That afternoon.
Natsu followed an excited Gengar to the Contestant Village's Training Facilities.
Contestants could train in sealed arenas or battle in open fields.
"Arcanine~~凸(｀0´)凸" Arcanine howled with husky-like majesty, drawing stares from nearby trainers.
Natsu wasn't worried about intel leaks—
His team had been the sa six for ages. What was there to hide?
But rumor had it… the world suspected Natsu-sensei might unleash a Mythical Pokémon in the finals.
No—even a Legendary!
After all, he'd already fought Leon in an exhibition match. Showing up here? Total overkill.
"Wait… so I'm the 'Legendary Pokémon guy' now?" Natsu mused, rubbing his chin.
Inside the sealed training arena, equipnt like artificial sunlight and gravity fields humd.
"Gengar~" Gengar had already led Arcanine into a well-practiced routine.
"Sirfetch'd~" Sirfetch'd, having witnessed Togepi's dominance yesterday, shed silent tears.
I thought I was strong…
But in this team, I'm still barely above the bottom!
Gotta work harder! Gotta push forward~!
Brock, fresh off security duty at a sub-venue, tracked Natsu down after a quick call.
"Natsu-sensei!" The dark-skinned gym leader keyed in the arena passcode and waved.
Natsu lifted a hand. "Who won your venue today?"
"Johto's seeded contestant, Takao. His Mismagius swept the match."
Brock's expression was subtle: "Also a Perish Song user."
Natsu blinked.
Mismagius using Perish Song? That's not ideal!
Though his own Gengar hadn't mastered Perish Song yet.
Even if it was an inherited move, plenty of Pokémon had mastered inherited moves through training.
In a way…
Not mastering Perish Song might not be such a bad thing.
Brock stood in the Sunlight Chamber for a mont before deciding not to disturb Natsu-sensei's training.
He'd heard that Gym Leader Erika would be coming to watch the matches at the Indigo Plateau Conference today.
Brock fell into thought.
With her dazzling signature move, Solar Beam…
Maybe she could offer Natsu-sensei so inspiration.
As he pondered, Brock's phone buzzed.
"I've arrived at Indigo Plateau~"
In the chat group, Erika typed: "Is anyone near the open plaza?"
"Sister Green is," Yellow replied. "But she's probably busy promoting her rchandise…"
"@Erika, co to the training facilities in the Contestant Village," Brock suggested. "Natsu-sensei and I are here right now…"
...
"Erika's coming?" Natsu looked surprised.
"A Celadon Gym trainer is competing today… Leader Erika's here to cheer them on."
Natsu vaguely rembered a particularly strong Bellsprout from Ash's year—was it from Celadon Gym?
"Gengar~!" Gengar's voice called out.
Natsu turned to see the lively training atmosphere.
"Sirfetch'd!" Sirfetch'd swung its leek, sweating profusely.
"Sirfetch'd's working hard to get stronger too…" Natsu sighed with mixed emotions.
He couldn't let it down.
Maybe he'd let Sirfetch'd fight in the next match.
Win or lose, it was all about the experience.
At the sa ti, sunlight poured through the training arena's entrance.
Erika, dressed in an elegant green furisode, stepped inside gracefully, offering a slight bow and a smile.
"Natsu-sensei, Mr. Brock, it's been a while."
Seeing the visiting Gym Leader, Natsu suddenly realized sothing.
It wasn't just that the Indigo Plateau Conference Tournant Committee had connections.
The entire Kanto League—Gym Leaders, Elite Four, even the Champion—were all old acquaintances!
On top of that, Natsu was also Team Rocket's ntor…
His level of influence over the Kanto League might've surpassed even Giovanni's back in the day.
Natsu coughed lightly. "What do you two want to drink? I'll grab so water."
"No need to trouble yourself."
"It's fine." Natsu glanced toward the edge of the arena. "There's a vending machine right there."
Brock paused. "Water's fine. Thanks."
"Sa here~"
Natsu walked toward the vending machine.
Brock crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he observed the center of the arena, murmuring:
"I never expected… Natsu-sensei to train Gengar to this level."
Not only could it strictly follow the trainer's training regin, but it could also push the other team mbers to improve.
This kind of ability… might only be rivaled by soone like Blue Oak, who assembled a main team in just six months.
"Breeding is also one of Natsu-sensei's specialties," Erika said softly, gazing up at the artificial sunlight with a faint smile.
"But when it cos to sunlight… his training plan still has so gaps."
Brock frowned slightly. "Is the light intensity not strong enough?"
"No…"
Erika stepped forward, her graceful presence radiating a calming aura, her movents carrying a faint floral scent.
"Arcanine's been trying to learn a new move."
She tossed a Poké Ball with a smile. "And it's only missing one last breakthrough."
"Arcanine?" Arcanine tilted its head, confused by the Bellossom in front of it.
Under the sunlight, Bellossom danced gracefully, petals swirling as a dazzling orb of light ford above it.
"Aim for the target," Erika commanded, raising her hand. "Solar Beam!"
BOOM!
A brilliant beam of light erupted, scorching a black mark onto the training dummy.
Arcanine stared blankly for a long mont—before a lightbulb practically lit up above its head.
"Arcanine~o(≧Д≦)っ!"
So THAT'S how it's done!
"Arcanine~!" It grinned, its expression practically screaming "I'm a genius!"
The next second, shimring Grass-type energy gathered as Arcanine opened its maw, charging up its own Solar Beam!
Clink—
A water bottle rolled out of the machine.
Natsu grabbed one and turned—only to freeze.
The Solar Beam shot toward the target… but its aim was slightly off, slamming into the arena wall instead.
CRACK!
A spiderweb of fissures spread across the surface.
Natsu had a complicated look on his face.
I was gone for two minutes, and it already learned a new move?!
"It's already quite good," Erika said, smiling at Arcanine. "Just needs a little more accuracy."
"Arcanine~~(◕▽◕)"
Don't lie to !
Solar Beam's accuracy is supposed to be perfect!
More importantly…
Natsu stared at the crumbling wall, his chest tightening.
Please don't let it use this move at ho…
"Sirfetch'd! (╥﹏╥)"
What about ?! I've been stuck trying to learn a new move forever!
"I only offered a small hint," Erika said, accepting the water with a playful shake. "Consider this my thanks~!"
Natsu exhaled heavily.
Even on a rest day, I run into good fortune…
Fine. He gritted his teeth.
Next match, I'm fighting seriously!
"As for Sirfetch'd…" Erika glanced back. "A Miracle Seed could sharpen its sensitivity to Grass-type energy."
"Maybe the day it masters Solar Blade isn't too far off!" she added cheerfully.
Critical hit!
Natsu sighed, utterly drained.
"You two go ahead and watch the matches. I need to prepare for the next round."
Brock blinked, his expression shifting into sothing almost impressed.
Natsu-sensei, taking command seriously starting from the Top 32?
"This year's Indigo Plateau Conference…" he muttered under his breath.
"…is going to be brutal."
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