The Youth Tournament of the Touran Conference has finally come to an end.
The finals broadcast on Nico Dou sparked waves of astonishment.
"Can you really sweep the entire team with a baby team?"
"Natsume-sensei is showing off! Let's go after him, bros!"
"This is too brutal, Natsume-sensei is just too inhuman!"
The view count surpassed ten million, and a massive audience was funneled to Natsume-sensei's Nico Dou account.
Invitations from media and advertisers came pouring in.
The endorsement offers even made Natsume a bit nervous.
"No wonder Leon hangs so many logos on his cape," Natsume muttered. "Making money is really profitable!"
Despite this, Natsume stuck to his usual style of "not taking endorsements."
If I can endorse myself, why bother with others' offers?
On the media front, the low-key Natsume-sensei only accepted an interview from his old friend, Tokyo Evening News.
Natsume's exact words were: "Just a normal performance..."
"Everyone showed their style and level..."
That night, Tokyo Evening News headlined with: [Natsume-sensei: At the Level of the Youth Tournament, But Not at My Level]
The subtitle read: [High School Domination, Sweeping the Entire Team, Natsume-sensei's Normal Performance]
Natsume's temple twitched.
I really wanted to keep a low profile...
Has your newspaper always been this good at reading comprehension?
But with the heated discussions came a lot of BP, which could be exchanged for some delicious Berries.
Natsume wiped his drool and reluctantly nodded.
...
September 18th, Friday.
Before he could even return home, Natsume first went with Coach Takashi to the Trainer Academy at Tokyo Metropolitan University.
They were there to pick up the [Iron Defense] move manual.
"Are you sure... all I have to do is get hit?" Natsume asked uneasily, repeatedly.
"It's endurance," Coach Takashi corrected.
"Of course, pairing it with items like Metal Coat or Steel Gem will make the effect more noticeable."
Natsume breathed a sigh of relief.
Metal Coat was definitely out of his budget, but Steel Gem could be exchanged.
Training for [Iron Defense] wasn't urgent.
Squirtle was steady as ever; it could just take its time to practice.
Under Coach Takashi's recommendation, Natsume also met with Former Principal Hiroshi of Tokyo Metropolitan University.
Hiroshi stroked his beard and smiled, advising Natsume to train Squirtle well.
Natsume complained inwardly: Training... isn't something I can control!
Every morning, my Pokémon wake up with a new move on their list...
Is that my fault?
"By the way... I have a gift for you," Hiroshi said.
"It's something I won from a bet with Principal Kenji from Kyoto—a handwritten manual for [Ice Punch], which is considered a secret technique even at the Gym level."
"Your Squirtle seems to lack an Ice-type move to cover its weaknesses, so this should help."
Natsume was stunned, his expression complex.
Former Principal, why are you so invested in me?
With Squirtle's steady personality, if it masters [Ice Punch], wouldn't it be like punching out the BGM of Justice Execution?
"I remember Senior Kenji's [Ice Punch] training method was quite complicated, right?" Coach Takashi said in surprise.
Kenji's Swampert had made a name for itself with [Ice Punch].
Even the manual was swindled by the Former Principal. He really must think highly of Natsume.
Hiroshi stroked his beard and nodded. "It's complicated, but not that complicated... It just requires a lot of Never-Melt Ice and Ice Stone assistance."
Training Pokémon is like cultivating immortality. No matter how great the technique, without rare resources, it's useless.
Natsume's temple twitched, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.
"To train to Principal Kenji's level, a few million Pokémon Coins should cover it," Hiroshi said, stroking his beard.
A few million Pokémon Coins?
Natsume was stunned.
Principal, you can say that, but why are you cursing me?
"Natsume just won 2 million Pokémon Coins," Coach Takashi said with a laugh. "It's just a small amount."
I still owe several million Pokémon Coins.
And you call that a small amount?!
Natsume glanced at the Poké Ball swaying at his waist.
Squirtle seemed to be quite excited.
A drop of cold sweat instantly rolled down Natsume's forehead.
Natsume looked at the two kind-faced, eager seniors and felt a shiver in his heart.
The 2 million Pokémon Coins prize money is in danger!!
...
Aside from [Ice Punch] and [Iron Defense], Coach Takashi also generously gifted Natsume a [Double Team] manual as a reward.
"Don't be shy," Coach Takashi said with a big laugh. "You earned this!"
Natsume: "Thank you so much!"
Complaints aside, [Double Team] didn't seem like a move with high expenses; in fact, it seemed quite common.
While it boosts evasion, judging from a certain talkative ninja's track record, shadow clones can also be used for offense.
From the anime's portrayal, [Double Team] even seems more useful than [Substitute]...
Natsume rubbed his chin and muttered, "If Haunter learns it... wouldn't household chores become easier?"
Not only that.
Once Haunter learns it, it can teach Sylveon, and even other Pokémon...
"Brilliant!" Natsume's eyes lit up, and he patted his own shoulder.
"Truly a training genius, Natsume-sensei!"
...
This trip to the Baby Cup turned out to be far more rewarding than Natsume-sensei had expected.
But the subsequent training costs for the moves were another astronomical figure.
As Natsume walked home, he calculated his income and expenses, his heart sinking.
"More expenses than income..."
Although he had two hit games, they had only been on the market for a month or two.
Being able to repay Steven's debt was already a blessing.
As for Cynthia's 5 million Pokémon Coins, who knows when that will be paid off.
"Whatever... money comes and goes."
Natsume rallied himself, comforting himself.
"As long as I work hard, I'll eventually pay off the debt, one day..."
Before he could finish the word "day," Natsume, walking back to his neighborhood, looked up at his newly moved-in house.
His pupils contracted, his body trembled, and his hands and feet turned cold.
"Hiss—" Natsume sucked in a cold breath.
After just three days of competition.
Damn it, my house got robbed?!
...
Natsume looked at the giant hole in the second-floor wall.
He took a deep breath, repeatedly telling himself to stay calm.
Slowly pushing open the door, Growlithe immediately ran over, following his scent.
"Growlithe!!"
The plump Growlithe leaped at Natsume, its long tongue flinging drool.
Natsume sidestepped, nervously scanning the room.
Growlithe missed its leap and let out a whine, its eyes full of resentment.
"Oh, you're back," Misaki-neesan turned around and said. "I saw you weren't home, so I thought I'd do some redecorating."
Natsume was stunned, looking around.
Although the style was similar to the original, the faint scorch marks on the ceiling and walls seemed to reveal something...
"Haunter..."
Haunter's eyes welled up with tears as it looked at Misaki-neesan, who was taking the blame for them.
It slowly floated out, poking its fingers together, head lowered, sneaking glances at Natsume.
A look of guilt.
Seeing this, Natsume roughly understood what had happened.
"Thank you for taking care of them," Natsume said helplessly. "I'll cover the redecorating costs."
"It's just a small amount," Misaki-neesan waved her hand, covering her mouth. "But Growlithe learned a new move!"
"Growlithe!" Growlithe sat on the ground, its eyes filled with wisdom.
Natsume was slightly stunned, discreetly glancing at his Pokédex.
Looking at the move list and Haunter's proud face, Natsume's heart trembled.
When Growlithe learned [Flame Wheel]...
The thing I least wanted to happen.
It finally happened!
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