September 28th, Monday.
The research conference came to a close.
Over the course of three days, Growlithe mastered [Agility] through repeated practice.
Additionally, Natsume-sensei received a [Flamethrower] manual as a gift from Flint.
This left Natsume-sensei feeling rather conflicted.
"Will my house still be livable after this…?" Natsume pondered deeply.
As October approached, the Moon Viewing Festival was just around the corner.
After bidding farewell to Professor Rowan, Natsume headed to Jubilife City Airport.
To avoid drawing attention, Cynthia didn't come to see him off, but she sent a text message.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: See you next time.]
Natsume felt a pang of emotion and murmured, "Next time… who knows when that will be?"
Boarding the plane back to Tokyo, Sylveon lay quietly on Natsume-sensei's lap, dozing off, its cherry-colored ribbon wrapped around Natsume's arm.
As Natsume played with the ribbon, he opened the chat group.
Yesterday's research conference had sparked quite a discussion about the "Ultra Gigantamax Phenomenon" in the Galar Region.
Blue Oak, as the grandson of Professor Samuel Oak, was particularly interested in the topic.
Blue Oak: @Natsume-sensei, no negative effects of Dynamax have been discovered yet. You can keep the Dynamax Band for now.
Lorelei frowned. "I'm not a fan of Dynamax… it feels a bit off to me."
Lance, as always, was blunt. "That's just you falling behind the times!"
Lorelei's eyebrow twitched.
But considering Lance was one of the first Trainers to experience Dynamax, she couldn't really argue.
Blue Oak pondered. "Compared to Mega Evolution, which even wild Pokémon can use, Dynamax is more conducive to promoting commercial battles…"
However, this also meant that Dynamax overshadowed the Trainer's own battling skills. Blue Oak thought to himself.
Perhaps that's why Red rarely uses Dynamax.
Gold: "Ugh! Why did the league change the rules? I want to battle alongside my Pokémon too!"
"Because it's too dangerous," Green chuckled. "Of course, you could always head to Mt. Silver and challenge Red."
Gold wisely chose to lurk.
Natsume-sensei: @Gold, do you have Silver's contact info? I'm planning to visit Johto soon and might need his help.
"Oh, I just got in touch with him recently," Gold nodded. "He's been dodging the International Police… those guys are pretty persistent!"
Lance frowned.
After all, Silver was technically Giovanni's son.
The International Police were likely using this as a way to pressure Giovanni into showing himself.
"I'm not worried about Silver," Green teased. "Just don't sell him out, Gold."
"Of course not! I'm a loyal friend!" Gold exclaimed.
What followed was a series of claims like "We've been through life and death together" and "We fought Pryce and met Celebi…"
The chat group was filled with lively banter.
Natsume stroked his chin.
Once he got to Johto, he might as well meet up with Gold if he had the time.
Sure, he couldn't beat Gold at pool, but fishing together shouldn't be a problem, right?
Next up was Green's usual product promotion segment.
With the Moon Viewing Festival approaching, it was the perfect time for family reunions.
Green had somehow gotten his hands on a batch of bizarre "Moon Rock Moon Viewing Dango," but hadn't sold a single one yet.
After a flurry of exaggerated praise, Red popped up.
Red: "Oh, that sounds interesting. I'll take a few."
Green: "Coming right up!"
Red thought to himself: Blue Oak… Professor Samuel Oak… who else should I buy for…
"Ah, forget it. Let's just have everyone over for a gathering and hand them out then!" Red nodded in satisfaction.
This year's Moon Viewing Festival was in two days.
Natsume calculated his schedule and figured he could head to Johto after the festival.
Meanwhile, at the studio, Angry Pidove was about to be released.
Natsume planned to visit his parents in the countryside tomorrow to celebrate the Moon Viewing Festival with them.
Returning to his neighborhood villa, Squirtle happily plunged back into its long-missed fish tank, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Haunter eagerly grabbed a broom and started cleaning the house.
In the afternoon, the neighborhood committee dropped by with a few boxes of Moon Viewing Dango.
"These are to thank Eevee," the auntie said cheerfully, handing over two boxes. "And this one's for Haunter!"
"So, nothing for me, huh?" Natsume sighed.
"Oh, I forgot! You should've said something earlier!" the auntie laughed. "I thought you didn't like Moon Viewing Dango!"
To Natsume's surprise, a new construction company had opened nearby.
"Natsume-sensei, long time no see," the foreman came by to introduce himself. "Remember us for your next renovation project!"
Natsume gave a wry smile. "I'll keep that in mind!"
...
September 30th, Wednesday.
As autumn set in, Sylveon became increasingly fond of burrowing into Natsume-sensei's blanket.
Growlithe also liked to curl up on Natsume, but Sylveon would always swat it away with a flick of its ribbon.
Taking advantage of the Moon Viewing Festival, Natsume returned to his hometown.
Walking along the fields with Sylveon, Natsume reminisced and teased, "Back then, you didn't even want to be caught by me."
"Sylveon! o(｀^｀)o"
Sylveon turned its head away, refusing to acknowledge the comment.
Natsume chuckled and walked ahead, with Sylveon trailing behind on the shadowy path through the fields.
Thinking about it, it had only been half a year since he caught his first Pokémon.
Yet, Pokémon had already become an inseparable part of Natsume-sensei's life.
That evening, the family gathered in the cool yard to enjoy the night.
Growlithe ran around the yard, while Squirtle did one-armed push-ups.
Sylveon sat quietly in Natsume's lap, gazing at the night sky.
The moon was full and bright.
As the moon hung high in the sky, the chat group buzzed with activity.
Red: @Natsume-sensei [Video]
The video showed a group of familiar faces.
Trainers from Kanto, like Brock, Misty, and Green, had gathered in Professor Samuel Oak's yard for a feast.
Red was handing out Moon Viewing Dango he had bought from Green.
Yellow: "Brock Senior's cooking is amazing!"
Brock: "I'm still not quite at Natsume-sensei's level," he said modestly.
Sapphire: "Oh! Ruby and I are back in Hoenn! [Picture]"
The picture showed the happy couple, with an awkward Professor Birch and Ruby's father, Norman, sitting nearby.
Gold: "This is totally a meet-the-parents situation!"
Lorelei: "Don't remind me… my heart hurts…"
At that very moment.
A Dragonite flew across the moonlit sky, as Lance worked tirelessly to crack down on crime.
At that very moment.
A man in a suit stood under the moon, gently stroking a photograph in his hands.
Cynthia had returned to Celestic Town to reunite with her grandmother.
The stern old woman cut straight to the point. "You seem troubled, Cynthia."
Cynthia looked up at the moon and smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
...
Once the Moon Viewing Festival was over, it was back to work and school.
But what excited many gamers was the upcoming release of Pokémon Studio's third game on the ORAS platform!
Aside from its polished graphics and charming art style, the studio had gained praise from parents and teachers for its educational focus on Pokémon knowledge.
And most importantly—
The studio's games were incredibly fun!
Even before its release, the pre-orders for the new game had already climbed to the top three on the charts.
Many game reviewers had already given it glowing previews, calling it "overwhelmingly positive."
With such strong word-of-mouth promotion, the studio's reputation was undeniable.
All eyes were now on this new game—
Angry Pidove.
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