The Contestant Village was located west of the grand Arena. According to the guide, the southern area was a merchant zone where visitors could buy souvenirs, gifts, drinks, and food.
"After tomorrow's opening ceremony, we're heading there to help Green, right?" Whitney asked.
"Will her food even sell?" Gold voiced his doubts about Green's cooking skills.
"Probably just hot dogs and bread—basic convenience stuff," Natsume said. "But honestly, for events like these, bringing your own food is cheaper than buying there, right?"
Gold & Whitney: "…"
"Sister Green… will probably prepare meals for the staff…?" Whitney said uncertainly.
Gold stayed silent. Green—the same shrewd merchant who'd even scammed Senior Red—was not to be trusted.
Natsume: "Alright, I get it. You two didn't bring anything… I'll make bento for you tomorrow."
"Really? Awesome!" they cheered in unison.
"Of course, it won't be free." Natsume flashed a grin. "Let's go with premium restaurant pricing!"
"Huh?!" Gold's wallet trembled.
Whitney, however, nodded thoughtfully. "Given Natsume's skills, that's actually a fair deal…"
Seemed the Goldenrod City Gym Leader had deeper pockets than a certain Pokémon Day Care employee.
Natsume pondered for a moment.
Well, Gengar's pocket dimension had a fridge stocked with ingredients anyway.
Preparing a simple meal in the morning before the opening ceremony wouldn't be a problem.
Besides, Natsume was curious about the "mystery guest commentator" Lance had mentioned.
Checked into Contestant Village, staying at the well-known chain, Budew Hotel.
The event organizers provided professional Contestant uniforms and running shoes—a privilege of being a 'Star Trainer.'
The Team Rocket Trio's phones were unreachable.
Natsume suspected it was either due to unpaid bills or service suspension… typical behavior from those three.
[Arrive at Daybreak Town as soon as possible tomorrow. There's a mission for you.]
After sending the message, he topped up their phone credit. Checking Meowth's forehead tracker confirmed they were near a Pokémon Center where they could recharge.
Only then did Natsume relax and lie down, sighing deeply:
"Such hopeless idiots… Not even the protagonist gets this much attention from me!"
Before bed, Moe-Moe! sent a message related to the previous spatial rift incident.
"It's not just Alamos Town—the spatial rifts have also affected Mount Coronet, Michina Town, and other areas."
"I'll need to keep handling these anomalies for a while…" Cynthia apologized. "I might… not make it back to Sandgem Town anytime soon."
Natsume nodded in understanding, though his brow furrowed slightly.
To truly resolve these incidents… would he have to wait until Pikachu zaps Arceus with a Thunderbolt…?
Unless—
Was Giratina making its move, causing the spatial rifts to increase again?!
"I barely remember the plot of Giratina's movie."
Natsume looked up at the sky.
"There was a Shaymin, and a field of Gracidea flowers…"
Whatever. Natsume shook his head and stayed alert.
If he really encountered Giratina, its temper was slightly better than those two idiot dragons. Maybe he could strike a deal.
It was already past midnight. He set an alarm for the morning.
Perhaps because there weren't many strong wild Pokémon nearby, the little ones had also settled down unusually early.
Under the moonlight, Sylveon breathed steadily. Its snow-white fur glowed faintly, weaving sweet dreams for everyone.
"Surely they're not training in their dreams…?" Natsume mused absurdly.
Gold sent a message, asking if he wanted to join them at the nearby pool hall.
"Playing pool in the middle of the night!?" Natsume couldn't comprehend it.
"Haha, it's fine! Everyone's in high spirits!"
Fresh from dominating the entire pool hall, Gold leaned on his cue, grinning under the crowd's mixed gazes.
Natsume politely declined the invitation.
Natsume had a very clear understanding of his own pool skills.
Managing to sink the cue ball while trying to avoid the eight-ball…
That wasn't just clumsy—it was downright pathological. Though one could argue it was a "unique technique."
The all-capable Natsume-sensei seemed to have an insurmountable hurdle when it came to "Snooker" and "Plants vs. Zombies."
...
The next day, the air was dry—a rare clear day in the Sinnoh Region.
"Sirfetch'd!"
Early in the morning, Sirfetch'd was already on the balcony, clang-clang chopping leeks as if trying to slice a [Metal Coat] in half.
Natsume patted the egg Incubator , gazing at the Pokémon Egg inside with a sigh.
"Hang in there… Sirfetch'd's busy right now. We'll get you moving once it's done."
The grayish-green Egg wobbled slightly, as if in response.
"Natsume-sensei!"
Whitney, her pink hair bouncing, stood downstairs, waving energetically.
Beside her, Jasmine, with her orange braids, wore a white dress and held two bags politely in front of her knees—graceful and shy.
Gold, his dark hair messy, leaned on his pool cue, yawning nonstop.
"Let's head to the opening ceremony first," Natsume said as he walked downstairs. "Who else is coming?"
"Maylene," Jasmine replied softly. "She's already at the arena, waiting for it to start."
Natsume nodded, then glanced at his vibrating phone.
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."
The message was from Team Rocket: [Executive! We're already near Daybreak Town!]
"Then where are they…?"
Following the tracker, Natsume arrived at the merchant zone south of the arena, muttering as he scanned the area.
Suddenly, something tugged at his ankle. A chill ran down his spine.
"Ghost or ghoul? Gengar, Shadow Punch!"
"Gengar!"
Gengar swooped out from behind Natsume, ready to unleash a flurry of attacks—
"It's us, Executive!" the trio hastily shouted.
Natsume squinted at the three shadowy figures. "Why do you guys always look so rough?"
"It's a long story, meow…" Meowth wiped its face.
"We survived by sneaking food from the festival stalls, nom!" Jessie mumbled through a mouthful of dango skewers.
James, chugging a bottle of Johto's Moomoo Milk, grinned like a carefree rich kid.
"Heh, this stuff's pretty good."
Natsume: "…"
"The truth is clear—Rotom!"
Rotom Dex immediately floated up, pointing at Meowth.
"Festival goods keep disappearing! The culprits: Team Rocket, Rotom!"
Team Rocket: "Are we gonna get arrested?! "
"Hate this feeling~!"
"Make up for it," Natsume continued smoothly, "and you'll earn your keep by running a stall during the competition."
"A stall?"
"Exactly. The All-Around Competition is like the Olympics. Stalls during the Olympics? Profit guaranteed."
They didn't get the "Olympics" reference, but the trio understood the mission.
"So… where's our stall?"
"Already picked out for you." Natsume smirked. They'd not only cover costs but rake in extra cash.
The trio exchanged glances, then erupted with determination.
"Leave it to us, Executive!"
"We'll earn enough funds and build a super robot!"
"Wobbuffet~!"
Honestly, I kinda wanna ride one of their mechs…
But as their superior, Natsume simply nodded coolly.
"Good luck. I'm counting on you."
...
All-Around Competition! Opening Ceremony.
Banners fluttered as waves of cheers flooded the arena.
Natsume and the others, as "All-Star Representatives," stepped out from the tunnel—another roar erupted.
"Natsume-sensei!!"
"Who's that good-looking guy? Bet he can't battle for squat."
"Miss Jasmine—we're your fan club!!"
Jasmine's fan club was ferocious, waving Magnemite flags in sync.
"Jasmine—Jasmine—"
Jasmine, lacking confidence, smiled shyly, her head nearly dipping.
Beside her, Maylene—sleeveless top, bold grin—slapped Jasmine's back straight.
"Stand tall, Miss Jasmine!"
"Ah, r-right…" Jasmine murmured.
Whitney entered with Miltank, waving excitedly and blowing kisses.
Trainers in the crowd collectively winced.
Whitney's adorable… so why does seeing her bring back trauma?
"Dammit, it's that Rollout Miltank!"
"Bro, you got wrecked at Goldenrod Gym too?"
"So cheap! Only magic beats magic… Time to study Natsume-sensei's guides!"
Ash emerged from another tunnel, cap on, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, grinning as he waved.
Since this was a Johto event, the mystery guest commentator's appearance made Natsume raise a brow.
Bruno—shirtless, muscles gleaming—stood with arms crossed, nodding solemnly at the crowd.
"Elite Four Bruno is in the endurance contest?!" Maylene gasped.
Natsume blinked.
This Bruno… does he slam tables?
"What's the endurance event?" Natsume asked.
"Sumo," Gold said, chewing gum. "But for Pokémon."
"I'm not strong enough to beat Bruno…" Jasmine whispered.
"Relax~"
Gold smirked, eyes sharpening as he stared at Bruno.
"Against big guys like that… you just gotta outsmart 'em."
Natsume glanced at "Gold the Fifth" in surprise.
Somehow, in dumb events like this, Gold becomes weirdly reliable…
Spectators murmured in the stands.
"With Elite Four Bruno here, it's over, right?"
"Nah, All-Around's about strategy too."
"But raw power wins! He's the only Elite Four here—"
They paused.
True, only one Elite Four was present.
But then there was that Champion—the one who stomped Baby Cups and terrorized low-tier matches…
(Natsume-sensei: Just say my name at this point.)
"Still gonna be hype, though."
"Duh! And don't forget the dark horse—Ash from Pallet Town!"
...
After the opening ceremony, the first Speed events were set to begin that afternoon.
Natsume took a quick detour through the merchant zone.
James and the others had already set up their stand.
"Don't miss out, meow~"
"Johto specialties! Rage Candy, Hinoki Dango—tasty and affordable!"
(Actually homemade by the trio, just repackaged.)
"Genuine PTCG packs! Chance to pull 'Red' or 'Natsume-sensei'!" James called out.
"Yeah right, I've never seen anyone pull Red."
A student with a card-player's hairstyle scoffed. "I only got my UR because the teacher gave it to me!"
Natsume blinked.
This kid… Do I know you?
Soon, the student disappeared into the crowd.
Meanwhile, gasps erupted nearby.
Bruno—shirtless, muscles bulging—loomed over a trembling Meowth and bought a box of fake "Rage Candy."
"Y-your Rage Candy, s-sir, meow," Meowth stammered.
Bruno squinted, grabbed a steamed bun, and shoved it into his mouth.
ZAP!
A jolt of electricity surged through him. Bruno stared at the bun, then slowly nodded.
Delicious… I'm only buying "Rage Candy" from now on!
After the incident, Bruno happily bought several more boxes and lumbered off.
"Looks like Meowth's business is booming…"
Natsume then glanced at Green's stand. Crowds swarmed her booth—business was good.
After struggling for so long, she's finally making a profit… Poor thing.
Natsume, completely oblivious to his own role in this, headed to the nearby circuit for the Wild Speed Race.
The event was simple—a mix of triathlon and riding competition, but with the option to switch Pokémon mid-race.
Gold had previously dominated the swimming event with Tibo, then swapped to Exbo for riding, securing gold.
For this race, Ash had borrowed Tauros from Professor Oak.
"What about the swimming part?" Natsume asked. "Don't you have a Lapras?"
"Released it back to the Orange Archipelago," Ash said, scratching his head.
Natsume: "..."
Of course. The "Release Master" strikes again.
"But Pikachu and I can swim together!" Ash clenched his fist. "I won't lose to the others!"
Natsume's eye twitched.
At this rate, you'll probably outswim the Pokémon yourself…
The star contestant for the Speed events was Whitney, perched atop Miltank, ready to go.
Gold, wearing goggles, grinned at Ash from Exbo's back.
"No holding back, little buddy!"
"Give it your all, Senior Gold!" Ash pumped his fists, fired up.
Unlike a standard triathlon, the order here was: riding, swimming, then sprint.
Natsume lazily climbed onto Arcanine's back.
If I recall, Ash is weirdly good at riding events—always wins.
And Gold's an all-rounder. He's tough in these races.
"Take it easy," Natsume patted Arcanine's head. "Just don't lose to Miltank."
"Arcanine!凸(｀0′)凸"
Whitney shot him a silent glare.
Why do I feel like Natsume-sensei has a grudge against me…?
Around them, other racers mounted Dodrio, Linoone, and Donphan. The referee raised the starting gun.
BANG!
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