April 7th, Wednesday.
The sun rose beyond the port's coastline, casting light over white sails.
In the hazy dawn, a crescent moon still hung in the sky. Through wispy clouds, Cresselia trailed an aurora, scattering faint glimmers before vanishing.
Had Natsume been here, he'd surely complain—why wasn't it his usual photographer, Ho-Oh, flying past?
Right now.
He sat in the guesthouse buffet, drowsily stirring black coffee.
"Didn't sleep well?" Cynthia, clad in a black trench coat with a luxurious fur collar and gold-black hairpiece, took the seat across.
"Met Cresselia last night."
Steam curled from the coffee as Natsume propped his cheek on his hand.
"Probably the one from Fullmoon Island."
A flicker of surprise crossed Cynthia's eyes. "Any trouble?"
"Not really."
Natsume lifted the cup, omitting the battle details.
"Lately, Canalave City's had cases of insomnia and nightmares. Cresselia showed up by instinct. I happened to see it."
"And captured priceless footage, Rotom!"
The Rotom Pokédex, charging in a corner with its data cable plugged in, announced loudly.
"Little Rotom, mute mode." Natsume said flatly.
Rotom: "...…Rotom!"
"Glad nothing went wrong."
Cynthia smiled lightly, shifting topics.
"The report starts at 1 PM. I'll handle the presentation—you just need to chat with Professor Oak and the others."
Natsume scratched his head. "What's the theme again?"
Though he'd joined the research conference with Moe-Moe!, his contributions were limited to translating papers.
Felt like deadweight… but then again, research wasn't his specialty. Different fields, different expertise.
"Sinnoh's legendary Pokémon. Covers Regigigas, Dialga, Palkia…"
Cynthia listed them, a faint smirk forming. "We've got solid material. Don't worry."
Natsume: "..."
Aren't these all the bosses I fought?!
So Moe-Moe! didn't just bail me out—she also got souvenir photos of legendaries?!
Suddenly, Natsume froze.
Presenting firsthand data on legendaries, analyzing their traits…
This wouldn't just shake the research community. It'd stun the public too.
Humans were born with the instinct to explore the unknown—mountains, lakes, ruins… habitats of mighty, enigmatic "legendaries."
These beings symbolized the uncharted, the infinite possibilities of science.
To unveil the Temporal and Spatial Dragons, Regigigas… to update the Pokédex's completed entries…
To pull back the veil on "legendaries," adding a bold stroke to human discovery…
Natsume broke into a cold sweat.
If this doesn't win awards, it's rigged!
"Warm in here?"
Cynthia glanced outside, where spring blossoms unfurled under flawless skies, then back at Natsume.
"You're sweating."
Natsume took a deep breath.
Stay calm.
Professor Oak's research prowess was borderline broken anyway.
Compared to him, our team's still way too green!
"Just excited for Professor Oak." Natsume forced a laugh. "His reaction's gonna be priceless, haha."
"Winning isn't guaranteed."
Cynthia scooped a bite of ice-cream-topped cake, smiling. "But I'll do my best."
Damn it!
A reverse jinx?!
"Go for it. Even if we lose, it's fine." Natsume met her eyes, solemn. "I've got your back."
Cynthia's smile bloomed like spring's first cherry blossom.
"I know."
...
Canalave City, Canalave Gym.
A burly, stubble-chinned man in a tattered cape, mining shovel in hand.
Leader Byron pushed open the gym doors, rubbing his beard.
Per Riley's report, Darkrai and Cresselia had clashed in Canalave City—forcing Byron to cut his Iron Island excavation short.
"Shame… If I'd dug up something huge, even if I couldn't keep it, selling to Steven would've been sweet."
He sighed, then muttered:
"Mediating a legendary battle… Natsume-sensei, huh?"
He'd heard of Natsume-sensei's deeds in Alamos Town.
Facing the deities of time and space was already legendary.
Yet handling Darkrai and Cresselia seemed… effortless for him.
"I'll thank him properly later."
Byron nodded, answering his buzzing phone. "Professor Oak, you alright?"
"No injuries. But yesterday's incident—wasn't that the Pokémon from Newmoon and Fullmoon Islands?"
Byron stayed silent.
"You said there'd be no issues." Professor Oak sighed.
Byron kept silent.
"Well, no casualties at least."
Professor Oak mused. "By the way… who resolved the conflict?"
Byron could answer this one.
"Natsume. Natsume-sensei."
He relayed the details.
"He's here as a scholar for the research conference. Stepped in and settled it."
Professor Oak sounded surprised, yet it made sense.
His senior, Professor Rowan, had praised Natsume's academic prowess—especially in ancient languages, unmatched among his peers.
With further study—say, under Professor Shell, discoverer of Unown—he could earn the "Professor" title before 30.
In the Pokémon world, that title was rare. The last under-30 recipient was Bill, the self-experimenting mad scientist.
For the strict Rowan, this was high praise.
"Did this guy actually join the Research Conference? He didn't even tell me."
Professor Oak chuckled and shook his head. "Never thought he'd be interested in scientific research..."
Leader Byron said, "I'll tighten security around the Library to ensure the conference runs smoothly. You have my word."
"Don't worry about me. This old bones can still command a Pokémon battle," Professor Oak replied cheerfully.
Byron paused.
Right... Professor Oak was the "foremost figure in the research community," even a Champion of the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Highly respected, approachable, and devoted to scientific research his entire life.
Perhaps he'd abandoned his Trainer dreams because science could benefit far more people.
"Are you serving as a Guide this year?" Byron asked curiously. "I didn't see your name on the participant list."
"This year, I'm mainly overseeing the judging process."
Professor Oak smiled. "Last year, I was busy developing a new Pokédex. With project results taking priority, I skipped this round of evaluations."
To Professor Oak, honors and awards meant nothing now.
Passing on opportunities helped inject fresh talent into the research community and prevent academic monopolies.
Of course, all this was based on "results first." With his expertise and judgment, Professor Oak could easily identify the most valuable scientific contributions.
"I see."
Leader Byron nodded.
Since Natsume-sensei was attending the Research Conference, he'd thank him properly after the event.
He'd dug up some nice treasures on Iron Island—might as well hand over the Mine Badge now and save Natsume another Gym visit.
Byron's son, Roark, had mentioned Natsume-sensei's Sylveon, the one that challenged Gyms on its own.
A father couldn't let his son show him up—
Byron grinned.
If I give him the Badge first, I won't get wrecked in battle!
After hanging up, Professor Oak—dressed in his lab coat—scanned the list on his desk.
"Team Bill: Pokémon Storage System upgrades. Members: Bill, Daisy Oak, Bebe..."
"Team Rowan: Magnetic field variances and Move-based Evolution. Members: Rowan, Berlitz Platinum..."
"..."
"Team Utsugi: Study on shared secondary Egg Group traits during Hatching. Members: Utsugi, Gold..."
"..."
"Team Carolina: Analysis of Sinnoh's Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Members: Carolina, Cynthia, Natsume..."
...
"Gold joined a research project?!"
Professor Oak's eyes widened, then softened.
The kid did have a gift for "Hatching," but given his personality, he'd never commit to a full research project.
He'd probably just assisted Utsugi with egg-related data, hence his name in the team credits.
This year's conference featured many young faces—
Like Sonia from Galar, Platinum from Sinnoh...
Blue Oak had zero interest in awards. Since his grandpa wasn't leading a team, he'd gone straight to Mt. Silver to find Red.
But what truly intrigued Professor Oak was the title: "Analysis of Legendary Pokémon."
"Legendary Pokémon..."
Rubbing his chin, Professor Oak recalled rumors from Snowpoint City and Alamos Town—then it clicked.
"No wonder this guy's always on the front lines! He's gathering firsthand data!"
Thinking of Natsume facing Temporal and Spatial Dragons, calming Regigigas...
Professor Oak felt oddly moved.
"To explore the unknown, pursue truth, and charge ahead without fear..."
"That's the scientific spirit that lets humanity thrive alongside Pokémon."
For a moment, he smiled warmly.
"Natsume... Let's see what you've prepared for this afternoon!"
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