Wednesday, January 20th - Cloudy
Natsume opened his eyes, confirmed the ceiling was intact, and sighed in relief.
Looks like he didn't shout "Mega Evolution" in his sleep last night.
Otherwise, Blastoise might've transformed into "Mega Aura Turtle" in his dreams.
After all, post-Mega Evolution, Blastoise's Ability changes from Torrent to Mega Launcher.
And Mega Launcher drastically boosts the power of pulse and aura-type moves—perfect for his Blastoise.
At that point, calling it Water Pulse would be an understatement. It might even rival Kyogre's Origin Pulse.
"I should test Mega Evolution soon to see its limits."
Leaning against the pillow, Natsume absentmindedly petted the drowsy Sylveon as he pondered.
"Maybe… I should visit Mt. Silver and ask Red for advice?"
Almost immediately, he dismissed the idea.
No way. If The Battler got excited and challenged him to a no-holds-barred battle…
Wouldn't that be the end of me?
"Better to go to Sabrina's Saffron Gym instead."
Natsume stared at the ceiling.
"She has experience with Mega Evolution anyway."
"With her Psychic barriers, the gym probably won't collapse… probably."
Decision made, Natsume got up to wash up.
It was the height of winter—the windows fogged up, and though the streets weren't snow-covered, a thin layer of frost coated the sidewalks.
Because of the cold, Sylveon burrowed deeper into the blankets.
Not that it was unusual. Natsume was used to it by now.
Uncharacteristically obedient, Sylveon nodded.
Natsume blinked.
Too cold to even act tsundere, huh?
Amused, Natsume scanned the room—then froze.
"Togepi doo-ee~"
Togepi wasn't holding its handheld console. Instead, it leaned against Arcanine, flipping through notes.
"Arcanine~"
Arcanine lowered its massive head, occasionally offering Fire-type guidance.
Natsume paused.
Right—this was the move they'd obtained yesterday: Mystical Fire.
But… already?
Togepi's learning it now?
His gaze shifted to the pensive Sylveon beside him.
Wait…
Does that mean…
Sylveon already mastered it?!
A quick check of the System Pokédex confirmed it. Natsume exhaled.
Of course… never underestimate any of his Pokémon.
Gaining multiple moves overnight? Totally possible.
(Except for Sirfetch'd, the eternal slacker.)
Natsume-sensei had full confidence in Sirfetch'd.
Though he could sense its desire to grow stronger…
For now, it remained as reliable as a defensive tower.
At this point, Natsume was numb to his team's absurd talent.
He slipped on his athletic jacket and fingerless black-red gloves, flexing his hands.
In the bathroom mirror, the Key Stone embedded in his glove gleamed with rainbow hues—peak style.
And this was just the beginner form with one slot…
Once he added Z-Crystals, Sparkling Stone, Wishing Stars, and other gems…
Battles could be won with a snap of his fingers.
"Still gotta be careful, though…"
Natsume's expression turned complicated.
"Even with superhuman physique, I can only pull off one Z-Move… The energy cost is no joke."
Then again, maybe Ash just never tried.
While most Trainers could barely handle one Mega Evolution…
That guy spammed Bond Phenomena, Z-Moves, and Mega Evolution without breaking a sweat.
Ready to leave, Natsume opened the chat group to ask Sabrina if the gym was open.
With the League Tournament approaching, many gyms had paused badge distribution for renovations.
Poor Lt. Surge… His repairs would probably take forever.
"My father will be there," Sabrina replied flatly. "Here to train?"
"Uh…" Natsume-sensei scratched his cheek. "Just borrowing the arena to test Mega Evolution."
His last "training" session was a month ago—Sirfetch'd chopping bricks.
In the entire year since his debut, he could count his training sessions on one hand.
"Mega Evolution?!" Evolver Green's eyes sparkled. "Which Pokémon, Natsume-sensei?"
Natsume sent a JPG of Blastoise doing one-armed push-ups.
Breeding Prodigy Blue Oak's eye twitched.
He'd witnessed Natsume catching Squirtle in the group chat.
Yet in just half a year, the growth was staggering—even Blue felt inadequate.
Then again… this was Natsume-sensei.
If he and Red reached Champion level in a year, Natsume was surely on par.
"I wanna learn Mega Evolution too o(╥﹏╥)o"
Gold tearfully clenched his fists.
"But Explosion Taro, Aibo… none of my team can Mega!"
Compared to the Kanto starters…
Johto's starters were single-typed and generally weaker in usage and strength.
Though Gold's team was built for wild battles—Mega or not hardly mattered.
"You'd fail even if you tried," Silver scoffed.
"?? 1v1 me in Ilex Forest!"
Silver smirked. "Gladly."
Natsume muted them both with a headache.
Just admit you wanna meet up! No need for battle excuses!
Brock came online, @-ing Lt. Surge:"How's the gym renovation going?"
"Ha." Lt. Surge replied with a bleak photo of rubble.
"Hang in there!" Brock nodded solemnly. "I'll bring Steelix to help!"
Lt. Surge paled.
Help?!
Stay the hell away!!
"The gym has spare arenas. Feel free to use one," Sabrina said, then added, "I'll drop by this afternoon."
Her filming schedule had a gap anyway.
A trip to Saffron City meant visiting Gengar too.
As she pondered, Lt. Surge's DM popped up:"Reinforce the Psychic barriers!"
He warned, "Without them, renovations might last till February!"
Sabrina paused. "It's just Mega Evolution… Why the fuss?"
Lt. Surge's expression darkened.
Natsume-sensei's Mega Blastoise…
Its destructive power probably surpassed Mega Steelix.
"Just trust me on this!"
Assuming he was traumatized from Vermilion Gym's recent destruction (undoubtedly Natsume's doing), Sabrina reassured:
"Relax. I know what I'm doing."
Meanwhile—
"Let's go, Gengar."
Natsume pocketed his phone and cracked his knuckles.
"Time for Saffron Gym!"
"Gengar!（`▽`)"
--------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Get early access to 460+ Advanced Chapters!
👉 Support now: