Friday, January 8th.

Tokyo—a metropolis of towering skyscrapers and bustling commerce.

"Gengar~" Floating beside Natsume, Gengar nodded in recognition.

I know this place! Turn left for Tokyo Gyms!

Despite pulling an all-nighter, Natsume was still full of energy.

He detoured past Misaki-neesan's villa district for a quick look.

The bespectacled old security guard at the gate was still diligently jotting down his daily logs.

One could say Natsume-sensei's notebook-keeping skills were heavily inspired by him…

Not far from his old rented apartment stood the "Bull Club"—where Gengar once worked as a coach.

Judging by the lively crowd inside, Oleana's management had clearly paid off.

Natsume nodded approvingly.

"Gengar! (￣▽￣)／" Gengar effortlessly floated toward the club.

"Coach Gengar!"

Hearing the excited shouts from inside, Natsume smirked.

Moments later, Gengar returned with two cans of soda.

"Gengar~" It handed one to Natsume.

"You took these from the vending machine?" Natsume blinked.

"Gengar!" Gengar nodded shamelessly.

Well, it's our vending machine anyway.

With a psht, Natsume popped open the can.

Taking the familiar bus route, he arrived at Tokyo Metropolitan University's campus.

"Blastoise… ヾ(■_■)"

Blastoise sensed a nostalgic aura and glanced toward the Pokémon Day Care.

Its overwhelming presence, however, quickly drew whispers from passing students.

"That senior's so cool…"

"He's from the Battle Department, right? Isn't today the final evaluation?"

"Wait—isn't that Natsume-sensei?!"

Before getting mobbed, Natsume slipped into the Tokyo Metropolitan University school team's office.

Coach Takashi was mid-rant at this year's freshmen: "You're the worst batch I've ever taught!"

He froze when he spotted a familiar face waving at him.

Inside the office.

"You—weren't you competing in the Indigo League? What brought you back so suddenly?" Coach Takashi laughed.

"There's a Top 100 Content Creator awards ceremony," Natsume said with a smile. "And I've got some things to take care of back home."

"Oh? After that, will you head back to challenge the League again?"

Natsume: "Honestly… I haven't even collected all my Badges yet…"

Coach Takashi smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot! You enrolled at Celadon University—automatic Top 100 qualification!"

Just thinking about it put Coach Takashi in a weird mood.

The other students were still fighting tooth and nail for their Badges…

And here you are, not only skipping the grind but also coming back to accept an award?

Some people have all the luck…

"By the way, Coach," Natsume said, "do I need to take the final Battle Evaluation?"

Coach Takashi blinked.

You're already a regional champion, and you're asking if you need to take finals?

"No. With your championship status, you've got more than enough credits to graduate."

He sighed. "If you actually competed, the other students would lose their minds!"

Natsume paused.

Oh right… Forgot about that.

"Too many Fan Tournaments…"

He stared blankly at the ceiling. "…Hard to keep track of everything."

Coach Takashi had considered asking Natsume to mentor the new students.

But then again… if Natsume taught them, they might stop recognizing him as their coach.

Clearing his throat, he just told Natsume to do his best in the League.

If he actually won the League Tournament…

Even for Tokyo Metropolitan University, that would be an incredible honor.

And if the former principal was pleased enough, he might even grant access to the university's restricted resources…

...

The sun dipped below the horizon.

Right on time, as agreed with Lt. Surge and Brock.

Natsume arrived at the official chain, Budew Hotel, to meet up with them.

"Gotta admit, this stinky tofu packs a punch!" Lt. Surge hissed, fanning his tongue.

"Strange… What's the secret behind its flavor?" Brock frowned, lost in thought.

The two muscular men standing side by side had an odd sense of coordination.

Natsume yawned. "The award ceremony's at night. Wanna go back and nap?"

"Nah." Lt. Surge grinned, baring his teeth. "Just hit up Tokyo Gyms—I'm too pumped to sleep now!"

"You challenged a Gym?" Natsume blinked.

Brock nodded. "More like an exchange match between Gym Leaders."

Even Gym Leaders faced challenges from other dojos.

Saffron City's Fighting and Psychic Gyms were prime examples.

Natsume tilted his head. "Who won?"

Lt. Surge's smile stiffened. He coughed. "Y'know… I'm not exactly built for formal rules…"

Brock nodded. "Gym Leader Takuya took it. Barely."

Natsume raised his brows, then gave a slow nod.

Lt. Surge's expertise in wild battles was undeniable.

But across various regions, no Gym Leader was a pushover.

Seemed like old Takuya's main team composition was legit…

"Ugh." Lt. Surge rubbed his neck and sighed. "Really wanted to bag a Tokyo Badge for my collection."

"But Psychic types? Never been my forte…"

Natsume: "I've got a dozen at home."

Lt. Surge: "???"

Pathetic. Major L for Lt. Surge.

"We grabbed some wontons from a street vendor," Brock said, eyes half-lidded. "Pretty solid."

Natsume stared at the sky, picturing the two-meter-tall, blond Lt. Surge hunched over a roadside stall, slurping cheap wontons…

Yep. That mental image stuck.

...

Night fell.

Tokyo, glittering in gold, lived up to its reputation as a global metropolis.

The neon-lit 'Tokyo Skytree Arena' stood as one of the city's most iconic battle venues, rivaling even the Battle Frontier.

In the Mercedes Arena—familiar to Natsume—

The Top 100 Content Creator Award ceremony officially began.

Natsume vaguely recalled the System rewarding him at one million followers.

So the final prize for Top 100 had to be substantial.

"Whoa, packed house." Lt. Surge glanced around.

"Lots of them are followers," Natsume said. "Basically a big meet-and-greet."

Unlike the sterile award shows in his memories, this was more like a convention.

Food stalls, music zones, battle sections… Each category had its own activities.

Natsume's group headed toward the arena.

A flustered attendant bowed slightly. "Natsume-sensei, this way, please!"

"As for this, uh… bodyguard, sir…" She hesitated, eyeing Lt. Surge.

"What'd she say?" Lt. Surge leaned in.

"She said she's also a fan of Electric-type Pokémon," Natsume translated.

"Oh!" Lt. Surge flashed a toothy grin. "Thanks!"

Inside the arena…

Even among fellow Top 100 creators,

Many still looked starstruck seeing Natsume-sensei.

Attending an award ceremony? (×)

Attending a fan meet? (✓)

People kept stopping for photos. Natsume smiled and obliged.

Brock, as a food content creator, found his niche in the gourmet section.

As for Lt. Surge, with his whopping 1.1K followers…

"Where's the EDM zone? Why no EDM zone?" He craned his neck.

"How about…" Natsume coughed. "You check out the arcade booth first?"

"Oh!" Lt. Surge's eyes lit up at the kids clustered around the fighting games.

"Street fighters? My specialty!"

The main ceremony was still an hour away.

Natsume wandered with Sylveon, pausing for more photos.

One fan laughed. "Natsume-sensei's optional—we're really here for Sylveon!"

"Oh? What's your live stream ID? Say goodbye to your account."

Just then, the PA crackled:

[Next up: A friendly exhibition match in the Battle Section!]

[Featuring Gym Leader Shiori of Kyoto City versus Gym Leader Takuya of Tokyo Gyms…]

[Lucky audience members may challenge the winner—with a mysterious grand prize!]

The crowd surged toward the battle arena.

Natsume's brow lifted.

The prize didn't matter. He just wanted to see Takuya lose!

"Kyoto's Leader specializes in Dragon-types, right…?" he muttered.

Suddenly, a bright voice cut through his thoughts.

Natsume looked up.

A girl with an orange ponytail and sunglasses perched on her head waved eagerly.

"Natsume-sensei! Long time no see!"

Galar's Professor Assistant. Natsume paused.

"Sonia?"

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