January 17th, Sunday.
An entire night had passed since Arcanine mastered 「Overheat」.
Natsume hadn't slept a wink, still baffled as to why every one of his Pokémon was naturally talented.
Gengar could train itself. Sylveon could AFK-farm dungeons.
Now, even the "wise" goofball had taught itself a move.
"Are there even any slacker Pokémon these days?"
Sure, he could just catch any Magikarp, but Natsume preferred the thrill of the encounter.
And among the little ones he'd bonded with, Natsume-sensei's back was already riddled with scars.
Natsume sighed softly, casting a glance at the "last hope"—Sirfetch'd.
"Sirfetch'd?"
Sirfetch'd stiffened, snatched up its shield, and scurried off to the yard.
The sheer intimidation of the Chef had Sirfetch'd voluntarily starting its daily training.
"...Whatever."
Natsume exhaled.
If someone had to be the deadweight, why couldn't it be him?
At least Natsume's standing in the household was still decent.
Thanks to "Sylveon-nee," who sat at the top of the hierarchy.
The same Natsume-sensei who could easily wrangle Sylveon sometimes found himself helpless against Togepi.
Classic rock-paper-scissors dynamics!
As for Sirfetch'd… Sure, its guidance was a bit questionable, but at least it was trying.
In a way…
Natsume-sensei and Sirfetch'd.
Beyond the "Slacker Bond" and the "Chef-Ingredient Bond," there might also be a "Questionable Guidance Bond"...
The sky was clear, flocks of Pidgey soaring across the blue.
"Sylveon~(≧▽≦)" Sylveon was sprinting on the hamster wheel in the living room, the bulb atop it flickering on and off.
Natsume stepped onto the second-floor balcony for a look.
Gengar had set up a speaker in the yard and was stretching to the BGM: "Gengar!"
"Blastoise~ヾ(■_■)" Blastoise walked over steadily, holding a cup of Energy Root Tea.
"Got any left? Pour me one too." Natsume licked his lips.
It was cold out—skipping on goji berry tea just wasn't an option!
"Blastoise." Blastoise nodded, went back inside, and returned with Natsume's classic enamel mug.
Natsume took it, snapping off a root strand to steep in the cup.
Noticing Blastoise's hesitant expression, Natsume chuckled.
"Relax, I'll buy you more later."
Blastoise's eyes lit up. It pointed at its own cannons: "Blastoise?"
"Hard pass." Natsume's face twitched. "I know you know 「Scald」, but I'll just use the kettle."
Maybe because it worried about not finding hot water while traveling…
Blastoise had added 「Scald」—a move with a chance to burn opponents—to its repertoire.
Sure, the secondary effect hardly ever triggered against Natsume-sensei, but at least it made decent tea.
Still… Natsume had mixed feelings.
With his Blastoise, it wasn't "drink more hot water"—it was "drink more lava."
"Blastoise." Blastoise sighed regretfully.
I was gonna use 「Life Dew」 to brew it, too…
But… if I replaced the water in my Hydro Pump tubes with Mystic Water…
The power boost would be insane. Can't let the boss down, right?
Natsume side-eyed the lost-in-thought Blastoise, then gazed upward.
Blastoise's Hydro Pump system did have insane potential.
Like how Green's Blastoise used Hydro Pump thrusters for short bursts of flight.
Or when Red borrowed hers, filling the tubes with Mt. Silver's hot spring water for its healing properties.
So if Blastoise loaded its cannons with goji tea… that should be super effective too, right?
Natsume's expression turned odd.
Imagining a match where Blastoise casually poured Energy Root Tea from its cannons mid-battle.
"Natsume-sensei, since when does your Blastoise know 「Recover」?"
That move's totally illegal!
"Ahem!" Natsume coughed awkwardly, muttering, "Normal Pokémon heal. Blastoise revives from near-death… Guess this is its version of Aqua Ring."
But even reliable Blastoise had downsides.
Like how classic strategies such as 「Shell Smash」 were off the table.
And while he'd gotten the Mega Stone, Mega Evolution drained too much energy—Blastoise might refuse outright.
Natsume's lips curled up wildly.
Which makes it even better.
"Blastoise…" Blastoise glanced at its smug trainer, then went back to practicing 「Iron Defense」.
"Gengar, come eat when you're done!" Natsume called.
"Gengar~(￣▽￣)／"
Back inside, Sylveon had hopped off the hamster wheel and was sprawled on the couch, deep in thought.
"Sylveon…"
Maybe I should go challenge a gym today?
The Psychic Gym's an option, but Gengar teaches there… Fighting Gym it is.
Natsume scooped up the noodle-like Sylveon, testing its weight in his arms.
"Odd." He frowned. "Have I gotten stronger?"
"Sylveon! (#｀皿｀)"
"No picky eating." Natsume suddenly turned stern. "Look how thin you are—I can lift you with one hand now!"
"Sylveon! (╬ ò﹏ó)"
Before Sylveon could whip him with its ribbons,
Natsume bolted to Togepi's side, planning to swipe some snacks.
"Togepi…" Togepi was glued to its game.
"Mew~~" On the video call, Mew giggled, waving its tail at Natsume.
"Long time no see." Natsume crunched on chips, nodding. "You two have fun!"
Togepi absentmindedly reached for the chips—only to find the bag empty.
Instantly, tears welled up.
"Togepi doo-ee~"
Natsume was already gone.
"Messin' with Togepi never gets old." Natsume grinned.
Then—the ceiling shook. Plaster rained from the walls.
Natsume wiped sweat off his brow, rushing back to find Togepi's fingertip glowing faintly blue.
I get it now!
Next battle, just bring a bag of chips. Might work better than 「Weakness Policy」.
If those chips get wrecked, you'd probably summon 「Precipice Blades」, huh?
"Gengar~ヽ(￣▽￣)??"
The expert babysitter Gengar floated in, pulling cucumber chips from its pocket dimension and handing them to Togepi.
Along with a soda.
Instantly, the tears stopped.
"Togepi doo-ee~~(♥ω♥ )??"
Way too easy to please…
Natsume smiled wryly.
But that was just how his little ones were.
"Gengar, grab me one too!"
"Gengar?! ∑(っ°Д°;)っ"
...
Afternoon.
Arcanine held the cooled 「Flame Orb」 in its jaws, playing fetch with Sirfetch'd.
Sirfetch'd suspected the real goal wasn't catching the orb—but catching it instead.
The heat inside the 「Flame Orb」 had been completely burned away by Arcanine's 「Overheat」.
Natsume was in a delicate mood.
No wonder it's a Fire-type ultimate move. One training session, one 「Flame Orb」 gone.
Those who truly master it must've sunk insane time and resources into it, huh?
Of course, for Natsume-sensei's Pokémon…
Cost wasn't an issue. Pokéblocks and supplies flowed endlessly.
As for time? Taking more than a day to master it would probably earn you side-eyes from the team.
"Sirfetch'd!" Tears welled in Sirfetch'd's eyes.
Is the competition inside this team really that brutal?!
Arcanine mastered it in a day. Gengar would probably take half that!
I just wanna be a slacker, dammit!
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