What was called a "Legendary Quality Item" turned out to be a "Legendary Quality Berry."
Natsu knew his own system well enough.
During the intermission before the first-round contestants took the stage, Natsu checked his rewards—just as expected.
[Lansat Berry: An extrely rare fruit that boosts a move's critical hit rate in dire situations. (Legendary Carrying this berry brings imnse happiness.)]
Natsu raised an eyebrow.
I knew it. My system in its past life must've been a berry blender!
Inside the system space, the Lansat Berry lay quietly—a vibrant red with a fresh green stem, looking utterly tantalizing.
Judging by its effects, it was a perfect match for his Sirfetch'd.
After skimming the additional notes, Natsu grew even more convinced of his theory.
Happiness through effortless victories… That's practically tailor-made for Sirfetch'd's role!
"Once I turn it into Pokéblocks, it'll be Sirfetch'd's daily treat."
Boosting critical hit rate was just a bonus.
The real goal? Fattening Sirfetch'd up so it could focus on egg duty!
A plump, snow-white "duck mom" dutifully nesting over eggs… Now that was an image.
"At this rate, just a few more berries, and the Berry Pokédex will be complete…"
In the Pokémon world, rare variants like the Salac Berry and Petaya Berry could enhance a Pokémon's Speed or Special Attack.
Currently, Natsu's collection already included six types—Ganlon Berry (Defense up), Liechi Berry (Attack up), and others.
Just one more—the Apicot Berry for Special Defense—and he'd have all seven, ready to summon Rayquaza. (Not really.)
"In the special editions, wasn't Ruby the one who used Spicy-flavored Pokéblocks to befriend Rayquaza?"
Natsu's gaze drifted toward the dazzling stage performance, though his mind was elsewhere.
"Next ti, I'll make a 'Dragon Ball Flavor'… No way it won't take the bait!"
"Natsu-sensei." Wallace, in his signature white cap, folded his hands and murmured a reminder. "It's ti to score."
Snapping back to reality, Natsu—who hadn't even opened his [Random Poké Ball ×1] yet—focused on the stage.
The first perforr, a girl with an Eevee perched on her shoulder, stared at him with sparkling eyes after finishing her routine.
"Natsu-sensei! I… I—"
"Take your ti," Fantina, dressed in an elegant strapless gown, said warmly. "The judges are very patient."
This isn't what I saw in the ani!
Natsu froze.
Why did this feel like so talent show chair-turning mont?!
"I…" The girl took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I want to beco a Battle Master Coordinator—just like Natsu-sensei and Mr. Wallace!"
"More than anything, I want to bond with my Eevee… so it can evolve into a Sylveon!"
"Eevee~!" The Eevee on her shoulder chid in with a sweet smile.
The audience erupted in applause, and Natsu gave an approving nod.
Ah, one of my fans? Easy enough.
He nearly blurted out "Which ntor will you choose?" but caught himself. Instead, he straightened and said, "That was a wonderful performance. Congratulations."
Then, Natsu-sensei awarded a high score, and the other judges unanimously agreed—she advanced.
"YES!!" The girl spun with Eevee in her arms before bowing deeply toward Natsu. "Th-thank you, Natsu-sensei!"
Wallace glanced sideways at Natsu, noticing the latter's gaze eting his.
"Do you think she'll succeed?" Wallace asked softly.
"Hard to say," Natsu mused. "But if a trainer trusts their Pokémon, the Pokémon will respond in kind."
Wallace nodded thoughtfully, a faint smile playing on his lips as he reclined elegantly, crossing his legs.
"Now I understand why Steven calls you the most enigmatic trainer he's ever t."
"Enigmatic?"
"Normally, I can sense a trainer's personality just by observing their Pokémon."
Wallace's erald-green eyes studied Natsu, deep and piercing.
"Your Sylveon… carries an unshakable determination, a burning desire to grow stronger."
"Yet, as its trainer, I don't sense that sa drive in you. If anything…"
He paused, arms crossed. "You seem to go out of your way to avoid battling."
Natsu blinked.
Wallace, the Water-type Champion, possessed extraordinary sensitivity—earning him the title "Artist of Water and Elegance."
Much like how Lance could sense Dragon-types, Wallace's ability to read emotions wasn't surprising.
After a mont, Natsu nodded. "You're right. Their safety matters more to than victory."
Wallace's brow furrowed slightly as he sank into thought.
"Even the calst lake will churn when the storm arrives."
Unbidden, the words of his ntor, Juan, surfaced in his mind.
Fantina's strength was nowhere near enough to push Natsu into a serious battle.
Wallace's erald gaze lingered on Natsu, an uncharacteristic competitive fire igniting in his chest.
He wanted to witness firsthand the power that had once saved Hoenn Champion Steven's life!
"Then… when the main stage closes, we'll have a battle between Champions."
Wallace withdrew his gaze, looking up toward the dod ceiling—where his vision superimposed a breathtaking white tower.
"At Alamos Town's… Space-Ti Tower!"
Of course, if he initiated the challenge, proper compensation was only fair…
"A reward would be too crude. Better to exchange techniques between Champions…"
As a Water-type Champion, Wallace's signature move was Rain Dance—a technique that amplified Water-type moves with both grace and power.
Rain Dance embodied the beauty and might of Water-types, refined further by Wallace's personal insights.
Even if he shared it with Natsu, soone of his caliber would surely do it justice.
But all that… would have to wait until the Wallace Cup concluded.
Shaking his head, Wallace turned his attention back to the stage, resuming his judging duties.
The arena spotlights flickered as evening fell outside.
Yellow, with her bright ponytail swaying, cheered enthusiastically for every contestant—even if she didn't fully understand the performances.
Green yawned, propping her chin on her hand. "Yellow, you're too kind~"
"Ehehe." Yellow scratched her head. "I just want to support everyone as much as I can!"
Green burst into laughter. "Ara~ No wonder Red fell for you!"
"Mmph?!"
Instantly, Yellow's face turned beet red, steam practically rising from her head as she short-circuited.
Red—the ultimate counter against Yellow!
Nearby, Jasmine, clutching her Magnemite, suddenly blushed and glanced down at her flat stomach.
Hungry… But the event isn't over yet…
"I heard the seven-star hotel nearby is hosting a doubles battle with free als afterward…" Green ntioned casually.
"I'm going!" Jasmine declared.
Every head in the vicinity swiveled toward her abrupt outburst.
Jasmine imdiately ducked her head, mortified, her fingers tightening around Magnemite's screws.
Magnemite's eyes spun dizzily.
Just then, an oddly dressed woman onstage captured the crowd's attention.
"What… rare attire," Fantina remarked with a polite smile.
Contesta frowned. "How did she pass the preliminaries?"
Natsu, however, straightened in his seat, suddenly alert.
The woman wore garish red-and-green clothing, sported jarring twin tails, and donned oversized round glasses.
Jessie—who could easily be a 9/10 with proper styling—had instead embraced peak fashion disaster.
"Ladies and gentlen! Prepare for my performance!"
Jessie threw her arms wide, grinning triumphantly.
"Presenting… Sweet Lina and her partner, Wobbuffet!"
"Wobbuffet~!"
The arena fell dead silent—possibly due to Jessie's avant-garde aesthetic.
Contesta, beside Natsu, grimaced, already reaching for his zero-point scorecard.
The secondhand embarrassnt was palpable.
Natsu, however, gave Jessie an encouraging nod.
'Don't worry. With an Executive here, you'll definitely advance!!'
Jessie steeled herself. She and Wobbuffet dashed to opposite ends of the stage—then charged straight at each other.
BAM!
Jessie went flying.
The audience gasped.
"What kind of move is that?!"
"Since when can Coordinators attack directly?!"
"Who cares? Back in the League, Trainers could punch Pokémon!"
A second later, Jessie landed gracefully atop Wobbuffet's head, striking a gymnastic pose with her arms raised high.
"Ta-daaa!"
Silence. Again.
"AMAZING!!"
"We're your biggest fans~ owth!!"
Two lone claps echoed through the arena.
Everyone turned to see a blue-haired young man and a talking owth.
Ash, ever the hype man, joined in.
"Pikachu, that big sister's performance was aweso!" Ash bead, utterly oblivious.
"Pika…" Pikachu facepald.
Jessie held her pose, eyes locked on the judges' panel.
Contesta raised his scorecard sternly.
"Such brutish conduct has no place in a Contest!"
The first zero of the day.
The stands erupted in laughter—genuine this ti.
Jessie stood stiffly in the spotlight, forcing a smile as Wobbuffet patted her back consolingly.
"It was a pleasure witnessing such a unique performance."
The crowd hushed, awaiting the verdict from the top Coordinator.
The black-haired young man smiled faintly and lifted his scorecard.
"I saw unshakable trust between Coordinator and Pokémon—worthy of Kalos' grandest festival."
"Contestant Sweet Lina, you have the makings of a 'Kalos Queen.' Congratulations."
Silence. Then—
"A… perfect score?!"
"The first full marks today!"
Zero and full marks—for the sa contestant!
Jessie sniffled dramatically. Wobbuffet looked moved.
"Wobbuffet… (;´Д｀) (E-Executive…)"
Luckily, no one understood him.
Contesta shot Natsu a disapproving glare.
As head judge, Raoul valued elegance and comrcial appeal. Jessie's performance? Unacceptable.
He began doubting Natsu's expertise.
Just because he's a skilled Coordinator doesn't an his judgnt is sound!
Fantina, the third judge, studied Jessie before smiling.
"I quite admire performances that showcase both Trainer and Pokémon."
Jessie blinked as Fantina lifted her white-gloved hand.
Another perfect score.
The audience lost it.
"TWO full marks?!"
"How's the gap this huge?!"
"I thought Natsu-sensei was being nice… Turns out, the real villain was the head judge?!"
Contesta's frown deepened.
He did see rit in Jessie's act—but her defiance of tradition felt like a mockery.
Now, all eyes were on Wallace for the final score.
Wallace offered Raoul an apologetic smile.
"My apologies, Mr. Contesta."
Contesta sighed heavily. "Just score her."
Wallace raised his card—
The crowd exploded.
"THREE PERFECT SCORES?!"
"Natsu-sensei's the real talent scout!!"
"Soone investigate the head judge! Is he Team Rocket?!"
Amid the uproar, the first day of the Wallace Cup concluded.
Final average: 7.5. Jessie advanced!
The Team Rocket trio scurried back to their vendor stall, barely pausing to celebrate.
"We owe this to the Executive being a judge!" Jessie cheered.
Jas and owth exchanged glances.
"Maybe… it wasn't the Executive. Maybe you were just good, Jessie," Jas said.
Jessie froze.
"I… was good?"
owth crossed his arms. "Jessie's Coordinating skills are top-tier! The Executive knows talent!"
"C'mon, let's earn more funding to repay him!" Jas grinned.
"Wobbuffet~!!"
Dragging a dazed Jessie along, the trio returned to their stall, plotting tomorrow's rchandise.
Unanimous decision: Sylveon plushies.
"With the Executive's popularity, we'll make a fortune!"
"This... is the best feeling ever~~~!"
"Wobbuffet!"
...
Post-event, Natsu t up with Jasmine's group outside—only to find Ash challenging Fantina first.
"I ca all the way from Heartho City for your badge!" Ash declared.
Fantina blinked, then smiled. "Very well. After dinner, we'll battle."
She'd planned to go easy on him.
More importantly… This boy seems close to Natsu-sensei. Maybe I can get his address… and just mail the badge.
Heartho Gym couldn't survive another "renovation" by Natsu's team.
With a sigh, Fantina excused herself to prepare.
Ash turned to Natsu, starry-eyed.
"Natsu-sensei! What team should I use?!"
"Uh… Just use Counter Shield."
"Huh? But you taught that!"
"No. You invented it." Natsu deadpanned. "I said so, so it's true."
Ash scratched his head, confused, but muttered an "Okay…"
Jasmine tugged Natsu's sleeve shyly.
"N-Natsu-sensei… Later, could you… partner with for the doubles battle?"
"Doubles battle?"
"The winning team gets free als for a week!"
Green, hanging off Yellow, added, "Yellow and I are joining too!"
Natsu nodded solemnly.
"The free food is irrelevant. I'm doing this purely to honor Miss Jasmine's request!"
"What about ?" Ash pointed at himself. "Who's my partner?"
"You? Just team up with Pikachu. If the rules allow it."
"But... without a Partner, I can't sign up!" Ash protested.
Natsu gazed skyward.
"Well… I do know a few candidates."
...
That night, at the seven-star hotel's doubles battle, Ash tead up with a disguised Jas.
(Ash-and-Jas cross-dressing is tradition—though this ti, it was just a simple costu. And Ash still didn't recognize him.)
Before the match, owth perched on Wobbuffet's shoulder, patting Jas' back.
"Do it for my dinner, Jimmy!"
Jas trembled. "B-But the Executive's competing too…"
"Relax~" Jessie smirked. "He'll go easy on us! We might even win!"
"You really think the Executive plays fair in fan tournants?" owth deadpanned.
Spoiler: He doesn't.
Minutes later, owth's fears were confird.
"Rotom, Discharge!"
"Amphy, Discharge too!"
Twin bolts of lightning lit up the battlefield.
Natsu and Jasmine obliterated the competition.
The crowd watched, torn between awe and horror.
"He brought a Gym Leader to crush rookies?!"
"Breaking: Champion-level trainer joins tournant—for a free al coupon?!"
"Champions don't do this! …Wait, it's Natsu-sensei? Never mind!"
Thanks to Natsu's star power, the hotel was packed.
The owner grinned—until he saw Jasmine and Gengar's appetites.
Then, his joy turned to despair.
Gengar & Jasmine: (￣～￣) Munch munch.
A clerk rushed over.
"Boss! Bad news! That girl's a four-ti eating champion!"
The owner wanted to cry.
He'd been scamd.
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