...
Opelucid City.
"Chaa~~"
Togekiss made a bizarre fucking face as her tongue went to town on the ice cream in front of her. Clearly, this was some gourmet shit, and she was savoring every goddamn lick.
"Melo~~"
Meloetta perched on Togekiss's back, was likewise indulging in her own, smaller ice cream. The sweet, icy bliss made her little eyes squint in pure goddamn delight. It was a damn picture of pure happiness.
"Eeve!"
Eevee was practically sitting on her ice cream, protecting it with her entire damn body like a rabid guard dog. Her tail was wagging like a goddamn maniac, blocking any view of her precious treat, looking like a tiger guarding its fresh kill. What a greedy, possessive little shit. You just had to laugh at her ridiculousness.
"Infeern."
Infernape scratched his head, looking utterly helpless. The poor bastard.
Even though the ice cream was delicious, he had to scarf it down like a madman before it turned into a soupy mess, unlike that little hoarder Eevee. He was basically in a race against time and thermodynamics.
"Vull?"
Vulpix was wrestling a bit with her ice cream, then offered it to Infernape. Bless her pure, naive heart.
But…
The moment the ice cream got anywhere near Infernape, the sheer heat radiating off his body made it start melting faster than a snowman caught in a goddamn flamethrower. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
That's why Infernape ate the fastest. He didn't have a choice, really. The poor fucker was cursed.
Otherwise, it would definitely melt before he could finish it. What a tragic existence for an ice cream lover. You almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
However, Vulpix was a damn ice queen. Just as the ice cream was about to melt, her cold breath quickly solidified it back up, showing a completely different effect from Infernape's internal furnace. It was pretty damn neat, actually.
Infernape looked utterly stunned by the ice cream Vulpix offered. He frantically shook his head and pushed it back. "Nah, I'm good, really," his eyes seemed to say.
He genuinely wasn't that greedy. He just wanted to enjoy his damn ice cream without it becoming a puddle of sugary liquid. Was that too much to ask?
"Vuull?" Vulpix demanded, looking annoyed. "You sure, bro?"
"Infeern!" Infernape firmly replied, clearly saying, "Yes, I'm damn sure! You eat it!"
With that, Vulpix happily took her ice cream back and started devouring it. The little scamp.
The cold didn't bother her much, but she still loved the sweetness. Smart girl. She knew what was up.
Seeing this whole adorable mess, everyone in the room collectively smiled. What a bunch of wholesome idiots. It was a damn good laugh.
Natsu was chilling on the sofa, while Audino carefully tended to his wounds with gauze, her eyes filled with serious concentration. What a pro.
Thankfully, Audino's technique was top-notch, and Natsu barely felt a thing. Good girl. She was a godsend.
He turned and glanced at Latios, who was standing beside him, holding an ice cream but looking a bit spaced out. The dork.
His ice cream was melting and dripping onto his hand, but the dumbass didn't even seem to notice. Classic Latios, always in his own damn world.
"Vuull."
Vulpix noticed this too. With a quick puff of cold air, the ice cream in Latios's hand froze solid again. What a helpful little shit.
Latios shivered unconsciously from the sudden chill and finally snapped out of his daze. "Huh? What the fuck just happened?" his eyes seemed to ask.
"Latios," Natsu called out.
"Os."
Latios obediently flew in front of him, trying his best to mask his confusion. This kind of baffled, slightly bewildered expression was rare on the usually carefree face of Latios. He was usually such a chill dude.
Natsu couldn't help but crack a smile. He tried to hold back a laugh, but it was hard.
"Don't force it, man. Your acting skills are still miles away from Togekiss's. She's a master of deception, you're just a cute mess."
"Chaa?"
Togekiss hearing her name, immediately puffed out her chest proudly. "Damn right I am!" she seemed to say. What a vain bastard.
"Os~~"
Latios gave a shy, embarrassed grin. He knew it was true.
Natsu stroked Latios's head.
"You've made huge progress, dude. Seriously. Just ask Beedrill and Alakazam– they haven't progressed as fast as you have. You're a goddamn speed demon of improvement."
Latios looked at the two of them for confirmation, his eyes wide.
"Beer!"
"Kazaam!"
Both Beedrill and Alakazam nodded solemnly. It was true. The fucker was fast.
Latios was clearly the fastest on Natsu's team when it came to sheer progress. It was undeniable.
How long had it even been since Latios was born? Not long at all.
He'd had precious little time to build up strength beyond a Gym Leader level. Even though he didn't get the same opportunities as Infernape, as a Legendary Pokémon, he definitely had insane innate talent and abilities. The guy was born a goddamn prodigy.
And…
Latios actually still had some residual Dragon-type energy from his egg form stored in his body. If he actually tapped into it, he might even be the first one to catch up to Beedrill. That would be a sight to fucking behold.
"Oss."
Latios looked at Eevee, who was still fiercely guarding her food. Eevee had grown a lot too. The little shit.
"Eevv? Evv" Eevee tilted her head, clearly asking, "Are you talking about me, punk? Because I'm awesome, obviously."
"Of course, Eevee could be said to be a Pokémon with extraordinary talent," Natsu followed her gaze and said with a smile. "You're a natural-born superstar, kid."
"Evv Evv~~" "No, no~~ innate talent or anything, I just trained really hard~~. I'm just a humble, hard-working genius. Totally."
Eevee waved her tiny paws, feigning politeness, but the sheer arrogance on her face completely shredded any pretense of humility coming from her mouth. What a lying little shit. You couldn't help but chuckle at her antics.
"Vuull~~"
Vulpix blasted a cold breath at Eevee. "Shut your ass up with that fake humility, bitch."
"Eevvv!?"
Eevee's expression instantly froze, her fur instantly coated in ice crystals. Her eyes darted, glaring intensely at Vulpix. "Oh, you wanna go, frost breath?"
"Eevv!"
Eevee shrieked, shaking the ice crystals off her fur, and quickly refocused her attention on her damn ice cream again. Priorities, right? The ice cream always won.
Seeing Eevee temporarily more concerned with her ice cream than with her, Vulpix secretly relaxed. What a little bully. And quite effective, too.
Latios, watching this entire spectacle, couldn't help but crack a small smile, and his spirits lifted. It was good to see his family being their usual chaotic selves.
"Melomelo~"
Meloetta, sitting on Togekiss's back, hummed some quick, cheerful tunes, which somehow made Latios feel even better. The little bard was always there to lift spirits.
"You're not like them," Natsu said gently.
Natsu took some cups with a smile and placed them on the table.
Latios's eyes followed his movements, curious now. "What the hell is he doing with those cups?"
Latios saw that Natsu had four cups of different sizes on the table: two larges, one medium, and one small.
"Look, this is just an example. The energy that Infernape's body can hold today is like the large cup, and when he was a Monferno, the energy in his body was like the medium cup."
Natsu continued: "Then this small cup is the same amount of energy as Infernape when he was a Chimchar. So when that energy can't be added to the small cup anymore, or it's the same as Chimchar's body, he has to evolve into Monferno to increase the amount he can hold and become a medium cup."
Latios seemed to be thinking, his brow furrowed. "Hmm, interesting..."
"Similarly, Monferno evolved into Infernape, which is the medium cup becoming the large cup."
"Os." "Got it."
"But you're different, man. You were born with the capacity of a huge cup. Every bit of progress you make is like filling that giant cup little by little until it's overflowing. Does that make sense to you?"
"Oss."
Latios was genuinely surprised. "Holy shit, so that's why it feels different!"
Truth be told, Pokémon can't be precisely measured with these arbitrary cups. And it's not uncommon for a Pokémon to kick the ass of an evolved form even before evolving itself. It happens all the damn time.
The most prominent example is Pryce's Swinub. In its early form, that little bastard could even beat Pseudo-legendaries in their final forms. What a fucking beast. He was a true anomaly.
But Natsu had never actually seen Pryce's Swinub in person, so he didn't know if it was just a legend in this Pokémon world. Who the hell knows what's real and what's bullshit anymore?
So in each Pokémon form, the size of the cup capacity isn't fixed. It's fluid, like everything else in this crazy world. It's all a big, unpredictable mess.
Maybe Pryce's Swinub, in its strongest form, had a capacity similar to a champion Pokémon, or even more. Who the hell knows? The potential was limitless.
What's the point of cups if you're not going to smash them anyway? You gotta break the damn mold.
But Latios, who was already in his complete form from birth, had it a little tougher than ordinary Pokémon due to the absence of evolution – those morphological changes that make Pokémon break through their own limits and undergo massive, dramatic changes. He missed out on those sweet power spikes.
Besides…
Latios wasn't some ordinary Pokémon without evolutionary forms. Even though he was subdued and didn't have any specific religious standing, he was still a goddamn Legendary Pokémon. He was a big deal.
Slow progress was to be expected. You don't just become a powerhouse overnight, even if you're a god. You gotta put in the damn work.
But clearly, Natsu's Latios had made significant progress. He was a testament to hard work and determination.
After hearing this analogy, Latios felt a hell of a lot better. The weight lifted from his shoulders.
Turns out there were still such crazy twists and turns to this whole power thing. It was never simple.
Seeing his expression, Natsu chuckled. A genuine, hearty laugh.
This metaphor was just a casual explanation, neither entirely true nor entirely false. Just a convenient way to explain a complex damn concept.
But as long as it made Latios less stressed, it was a damn good thing. That was all that mattered.
"It's not like I haven't thought of a way for you," Natsu added. "I'm not a total idiot, you know."
"Oss?" Latios perked up, curious now. "Oh, do tell!"
Natsu put on some new clothes to cover the wound on his shoulder. He stood up and told Latios, "Communicating with other Pokémon will be beneficial for your progress. Get out there and mingle, you social butterfly."
Latios was shocked.
"Oss?"'
"Do I not have to hide anymore, for real? Are you fucking serious?" His eyes were wide with disbelief and hope.
"Yeah," Natsu said calmly. "No more hiding. It's a new goddamn era."
Now he had the strength of a semi-Elite trainer. Even if he faced a real Elite-level opponent, as long as the opponent didn't have a perfect lineup like the Elite Four—like in the case of Hydreigon and Dragapult—it would be at least okay. He could hold his own. He was no longer a pushover.
And with his researcher status officially announced, as long as it wasn't some super sensitive occasion, no one would dare lay a damn hand on him. He was untouchable, basically.
So, Latios didn't need to live in the shadows anymore. The cage was open.
Hiding was actually hurting his growth and development anyway. It was a damn hindrance.
Of course.
"Not hiding" didn't mean running all over the world and screaming, "Hey, everyone! I've got a Latios! Come get me!" That would be just plain stupid.
A few important people knowing, especially some big shots, wasn't a big deal. They could handle it.
But before that, Natsu had a few things to deal with. First things first.
...
...
...
The Opelucid Gym.
Natsu returned to the magnificent Gym in the heart of Opelucid City. What a grandiose fucking building.
Looking at the towering statues of Zekrom and Reshiram carved into it, the feeling this time around was completely different from the last. Like night and day. He felt a newfound confidence.
"Hi, Big Brother!"
Iris, still holding a broom, looked a bit dazed when she spotted Natsu, but her eyes immediately lit up in recognition. "Holy shit, it's him!"
Natsu asked with a smile, "Is Mr. Drayden here?"
"Grandpa Drayden's inside! Are you here to challenge the Gym, Big Brother? I'm afraid you have to make an appointment first. But it's okay, I'll take you there anyway!"
Iris said, dropping the broom like a hot potato and eagerly leading Natsu to the Gym. The little rascal was abandoning her chores.
The interior architecture of the Gym was just as grand as the exterior, a cool blend of classic and sci-fi styles. It was damn impressive.
Iris was practically bouncing with enthusiasm, and as they walked, she rattled off information about the Gym, pointing out details in the mural carvings. She was a walking encyclopedia.
"This one shows a Dragonite. They say it only took him 18 hours to circle the entire Pokémon world. That must be the fastest Dragonite in this whole damn world. Can you believe that shit?"
"This is Hydreigon, he's the most famous Dragon-type Pokémon in the Unova Region. But Hydreigon is the hardest of all Dragon-type Pokémon to evolve, especially during the Deino and Zweilous stages. What a pain in the ass. Seriously, it's a nightmare."
"This mural is about the legend of Unova's founding heroes, the legendary Reshiram and Zekrom!"
"And this…."
Natsu quietly walked behind Iris, not interrupting her. Instead, he looked at the murals with genuine interest. He was actually captivated.
Comparing it to his own gym, Natsu realized the difference wasn't just in scale and history, but also the huge gap in the Gym's cultural foundation. This place had soul, unlike his own sterile setup.
"Melo~~"
"Huh?"
Iris seemed to hear something, moving towards the sound's source, but she didn't see anything.
She scratched her head, a little confused. "Was that an illusion? Am I going crazy?"
Meloetta, sitting on Natsu's shoulder, covering her mouth and squinting, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. What a little troll. She was getting a kick out of it.
But Iris quickly brushed it off. Too much excitement, probably. Kids these days.
Soon after.
Iris let out a long sigh of relief, "Big Brother, this is where you sign up. You can register here. Finally, my part is done."
Then she marched in and yelled: "Grandpa Parker, there's a challenger! Get your ass out here!"
"Okay."
Then, an old man, around sixty or seventy, wearing a butler's outfit, walked out with a kind smile. He looked like he'd seen it all.
"Iris, Mr. Drayden said you can't leave until you finish sweeping the yard. You little sneak."
Iris stuck out her tongue, then grabbed Parker's sleeve and gave him a big, teary-eyed puppy dog look. "Please, Grandpa Parker, please!"
Seeing this, Parker could only give in, "Okay, okay. You win, you little devil." What a pushover.
Only then did he remember there was still someone else there, and he nodded apologetically.
"I'm sorry, sir, I made you wait. Are you here to challenge the Gym?"
Natsu took off his hat and held it to his chest, saying with a smile: "No, I am Gym Leader Natsu from Solaceon Town, Sinnoh Region. I would like to meet Mr. Drayden."
Gym Leader?
Iris stared at Natsu in shock. "Holy shit, a real Gym Leader! And he's young!"
Parker reacted quickly and hastily said, "I'm sorry, sir, please follow me. Right this way, esteemed colleague."
Under Parker's guidance, Natsu officially met Drayden, the Gym Leader of the Opelucid City Gym and the Mayor of Opelucid City. What a fucking resume. The dude was a big deal.
Iris peeked into the office from outside, her head down, trying to be sneaky.
She was curious how Natsu gave her the same feeling Drayden gave her, and it turns out he was also a Gym Leader. No wonder he felt so powerful and intimidating.
"Mr. Drayden."
Natsu's attitude was still very respectful in front of Drayden, the burly old man. He knew how to play the game and show proper deference.
Even though Drayden was "just" a Gym Leader, it didn't mean he was ordinary. Far from it. The man was a goddamn legend in his own right.
According to Natsu, Drayden had to be the strongest among all Gym Leaders in the entire Unova Region. If he were younger, it wouldn't be impossible for him to snag an Elite Four position. The dude was a beast.
Drayden always had a stern face, his massive white beard covering his entire mouth like a mask, so you couldn't see any changes in his expression. It was like talking to a bearded wall. Intimidating as hell.
But Drayden was actually a softie at heart; otherwise, he wouldn't pay so much attention to Iris. He was a big softy underneath that gruff exterior.
"Good to meet you, Natsu."
Natsu chuckled, "Haha… My apologies, last time I was in a hurry because I had a task to do. Business, you know. Fucking urgent business."
Drayden nodded, maintaining that indifferent expression. He wasn't easily impressed.
"I've thought about it, and maybe what you said is true. Even if I didn't have this problem, I'm sure Mr. Drayden would figure it out sooner or later. The man's not an idiot."
That's right.
As the dean of the Opelucid City Pokémon Academy, Drayden had nurtured countless amazing trainers and sent tons of talent to the Unova Alliance. The man was a goddamn institution.
He definitely knew better than Natsu about teaching students according to their talents. No argument there. Natsu was just a novice compared to this old master.
"If you have something to do, just tell me." Drayden leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and looked at Natsu bluntly. No beating around the bush with this guy. He was all about directness.
Natsu knew Drayden's straightforward temperament.
Holding his hat, he hesitated for a moment and then blurted out, "I want to battle you, Mr. Drayden."
"Hmm?" Drayden raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest in his stern eyes.
Natsu was a bit embarrassed to explain, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have a Pokémon... he's in a dilemma of self-examination and doubt. I hope through battle, he'll gain enough understanding and insight into himself. He needs a good ass-kicking to find himself, basically."
"A Dragon-type Pokémon?" Drayden asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his beard.
"Yes."
"Okay." Drayden didn't refuse, but immediately agreed, and then said to Parker next to him: "Parker, go and arrange a place. We're gonna have some fun."
"Okay, Mr. Drayden."
The Alliance had opened Gyms precisely to help trainers solve problems in their Pokémon training and development. It was literally their job, after all.
Drayden, being both a Gym Leader and the head of a Pokémon Institute, wouldn't refuse something that made perfect sense to him. He was a professional.
That was one of Natsu's core reasons for meeting Drayden in the first place. He knew this old man was the key.
Drayden didn't speak again until Parker had left the room.
"Allow me to see this Pokémon."
Natsu didn't say no. He was too excited.
A red light flashed.
"Oss~~"
"Latios?!"
Iris shrieked for the first time, practically bursting through the door into the office. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. "Holy shit, it's Latios!"
Drayden, who rarely cracked a smile, showed a slight smirk and said to Natsu, "Latios, huh? Well, I won't hold back then. This is gonna be a real goddamn show."
"Oss?"
Latios's eyes twitched. Oh, what the hell had he gotten himself into?
This was going to be brutal.
...
(End of this fucking chapter)