April 3rd, Saturday.
The blue sky Levitated with wispy clouds, and the melody from the Space-Time Tower drifted through the window.
Natsume stepped out of the Hotel, gazing once more at the towering structure with a hint of nostalgia.
"Another unlocked trip location," he murmured.
Counting the Tree of Beginning, Cameran Palace, and the Space-Time Tower…
When he had free time, he could bring Moe-Moe! along to revisit these places for travel.
Though poor Lucian… might have to adjust his schedule again.
Natsume coughed lightly and walked into the Pokémon Gardens, waving at Darkrai.
Darkrai glanced at him and said calmly, "I have already taught you everything that needs to be taught..."
"I know." Natsume grinned. "Rotom, bring out the goods!"
The Rotom Pokédex pushed a small cart with its mechanical arms, stacked with crystal-clear jars filled with Pokéblocks of every flavor.
Gengar drooled. "Gengar~ (ˉ﹃ˉ)"
Darkrai's eyes flickered, the black mist around him wavering slightly before he shut them tight.
"You… should leave."
"Once these are gone, they're gone. Make them last."
"Just go!" Darkrai snapped.
Natsume chuckled. He wasn't fond of sentimental goodbyes.
A little teasing was a much better way to part.
"Let's go, Gengar." Natsume turned and waved. "Next time we travel to Alamos Town, we'll visit you~"
"Gengar~ (￣▽￣)／" Gengar popped out from Natsume's shadow, waving energetically at Darkrai.
Darkrai watched their retreating figures in silence.
Thanks to their perfect compatibility, Gengar had already grasped the basics of Dark Void. Now, it was just a matter of training until mastery.
The nightmare energy aligned perfectly with Natsume's Gengar, especially with its ability to merge into shadows.
Frankly, Gengar was now strong enough to rival the main team of a newly appointed Elite Four.
And if you factored in Mega Evolution… a Gengar whose body could phase into the shadow realm…
Even veteran Elite Four members would struggle against it.
Darkrai frowned deeply.
For Natsume, possessing this level of strength wasn't surprising to Darkrai.
What truly caught its attention was the most unassuming member of his team—Sirfetch'd…
Natsume suddenly turned back.
Darkrai stiffened, then instinctively softened its expression.
Natsume: "No need to see me off~ (￣▽￣)／"
Darkrai: "I wasn't planning to!"
Natsume: "Oh, right. You still haven't told me where the treasure chest in Alamos Town is buried—"
Darkrai: "Get lost! Just get lost already! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"
...
Outside Alamos Town.
"That deceitful Darkrai, going back on its word…" Natsume gritted his teeth.
Beside him, Gengar was swimming in his shadow—doing the freestyle. "Gengar~"
Natsume: "…"
Gengar switched to butterfly stroke, glanced at Natsume, then flipped onto its back for the backstroke. "Gengar~"
Natsume: "Even if you invite me, I'm not joining you for a swim."
He took a closer look at Gengar.
Since Natsume had been personally preparing its meals these past few days, Gengar had actually put on some weight…
"Gengar~" Gengar pulled out an ice-cold cola, resting it on a 'pool float' as it took a sip.
"After we get back, let's avoid training at home."
Natsume coughed. "We'll use Professor Rowan's backyard instead… Also, hand me one of those."
"Gengar~ (≧▽≦)"
Natsume glanced back at Alamos Town one last time.
The townsfolk had gathered at the outskirts, their silent reverence carrying an almost solemn weight.
At the front stood Baron Lickilicky, alongside Tonio and Iris, waving at Natsume-sensei from afar.
His gaze lifted to the towering Space-Time Tower, where Darkrai's silhouette stretched long under the setting sun.
Then, it nodded at him.
...
Sandgem Town, bathed in the quiet of night, the breeze rustling the palm trees.
Sinking into the sofa at home, Natsume let out a long sigh. "We're back~"
"Gengar~" Gengar plopped down beside him, echoing the sentiment.
Sylveon leaped onto the hamster wheel, picking up speed as it happily stretched its limbs. "Sylveon! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ"
Natsume stood, placing the three [Water Stones] he'd acquired into Blastoise's tank. Bubbles rose with a gurgle.
"Mm… saves me the trouble of changing the water so often." He patted Blastoise's shell.
Blastoise broke out in a cold sweat. "Bla… Blastoise!"
I-I haven't even inspected those [Water Stones] yet!
Natsume caught the meaning and smiled wryly.
"Relax, they'll definitely pass quality checks!"
Besides, he'd also picked up advanced techniques for Rain Dance from Wallace.
As part of the Weather System, a core subject for Master-level trainers, Natsume-sensei's team now had [Rain Dance], [Sunny Day], and [Hail] fully covered.
The latter two were already mastered by Arcanine and Fridge Rotom.
After all, as a Strategist, mastering the Weather System was non-negotiable.
"Space-based strategies can also be handled by Gengar and Rotom."
Natsume mused, "For doubles, we might even try Rain Perish Song…"
Combining the Weather System with other strategies often yielded unexpected results.
Like Gold's signature Sunny Relay, or Natsume-sensei's envisioned Rain Perish Song.
Not to mention the dual-weather Sun-Sand Team he'd showcased earlier.
To advance further on the path of a Pokémon Master,
Beyond a Pokémon's raw strength, a Trainer's strategic prowess was equally crucial.
And Rain Perish Song—by leveraging the mobility and pressure of Water-type Pokémon in rain—could buy enough time for Perish Song to take effect.
As the poster child for this tactic, Politoed could both set weather and sing Perish Song.
While Natsume didn't have a Politoed…
In doubles, Gengar and Blastoise could fill those roles instead.
This was… the ultimate premium edition of Rain Perish Song!
"Luckily, Gengar's already good at Perish Song… and Blastoise can start training with [Rain Dance] now."
Natsume nodded. "We'll use the wetlands in Professor Rowan's backyard… probably."
He loaded the USB drive into Rotom's Computer Form.
Gengar and Blastoise, wearing sunglasses and munching popcorn, watched the flickering footage reflected in their lenses.
Natsume's eye twitched.
Why did this feel like a movie night in a car?!
But then again, this was a household tradition… Togepi loved watching move tutorials too.
It was like how, in certain games, professors showed training videos to officers for EXP… Totally reasonable (cough)!
"Sirfetch'd~"
Beneath Sirfetch'd, a gray-green Pokémon Egg was nestled securely.
Even back home, Sirfetch'd remained in its 'mom' role—truly the epitome of reliability.
Natsume studied it thoughtfully.
Given how utterly still it was… it'd probably need more hatching time.
No telling what would hatch… As long as it wasn't like Gold's vices—gambling, drinking, et cetera…
This Team Rocket Mentor stands firmly against gambling and toxins!
He stuck the Rainbow Wing into a potted plant, hung the Lunar Feather above his bed as a dreamcatcher…
After setting an alarm, Natsume yawned. "Gengar, hit me with Hypnosis—extra strong!"
"Gengar~" A small black vortex formed in Gengar's hands.
"Whoa, not Dark Void—Rotom, Ally Switch!"
"Err—System Overload, Rotom~! Σ(°△°|||)︴"
--------------------------------------
No More Waiting - The Story is Complete!
Love what you're reading? Get instant access to the entire story—all 320+ chapters are available right now!
👉 Unlock everything: patreon.com/PokemonStoryWeaver
--------------------------------------