Chapter 165:International Leagues in Motion! The Target is the Farm!

“Jangmo-o!”

Jangmo-o sprang into action.

With agile moves, Jangmo-o dodged Grovyle's Bullet Seed.

Hiroaki suddenly shouted, “Now, Quick Attack!”

Grovyle, just past the halfway point of the arena, began to glow with a white light.

Its speed quickly increased, rushing straight toward Jangmo-o.

Natsume quickly said, “Jangmo-o, use Protect and then Dragon Breath!”

A protective barrier appeared around Jangmo-o. Protected, Jangmo-o charged forward into Grovyle's Quick Attack.

Bam~

Under the force of their collision, Jangmo-o and Grovyle slid backward together.

“Jangmo-o!”

Thanks to the barrier’s protection, Jangmo-o stabilized itself faster than Grovyle.

“Jangmo-o!”

Jangmo-o took a deep breath.

A powerful breath, like a shockwave, blasted into Grovyle.

Grovyle felt like a strong wind had blown past, causing it to lose balance and fall backward.

Natsume continued his command, “Charge, Headbutt!”

“Jangmo-o!”

Jangmo-o thrust its head forward, rushing quickly toward Grovyle.

Hiroaki grew anxious as Grovyle was repeatedly attacked: “Grovyle, Quick Guard!”

“Grovyle.”

Grovyle tried to stand, but suddenly its body Paralysis.

Grovyle was Paralysis by the Dragon Breath move!

This caused Grovyle to miss its chance to defend.

Bang!

Jangmo-o's head slammed hard into Grovyle's stomach.

“Jangmo-o!”

Grovyle fell to the ground, clutching its abdomen in pain.

“Grovyle!”

Just as Jangmo-o prepared to continue its attack, a flurry of leaves suddenly swept up in front of Grovyle.

The leaves stormed toward Jangmo-o like a gale.

Bam~

“Jangmo-o.”

Jangmo-o hadn’t expected Grovyle to suddenly burst into action.

It was knocked away by the surge of energy.

Grovyle activated its Overgrow condition.

Hiroaki quickly shouted, “Use Bullet Seed now!”

“Grovyle!”

Rat-a-tat~

Bam~ Bam~

Jangmo-o was hit repeatedly!

A light smoke rose around Jangmo-o’s body.

“Well done!”

Hiroaki exclaimed excitedly, “Once more!”

As Grovyle prepared to launch another attack, the feeling of paralysis returned!

This gave Jangmo-o the chance to stand up.

Jangmo-o’s personality was a lot like Arcanine's.

Its battle style was also very wild.

“Jangmo-o!”

Jangmo-o rose from the ground, glaring fiercely at Grovyle!

“Jangmo-o~ roar!”

A powerful roar suddenly erupted.

In the battle, Jangmo-o learned Noble Roar!

Hearing Jangmo-o’s roar, Grovyle inexplicably felt a little intimidated.

Its previously increased momentum dissipated.

Grovyle's special attack and attack were both lowered.

Natsume observed and said, “Go for it, Counter!”

“Jangmo-o!”

Hiroaki clenched his fist and shouted, “Don’t give up, Grovyle, use Leafage!”

In front of Grovyle, leaves danced and surged toward Jangmo-o.

Jangmo-o charged through the Razor Leaf.

The leaves struck Jangmo-o's body.

But instead of weakening, the damage only amplified Jangmo-o’s Counter!

“Jangmo-o!”

Jangmo-o’s body flew like a cannonball, crashing into Grovyle with a thud.

Grovyle's body was sent flying, slamming against the energy protective barrier at the edge of the battle arena.

Jangmo-o won the battle, gaining experience points. Current level: 30.

Rotom looked at the defeated Grovyle and announced the match's outcome.

“The match ends, Grovyle has lost battle capability, so the winner is Jangmo-o!”

Since the opponent was Gym Leader Natsume, even being swept wasn't unacceptable for Hiroaki.

Applause broke out from the sidelines.

“Come back.”

Hiroaki recalled his Grovyle and said, “Indeed, we need more training.”

Natsume looked at Hiroaki and suggested, “Go let Audino help with Grovyle’s paralysis condition.”

“Yes, Gym Leader Natsume.”

Hiroaki bowed slightly and said, “We’ll come back for another challenge.”

“Jangmo-o~”

Jangmo-o responded confidently.

No matter how many times you come, the result will be the same!

Jangmo-o lifted its head and walked off the battle arena.

“An exciting battle.”

Onami exclaimed as she looked at Natsume and Jangmo-o approaching, “You truly are the Gym Leader Natsume.”

“And Jangmo-o as well! It’s so cute, but so fierce during battle!”

Natsume chuckled, “The pinker it is, the it fights.”

“Jangmo-o~”

As the battle arena cleared, others started stepping up to prepare for their own battles.

After satisfying his urge for battle, Natsume wasn’t interested in continuing.

He led Onami to the side.

Onami looked at Natsume curiously and asked, “Gardevoir just told me that my uncle is sleeping up there?”

Natsume nodded slightly. “His condition doesn’t look good; he probably hasn’t rested for several days.”

“Did something happen?”

Onami pondered for a moment before saying, “Last night, my uncle’s house was raided.”

“Fortunately, he came to Morimachi, so those people missed him.”

“After that, Minamiyou showed up.”

“But when he found out my uncle was coming here, he wanted me to ask for your thoughts first.”

Natsume asked curiously, “What for?”

Onami replied directly, “The Pokémon egg of Manaphy!”

Natsume was slightly taken aback.

He suddenly remembered that he had mentioned to Onami during a conversation that if the legends turned out to be true and they needed help, they could come to him.

Now, Onami and Watanabe had arrived.

“I see.”

Natsume realized, “No wonder Watanabe looked so anxious.”

“Aren’t you surprised?”

Onami noticed that Natsume didn’t seem shocked about Manaphy’s Pokémon egg.

She had been completely stunned when she first heard about it.

Manaphy, after all, was a mythical Pokémon in the legends, capable of influencing the ocean.

Even the Ocean God Kyogre would follow Manaphy’s orders.

“Onami~”

Just as Onami was speaking with Natsume, a small group of Meltan marched by, carrying trees in an orderly line.

Onami's attention was immediately drawn to them.

“They are Meltan.”

Natsume casually introduced, “I brought them back from Towada Lake.”

“Meltan, huh?”

Onami suddenly understood why Natsume wasn’t shocked.

When it comes to mythical Pokémon, aside from Meltan running around the farm, there’s also a Jirachi below the farm.

“I’m still a bit surprised about Manaphy,” Onami admitted.

Natsume looked at Onami and said, “In any case, I have a general understanding of what’s going on.”

“Don’t worry too much; nothing will happen here.”

When Onami arrived, he was quite apprehensive.

However, with Natsume saying this, Onami felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Onami said, “If Gym Leader Natsume is here, then of course I feel at ease.”

Natsume smiled and said, “Let’s go; I’ll show you around my farm.”

“Sure~”

In the overseas island base.

“We’ve already found it.”

The Intelligence Officer report stated: “Watanabe and the Pokémon egg of Manaphy should be at a farm in Morimachi.”

“The farm’s trainer is called Natsume, and he is a regional-level gym leader of the Japan League.”

This is a base established by the Unova League in the waters of the United States.

Most people at this base are from the Unova League.

The original goal of this base was to compete with the Japan League for the secret realms that appeared at sea.

However, now their main task is to find Manaphy’s Pokémon egg.

The Kenjo who raided Watanabe’s home yesterday is a U.S. citizen of Korean descent.

He has now returned to this island.

“Natsume?”

Kenjo frowned. “I think I’ve heard of him.”

“He is a near-legendary trainer who recently appeared and is quite famous in Japan.”

The Jirachi incident and the Celebi incident at Towada Lake are classified documents within the Japan league.

Most ordinary people only know that Gym Leader Natsume is strong.

But they aren’t sure just how strong.

The international league knows little about Natsume as well.

They also only know that Natsume is probably quite strong.

Inside the base, a man with curly blonde hair spoke up. “After yesterday's mission failed, the Japan league must know by now.”

“If they haven’t made any moves, it means this Gym Leader Natsume is probably much stronger than we’ve realized.”

Milo, the Champion-level trainer of the Unova League.

His status gave him the confidence to say this.

Milo carefully examined Natsume's information.

“This farm owner has captured a lot of Pokémon.”

Milo immediately formed a plan.

“Kenjo, I’ll go with you this time.”

“Yes.”

Kenjo flattered him, saying, “With Lord Milo on my side, that mere regional-level gym leader from Japan can be easily subdued.”

Milo smiled lightly, “Hehe.”

“The problem isn’t just getting rid of this Natsume; rather, it’s how we’ll escape afterward.”

“After all, the Eastern Region is Minamiyou’s jurisdiction, and he is quite strong.”

Kenjo quickly responded, “If this was on land, Minamiyou definitely wouldn’t be a match for you, Lord Milo.”

“The most important thing is that as long as our mission goes smoothly and we successfully obtain Manaphy’s power, I believe with your strength, Lord Milo, you could easily defeat Minamiyou even at sea.”

Milo immediately grew serious. “Kenjo, our goal is to escort Manaphy back to the Temple of the Sea and fulfill its mission!”

“It’s not to steal Manaphy!”

Kenjo quickly replied, “Yes, I understand.”

Milo continued, “We are here to ensure peace in this world.”

“We absolutely cannot let those evil individuals exploit Manaphy’s power.”

Kenjo lowered his head and said, “Yes.”

“Achoo~”

Minamiyou sneezed.

“Quaquaval?”

Quaquaval looked at him in confusion.

“It’s nothing.”

Minamiyou rubbed his nose.

“I just have the feeling someone is talking about me; there are probably quite a few people wishing me ill.”

Minamiyou murmured, then turned to the higher-ups in the league and said, “The Pokémon egg of Manaphy has already been confirmed to be in Watanabe’s possession.”

“The culprits from yesterday have also been identified.”

“Kenjo is a U.S. citizen of Korean descent and currently a Gym Leader Trainer in the Unova League.”

“Those guys are always causing trouble under the guise of justice.”

“Although their mission failed yesterday, they will undoubtedly make another move.”

In the meeting room, a middle-aged man with a somewhat plump figure yawned and said, “Isn’t Watanabe with Gym Leader Natsume?”

“With his personality, he will definitely get involved.”

“So I don’t think we need to worry too much.”

Yuyama, a Normal-type country-level gym leader.

Although he hadn’t interacted with Natsume, just from Natsume’s experiences, he could guess his personality.

Minamiyou nodded, saying, “Even so, there are quite a few forces eyeing the Manaphy Pokémon egg.”

“Not to mention the Unova League; even ASEAN and India are stirring.”

“Our task is to ensure that Manaphy completes its mission smoothly.”

“This matter is very important, so we must proceed with caution.”

Yuyama asked, “What is your plan?”

Minamiyou replied straightforwardly, “We’ll set up defenses centered around Gym Leader Natsume’s farm.”

“We’ll wait for Manaphy to be born and work with Gym Leader Natsume to return Manaphy to the sea so it can fulfill its mission.”

At the same time, the higher-ups in ASEAN held a meeting.

“Natsume from Japan?”

At that moment, a man in formal attire looked at the information in front of him and said, “It seems his farm will become a battlefield.”

Lin Kai, a Singaporean, was also a high-ranking trainer belonging to ASEAN.

Lin Kai turned to the other higher-ups and said, “Since Manaphy’s Pokémon egg has been confirmed to have appeared, neither the Japan League nor the Unova League will just sit back and do nothing.”

“If we can obtain Manaphy’s Pokémon egg, that would be best.”

“If we can’t get it, we cannot let them gain Manaphy’s power.”

“At the very least, we need to ensure that Manaphy returns to the sea.”

As Lin Kai spoke, he looked at Tohn and said, “Tohn, you’ve been most involved in the Manaphy Pokémon incident.”

“What are your thoughts?”

Tohn pondered, “Since Manaphy’s Pokémon egg is already in the hands of the Japan League, it’s only natural that they won’t let go of it.”

“The people from the Unova League definitely won’t simply hand Manaphy’s Pokémon egg over to the Japan League, either.”

“There will surely be conflict between them.”

“I personally think it will be difficult for us to snatch Manaphy from them to gain the power of the Temple of the Sea.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

Lin Kai suddenly interrupted Tohn, saying, “Watch your words.”

“Our goal has always been to protect the ocean.”

“And not to covet the so-called Temple of the Sea.”

Tohn rolled his eyes.

Yeah, that’s what everyone says.

In reality, everyone might genuinely think that way.

But is it wrong to protect the world while also gaining the power of the Temple of the Sea?

Or rather, shouldn’t that be a reward from Manaphy for everyone?

Tohn at least thought so.

No one here was insane, nor did anyone want to destroy the world.

“Well, everything is for the ocean.”

Tohn revised his statement, “In any case, in the current situation, it will definitely not be easy for us to protect Manaphy’s Pokémon egg by ourselves.”

Lin Kai looked at Tohn, thought for a moment, and then said, “Are you suggesting we team up with the Unova League?”

Tohn replied directly, “Exactly.”

“Cooperation leads to mutual benefit.”

“We can collaborate with the Japan League, taking the lead from them to return Manaphy to the ocean.”

Someone asked, “What if they refuse?”

Tohn smiled, “We are here to protect the ocean, so why would they refuse?”

With this statement, everyone understood Tohn's meaning.

If they could obtain Manaphy, that would be great.

But if they couldn't, then they would serve as supervisors.

Manaphy had to return to the ocean.

If everyone's goal was aligned, then the Japan League would have no reason to refuse.

If they did refuse, they could even openly condemn them within the international Pokémon league organization.

Lin Kai understood Tohn's thoughts.

Simply put, it was a form of moral coercion under the guise of righteousness.

Lin Kai stated, “I will negotiate with the Japan League.”

“Also, you could go visit that Gym Leader Natsume directly.”

Tohn nodded, “Of course I want to visit.”

“And I also want to see just how strong this new star from Japan really is.”