Jubilife Building, First Floor, Battle Facilities.
The open-air arena, typically used for performances, had a decent crowd filling the spectator seats on both sides.
"Isn't today a workday?" James glanced around. "Why are there so many people?"
"Maybe they heard the Executive was accepting a challenge, meow~"
Meowth crossed his arms, eyes closed. "The Executive is Champion-level, after all!"
Natsume-sensei's reputation in Sinnoh was no less than in Kanto.
As the Kanto League Champion, this so-called "Strategy Master" had a well-known habit of casually taking on fan battles—even here in Sinnoh.
Not to mention, his recent visit to Jubilife TV had already spread like wildfire among the staff.
Right now, during their short bathroom breaks, employees were sneaking into the battle arena, eager to watch!
"Holy—Manager, weren't you supposed to be in the restroom?"
"Shh! Watch with me, and I'll overlook your slacking!"
On opposite sides of the arena…
Roxie, wearing an oversized T-shirt, crouched to plug in her electric guitar, fingers idly strumming.
Bzzzt— A melody rang out.
"Hey!" Roxie flashed her sharp fangs, tilting her purple-black guitar with a smirk. "Natsume-sensei, let's make this a good one!"
If she got crushed, this fierce little white-haired loli might cry for days.
Natsume raised an eyebrow, his interest thoroughly piqued.
Oh, how he loved teaching fans a lesson.
Outside, Jubilife TV had swiftly dispatched a recording team, broadcasting the match live on the building's massive screen.
Passersby stopped to watch, murmuring in curiosity.
"A Champion-level match?"
"Isn't that Natsume-sensei?"
"His opponent's the Poison-type Gym Leader from Unova… Oh no, she's gonna get wrecked!"
The camera cut to Roxie's Poison Notes band as they launched into an intense backing track—heavy drums, screeching guitar riffs.
"Go, Weezing!"
The white-haired loli struck a power chord and hurled her Poké Ball, grinning wildly.
"I'll shatter your logic to pieces!" (Note: Original game dialogue.)
A red flash lit up the field as a dazed, smoke-spewing Weezing materialized, black fumes pouring from its gaping mouth.
"Wow, a Weezing." James tilted his head. "And it's the Kanto variant."
"Looks stronger than yours," Jessie remarked, peering through binoculars.
"Obviously." James slumped before rallying. "But it's nothing for the Executive!"
Natsume tossed his own Poké Ball—it bounced off the ground and landed neatly back in his palm.
The crowd held its breath as his Pokémon came into view.
"I-It's so cute…"
"Manager, I'm dying from the cuteness! I can't work overtime tonight!"
"Shut it! Then stop staring at Togepi and go look at Weezing!"
Natsume's choice? None other than the eggshell-clad Togepi!
"Togepi doo-ee! ヽ(￣▽￣)ノ"
Togepi made a sparkling entrance, its shell adorned with a gleaming Eviolite for extra durability.
Even faced with Weezing's skull-like glare, Togepi stood firm, eyes blazing. "Togepi!"
"So… cute…"
The white-haired loli's strumming faltered. She shook her head hard, gritting her teeth.
"Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"
Weezing's mouth gaped wide, gathering a sphere of purple sludge before launching it at Togepi.
Togepi didn't budge. Its shell shimmered with a violet glow that vanished into thin air.
As the Sludge Bomb closed in, Natsume calmly ordered:
"Protect."
"Togepi doo-ee~"
Togepi spun gracefully, a green barrier materializing before it.
Sizzle—
The Sludge Bomb splattered harmlessly against the shield, splitting into two pools of corrosive ooze that ate into the ground.
Roxie clicked her tongue. Another strum.
"Keep going—Venoshock!"
"Weezing!"
Twin venomous arrows shot toward Togepi with a piercing whistle.
"Togepi, Ancient Power."
Under everyone's gaze, Togepi hopped in place. The ground cracked as levitating boulders encircled it.
"No way!!"
The Poison Notes band gaped, their drumbeat accelerating frantically.
The adrenaline-pumping melody had the audience on edge!
Sizzle—
One rock shattered under the corrosive assault, but the remaining boulders smashed into Weezing!
Crack!
Weezing spun wildly, using Gyro Ball to deflect the debris before barreling toward Togepi at terrifying speed!
Natsume's eyes narrowed, locking onto Roxie's sharp grin.
Noticing his gaze, she raised her chin defiantly.
Prediction: Her next move will likely be Poison-type…
THUD!
Togepi blocked with its tiny arms, skidding back but managing to stay upright.
"Togepi~" It wobbled, relieved.
Meanwhile, Weezing exhaled a thick, toxic cloud—Poison Gas!
"Now, Venoshock!" Roxie snarled, sweeping her sleeve dramatically.
The band's crescendo mirrored the tension. Under Toxic's effect, Venoshock would deal double damage—a guaranteed KO!
But in the same instant—
"Safeguard."
A white mist enveloped Togepi, neutralizing the poison instantly.
He predicted my Toxic?!
Roxie's brow furrowed. But she still had a chance—
WHOOSH!
A violet beam tore through the haze like a blade, spearing Weezing mid-air.
BOOM!
Weezing crashed down, motionless.
"Th-That's…" Roxie's jaw dropped.
The crowd sat in stunned silence.
The music halted briefly as Natsume explained:
"Future Sight."
"Togepi doo-ee! ︿(￣︶￣)︿"
The glow from Togepi's opening move had been Future Sight—a delayed attack that struck now with brutal precision.
Super effective and devastating, it one-shot Weezing!
"So Natsume-sensei was stalling…" Ash muttered.
"To land a single, fight-ending blow…" Meowth trembled. "He made it look effortless…"
Roxie stared blankly before scoffing.
Future Sight required predicting the opponent's position seconds in advance.
He'd lured Weezing into range deliberately!
"This isn't a Poison-type master—it's an Dirty Master!"
She glared at her band. "Why'd you stop? Keep playing!"
The bassist froze, never expecting their dominating Leader to be instantly taken down by Togepi...
Was there even a point to continuing this battle?
Trying to rally their lead singer's spirits, the bassist roared: "Poison Plays My Life, Poison Plays the Stage!"
The fiery rock music blazed once more across the battlefield.
Natsume couldn't help tapping his foot as Roxie hurled her second Poké Ball.
"Go, Scolipede!"
A massive centipede with violet-red markings and jagged antennae loomed, its dark torso bristling.
Natsume, who had zero tolerance for oversized bugs, swiftly recalled Togepi.
"Togepi doo-ee~~"
Bathed in red light, Togepi waved a relieved goodbye to Roxie.
"Tch…" The white-haired loli flushed, then barked, "Keep the performance going, Scolipede!"
"Scolipede!!" The centipede reared, its segmented limbs splaying menacingly.
Natsume—who had a phobia of clustered patterns—winced and tossed a Poké Ball. "Sirfetch'd, you're up!"
"Sirfetch'd~!"
Sirfetch'd brandished its leek blade and shield, radiating disdain.
Scolipede faltered, instinctively backing away.
"That Sirfetch'd's aura…" Roxie frowned.
Thanks to its Swarm ability, Scolipede naturally sensed danger.
Yet here it was, trembling before this Sirfetch'd…
This had to be Natsume's most trusted partner.
Shaking off doubts, Roxie bared her fangs.
"Don't retreat—Screech!"
"Scolipede!!"
The centipede's abdominal plates grated, emitting a nails-on-chalkboard shriek that fused with the guitar riffs. The crowd cringed—but veteran metalheads pumped their fists.
"Hey, twerp! Look!" Meowth pointed.
"Natsume's Sirfetch'd isn't even flinching!" Ash gaped.
How unshakable was this Pokémon's resolve?
The same question echoed through the audience.
Tears streamed down Sirfetch'd's face as it death-gripped its leek.
"Sirfetch'd!"
Stop screaming already!!
I'm terrified too!!
But— Sirfetch'd inhaled sharply. Its blade ignited with crimson light.
I've got reasons to win this!
"Sirfetch'd!!" It charged like a jousting knight, leek aimed for Scolipede's throat.
Eat this, you overgrown worm!
CLANG!!
Sparks flew as leek met antenna. Then—SHINK!—the blade sheared through chitin, spraying green ichor.
"Scolipede!" The centipede writhed, its screeching cut short by agony.
Roxie seized the opening: "Sludge Bomb!"
Scolipede spewed a torrent of corrosive purple sludge straight at Sirfetch'd.
The crowd gulped, already picturing the knight dissolving into mush—
"Detect!"
Sirfetch'd raised its shield. The sludge splattered harmlessly aside as it lunged forward—
"Sirfetch'd!!"
—bisecting a follow-up Venoshock midair before body-slamming Scolipede clear of the poison.
FZZZT— The acid ate holes into the floor, hissing ominously.
Meowth clutched its golden coin-head. If the Executive had made me fight…
My precious coin would've melted right off!
"Megahorn!" Roxie yelled.
Scolipede's horns glowed blood-red, doubling in size.
Sirfetch'd's leek erupted in golden light, a spectral Braviary manifesting behind it.
"Brave Bird!"
"Sirfetch'd!"
All its fear burned away, fueling the radiant strike. The spectral bird screeched as Sirfetch'd swung—
BOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave drowned out the music.
The white-haired loli swallowed hard. Forget about the band…
With power like this, we should be paying him for lessons!
Dust settled. Scolipede lay KO'd, eyes swirled.
Compared to the tactical Future Sight earlier, this was raw, overwhelming force.
"Total… annihilation," a staffer whispered.
The manager wiped his glasses, drenched in sweat. "Screw work. I'm watching this."
Sirfetch'd stood triumphant, earning roaring cheers before Natsume recalled it.
"Sirfetch'd!" (That was a close call!)
Dive Ball, Blastoise echoed with Aura: "Blastoiseヾ(■_■)" (Indeed, it was quite dangerous!)
The arena fell silent. The band members stopped playing and glanced at Roxie:
"Lead singer… should we keep going?"
Roxie took a deep breath, then grinned fiercely:
"Not enough… Next time, victory will definitely be mine!"
"EXPLOSION!!"
With the white-haired loli's chuunibyou shout—
Natsume swept a glance, his tone merciless:
"Gengar, make it quick."
"Gengar?"
Gengar floated lazily onto the stage, squinting its eyes and baring its teeth in a grin.
Just standing there, the pressure Gengar exuded was worlds apart from the previous two.
Roxie stared at Gengar, momentarily stunned, murmuring:
"This… is the real Poison-type expert, Natsume-sensei?"
Gengar was also part Poison-type—a dual-type.
In a way…
Natsume's Gengar wasn't just normally skilled with Poison-types.
Roxie gritted her teeth. "G-go, Garbodor!"
THUD!!
Garbodor's massive frame reeked of foul odor, its eyes glaring viciously at Gengar.
"Gunk Shot!"
Roxie's favorite move, wielded flawlessly by her ace, Garbodor.
"Garbodor!!" Garbodor shifted its bulky body, arms launching a sickly purple venom!
Gengar didn't dodge. It just… opened its mouth wide.
"Gengar~(*⊙~⊙)"
Roxie & Garbodor: Σ(°△°|||)︴
The crowd erupted in shock:
"Holy crap, it just ate the venom?!"
"Does having quadruple resistance to Poison mean you can do whatever you want?!"
Even Roxie was seeing this for the first time, her voice dry: "Wh-what kind of move is this?!"
Natsume silently looked up at the sky.
This was a technique passed down from Koga.
This guy is definitely a 'Poison-type Elite Four'!
Moreover, this was Gengar's signature move - trained since childhood...
Natsume quietly put on his earplugs.
"Gengar, first use Light Screen to block the surroundings, then Perish Song!"
The crystalline Light Screen formed a soundproof barrier, encapsulating the battlefield.
Roxie stared blankly at this scene.
Gengar grinned sharply, pulling a microphone from its pocket:
"Gengar~ Gengar~"
"Garbodor!!"
The hellish singing made Garbodor's expression instantly change!
Its massive body swayed dangerously under the terrifying melody, unable to endure even a minute!
"Th-this is..."
Roxie covered her ears, pupils contracting, "Death... metal?!"
This Gengar's musical mastery of Perish Song alone was worthy of study!
THUD!!
After a moment, Garbodor collapsed pathetically, eyes swirling.
Natsume removed his earplugs, immediately enjoying the silence, and couldn't help but smile.
CLAP CLAP CLAP—
Spontaneous applause erupted from both sides of the audience stands.
"So strong... we got to watch an Expert Tournament for free!"
"Stop clapping and get back to work!!"
Roxie slumped her shoulders and trudged dejectedly to Natsume, muttering: "I still... got completely wrecked..."
"Don't worry, it happens," Natsume said.
Roxie looked up, glaring fiercely at Natsume before shouting loudly:
"You didn't win - I lost! My weakness made my Pokémon sad! So next time! Next time I'll definitely win!"
Tears even formed in the white-haired loli's eyes, her sharp fangs looking rather cute.
Natsume nodded slightly and smiled:
"Anyway, thanks for providing the accompaniment!"
"Tch..."
Roxie shouldered her electric guitar and walked back to her band members.
"Quit standing around! Pack up, we're heading to the 7th floor recording room!"
"And... bring me my Toxic Badge!"
Roxie reluctantly threw the pale purple badge into Gengar's hands.
"Gengar! (￣▽￣)／"
Gengar held the badge up to sunlight, examining it before nodding in satisfaction.
Natsume's expression was complicated.
He was almost running out of space for badges at home.
Though, he could always imitate the TV version's Ash and line his coat with badges...
During introductions, he could casually open his coat to reveal dozens of attached badges...
"Is Natsume-sensei really good at everything? I thought his main thing was music!"
"The lead singer got completely crushed!"
Roxie gnashed her teeth, about to go reprimand her band members.
Natsume smoothly pulled out a QR code, smiling brightly:
"Hey friend, ever heard of a Fan Group?"