"This is just..."
Staring at the lush, serene forest before him—where greenery flourished and ti seed to stand still—the ranger who had co to handle the aftermath was struck speechless.
He was in awe, yes, but also... a little confused.
So, uh, what exactly am I here for again?
Did I rush over just to marvel at how amazing Gym Leader Natsu is?
Why does this feel like one of those naless background characters in a novel, the kind who show up just to be impressed?
The ranger stood there, quietly questioning his life choices.
The site supervisor on the other side was equally bewildered.
He glanced down at the paperwork Natsu had filled out when he was first appointed as a Gym Leader.
There definitely wasn't any ntion of a Pokémon that could just wave its hand and summon an entire forest from nothing.
Which Legendary did Gym Leader Natsu capture this ti?
No one could figure it out.
Why are we so sure it's a Legendary?
Because no ordinary Pokémon could pull off sothing like this—the sheer scale and speed at which this forest appeared are simply beyond their capabilities.
Let alone recreating an entire ecosystem suitable for Pokémon habitation during the rebuilding process.
Water, food—everything was accounted for.
This had clearly surpassed what any regular Pokémon could achieve.
Only a Legendary Pokémon could manage sothing like this.
Well, perhaps so ancient Pokémon, those that have lived for centuries and steeped themselves in such powers, might barely be capable.
But those kinds of Pokémon are rarer than most Legendaries.
You could say that each one is unique, one of a kind.
Even if you stumbled upon one by sheer luck, there's no way it would willingly leave its territory.
So the coordinator preferred to believe that Gym Leader Natsu, who had already subdued several Legendary Pokémon, had simply added another one to her collection.
Sohow... that just felt more believable.
Scratching his head, the coordinator couldn't help but feel the massive disparity between people in this world.
So folks might never even lay eyes on a Legendary in their entire lifeti.
So might only catch a fleeting glimpse, a silhouette on the horizon.
So might et one just before dying.
Why just before dying?
Because they're about to be flattened.
Not every Legendary is friendly.
And then there are people like Gym Leader Natsu—
—who can bring a Legendary to gang up on other Legendaries.
As for himself? His only victory over a Legendary was in a mobile miniga... and even then, he had to spend real money to beat it.
Maybe that's just life.
Setting down the reports in his hands, the coordinator sighed quietly.
As for the possible Grass-type or life-related Legendary involved?
Well, if Gym Leader Natsu wasn't talking about it, it ant she didn't want it known.
Who's bored enough to go digging for answers anyway?
Would you only be satisfied if she beat you into the ground and made you admit that she didn't have that Legendary after all?
In this world, unsolicited interviews and moral grandstanding will literally get you hamred.
—
At that mont, Natsu was already on his way ho, riding on Corviknight's back.
He hadn't paid any attention to what kind of shock that forest might bring to others.
"w?"
By the way, Natsu, when did you notice ?
w, now back in its original form, laid sprawled across Natsu's head, curiosity sparkling in its voice.
It thought it had been pretty well hidden, after all.
It had even planned to sneak up and give Natsu a little surprise while he wasn't looking.
But so much for that—surprise ruined.
Now the kitty was heartbroken.
Maybe happiness would never return again.
Only a grand feast could nd this broken heart.
Patting its tiny belly, w flopped over dramatically, lounging flat on top of Natsu's head.
Its long tail flicked lazily in the wind.
To an outside observer, it actually looked quite pleased.
For w, every day was a joyful one.
Nothing could keep it down for long.
With strength to back it up, if sothing annoyed it, it could just flip the table.
In a good mood? Sure, it'd play along.
In a bad mood?
Screw the rules. The cat's flipping the table!
Nobody's playing anymore!
Straight back to good ol' primal violence.
Though w didn't particularly enjoy fighting, it was confident in its own power.
With that kind of self-assurance, w could go about its days cheerfully, free from worry.
"I noticed you shortly after Corviknight took off."
Now that Chi-Yu issue had been dealt with, Natsu finally felt at ease.
So problems aren't catastrophic, but if left unresolved, they linger in the back of your mind, gnawing at your peace.
Shifting into a more comfortable position on Corviknight's back, he pointed to his pocket.
"When Rotom ca out to navigate and started shaking like a leaf, I knew sothing was off."
The smartphone-Rotom, currently doing the navigation, said nothing, quietly switching into smart-nav mode.
Though Corviknight had insisted over and over that its genius brain didn't need navigation—once it flew a route once, it could rember it forever—
Natsu, who got lost five steps outside the farm, wasn't taking chances.
He still made Rotom turn on navigation.
Even if Corviknight didn't need it, at least he could feel better.
"w!"
You traitor!
Clutching its tiny chest, w looked utterly betrayed.
Shock gave way to disbelief, disbelief to sorrow, sorrow with just a hint of clarity.
That expression alone could be used in film school acting textbooks.
"It wasn't , Roto!"
"I'm innocent, Big Sis!"
The previously silent Rotom stiffened, then dramatically slid across the air and clung to Natsu's leg, bawling.
Why his leg, specifically?
Because if it had clung to w's leg, the picky Legendary would've curb-stomped it on the spot.
On the farm, the only one who could ever change w's mind was Boss Natsu.
Anyone else? w wouldn't even listen.
Unless... they ca bearing tribute. (Snacks.)
"Alright, alright, stop scaring Rotom."
"And you, Rotom, no need to worry. w won't give you a hard ti. Get back to navigating."
Natsu gently rubbed w's head, bringing the conversation to a close.
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing—
Back when he first suspected that Zorua might actually be w in disguise, Natsu had gotten pretty nervous.
No matter how cute w looked...
It was still a Legendary. And not just any Legendary, but one at the very top.
In front of a being like that, Natsu had felt it only right to maintain the bare minimum of respect.
In any world, respect for the strong is a lesson all weaker beings must learn.
Eventually, after a series of unspoken interactions, Natsu and w had ford a kind of silent understanding.
Which brings us to now—
"What do you want for dinner tonight?"
"w!"
Feast! With tons of snacks!
"Then don't forget to brush your teeth."
"w~"
Kitties don't get cavities~
"Still gotta brush."
"w~"
...Fine. Only because it's you, Natsu.
Lying across Corviknight's back, Natsu chatted casually with the w lounging on his stomach.
Sotis, they'd run out of things to say halfway through.
After a long silence, one of them would bring up sothing else, and the conversation would just naturally pick up from there.
Neither found it odd.
For Natsu and w, this rhythm of interaction felt just right.
Before long, Corviknight returned to the farm, carrying Natsu ho.
"Caaw!"
I'm back, baby!
With wings spread wide and claws extended forward, Corviknight showed off its new landing technique.
Its claws scraped along the ground for a few ters before it ca to a smooth stop.
Glancing sheepishly at the long skid marks it left behind, Corviknight looked away, pretending it saw nothing.
Sure, the landing caused a few tiny scratches...
But it was such a cool landing that it totally made up for it.
"Ah-ye."
Standing at the ready like a proper butler, Indeedee Brother clasped one hand over the other and waited patiently beside Corviknight for Natsu to dismount.
Compared to the younger Indeedee sibling who always wore a gentle smile,
the older Indeedee brother was consistently calm and composed.
Even when he once ca face-to-face with a Hisuian Zorua that leapt out from the shadows to startle him,
his expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
That deadpan reaction left the Hisuian Zorua sulking for quite a while.
"I'm back."
Jumping down from the back of her Corviknight, Natsu looked curiously at Indeedee brother and asked:
"How did you know I was coming back?"
He hadn't told anyone he was returning.
It just wasn't his habit to inform others ahead of ti.
This ti, he hadn't even told i.
He'd been a little too absorbed in w's performance showcase.
Before he knew it, he'd completely forgotten to send a ssage.
It wasn't until he was already halfway back that he suddenly rembered he hadn't updated i.
But after so thought, he decided not to ssage her at all.
Doing so now would just make it obvious that he'd forgotten about her because he was caught up in sothing else.
If he sent the ssage now, it might give a sensitive girl the impression that she was being ignored.
Better to just co straight back.
That way, it could even count as a surprise.
"Ah-yi."
The Indeedee brother explained.
He'd just been going over the books at ho when the Natu that had been pretending to be a decorative ornant by the door suddenly lit up with a piercing blue glow in its eyes.
Even in broad daylight, the light coalesced into a visible beam.
It left Indeedee brother completely stunned.
When the light faded, the Natu delivered a prophecy:
Natsu would return to the farm riding on her Corviknight in ten minutes, bearing spoils of battle—and it even pinpointed her exact landing spot.
After delivering the prophecy, the Natu promptly shut its eyes and resud its "dead bird" routine.
No matter how Indeedee brother prodded or poked it, it remained in a limp, indifferent state, like it was saying, "Whatever, do what you want."
It just wouldn't respond.
So, holding onto a shred of hope, Indeedee brother quietly waited at the spot the Natu had nad.
And if Natsu didn't show up?
Well, he was fully prepared to go back and bury that Natu in the litter box.
That particular punishnt thod—originally devised by Emolga to deal with owstic, and later reversed by Psychic owstic for use on Emolga—had proven to be quite effective.
Low in physical harm, high in psychological damage.
In the end, though, he really did see Natsu show up.
He glanced at the pocket watch in his hand.
Eight minutes and so change—factoring in the ti he'd wasted hesitating, it was just about ten minutes.
So that bird actually has so talent?
The Indeedee brother was genuinely surprised.
Sure, a lot of Pokémon could use moves like Future Sight,
but it was generally limited to battle contexts.
You rarely saw one actually using it as a proper prophetic ability.
He quietly tucked the pocket watch away, making a ntal note to pay more attention to that "deadweight" Natu in the future.
As for whether that prophecy was "normal" or not?
Well, on this farm, "normal" Pokémon were few and far between.
You got used to it.
Just the other day, he saw that Swampert by the lake doing frog jumps while carrying a decorative boulder on its back.
Around here, no matter what happens, Indeedee brother considers it totally within the realm of normal.
Even if Natsu suddenly pulled a mysterious stick out of his pocket, shouted "Shafurin!" and blasted off into space to fight alien crawfish,
he'd just nod and think, "Ah, so that's why he's so strong."
"I see."
Natsu nodded in understanding.
He knew Natu had the ability to foresee the future, but this was the first ti it had actually made a prediction since arriving at the farm.
And the first thing it prophesied... was his return?
And the "spoils of war"...
Why did it feel like the prophecy was more about Chi-Yu, and he was just the delivery person?
Shaking his head, Natsu shoved those thoughts aside.
He pulled out his phone and ssaged i to let her know he was back.
As for the Pokémon in his PokeBalls, he didn't release them right away.
First, he needed to get that Chi-Yu settled in.
Even though it had acted all "I've learned my lesson" when captured...
Who knew if that was just an act?
That Okidogi had played the submissive role too,
only to try and launch a sneak attack later.
Even after getting thoroughly beaten by Natsu, it hadn't fully given up on the idea.
"Natsu!"
Right after receiving Natsu's ssage, i ca running over—with Duosion trailing behind her.
Since its special training assignnt had been completed, Duosion was now in a state of idle boredom and had simply tagged along.
i always said Natsu's Pokémon were strong.
But thanks to various twists of fate, Duosion hadn't had a chance to see them in action until now.
It wasn't skeptical per se—just hard to form a clear picture without firsthand experience.
It was hard to feel the strength just through words.
Maybe this ti...?
Duosion cast a few glances at the Corviknight behind Natsu, who was curiously peering around.
It then calmly looked away.
That bird seed decently strong...
...but way too goofy. Zero intimidating presence.
"...I'll release it now."
Duosion blinked and looked toward Natsu in curiosity.
Release what?
A newly captured Pokémon?
i had ntioned that this human nad Natsu had gone out for a battle.
So... is it flex ti?
But before Duosion could finish grumbling in its head—
A beam of red light flashed across its face.
A fiery blossom of heat exploded into existence.
And in that instant, Duosion thought it had caught a glimpse of heaven.
***************************
Read advanced Chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell
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