Pokémon：Trainer's Gambit

The production of Plants vs. Zombies was progressing steadily. With Kazuya's assistance, Natsume's progress had sped up significantly. However, balancing work and rest was equally important. Besides the frequent all-nighters, slacking off was also necessary.

Haunter's Hypnosis had the side effect of causing dizziness. But after Eevee's masterful Yawn, Natsume's sleep quality had improved dramatically, and even his dark circles had faded!

On the other hand, Kazuya's hairline was suffering, but he was one step closer to becoming stronger...

July 11th, Saturday.

Natsume yawned and turned off the alarm clock. The cat bed by his side was already empty, with no sign of Eevee. Natsume paused for a moment, then looked down to find Eevee curled up under the blankets, breathing evenly.

"I know that in winter, the bed grows Meowths..." Natsume scratched his head. "But does it grow Eevees in summer too?"

Seeing the little one looking so tired, Natsume couldn't bring himself to wake it up. Smiling, he poked Eevee's sleeping face, only to have it swat his hand away. Natsume then willingly gave up the blankets.

In the morning, he streamed some gameplay, using a fun team composition. Amidst the laughter, he charged forward with gusto. Afterward, he logged into Nico Dou and scrolled through the updates.

The hottest topic of discussion was the upcoming Master League in Tokyo next week. Although the participants hadn't been officially announced, there were rumors that Lance from Kanto would be attending the battles.

"Dragon-type Elite Four? More like Flying-type Elite Four!" Natsume quipped.

He couldn't help but watch Elesa's Lumiose Fashion Week runway show for a while. By the time he dragged himself to noon, Natsume continued his programming work on the game.

The weekend's rare tranquility was broken by a call from Coach Takashi of the school team.

"If you're free this afternoon, come to the school," Coach Takashi said. "A few new students are here for the school team tryouts, and they need someone to put them through their paces."

Although the college entrance exam results hadn't been released yet, some early-admission Battle Department freshmen had already arrived at Tokyo Metropolitan University to report. Coach Takashi wanted to take this opportunity to see if he could find some promising talents for the school team.

Natsume thought for a moment and replied, "No problem."

After all, he had already taken on the role of assistant coach. Besides, he could bring his tablet and work on programming while overseeing the training.

The summer heat was intense. Natsume, with Eevee dozing on his shoulder and Haunter floating beside him, took the bus to the campus.

...

At the Tokyo Metropolitan University Arena, Coach Takashi, holding a clipboard and wearing a sun hat, stood by the stands and waved at Natsume.

"There are five new students in this batch," Coach Takashi said, pointing to the Pokémon and freshmen warming up on the field. "You keep an eye on them. The school team is training on the adjacent field."

Natsume was taken aback. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Pick two out of the five to advance," Coach Takashi said, laughing as he patted Natsume on the shoulder. "With limited spots on the school team, it wouldn't hurt to knock them down a peg!"

These freshmen were all from top high schools, so it was natural for them to be a bit arrogant. Essentially, Natsume was here to play the role of the tough guy.

"Well, it's good for young people to be tested," Natsume said, stroking his chin as he walked onto the field, immediately drawing gasps from the crowd.

"Natsume-sensei!"

"The one who won the Piplup Cup?"

"Is he the one interviewing us?"

Reina, who had been admitted to Tokyo Metropolitan University, waved cheerfully. "Natsume-sensei, I didn't expect you to be the assistant coach!"

Natsume glanced at his fan and cleared his throat. "Reina, step forward!"

Reina immediately stepped out, looking at Natsume with a mix of curiosity and excitement.

Natsume pulled out his tablet and said seriously, "You'll lead the group in warm-ups, and then we'll start the school team evaluation."

"Got it!" Reina smiled brightly, then blinked. "So... Natsume-sensei, what's the evaluation about?"

"A free-for-all battle among your five Pokémon... The last two standing will advance."

The students were momentarily stunned, but then their eyes lit up with determination. The Tokyo Metropolitan University school team selection was using a free-for-all format... This was a real test of command skills and Pokémon's battle instincts!

"Don't worry, Natsume-sensei, I won't let you down!" Reina shouted.

Looking at the determined freshmen, Natsume nodded and quietly opened his project file. Well... slacking off like this shouldn't be a problem!

The five freshmen stood at the edge of the field, issuing commands to their Pokémon. From a distance, Coach Takashi nodded in approval.

Although it was a bit rough, this free-for-all battle was indeed a better way to gauge a trainer's overall strength. Adaptability, Pokémon breeding, command skills... All of these could be observed.

Of course, this free-for-all battle also had its flaws... Now, it was up to the assistant coach's judgment!

Watching Natsume, who was fully focused on his tablet, Takashi smiled and muttered to himself, "He's even taking notes so seriously... It seems I've found a gem in this assistant coach!"

...

Natsume was working on the framework for Plants vs. Zombies. The [Programming Lv3] check had failed multiple times. Natsume felt a tingling sensation in his scalp, probably a side effect of the failed checks.

"Seriously... Does this skill really have no side effects? I feel like something's off..." Natsume scratched his head and looked up to see that the free-for-all battle on the field had already ended.

The last two Pokémon standing were Reina's Breloom and Tomoya's Torkoal. The three who had lost looked dejected but still glanced at Natsume, hoping for a second chance.

Natsume pondered for a moment. He had scanned the three Pokémon with his system Pokédex. Based on their moves, their strength was indeed inferior to the other two Pokémon, and the results of the free-for-all battle confirmed this. Giving them another chance would be unfair to the other two.

"Please head back," Natsume said with a smile. "Of course, if you can defeat me, you can still secure a spot on the school team."

Reina's eye twitched. Was he serious? Defeating him would mean having the strength of a Piplup Cup champion!

"That's just... Natsume-sensei's style!" Reina muttered.

The three exchanged glances, and finally, Daichi, the trainer of Sandslash, stepped forward and said through gritted teeth, "I'll give it a try!"

As Natsume was considering whether to go easy on him out of respect for his courage, Eevee had already jumped onto the field.

"Eevee!" Eevee glanced at Sandslash and smirked disdainfully.

Daichi was momentarily stunned, his face turning red. Sure, you're a champion, but did you really have to send out an Eevee? And an unevolved one at that!

"Sandslash, use Iron Tail!" Daichi commanded.

Suddenly, Natsume's expression changed. He couldn't help but look at Eevee on the field. The little one was already moving on its own. From its excited expression, it seemed like it was about to learn another move for free!

Natsume's heart sank, but Eevee had already closed in on Sandslash with Quick Attack.

Copycat!

An identical Iron Tail, with Eevee's tail glowing even brighter!

Boom!

Without holding back, Sandslash was hit with the force of a Machamp and instantly fainted, leaving a deep crater in the ground!

Daichi's mouth hung open. After a moment of stunned silence, he tremblingly recalled Sandslash.

"I was too presumptuous!" Daichi said.

Tomoya, the trainer of Torkoal, also swallowed hard. This assistant coach... seemed incredibly strict. Better not to cross him!

The field fell silent as the freshmen looked at Natsume with awe.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Natsume, who had come here to slack off, was both amused and exasperated. "I'm actually very friendly!"

Silence.

"Ah, forget it," Natsume waved his hand helplessly. If you can't even tell when I'm going easy on you... Your judgment needs work!

With trepidation, he opened Eevee's move list. An [Iron Tail] move flickered faintly, as if it would unlock after some training.

Natsume couldn't help but sigh. Although he had expected this... My Pokémon's talent is just too damn impressive!

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