Natsume was utterly stunned.
"This is the Orange Badge you forgot to take last time when you left in a hurry."
Ash scratched his head, grinning. "Luckily, Lt. Surge reminded me, so I brought an extra one for you!"
Lt. Surge crossed his arms. "Hah! Didn't expect you to remember!"
To avoid Natsume-sensei making a special trip to the Vermilion Gym for another rematch before the tournament,
Lt. Surge had prepared an extra Orange Badge for Ash to deliver when needed.
Now, with the tournament approaching and Natsume-sensei just obtaining the Gray Badge,
the timing for handing over the Orange Badge couldn't be better.
The towering Lt. Surge ruffled Ash's hair and laughed heartily:
"Guess you've got some brains after all, kid!"
"With this," Brock—now back in his yellow-green shirt—smiled, eyes half-lidded. "You're almost done collecting the Kanto Badges, right?"
"Not almost." Natsume clutched the badge, forcing a weak smile. "It's already done…"
"That fast?" Brock blinked in surprise before realizing:
As a top-tier challenger, Natsume-sensei had faced the Gym Leaders at their full strength.
But for someone who'd already conquered multiple leagues like the Touran League,
defeating eight Kanto Leaders and earning their recognition in two months… wasn't too difficult.
Still, Brock hadn't expected Natsume-sensei to even secure the Green Badge from Viridian City.
Must've been one hell of a battle with Blue Oak!
Brock smiled warmly and shook Natsume's hand. "Congratulations, Natsume-sensei!"
Natsume: "Haha."
Staring down at the two badges, Natsume's emotions were… complicated.
Who was the sneaky bastard that set me up at the seventh badge?!
Remembering how innocently he'd accepted the badge from Ash earlier,
Natsume felt a knot in his chest.
Oh right. I backstabbed myself.
"Heh." Ash grinned at Natsume-sensei's smiling face, reminded of his own badge-earning triumphs.
Seems like Natsume-sensei's pretty happy this time!
"Congratulations, Natsume-sensei." Jasmine spoke softly, smiling. "You made it just in time for the tournament."
Maylene shuddered, suddenly recalling the horrors of the P1 Grand Prix.
Is Natsume-sensei really about to wreck the League Tournament now?
Kanto's rookies are doomed… o(╥﹏╥)o
Natsume's chest tightened.
Didn't expect to fulfill my own death flag so fast…
How did I finish collecting the badges this quickly?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
None of these Gym battles even felt legit!
Against Sabrina, she used her father's Alakazam…
At Cinnabar Island, the elderly Blaine couldn't even summon Entei properly.
Even a no-holds-barred brawl happened at Vermilion Gym.
And the toughest one, the Green Badge, was handed to me by Boss Giovanni…
"Do Kanto Leaders just give away badges?" Natsume muttered.
Feels like Ash's journey in the anime—where all the badges were basically freebies!
Who'd have thought that tiny Vermilion Gym
would be the place where Brock, Lt. Surge, and Ash teamed up to backstab him?
Mixed emotions swirling, Natsume sighed deeply. "Thank you… Brock. Ash."
"No problem." Brock crossed his arms, thick brows furrowed.
This Pewter Badge symbolizes the bond between me and Natsume-sensei!
"I just helped a little~" Ash rubbed his cheek, suddenly shy. "Lt. Surge was the one who reminded me—I'd have forgotten otherwise!"
Natsume's eyes darkened as he turned his hollow gaze toward Lt. Surge.
"Uh…" Lt. Surge stroked his chin.
"No need for thanks. Just stick around and help renovate the Gym—"
Brock cut in: "The eating contest's second half is starting soon. We should go."
Jasmine gasped. "Oh! The battle was so intense, I didn't realize half an hour passed…"
Ash: "Let's hurry back!"
Lt. Surge watched the group scatter like the wind and nearly exploded.
"Hey! You didn't have to run that fast!"
Natsume led the charge, smirking.
Think I'll lend you my VIP Renovation Team membership?
Not a chance!
As for you three—Ash, Brock, Gold…
This grudge is set in stone. Arceus Himself can't stop me!
Lt. Surge stared at their retreating figures, speechless.
"Captain…" Tony (the sausage-lipped lackey) popped up, consoling him. "The Gym can be rebuilt! Health comes first!"
Lt. Surge turned to the ruins of Vermilion Gym and twitched.
Natsume-sensei's unbeatable—even I'd lose in close combat.
That sly-eyed Brock? Rock-types wreck Electric-types. No shot.
And Ash from Pallet Town? Absolute monster.
The blond, burly man took a deep breath.
That Johto hedgehog brat!
This grudge isn't over, Lt. Surge swears it!
...
Back at the eating competition venue.
Natsume walked while glancing at Gengar beside him.
"Gengar~~" Gengar hummed a tune, slipping the two newly acquired badges into a brand-new badge case.
Click!
The badges fit perfectly, the complete collection gleaming brilliantly!
"So beautiful," Jasmine said sincerely.
"I've got some too~" Ash boasted, holding up three fingers. "Already have three badge cases!"
Aside from the Orange Archipelago and Battle Frontier, Ash had only traveled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn.
With the Ever Grande Conference in Hoenn and Indigo Plateau Conference happening around the same time, Ash planned to head to Hoenn soon.
Natsume side-eyed the smug Ash.
What's the point of having seven badge cases if you didn't become Champion until Alola?
But... Natsume's mood soured.
Gengar, since when did you have a badge case?!
The special Pokédex was from Professor Oak—that much I know...
Did you swipe the badge case from him too?!
"Gengar!" Gengar admired the completed badge case under the sunlight before shaking its head.
But it's not enough!
Need more, more badges!
The System's mission log already showed the task as complete.
[Mission Reward: Key Stone]
The Key Stone was essential for Mega Evolution.
This was the System's final reward after collecting eight badges.
Natsume looked away, planning to examine the new Key Stone at home, and sighed.
Well then... Got both the Key Stone and Mega Stone in one go?
At least I don't have to worry about extra expenses for a Mega Stone.
But the energy drain from Mega Evolution... not sure if I can handle it.
Even sturdy Blastoise will probably need recovery time.
As for the League Tournament... for Natsume-sensei, it's basically a Baby Cup.
Rather than participating, I should start planning that post-Lunar New Year trip to Sinnoh to find Cynthia.
Natsume nodded thoughtfully when Ash suddenly asked:
"Natsume-sensei, are you competing in the second half of the eating contest?"
"Yeah, cheering for Gengar. Might even snag third place," Natsume said offhandedly.
Between Ash's Snorlax and the human vacuum Jasmine—
The top two spots were undoubtedly theirs.
Natsume was just here to spectate. Third place would suffice.
"Then I'm going all out!" Ash grinned, rolling up his sleeves.
"Senior Jasmine, let's settle this!"
Grrroooowl—
Ash: "Huh?"
Jasmine flushed red, avoiding eye contact. "L-Let's head backstage first."
Ash: "Was that your stomach just now, Miss Jasmine?"
Jasmine: "No!"
...
During the second half of the eating contest, Natsume wore a grave expression.
The lavish spread before him seemed utterly unappetizing.
I'm such an idiot.
I knew Brock would give the Pewter Badge, thought the Orange Badge was the last hurdle.
Never imagined I'd end up getting the Orange Badge here in Vermilion City!
Natsume muttered, "Did they... plan this together?"
But what's done is done.
For now, I need to get home and feed Blastoise an Energy Root.
Also take Sirfetch'd to the Pokémon Center—maybe upgrade that "broken leek shield."
As Natsume pondered, the announcer shouted:
"This year's Eating Champion has been crowned!"
Team Rocket's trio gaped at the mountain of empty plates beside Jasmine.
"I-Incredible!"
Jasmine clasped her hands softly.
"Thanks for the meal~"
Ash rubbed his bloated belly, sprawled atop Snorlax's stomach, and let out a satisfied burp.
Snorlax had given its all too, snoring loudly after the feast.
"And in third place!"
The announcer declared: "Contestant Natsume and his partner Gengar!"
"Gengar~ヽ(￣▽￣)"
Fresh off completing its badge collection, Gengar was in high spirits—and extra hungry.
Despite being picky, it still clinched third place.
Natsume: "Good work."
"Gengar~" Gengar flashed a toothy grin.
Announcer: "Now for the awards! Our guest commentator will present the third-place prize."
"Along with a month of free dining, our bronze medalist receives a sponsored reward from Celadon Dept. Store."
"The TM for Mystical Fire!"
Natsume: ???
Amid cheers, the guest commentator handed a small disc to Gengar, smiling. "Congratulations."
"Gengar!（`▽`)"
Gengar paused, then lit up.
Hooray! New study material!
Natsume's face twisted.
How many times is this today?!
I'm just waiting in line, holding a number for betrayal?
Does this mean my luck's completely tanked now?!
--------------------------------------
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