February 22nd, Sunday. Sunny.
A light rain had fallen yesterday, leaving the yard's grass crisp and fresh.
A breeze carried the warmth of early spring as Natsume stretched lazily on the second-floor marble balcony.
"Morning."
He turned to see Cynthia in a turtleneck, holding a steaming cup of coffee.
"You're up this early?" Natsume had expected her to sleep in after their gaming session lasted until 3 AM.
"Not that tired." Cynthia smiled. "Besides, I won most of the matches last night."
Natsume chuckled awkwardly.
I wasn't going easy on her… Just had terrible luck. Not my fault.
The breeze brushed past them as they stood on the balcony, gazing at the glittering beach in the distance.
It was so quiet they could hear the rustling of palm leaves.
"Whose giant fish tank is that in the living room?" Cynthia suddenly asked.
"Oh… That's Blastoise's. It coughs if it sleeps anywhere else."
The temperature was pleasant, sunlight spilling across the yard.
Cynthia's Roserade swayed gently as it meticulously tended to the flowers.
Thanks to its Natural Cure ability, the plants flourished—though weeds were harder to manage.
"Doduo doo~"
Gengar mimicked the sound while pushing a lawnmower past a bewildered Roserade.
"Oh! Rose, my Rose~"
The lawnmower suddenly played a movie soundtrack—courtesy of Rotom, who must've tampered with it.
Roserade froze, unsure what to do, then jumped in surprise.
"Blastoise… ヾ(■_■)"
Blastoise, holding a Squirtle-shaped watering can, observed the Sinnoh soil with one hand behind its back.
Just as I suspected.
It adjusted its sunglasses, eyes gleaming.
Energy Roots cultivated here will be far more potent!
With a polite nod, Blastoise gestured to the soil.
Roserade understood immediately, using Natural Cure to stimulate the Energy Roots within…
"That watering can looks just like the one my grandma had!"
Cynthia pointed at Blastoise, her voice bright, like she'd spotted a rare butterfly.
That girlish expression really hits Natsume-sensei's preferences… Or maybe he's just a hopeless pervert.
"Though hers was shaped like a Psyduck," she added, hugging one arm.
"Next time, I'll bring it back for Blastoise."
Natsume recalled that different regions had different watering cans—useful for growing Berries.
At this rate, Blastoise won't even need the System's bulk supply. It can grow its own.
[?]
In the yard, Sirfetch'd stood between Garchomp and Togekiss, perfectly composed.
Garchomp: (〝▼皿▼)
Sirfetch'd: (⊙??⊙)
Pathetic, helpless, and… delicious? (Wait, no—)
After a day of learning from Garchomp, Sirfetch'd had picked up a few techniques.
But mastering them would take time.
"Toge-kiss~~"
Togekiss, however, seemed fond of Sirfetch'd—flapping its wings eagerly, as if offering to Professor Move it.
"Sirfetch'd!~(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)"
I can't believe I'm getting this kind of elite training!
I'll surpass Togepi in one go! Let's go!!
Togekiss's wings shimmered gold as it radiated the fierce aura of a charging warrior.
This was one of the Flying-type moves—Brave Bird.
In the next instant, Togekiss shot skyward, carving a beautiful contrail like Aerial Ace.
I can't even fly! How am I supposed to learn this?! Give me something easier, dammit! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Natsume, assuming everyone was just playing around, turned to Cynthia.
"I'll walk you to the station later."
"No need. I'll just ride Garchomp." She smiled.
"Be careful… Oh, do you have one of those flying saddles with guardrails?"
"Huh?"
Saying he wouldn't go to work didn't mean he actually wouldn't.
Cynthia was heading to the Sinnoh League to prepare for the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference.
As for Natsume-sensei in the Sinnoh region, he was still stuck in single-track travel mode—
I really miss Brock… Natsume thought.
"Guardrails…"
Cynthia rested a finger on her chin, pondered for a moment, then brightened:
"In Alola, Charizard riders use professional flight gear. It's pretty close to what you're describing, right?"
Natsume slapped his thigh.
Good guy, I actually found it!
Woo-hoo, let's fly!
...
The sun was high in the sky.
After a hearty lunch, Cynthia prepared to depart.
"Garchomp!"
While Cynthia wasn't looking, Garchomp gently tapped Natsume with the flat of its blade, its expression slightly bashful.
Understanding immediately, Natsume extended a palm, a soft blue glow radiating as he cast Aura of Ripple on Garchomp.
"Garchomp~(′▽`〃)"
Natsume blinked in surprise.
Feels like Aura of Ripple could even boost Affection Levels…
But Ash's Aura doesn't seem to have this effect.
Does Aura vary by person, developing different abilities?
Like Ash's enhances physical strength, Sir Aaron's transmits Aura…
And mine… is freaking massage therapy!?
Natsume-sensei scratched his head and decided not to dwell on it.
"If you have time, you should visit Professor Rowan," Cynthia said with a smile before leaving. "After all, he is Sinnoh's Pokémon Professor... He has always admired you.."
Natsume nodded.
Professor Rowan held immense prestige in the research community, having debuted even earlier than Professor Oak—making him Oak's senior in terms of tenure.
His research institute was in Sandgem Town, not far from home… a quick ride on Arcanine would get him there.
"Well then."
Cynthia tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear and mounted Garchomp, her black trench coat looking effortlessly heroic.
"See you at the research conference?"
"Anytime you want to meet," Natsume said.
The breeze carried Cynthia's hair, hiding the faint blush on her cheeks as she murmured:
"Same here."
...
Next on the agenda was visiting Professor Rowan.
Then livestreaming something new, wrapping up the game's development…
Natsume was also intrigued by Sinnoh's snowy landscapes.
Traveling across Mount Coronet with the little ones.
Checking out the differently colored Shellos and Gastrodon on the east coast sounded like a great idea too.
"Ash should be arriving in a couple of days."
Natsume suddenly remembered and muttered:
"Wonder if he'll still get wrecked by Paul."
Paul's probably related to Brandon—they look like carbon copies. His strength isn't just on par; he's cleared other regions.
Ash's Infernape's might already be on his way…
The sunlight was warm.
Natsume stood on the balcony, spacing out for a bit before yawning and heading back inside.
"Gengar, wake Rotom up! We're making new Pokéblocks!"
"Gengar~(～￣▽￣)～"
Gengar floated outside first, checking if Rotom had hidden in the lawnmower.
Then it looked for Togepi.
"Togepi doo-ee~"
Togepi shook its handheld console, signaling Rotom wasn't inside.
Not in the hamster wheel, not in the aerated fish tank… Gengar scratched its head in confusion: "Gengar?"
Meanwhile, in a corner of the room.
"Beep…" Rotom had burrowed into an Electirizer, still fast asleep.
This Electirizer was something Natsume-sensei had gotten from Lt. Surge.
Supposedly, it could trigger Electabuzz's evolution… but it worked just fine for Rotom too.
In the silence, blue currents of electricity suddenly crackled around the Electirizer.
"Rotom!?" Rotom jolted awake, stunned.
I didn't self-destruct… Is this thing about to explode!?
The next moment, brilliant white light erupted from the Electirizer—
BOOM!!
Natsume, who had just stepped inside from the balcony, froze.
The entire house trembled, dust shaking loose from the walls as blue currents formed a faint electric field, covering nearly the entire building.
Natsume: "E-Electric Terrain!?"
BOOM!!
Another explosion rang out, electric sparks scattering in all directions.
This time, is it Thunderbolt or…
Now wasn't the time to think about that.
Gulping, Natsume waited for the house to settle. Soon, a soot-covered Rotom Pokédex floated out of the room.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, Rotom…"
Relieved that only property damage was involved, Natsume sighed.
Just a little house-wrecking—
Then he smacked his forehead.
Oh crap, I don't have a VIP membership with the local renovation crew!!
Sweat beaded on Natsume-sensei's brow as he glanced at the dejected Rotom.
"Rotom~"
"It's fine."
Natsume reassured it: "We'll just deduct the repair costs from your Pokéblock crafting salary."
Rotom was deeply moved:
"Long live understanding, Rotom! o(TヘTo)"
Checking the local directory, Natsume found a well-known renovation team from Jubilife City.
They promised to arrive within an hour.
Hanging up, Natsume frowned:
"Why does that name sound so familiar?"
...
Ding-dong—
"Coming!"
Natsume opened the door—and froze.
"Everything alright?" the renovation captain asked curiously.
Natsume: "Do we… know each other?"
"Don't think so. First time meeting."
"Oh… Then do you have relatives in Kanto or Tokyo?"
The captain's eyes lit up. "How'd you know?!"
Natsume: ?
"My cousin in Kanto said business was booming, so I joined the trade too," the captain explained.
"So, you're that guy's…"
"Big cousin!" the captain said cheerfully.
Natsume clutched his chest: "B-Big cousin!?"
"Big cousin, not big big cousin," the captain clarified kindly.
Natsume looked up at the sky, eyes inexplicably moist.
It's here!
Renovation Captain – Sinnoh Variant!
...
At sunset, the renovation captain left Sandgem Town and got a call from his cousin.
"Natsume-sensei's in Sinnoh now?"
"Yeah… Make sure to give him the family discount!"
The Kanto captain was moved to tears, his admiration for Natsume-sensei profound.
The big cousin glanced at the business card in his hand:
"Natsume-sensei… His name's just Natsume?"
"Huh? He's already used your services? That was fast!"
"Oh no!"
The renovation captain spun around and yelled:
"Quick, turn back! We gotta refund Natsume-sensei!"
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