Rocket's Boss."

But after this battle, his mind had settled on potential candidates.

Giovanni stroked Persian while watching the trio on surveillance.

Just as Koga, Sabrina and Lt. Surge had once been his three executives...

Natsume too would need his own inner circle.

Not mediocrities, but individuals of exceptional capability, agility and strength.

Giovanni's eyes gleamed thoughtfully.

Images flashed through his mind - the grinning faces of Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Perhaps not quite matching the dignity of the Three Executives..."

Rubbing his temples, Giovanni muttered:

"Ah well, let Natsume deal with that headache himself."

Having settled on candidates for both leadership and executives,

Giovanni leaned back on the sofa, wrinkles smoothing as he exhaled in the quiet cabin.

That day when Silver defeats me... and we can finally vacation together.

Closing his eyes, Giovanni chuckled wryly.

Perhaps... it won't be too long now...

......

Sinnoh Region, Snowpoint Temple

Brandon stared blankly at his ringing phone displaying Natsume's caller ID.

"You want me to deliver the Imprison Stone orb to Michina Town?"

"It's... a long story."

Natsume scratched his cheek awkwardly before glancing back at the motionless Regigigas behind him. "Let's just say Regigigas is currently with me."

Brandon's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.

So THAT'S why Snowpoint Temple keeps collapsing every other week!

At this point, just catch the damn thing and stop returning it!

"I'll teleport to the Pokémon Center near Michina Town," Brandon coughed into his fist. "The Imprison Stone orb operates similarly to a Poké Ball—teleportation systems can handle it."

"By the way," he added, "what happened in Michina Town yesterday? Spatial signals were completely jammed!"

"Minor incident." Natsume chuckled. "Already resolved!"

Since when is something requiring REGIGIGAS' intervention a "minor incident"?!

At least come up with a better excuse! Like suddenly running into Arceus or something!

Seeing Natsume had no intention of elaborating, Brandon could only sigh in resignation.

Hanging up, he turned toward the perpetually-under-construction Snowpoint Temple and muttered:

"This had better be the last time... right?"

......

Michina Town, Arceus Temple

Using the Imprison Stone orb to recall Regigigas went surprisingly smoothly—

Mostly because Natsume gave it another round of "Aura of Ripple Massage Therapy" first.

He'd return the Stone orb to Snowpoint Temple when passing through Sandgem Town later.

Meanwhile, in the recently reconnected group chat...

"Arceus was spotted heading toward Sinnoh from the Ruins of Alph," Lance frowned.

Officer Falkner's message appeared grim. "Natsume-sensei and Gold were investigating those ruins days ago."

"Can't reach Silver," Green worried. "Natsume-sensei and Gold aren't responding either."

An ominous silence fell over the chat.

Everyone knew Natsume-sensei's capabilities from Alamos Town and the glacial crisis...

But this time, they might be facing Arceus—the creator deity itself.

Even if just an avatar, no ordinary human could withstand that!

Atop Mt. Silver, Red furrowed his brow. Not even he felt confident about defeating Arceus.

Yet... he trusted his rival Natsume-sensei and the reckless Gold completely.

"Have faith in them," Red typed. "With Ash there too, they'll pull through."

Gold suddenly came online, scratching his head at the flood of messages.

"Whoa, you guys wrote a novel here!"

He grinned. "Just got back from the Hall of Origin—signal was dead up there!"

Lance exhaled in relief. "What happened?"

Knowing Gold's tendency to exaggerate, Silver gave a concise summary—

Arceus' awakening, Natsume leading sinnoh three gods into battle...

(He tactfully omitted Giovanni's involvement, since the Rocket Boss was still technically their enemy despite helping Red before...)

"So..." Lance blinked dazedly. "Natsume-sensei COMMANDED THREE LEGENDARIES against Arceus?!"

Even for a Champion famed for tactical genius, that was downright broken!

"Where are you now?" Blue Oak asked.

"Alive and kicking!" Gold laughed.

Just waiting for Natsume-sensei to grant me admin privileges!

Red pondered. "And Arceus...?"

"Natsume-sensei totally wrecked it!" Ash chimed in excitedly. "I saw it myself!"

Lance: "..."

Red: "..."

Blue Oak: "..."

The chat descended into tomb-like silence.

This felt eerily familiar... yet impossible to disbelieve.

Arceus' awakening was undeniable.

For Natsume-sensei's group to survive, only one conclusion remained...

Reading Ash's messages, Natsume's eyelid twitched.

Kid, you're my number one hype man!

"It was mainly emotional bonds that moved Arceus," Natsume clarified.

"Mega Evolution? You mean that Gengar?" Blue Oak guessed.

Ash nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Mega Gengar was awesome!"

Natsume: "..."

Pretty sure we're having two different conversations here...

Shaking his head, Natsume decided to brief Professor Oak properly later.

Now he'd be starting from scratch with Ash to prepare for the Lily of the Valley Conference...

Natsume stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Ash, my boy... the Lily of the Valley waters run deep. You're not ready.

Better let this sensei show you how it's done!

Temple guardian Sheena invited Natsume's group to a celebratory banquet in Michina Town.

Ash declined to continue training—determined to crush his rival Paul at the upcoming tournament.

Gold and Silver also begged off, eager to resume their Pokémon gaming sessions.

Pryce wordlessly began wheeling himself away.

"Where are you headed?"

Natsume grasped the wheelchair's handles with a smile. "Let me escort you."

No ulterior motives—just Natsume's habitual kindness.

Pryce coldly studied the warm-eyed young man before him.

Both character and strength—this youth had earned the old master's respect.

"That Blastoise of yours..." Pryce said slowly.

"...Could theoretically learn Ice-type moves."