February 23rd, Monday. Night.
"This place is huge…"
Ash looked around Natsume-sensei's home in awe.
"Natsume-sensei, do you live here alone?"
"Nope. Moe-Moe!'s here too."
"Eh?"
Dinner was an outdoor BBQ.
Natsume set up the grill on the treated wood balcony, the embers in the pit glowing with scattered red sparks.
"Leek Pancake, grab the marinated meat from the fridge!"
"Sirfetch'd~"
Sirfetch'd, wearing a tall white chef's hat, set aside its Leek and shield and wobbled over with the ingredients.
Natsume raised an eyebrow.
From emergency rations to sous chef… Sirfetch'd had really put in the effort.
"Thanks!"
Ash grinned as he took the ingredients from Sirfetch'd.
"Sirfetch'd~"
Sirfetch'd gave a small nod, puffing out its white-feathered chest before picking up its leek and shield again.
"Wait, are these ingredients too?"
Ash swallowed hard. "I bet leek and BBQ would taste amazing together!"
"Sirfetch'd!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ"
Sirfetch'd's grip on the leek trembled.
Why are you eyeing Sirfetch'd's tools?!
I'm just a humble chef, quack!
"Relax, I trained it myself. Guaranteed to make your mouth water."
Natsume sniffed the marinade—cinnamon, star anise, dried tangerine peel, cardamom…
Then he paused.
"Why… is there Energy Root in the spices?"
"Blastoise ヾ(?■_■)"
A faint aura pulsed from nearby.
Blastoise peeked out from its shell, adjusted its sunglasses, then retreated again.
Having guests over put Blastoise on high alert—who knew if this one was a Zoroark in disguise?
Better stay hidden and observe first!
Natsume's eye twitched.
A perfectly good BBQ, turned into medicinal cuisine…
But that was just how his Blastoise rolled.
Energy Root was bitter, so he'd have to balance it out with extra Sweet Honey glaze.
Natsume worked deftly, muttering,
"Grill it directly or skewer it—your call."
Ash drooled. "Got it!"
The meat sizzled on the grill, juices bubbling, the rich aroma making stomachs growl.
As it reached the perfect doneness, Natsume pinched some chili flakes and sprinkled them with a dramatic flourish.
This step was known as: Soul Infusion!
A night breeze carried the rising smoke into the starry sky.
Under the pale blue dusk, the quiet town slept while the balcony's glow illuminated Natsume and Ash.
"Smells so good!" Ash's mouth watered uncontrollably.
"Should be ready."
Natsume picked up a glistening, crispy-edged slice and took a loud, satisfying bite.
"There's rice in the kitchen if you want."
"Can I make fried rice?"
"Do it yourself!"
"Oh!" Ash pulled out his phone and snapped a photo. "Gotta show the group!"
Natsume blinked.
Midnight food trolling? Really?
"Fine, I'll join in."
He grabbed his own phone. "Let's torture them properly."
Ash suddenly yelped, "Wait, why am I muted?!"
Natsume smirked.
That's right—his doing!
"Amateur move, trying to out-troll me."
He patted Ash's shoulder, then tapped [Send] right in front of him.
Instantly, the phone buzzed violently as the chat exploded.
Natsume-sensei: [Midnight BBQ ·jpg]
Gold, who had just returned from the Pokémon Day Care, was treating himself to a steaming cup of instant noodles.
But as he took his first bite and saw the chat notification, despair washed over him.
Gold: "Natsume-sensei, please have mercy!!"
Brock squinted at the image—juicy, perfectly grilled meat, steam rising off the grill.
"Natsume-sensei's cooking has improved," he noted approvingly.
Lt. Surge: "A photo? And it's a GIF?!"
The perpetually broke Maylene gulped, whispering to herself,
"Berries are better for staying fit… I-I'm not hungry! o(╥﹏╥)o"
Yellow: [Pikachu rolling around] "So hungry… so hungry…"
Gold: "My noodles taste like nothing now!"
Natsume-sensei: "@Gold, goodnight~"
Gold: "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP NOW?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"
Lorelei: "Can we mute the group owner? This is cruel."
Inspector Lance, sipping tea while reviewing late-night documents, watched his phone vibrate nonstop.
"Quite the commotion," he murmured, opening the chat.
Lance: "What's happening?"
Gold: "Senior Lance, look!"
He reposted Natsume's image. "No one gets to escape this suffering!"
Lance: ???
The man who had avoided the food trap had just walked right into it.
Sitting in his quiet office, Lance sipped his tea—suddenly flavorless.
Then he grabbed his cape and stood.
"Falkner, let's get late-night snacks. My treat."
...
Within minutes, the chat had blown past 99+ messages.
Gardenia rubbed her sleepy eyes, picking up her phone.
"Ah… Is everyone still awake?"
Natsume blinked. "Wait, when did Gardenia join the group?"
Ash tilted his head. "Uh… before me, I think?"
"Really?"
Natsume scratched his head.
She's so low-key I keep forgetting she's even here…
As the night deepened, Natsume-sensei and Ash's midnight feast wound down.
"Gengar~"
Gengar, now wearing an apron, handled cleanup.
Ash tried to help but was swiftly deterred by Gengar's glare.
"Gengar! (╬￣皿￣)"
Ash sheepishly withdrew, then looked up curiously.
"Natsume-sensei, when's that strategy livestream you mentioned?"
"Tomorrow."
He'd promised fans a new tactics stream after moving to Sinnoh.
But now, as the world's #2 ranked trainer, finding opponents could take hours.
No big deal, though.
He could just play cards while waiting for matchmaking.
"Point-wise… a few more wins against Mustard should secure the top spot, right?"
Natsume gazed at the sky, deep in thought.
Mustard of the Isle of Armor had briefly hit #2 thanks to Leon's help, but even on his own, his grinding kept him firmly at #3.
If Natsume wanted #1, all he had to do was farm Mustard.
"What about you? Plans for tomorrow?"
Ash pondered. "Gonna challenge the Oreburgh Gym. Mr. Steven also asked me to say hi to Leader Roark."
Natsume nodded.
Speaking of which… the current #1 in Pokémon Battles was none other than the cool, powerful Steven.
First, it was his family's company.
Second, when it came to grinding—Steven's legendary 33-day marathon put him in a league of his own.
And his actual battling skills? Top-tier.
"If I want entertainment value…"
Natsume rubbed his chin. "I should avoid Steven."
If his Metagross swept Natsume's team on stream, that'd be game over.
But Steven was always off mining.
No way he had time to maintain his rank.
Natsume smiled, satisfied.
Just a couple more friendly matches with Mustard…
World #1? Easy.
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