And the Pokémon he wanted was Dragon Type.
Even if it's only a Dragon-type Quasi-God.
After some thought, Professor Oak still said, "That's a bit excessive."
Natsuhiko, of course, understood Professor Oak's meaning, but he continued, "I can subsidize, or use my Contribution Value to exchange, both are fine."
Subsidize?
The League is short on money?
Contribution Value...
Professor Oak glanced at Natsuhiko.
Understood what Natsuhiko meant.
Sighed silently, "Two Pokémon, and they're both Quasi-God Pokémon, they're not easy to raise."
Natsuhiko grinned again, "No problem, I'll earn it."
After a few seconds of silence, Professor Oak waved his hand and turned to look out the window.
"My lab just happens to need a Goomy for research."
Looking at Professor Oak's back.
Natsuhiko's eyes flashed.
"Understood!"
With that said.
He picked up Goomy with one hand, while pushing Bagon, swiftly exiting the office.
When the door closed.
Professor Oak rubbed his temples, quite vexed.
Looked at the puzzled Dratini and sighed again.
"Bagon hides well, Natsuhiko has a good eye. But what is it about that Goomy?"
After thinking about it, Professor Oak couldn't figure it out and took out his phone.
Hesitated.
Eventually, he pressed the dial button.
After the dial tone, the call was connected.
But Professor Oak didn't speak, and neither did the person on the other end.
Professor Oak chuckled awkwardly, "Ahem, well, Little Agatha..."
"Hmm?"
"Ahem, Agatha, Natsuhiko, he took two."
"Which two?"
"Bagon, Goomy."
"You little brat!"
Beep beep beep—
Professor Oak's mouth hung open.
No.
You're just going to scold him once?
What about actual action?
That's a Goomy, not an ordinary Pokémon.
"Sigh—never mind, a Fairy Type Doctor wanting a Dragon Type Pokémon to cooperate, it's quite reasonable and logical..."
...
...
"Goomy~"
Goomy's soft, sticky voice sounded, cautiously looking at Natsuhiko.
Its little nose gently twitched, sniffing the scent on Natsuhiko, and affectionately nuzzled against him.
Bagon by the feet didn't hide either.
Just seemed a bit down, kicking the ground grumpily.
Natsuhiko smiled contentedly.
Good.
Bagon can be slowly trained; its potential and abilities are far beyond what the previous information showed.
Almost even fooling Professor Oak.
This isn't something you can just fake.
As for him telling Professor Oak that these two Pokémon reminded him of some past things, that's not untrue.
The Bagon adept at playing dumb was precisely the one who once desperately disguised himself as him.
And Goomy...
"How did you get here?" Natsuhiko asked softly.
"Goomy?" Goomy blinked its eyes.
"I meant Hisui."
Upon hearing this, Goomy's eyes suddenly lit up.
Its feelings weren't wrong.
Though the scent on Natsuhiko was faint.
It really had that wisp of Hisui scent, the smell of home, a scent it would never forget.
This was why it stopped Bagon.
But soon its eyes dimmed.
Hisui... had already become a thing of the past.
Through the stumbling, telepathic communication between Natsuhiko and Goomy, Natsuhiko understood.
Goomy comes from an Alternate Space that preserves some ancient aspect of the Hisui Region.
But now.
It should have already been discovered by the league and incorporated as "private property."
Such situations aren't actually rare.
For example, when Natsuhiko went to Regigigas's Alternate Space, he encountered a Braviary in Hisui Form.
This is why Natsuhiko said Goomy had a connection to his past.
Because.
He too comes from a place he can never return to.
Natsuhiko looked up at the clear sky, strands of faint white clouds floating in the air, like wanderers away from home, unable to find their way back, only to merge into new clouds, becoming part of something new.
Unable to return, of course there are ways to live without going back.
"Goomy?" Goomy asked softly.
"How did you know?"
Natsuhiko withdrew his gaze, revealing a smile.
"Because of them."
As he spoke.
The Unown representing the letters "P" and "D" slowly floated out of Natsuhiko's sleeve.
The Unown, asleep for so long, finally woke up.
And their existence.
Symbolizes the reasonability and possibility of everything that happens.
Dratini's personality is so docile, like it was intentionally nurtured.
And Bagon and Goomy...
Those personalities and conditions, the person choosing these as Champion prizes, were somewhat deliberate.
But Natsuhiko didn't mind.
Sure enough, only kids make choices.
Of course adults want it all.