August 1st, Saturday.
A thick blanket of mist shrouded the mountain peak. A young man with short black hair and a determined gaze let out a low shout, throwing punches alongside his Snorlax.
"Snorlax!" With a roar, Snorlax's Mega Punch, glowing with white light, shattered a boulder as tall as a person!
Another rock nearby only bore a faint white mark.
Red shook his sore fist and smiled. "As expected… I still can't match you, Snorlax."
Snorlax scratched its head and grinned goofily.
Returning Snorlax to its Poké Ball, Red checked the time and had Aerodactyl grab his backpack, carrying him as they flew toward Pallet Town.
Landing at his doorstep, he saw a girl with a yellow ponytail, her face flushed, nervously waiting at the entrance.
"Yellow, what's wrong?"
Yellow's face turned even redder, but thinking about Misty, who had just joined the group today, she mustered her courage and stammered:
"The new movie theater in Goldenrod City… it's, it's finished. I, I was wondering…"
Red's phone vibrated with a group notification. He glanced at it and smiled. "Oh, it's Misty. It's been a while since I last battled her."
"Pikachu probably wants a rematch too, right?" Red excitedly asked the Pikachu on his shoulder.
Pikachu stood on Red's shoulder, glancing between Yellow and Red, unsure how to react.
"Alright, it's decided. Tonight, we'll challenge the Cerulean Gym!" Red tipped his hat, his eyes sharp.
Yellow stood frozen for a moment before quickly calling out, "I… I want to come too!"
The group chat was eerily calm today, with no signs of any drama.
Natsume clicked his tongue, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Lorelei was the first to break, creating a separate gossip group: "Why hasn't anything happened yet?"
"I want to know too," Natsume smacked his forehead. "How are they getting along so peacefully?"
The whole world knew these two girls had a crush on Red—except Red himself.
But alas, Red only has eyes for Pokémon and battles!
"Ugh, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to ask Misty!"
On the other side, Lance, equally curious, nodded. "Then I'll ask Yellow!"
Natsume looked up at the sky.
If Gym Leaders are Team Rocket spies, and even the Elite Four are …
The Kanto League is doomed!
Gold, who wasn't part of the gossip group, was utterly confused in the main chat.
What's going on? No one's telling me anything. What's the situation?!
By evening, Lorelei returned from her gossip hunt, looking utterly bored.
Natsume-sensei: So, what's the deal with Red and those two? The suspense is killing me!
Lorelei: According to the news, Red went to challenge the Cerulean Gym.
Lorelei sighed. "And Yellow went with him."
What kind of move is that?
Taking the current girl to beat up the ex?
Lorelei: After the Gym challenge, they went out for dinner.
Who would've thought the straight-laced Blue Oak would also sneak into this gossip group!
Lorelei's expression turned odd. "Just take a look for yourselves."
Natsume's eyes widened as he examined Red's social media post.
The picture showed a cozy family restaurant, with warm lighting making the food look delicious.
Snorlax was devouring a mountain of cake by itself, while Staryu, Espeon, Raticate… Pokémon were scurrying around the table.
Red sat in the middle of the couch, with Misty on his left and Yellow on his right, both blushing and looking uneasy.
Red, completely oblivious, was feeding Pokéblocks to Pikachu—
"An exhilarating battle! (Cheers)"
Reading the caption, Natsume's expression turned strange.
What he thought would be a love triangle had turned into a friendly sparring session…
While the world thought Red had no emotional intelligence, perhaps this was the pinnacle of it.
Natsume stroked his chin and muttered:
"Truly, you are The Battler!"
Squirtle had seamlessly integrated into Natsume's household.
Natsume bought it a square fish tank and, after some thought, placed it in the bedroom.
With a Haunter, an Eevee, and now a Squirtle…
Natsume was starting to wonder if his place was turning into a zoo.
Eevee was still fast asleep on the bed, the bruised Squirtle was doing push-ups, and Haunter was cleaning the room…
Natsume's expression turned odd as he muttered, "It should be fine to go out for a bit, right?"
He planned to discuss the release schedule for "Plants vs. Zombies" with Kazuya.
Currently, the only member of the studio was the overworked Kazuya, with art assets outsourced to Smeargle.
A significant portion of Natsume's debt had gone into the development of "Plants vs. Zombies."
But regardless, this was a game even Cynthia was hooked on, so Natsume had some confidence.
"Keep an eye on the house, Haunter!" Natsume called out. "I'll be back soon!"
"Haunter!" Haunter responded, eagerly waving its claw.
Taking a taxi to Kazuya's place, Natsume found him testing the final version of the game.
"Once the game is on the platform, it just needs to pass review. That part is relatively straightforward."
Kazuya said, "The real challenge is the promotion afterward. Otherwise, no one will find the game."
Natsume smiled. "Have you forgotten what my side job is?"
"You're planning to promote it on other video platforms?" Kazuya was slightly surprised.
"Most importantly, the game has to be fun." Natsume patted Kazuya's shoulder and grinned.
"Our hair's worth depends on how well it performs!"
Kazuya teared up, looking at the game as if it were his lost hair.
The review process would take some time.
In the meantime, Natsume decided to make his first sponsored video.
The content? The upcoming release of "Plants vs. Zombies."
"Promoting my own game… truly, I am a genius!" Natsume marveled.
The main series was off-limits.
The "Natsume-sensei Teaches Battling" series had become a cornerstone of the channel, with each episode surpassing two million views.
Since he needed to make dinner anyway, Natsume decided to create a new series: "Natsume-sensei's Night Kitchen."
Today, Haunter didn't come out to greet him, which Natsume found strange.
Glancing up at the ceiling, Natsume muttered:
"Strange… is the pipe leaking?"
Carrying a basket of groceries, Natsume opened the door and was immediately hit in the face with a Water Gun.
Squirtle ＆ Haunter: o(*≧▽≦)ツ
As if it had been premeditated, the two Pokémon burst into laughter, high-fiving each other with a loud clap.
The entire floor was flooded, the water just reaching Natsume's ankles. In the middle of the watery mess, Eevee was happily splashing around.
So… you guys spent the whole afternoon having a water fight?!
Looking at the nearly flooded house, Natsume wiped his face, his hands and feet turning cold.
"Squirtle, no dinner for you!"
"Squirtle?! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"
Haunter froze for a moment before quickly creating a Substitute, grabbing a mop and bucket to start cleaning.
Natsume carried the grocery basket into the kitchen. "Dinner's ready, Eevee!"
Squirtle stared blankly at Eevee, who gracefully leaped to Natsume's side and stuck out its tongue at Squirtle.
Didn't you say… we were training Water Gun?
Even the prank… was Haunter's idea…
I may be simple, but I'm not stupid.
Isn't this just bullying the honest one?!
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