"I got signed up again?"
Natsume stood frozen for a long moment.
Wait, wasn't I just negotiating with the renovation captain?
Is it me that your System is bound to? Why does it keep getting stuck with this bug every day?
[ ? ]
"Calm down…"
Relying on past experience, Natsume took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings.
His eyes landed on Gengar, holding the Pokédex.
"Gengar! ヽ(￣▽￣)"
Gengar looked very happy, and threw a Lick over, then put his hands on his hips proudly.
Praise me.jpg
Natsume rubbed his tingling cheek and asked blankly, "Did you register me using the Pokédex?"
Like a smartphone, the Pokédex had internet functions.
But for the League Tournament, shouldn't he need eight badges?
This wasn't some rookie competition—the process shouldn't be this convenient, right?
"Gengar!" Gengar nodded boldly.
It had seen Natsume training Mega Evolution earlier and didn't want to interrupt.
Besides, something as simple as registration shouldn't trouble its Trainer!
Just focus on competing—leave the logistics to me!
Natsume felt a dull ache in his chest.
Joining the League Tournament… wasn't impossible.
But the difficulty was too low, and it clashed with the Lunar New Year.
Rather than battling, Natsume would rather spend time celebrating the holiday.
Not to mention…
Two weeks of competition, and the prize money might not even cover Blastoise's potion expenses…
"What's wrong?"
Sabrina walked over, arms crossed, her tone indifferent.
Though her expression was as stoic as ever, her face looked slightly pale amidst the wreckage of Saffron Gym.
At this moment, the fates of two Team Rocket Executives felt strangely similar…
"Nothing, just got registered for the Indigo Plateau Conference," Natsume said.
Sabrina blinked.
This guy… is really going to another beginner tournament?
Back when her mentor was in Toran, she'd heard about him joining all kinds of student competitions.
Now that he was signing up for the Indigo Plateau Conference… honestly, it was his style.
"Good luck," Sabrina said flatly, already mourning the future contestants.
"Blastoise… ヾ(■_■)"
Blastoise picked up its sunglasses from the ground, sterilized them with hot water, and put them back on.
Mastering Mega Evolution wasn't an overnight feat—even Korrina had trained for years.
Natsume had only wanted to test it out, improving safety during wild encounters.
Now that he had a better grasp, he recalled Blastoise into its Dive Ball.
"We'll train Mega Evolution slowly."
Still puzzled, Natsume wondered:
"But how did the registration even work?"
Not just Gengar—even Natsume-sensei didn't know the Tournament Committee's contact info.
Unless… Professor Oak's special Pokédex had some kind of privilege?
"Gengar, let me see the Pokédex," Natsume said.
"Squirtle," Gengar mimicked.
"??? What kind of nonsense have you been learning?"
Natsume opened the Pokédex, which displayed his Trainer info.
Beneath his ID, it showed he possessed eight badges, their slots gleaming brightly.
"Hmm… The Gym Leaders must've registered these."
As he scrolled further, he paused at the call log.
Missed call: Professor Oak…
In that instant, Natsume felt he was getting closer to the truth.
He tapped the number to call back.
Beep… beep… beep—
"Natsume?"
Professor Oak's voice brightened. "Ah, you've finished training, I take it?"
"Yeah."
Natsume nodded stiffly, clearing his throat. "I just wanted to ask… about the League Tournament registration."
"Hahaha! I knew you'd ask about that!"
Professor Oak laughed heartily. "I already went ahead and registered you myself!"
"Consider it a small favor—no need to thank me. Just focus on competing!"
Natsume's expression slowly froze, forcing a strained smile.
So the traitor was Professor Oak all along!
"Speaking of which," Professor Oak mused, crossing his arms, "if Ash hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have even known you were joining the Indigo Plateau Conference."
"Back in the day, Red won it all, while Green and Blue Oak placed high… I even battled Agatha myself once."
His gaze grew distant, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Ah, those memories feel so long ago now!"
Natsume's ears perked up at the keyword—Ash.
Immediately, Natsume started seriously contemplating…
Maybe I should teach that kid a lesson when I'm in Sinnoh…
But it seemed the registration was already set in stone—personally endorsed by the eminent Professor Oak, no less.
Natsume fell into thought.
Backing out now might cause unnecessary trouble. Might as well show up.
At worst, he could treat it like a spring trip to Indigo Plateau. Not a bad deal.
"Oh, by the way," Professor Oak suddenly added, snapping back to reality with a cough, "if you have time, swing by the Oak Research Institute."
"I'll upgrade that special Pokédex of yours."
"Huh? The Pokédex can be upgraded?" Natsume blinked.
Wait, so I've been using a regional Pokédex this whole time, and now I'm getting the national version?
"Indeed. Added some new datasets and a few plugins too."
Professor Oak chuckled mysteriously. "You'll see when you get here."
"Sure."
Natsume agreed easily.
"But focus on your training first—don't let this distract you."
Professor Oak rubbed his chin, grinning uncharacteristically.
"I'm… very curious to see how you'll perform!"
"Right. I'll call you again in February." Natsume coughed awkwardly.
"Good luck at the Indigo Plateau Conference!"
The call ended.
Natsume patted Gengar's head with a resigned smile.
"Let's give the younger ones some room to shine."
If Gengar actually competed… a lot of Trainers might end up traumatized.
After all, the Indigo Plateau Conference's skill level fluctuated wildly depending on the participants.
The 9th "Golden Generation" had Red and Blue Oak clashing in an all-time legendary battle.
But by Ash's year…
A scrawny Krabby sweeping three Pokémon in a row? That was just embarrassing.
Besides, Natsume didn't care about rankings.
What mattered was letting his team enjoy the battles.
If he had to compete, he'd rather field his second-string Pokémon.
"Sirfetch'd! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻"
From inside its Premier Ball, Sirfetch'd sobbed.
"Room to shine?! Why not just let Gengar steamroll everyone?!"
Sirfetch'd was exhausted—nightly leek drills, coaching the rookies…
When do I get to slack off?!
"Gengar…"
Gengar poked its fingers together, dejected.
But it quickly bounced back, diving into Natsume's shadow like an Olympic swimmer.
"Gengar!"
Then I'll handle the prep work!
I'll train everyone extra hard so we can win it for you, Trainer!
Sabrina's eyes flickered open, her psychic senses picking up the flood of emotions from the Pokémon.
For the first time in a while, her lips twitched upward.
At least Team Rocket's mentor wasn't a cold-hearted man.
If anything… he radiated reassurance and strength.
"Natsume-sensei." Sabrina said flatly. "The group chat and I will be cheering for you."
"Group chat?"
"You didn't know?"
Sabrina actually looked surprised.
"Everyone in the group already knows you're competing."
Natsume froze.
He pulled up the chat, his face cycling through several expressions.
…So I'm the last one to find out?
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