The daily routine of Johto Champion Lance begins with cracking down on crime.
As dawn breaks, a group of Pokémon hunters lurking near the Wutong Forest let out panicked screams: "It's the Dragon-type Elite Four!"
Dragonite flaps its wings, and a chilling gust of wind freezes a dozen men into ice sculptures in an instant.
Police officers arrive at the scene, taking over while gazing in awe at the red-haired man in a cape.
"Just doing my part," Lance says calmly.
As the officers watch Lance ride off on Dragonite, one of them mutters, "Crossing regions day and night to fight crime... Truly, Mr. Lance is something else."
Another officer whispers, "But I heard... Mr. Lance was once part of a criminal organization himself?"
A sharp-eyed, blue-haired man in a cardigan shoots a glare at the officer, who immediately falls silent.
"Take them into custody!" Falkner orders coldly.
"Yes, sir!"
Falkner gazes at the sky, where Lance has already disappeared, lost in thought.
Mr. Lance... It was his almost obsessive sense of justice that led him to oppose the entire league back then.
Now, with his temper tempered, Mr. Lance has only grown stronger.
Falkner shakes his head, thinking about the increasingly rampant remnants of Team Rocket, and barks, "Everyone, regroup!"
...
Lance soars through the skies on his mighty Dragonite, clouds streaming past on either side.
Suddenly, his earpiece beeps. "This is Lance. Go ahead."
"Mr. Lance, have you seen Natsume-sensei's new video?" Red asks with a chuckle.
"Uh... I haven't had the time. Is it about another Champion's strategy?"
"No, it's a strategy Natsume-sensei created himself!"
"Created himself?" Lance is momentarily stunned.
"Yep," Red replies with a smile. "Blue Oak and I discussed it. It might not be very useful in tournaments, but it's incredibly effective in wild group battles."
"I see. I'll look into it," Lance nods.
Landing casually in a hot spring town, Lance opens the video, his expression growing serious.
"I see... So that's how it is."
Lance murmurs as he watches the majestic Arcanine in action.
"No wonder Red specifically mentioned this video..."
...
A spotlight falls on a man in a beige suit.
A holographic projection flickers to life, and Matori immediately realizes it's Giovanni's day off.
The beige and black suits are a clear indicator of the boss's schedule...
"My apologies for the intrusion," Matori says, about to disconnect, but Giovanni stops her.
"His new strategy... is quite interesting," Giovanni says in a low voice.
Matori remains silent.
Although Natsume-sensei is nominally an executive of Team Rocket, no one knows his true intentions.
This time, developing a strategy specifically for Arcanine seems like a protest against Giovanni.
After all, Team Rocket's reach doesn't extend to the Growlithe resources under Jenny's jurisdiction...
"Remember what I told you, Matori," Giovanni says, stroking the Persian on his lap, its ruby gleaming.
"Smart people hide their true selves, but that doesn't mean they don't have tempers."
"I don't understand..." Matori says, bowing her head.
"He's protesting my last move," Giovanni says with a smirk. "He's saying, 'I can work for Team Rocket, but I can also join the league.'"
"But... he's already accepted the executive badge!"
"Playing both sides, waiting for the right offer," Giovanni says calmly. "That's what smart people do."
Matori falls silent.
"Only the strong have the power to choose, Matori," Giovanni says, spinning the ruby ring on his finger. "I'm the leader of Team Rocket not because I founded it... but because I'm stronger than everyone else."
"I lost to Red not because of justice, but because he was stronger than me... Do you understand?"
Matori bites her lip, sweat dripping down her face.
"Anyway," Giovanni stands up, clearing his throat. "Tell all members to stay alert."
"Give him higher clearance... I, Giovanni, never go back on my word."
"Yes, sir!"
After a moment of silence, Matori adds, "One more thing... We've found traces of young master Silver in the Johto region."
Giovanni's back stiffens, and he lets out an almost imperceptible sigh.
After all this time, we've finally found him...
"Should we send someone to bring him back?" Matori asks.
"No need," Giovanni says, his posture softening. "Just take more pictures... Be careful of Jenny and her team. Stay safe..."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Natsume-sensei Teaches Battling 09: Beat Up Team has once again raised the bar for Natsume-sensei's videos.
Last time, it was about recreating a Champion's Heavy Space strategy. This time, he's created one from scratch?!
This is absolutely insane!
"Is Natsume-sensei some kind of police big shot?"
"Who in an ordinary family would research Arcanine like this?!"
"Got it. I'm gonna train my Growlithe right away!"
Growlithe resources are quite scarce, usually controlled by the Jenny family.
Of course, wealthy individuals can also afford Growlithe, like James's family and Landlord Misaki-neesan...
Natsume, with his perfectionist tendencies, opens the private messages in his backend.
"Natsume-sensei! Thank you so much! Can you tell me your home address?"
"Beat Up is really effective! Plus, there are so many Pokémon that can learn Beat Up. Our response efficiency has skyrocketed!"
"Natsume-sensei! I'm Jenny from the Alola region... We only have Gumshoos here... Can you optimize it for us? o(╥﹏╥)o"
The avatars are all green-haired police beauties, and Natsume can't tell which region's Jennys these are.
But... After Miss Joy, Natsume-sensei's female fanbase now includes Officer Jenny?!
Natsume strokes his chin, muttering, "Even Jenny is slacking off like this..."
The fact that the Beat Up Team has boosted Jenny's reputation is beyond Natsume-sensei's expectations.
But with Joy as a precedent, Natsume-sensei quickly calms down.
"Ah well, it's just a game."
Natsume shakes his head, chuckling.
"Could it really get promoted like the Rock Slide Team did last time?"
...
Lance carefully studies the Beat Up Team video, taking copious notes.
"Presenting the Beat Up strategy through a game..."
Lance murmurs, "Natsume-sensei has really put in a lot of effort."
Summarizing the key points of the Beat Up strategy—
Arcanine with the 'Justified' ability, while not practical in tournaments, becomes incredibly powerful in the wild when multiple low-power Pokémon use Beat Up on it...
Perhaps others have developed this strategy before.
But it's Natsume-sensei who has truly systematized it.
Lance narrows his eyes and, using his authority as Johto Champion, issues a command to Falkner in Violet City.
"Using Violet City as a new testing ground?"
Falkner exclaims in surprise. "Is this a new strategy developed by a senior?"
Lance frowns, pondering. "A Trainer... with a very strong sense of conviction."
In Eevee and Haunter, Lance has seen an intense desire to grow stronger.
Perhaps... Natsume-sensei is also striving to become a Legendary Trainer.
Falkner is momentarily stunned.
To receive such high praise from Mr. Lance...
Perhaps Team Rocket in Johto can truly be eradicated!
Falkner says with determination, "Don't worry, Mr. Lance. Leave it to me!"
Thus, Natsume-sensei, now the focus of three parties—
Having just paid back Steven's 5 million Pokémon Coins, lets out a long sigh. "I'm practically a billionaire in debt... and now I'm being told school's starting?!"
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