Trainer's Gambit

"Holy crap, Brother Natsume, you're insane!" Kazuya shouted.

Yuuichi swallowed hard, barely able to believe what he was seeing.

Did Brother Natsume really just make it to the quarterfinals?

The Piplup Cup might be a beginner-level tournament, but it's still an officially recognized city-level event by the Association!

Since its inception, no non-specialized contestant had ever made it to the top eight.

And now, Natsume had actually pulled off this incredible feat!?

Thinking about this, Yuuichi, who aspired to become a Trainer, couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

But when he saw the Gastly that was so close to Natsume, Yuuichi shook his head.

Brother Natsume must have put in a lot of effort, the kind that others don't see.

Instead of being jealous, it's better to focus on improving myself.

"Brother Natsume, you're insane!" Yuuichi and Kazuya cheered together.

The arena was buzzing with noise.

A non-specialized Natsume had actually made it to the quarterfinals of the Piplup Cup?

Just who is this Natsume guy?

Kazuki, who had also advanced to the quarterfinals, watched the entire match from the audience stands and couldn't help but feel impressed.

"From the preliminary rounds, the growth speed of this Gastly has been insane," Kazuki muttered. "As expected of Natsume-sensei. Even training Pokémon is like following a perfect manuscript."

At the sidelines, reporters who had been waiting eagerly rushed forward.

"As a student from the Finance Department, how do you feel about making it to the quarterfinals?"

"Classmate Natsume, could you share your manuscript for breeding Gastly?"

Hearing the reporters' questions, Natsume pondered for a moment before answering seriously.

"It's all about love."

The reporters were stunned for a second, then quickly lowered their heads to jot down notes in their notebooks.

Meanwhile, Natsume waved to his two roommates in the audience stands and headed toward the contestant passage.

Inside the contestant passage.

"Bro, you're insane! You actually won!" Kazuya was still in shock.

"It's not a big deal."

Natsume sighed, thinking about having to wake up early again next weekend.

"It's all thanks to Gastly's exceptional performance today!"

"Gastly!"

Gastly floated above Natsume's head, nodding proudly.

"You're also the first non-Pokémon studies contestant to make it to the Piplup Cup quarterfinals!"

Yuuichi swallowed hard.

"Our class group chat is blowing up right now!"

Natsume opened his phone, and the screen was flooded with 99+ messages. Even his academic advisor and teachers had sent him messages.

[Academic Advisor: Holy crap, you're amazing!]

[Teacher Shota from the Student Affairs Office: Remember to bring a copy of the Certificate of Honor next week. You'll need it for the scholarship application.]

[Professor Kenta from the Economics Department: Congratulations, Natsume. (smiling emoji)]

...

Natsume had always been on good terms with his teachers, so he replied to each of them before opening the class group chat.

"Brother Natsume made it to the Piplup Cup quarterfinals!"

"No way, seriously? Brother Natsume, you're insane!"

"I knew Natsume's prediction would win!"

Natsume was a bit puzzled.

Is making it to the quarterfinals of a beginner-level tournament really that exciting?

But then again, it's probably like a non-professional runner beating a track athlete.

Feeling a bit exhausted, Natsume sighed quietly.

You might not believe this, but…

Gastly was the one who secretly signed me up for this!

"Brother Natsume, it's all thanks to you."

Kazuya nudged Natsume. "We got a lot of girls' contact info!"

Natsume: ?

I'm over here battling, and you guys are out there flirting with girls?

Yuuichi clicked his tongue in amazement. "When you waved at us, some girls immediately came over."

Natsume was surprised. "Really?"

"There was one named Reina, who also advanced to the quarterfinals. She said she's a follower of Natsume-sensei."

Yuuichi's expression turned strange. "Brother Natsume, is she one of your livestream fans?"

Natsume looked up at the sky.

Given his current influence, it would be weird if no one recognized him in a tournament like this.

But it's fine if they do.

Natsume isn't some big celebrity who needs to hide from his followers.

"I'll introduce her to you."

Yuuichi fiddled with his phone. "She's from Tokyo Metropolitan University's affiliated high school, but she's already been admitted to our university."

"Kids these days really mature fast. You wouldn't even think she's a senior in high school!"

Natsume laughed. "I'll pass. Just remember to gather some intel on her strategy for me!"

Yuuichi's eyes lit up. "Got it!"

Back at home, Natsume checked his system.

[Remaining BP: 2050]

This battle had earned him 200 BP points. While it wasn't as much as posting a video, it was still a decent gain.

Thinking back on the battle, what surprised Natsume the most was how Gastly had swallowed Nidorino's Poison Sting.

But Gastly has a quadruple resistance to poison, so Nidorino's Poison Sting might as well have been a snack for Gastly.

Plus, with Gastly's current strength, it's about time to start researching Toxic moves.

Natsume rubbed his chin, looking worriedly at the lively Gastly.

Last time, while training Will-O-Wisp, Gastly accidentally set the house on fire. If we're training Toxic this time…

Despite the risks, Gastly's strength can't just stay stagnant.

After some thought, Natsume opened the system shop.

[Would you like to spend 2000 BP to exchange for 'Poison Gem'?]

While a 10x gacha might have a chance to directly pull a 'Poison Gem,' Natsume, with his non-gacha luck, decided to play it safe and exchange directly.

[Exchange successful! Remaining BP: 50]

The Poison Gem, like the Fire Gem, was filled with energy that Gastly could absorb directly.

Since the gem had a sturdy shell and wasn't radioactive, Natsume didn't have to worry about any poison leaking out.

[Poison Gem: A dark purple gem containing highly toxic metallic elements, suitable for Poison-type Pokémon to consume. (Just go for it, let's do this!)]

Taking out the Poison Gem, which looked like a mesmerizing amethyst, Natsume couldn't help but marvel.

"No wonder Steven's always digging for stones around the world. This thing really does look amazing!"

Gastly stared eagerly at the Poison Gem in Natsume's hand, drooling all over the place.

"Gastly (ˉ﹃ˉ)"

Natsume handed the Poison Gem to Gastly. "Make sure you call me when you're training. Don't take any risks on your own!"

Gastly's eyes lit up as it happily grabbed the Poison Gem, looking determined.

"Gastly!" (Leave it to me!)

Gastly, holding the Poison Gem in its mouth, floated unsteadily to the desk.

Using its tongue, Gastly pulled open the drawer and carefully took out the [Toxic Manuscript], placing it on the desk before giving Natsume a goofy smile.

Gastly: (?′?`?)

Natsume couldn't help but smile.

The Piplup Cup quarterfinals would begin next Wednesday.

Before that, there would be some pre-event hype.

Natsume calculated the time and realized that the finals would likely coincide with the end of his semester.

"Time to get serious about studying," Natsume sighed.

"And the Piplup Cup too. Since I've made it this far, I should give it my all!"

If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability.

That was Natsume's life motto.

But just as Natsume pulled out his books, ready to study with Gastly, his phone buzzed.

A message from a special contact on Line.

[Cabbage Ice Cream: Get online. Let's play.]

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