People have often said that the threshold for being considered a genius keeps getting lower.
Take esports, for example.
In the past, a 16-year-old dominating the pro scene was considered a genius.
Winning a world championship within a year of debuting was also a mark of genius.
But nowadays—
Reaching the top rank of a server at 19? Genius.
Making it onto a pro team at 20? A promising talent with a bright future.
Destroying scrims? Genius.
Always full of potential, always on the brink of greatness.
Even if that breakthrough never actually cos.
It’s weird.
But no matter how low the bar gets, there will always be true prodigies who erge to reset people's standards back to their original level.
Natsu was one of them.
While others were busy touting their championship wins, flexing their talent, and clashing over who's the real genius, Natsu skipped past all that.
He didn’t even bother competing with his peers—he jumped straight into the ranks of their seniors.
To the point where those so-called young prodigies never even registered on his radar.
Online discussions about Natsu had begun to quiet down, but with this latest news, they exploded once again.
Like a powder keg going off.
Everywhere you looked, it was all about Natsu.
Nineteen years old.
Owner of his own farm.
Powerful enough to have captured multiple Legendary Pokémon.
And now, officially a Gym Leader.
Less than a year out of high school!
Many people's first reaction to the news was that it had to be fake.
Their second thought? Probably so clickbait article twisting the truth—stuff like that happened all the ti.
Just recently, so small-town Baby Cup champion was hyped up as if they had won the World Championships.
But then, the official league announcent dropped.
Nineteen-year-old Natsu had beco the youngest Gym Leader in the history of the Jadeleaf League—without exception.
And even among Gym Leaders worldwide, his strength placed him among the top ranks.
“Sotis, the gap between people is wider than the gap between people and dogs.”
“Was I born just to be a background character for these legends?”
“I’ve said ‘I’m jealous’ so many tis, I’m sick of it.”
“Excuse , sir, would you be interested in learning more about our Natsu Fan Club?”
“This is the kind of story I wouldn’t even dare to dream of.”
Among the countless discussions online, a rather peculiar sentint had slipped in.
A certain pink Pokémon quietly put down its phone.
Today was a great day to expand the fan club.
Natsu’s entire trajectory was simply beyond most people's comprehension.
To put it another way—
Imagine a high school graduate dropping out.
Taking over a rundown, nearly bankrupt family diner.
And within a year, not only reviving it, but turning it into a nationwide chain and skyrocketing their net worth.
Casually trending on social dia every now and then.
The sheer absurdity of it.
That was essentially Natsu’s story.
Actually, it was even crazier.
Though perhaps even more ridiculous was how the internet was talking about him.
What started as admiration for a genius had sohow evolved into calling him a “Born Supre Trainer.”
According to netizens, we had now entered an era of grand competition.
The “Innate Earth-and-Wood Physique,” the “Innate Drawing Talent Physique,” the “Innate Bricklaying Physique” — all kinds of absurd nicknas were popping up.
And Natsu was hailed as the leader of this new era.
An unstoppable force who would crush all obstacles in his path.
All of this, of course, was the result of internet users’ collective brainstorming.
If it were a novel, the first five hundred chapters practically wrote themselves.
“…Why does this feel more and more ridiculous?”
Reading the online discussions, Natsu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Sure, being admired was every guy’s dream.
Most guys had, at least once, imagined themselves being revered by others.
But when it actually happened?
Natsu found it a little overwhelming.
“Ya-don?”
You don’t like it?
Slowking put down its phone and lazily turned to Natsu.
Co on, don’t all you humans love showing off?
You just pulled off the biggest flex possible, and now you’re not happy?
“Well… I guess I do feel a little happy.”
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t.
No one dislikes being admired by thousands.
Natsu was no exception.
But so of the online chatter was just… over the top.
And as everyone knew—
No matter the topic, online discussions would inevitably devolve into argunts and personal attacks.
Even sothing as simple as whether tomato and egg stir-fry should have sugar in it could spark a war.
At first, things would start out as a peaceful discussion.
Then, at so point, differing opinions would surface, leading to people citing examples and evidence to try to persuade each other.
That phase never lasted long.
Sotis, it would jump straight into the next stage—
The all-out fla war.
One mont, you’re attending their funeral; the next, they’re using your ashes as seasoning.
And in the midst of this chaos—
Flexing battle records and showing off achievents was inevitable.
Especially among Trainers.
As the youngest Gym Leader, Natsu naturally attracted a huge following of younger Trainers.
Many young Trainers believed that even among the monster-filled ranks of Jadeleaf's Gym Leaders, Natsu stood among the top.
anwhile, so older Trainers argued that while he was talented, he was still young, with a long way to go.
Of course, opinions weren’t strictly divided by age.
There were veteran Trainers who supported Natsu and younger ones who didn’t.
Thus, an argunt broke out.
And apart from the two main factions, there were always the so-called “neutral analysts” and “pure bystanders” fanning the flas from the sidelines.
Natsu was very familiar with this ga.
He used to enjoy stirring the pot like this himself.
“…Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore.”
“We still have a few days left, so let’s make a final push.”
Putting his phone away, Natsu smiled at Slowking.
By “final push,” he ant gathering up the Pokémon that were close to evolving for an intense round of training.
This way, the Gym would have more candidates to choose from.
w and Slowking would feel much less pressure.
Though, strictly speaking, it wasn’t like they ever felt pressured to begin with.
At most, it was just a little pasti after als.
“Yadon.”
As long as you’re happy.
Putting away his phone and clasping his hands behind his back, Slowking leisurely hopped down from a tree stump.
That tree stump was actually evidence left behind by a certain dumb bird during one of its skill experints.
When Natsu caught it red-handed, it tried to resist and argue its way out.
In the end, Natsu single-handedly subdued it.
Now, at this point, many people might assu we’re talking about Corviknight.
But in reality—
The dumb bird also included the shiny Pidgeot.
Even back when it was just a shiny Pidgeotto, there were already signs that it wasn’t the brightest.
Its thought process was… a bit off.
And ever since it started looking up to Corviknight as its big brother, this trait beca even more pronounced.
In a way, the dumb bird x dumb bird duo had beco a rather distinctive feature of the farm.
“Deli!”
A familiar cry rang out from the sky.
A clearly plumper-than-average Delibird descended from above.
Landing directly in front of Natsu, it naturally waved in greeting.
Long ti no see, Mr. Natsu.
Though, honestly, it had only been a week.
“Indeed, Delibird.”
Natsu pulled a few Pokéblocks from his pocket and placed them in Delibird’s hands with a smile.
This particular Delibird was responsible for most of the logistics and deliveries in the Lianshan Town area.
And since Natsu often purchased things online—
Rather than browsing in physical stores, he preferred shopping online.
Even if there was a chance of items not matching their descriptions, he found it acceptable in most cases.
After all, it wasn’t like he was buying clothes or anything.
Most of his purchases were specialized tools or Pokémon-related items.
And the League had extrely strict regulations on those.
Ever since last year, this Delibird—trained by the League to handle deliveries—had been making frequent trips to Natsu’s place.
Always delivering packages.
Normally, no matter how diligent a Delibird was, at most, it would just beco a familiar face.
No one would pay too much attention.
But this was different—
Natsu was simply too generous.
Every ti Delibird ca, it got to eat well and even take so treats back.
With such a generous human—
How could it not like him?
Delibird thought, ‘I love this guy!’
“Deli.”
Please sign here, along with your personal identification.
After pulling a large package from its satchel and setting it on the ground, Delibird flipped through the order slip and slapped it onto the box.
Then, it placed a black pen in front of Natsu.
Familiarity aside, work was work.
It had to maintain professional conduct.
After all, it was a highly ethical Delibird.
It was even aiming to win Employee of the Year this ti and secure that year-end bonus and vacation!
“All right, all right.”
“How was the Pokéblock I gave you last ti?”
As he signed, Natsu glanced at Delibird.
He had countless Pokéblock recipes in his head—
But he rarely got the chance to verify their effects.
Let alone conduct proper user experience surveys.
After all, many Pokéblocks were tailored for specific types or even specific Pokémon.
He couldn’t exactly have Persian scarf down a Pokéblock ant for Water-types and then give a fair review.
That’d be like making soone from Kyoto eat Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
Whether they’d end up at the proctology clinic was one thing, but they’d probably find it hard to get used to.
Once in a while might be fine, but if they had to eat it every day—
They’d probably spend a fortune at the proctologist.
“Deli.”
Let think.
Reaching behind, Delibird pulled out a small notebook and flipped through past notes.
It was filled with detailed feedback on the Pokéblocks it had received from Natsu.
This was exactly what Natsu wanted.
Most Pokéblock recipes were sowhat compromised or simplified for general use.
If he wanted to refine them further, he couldn’t just follow formulas blindly—he needed to conduct his own research and improvents.
“Deli.”
That last one? Tasted great! But… it felt a little hard to digest afterward.
My stomach felt kind of bloated.
“I see. I’ll have to tweak it, reduce the amount of berries.”
After signing, Natsu returned the order slip and pen to Delibird.
“Deli.”
Good luck, big bro Pokéblock Maker!
Carefully stowing away the paperwork, Delibird enthusiastically echoed a phrase it had picked up sowhere.
When it ca to Natsu’s craftsmanship, Delibird had absolute confidence.
In its eyes, Natsu was the world’s best breeder!
At least when it ca to Pokéblocks.
“Bye-bye~”
“Delii~”
Waving as Delibird departed, Natsu turned to the large box in front of him.
Inside were the special items he had ordered.
“Slowking, could you call over the two Charcadet, Misdreavus, and Gloom?”
“Yadon.”
Nodding, Slowking vanished instantly.
Generally speaking, Slowking as a species wasn’t known for learning Teleport.
But for the Slowking on Natsu’s farm—
If it was theoretically possible, then it was a given that they could master it.
Especially with w as their super ntor.
Before long, the two Charcadet, Misdreavus, and a very dazed-looking Gloom appeared before Natsu.
Compared to the other three, Gloom seed to be in a perpetual state of confusion.
Natsu, the farm owner, had expressed a desire to help it evolve into Bellossom.
That sounded… pretty nice?
But… was Bellossom even an evolution it could take?
Not quite sure.
Still, if Natsu said it was possible, then it must be possible.
Maybe it was due to its species’ traits—
Back when it was an Oddish, it had been quick-witted, but now, post-evolution, it seed a bit dopey.
Its reactions were always a beat slow.
Kind of like how Slakoth, the ultimate lazy Pokémon, suddenly turned hyperactive after evolving.
Maybe things would change once it beca a Bellossom.
“This ti, I called you all here to help you evolve.”
“You each need specific items to evolve, and until now, I hadn’t been able to get the right ones.”
“But now, I have them all.”
Opening the box, Natsu nodded in satisfaction at the four evolutionary items inside.
The first thing that caught his eye was two sets of armor steeped in history.
One was ornately engraved, radiating a noble and gallant aura—like the battle armor of a loyal, righteous knight from ancient tis.
Just looking at it brought forth images of heroic tales.
The other was similarly grand, but unlike the first, it bore the scars of countless battles—slashes and punctures marred its surface, and a faint, ominous mist coiled around it.
As if the souls of fallen warriors lingered on.
In the corner of the box were two evolution stones.
A Dusk Stone and a Sun Stone.
For Misdreavus and Gloom, respectively.
“All right, Charcadet, you two first.”
“Are you ready?”
Calming the restless Misdreavus and Gloom, Natsu looked toward the two Charcadet sisters, who had been staring at him with burning anticipation.
“Char!”
The ever-energetic elder Charcadet eagerly raised her hand first.
Report, Boss Natsu! We're ready!
Always prepared!
Following closely behind her sister, the younger Charcadet timidly raised her hand and let out a soft cry.
"Char…"
too.
"Alright, then let's get started."
Seeing the stark contrast in reactions between the Charcadet sisters, Natsu chuckled before taking out the two sets of armor from the box.
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