Giovanni's invitation came as a complete surprise to Natsume.
He had thought it was just a simple Heavy Space video, but somehow, it had managed to max out Giovanni's favorability?
But Natsume-sensei didn't even want to be a Trainer, so joining Team Rocket was way too risky.
With the intention of seeking advice, Natsume-sensei opened the Chat Group.
Natsume-sensei: Team Rocket sent someone to recruit me.
The quiet Chat Group suddenly buzzed with notifications.
Gold: ???
Lorelei: ???
Sabrina: ???
A row of question marks filled the screen.
Sabrina's delicate face was filled with shock.
Although she had guessed that the invitation was for Natsume-sensei…
But was this something you could just casually drop in the Chat Group?
Natsume-sensei, you're way too carefree!
Lance, who was sipping coffee, suddenly choked and started coughing violently. He quickly typed, "And then?"
Natsume-sensei: I turned them down.
Lance let out a dry cough, genuinely worried that Natsume-sensei might suddenly say, "I already joined."
But thinking about it, almost all the Leaders had received invitations from Team Rocket at some point.
Including Red, Blue Oak, and others, they were all personally approached by Giovanni.
It almost seemed like a badge of honor for the strong…
Seeing Natsume-sensei speak so candidly, Brock nodded in agreement.
"Team Rocket contacted me back in the day too. The offer was quite tempting."
Even with the responsibility of raising nine younger siblings, this mountain of a man didn't waver in the slightest.
Now, seeing Natsume-sensei reject Team Rocket, he couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie.
"As expected…" Brock narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist, "You truly are the Breeder I acknowledge!"
Green covered her mouth and chuckled, "Oh my, Natsume-sensei, have you considered taking their money and running? I could help you with that."
Natsume's eyes lit up.
Wait, that's an option?
Natsume-sensei: Let's talk in private. We can split it 50-50.
Sabrina facepalmed, feeling an inexplicable sense of exhaustion.
Discussing backstabbing Team Rocket in front of a former Executive… Is this really okay?
Yellow: Oh, Mr. Giovanni is such a kind person! (≧▽≦)
Having also come from Viridian Forest, Giovanni had even helped Yellow fight against Lance once.
Hearing that Natsume-sensei was being recruited by Team Rocket, she felt it was only natural.
Lance cleared his throat, "Anyway… Natsume-sensei, you should be careful. Being targeted by Team Rocket isn't a good thing."
Natsume was slightly taken aback.
You might not believe it, but I'm technically still an Instructor for Team Rocket!
But even if I don't join Team Rocket… no grunt would dare to lay a finger on Natsume-sensei.
After all, Natsume-sensei's Minimize Team and SubProtect Toxic strategies have already won the hearts of many in Team Rocket…
Red had just finished his training on Mt. Silver.
Seeing the news about Giovanni recruiting Natsume-sensei, he found it quite intriguing.
In some ways, Red and Giovanni's thought processes were surprisingly similar…
"Of course… the old man has a good eye for talent," Red said with a grin.
No one was particularly surprised that Natsume-sensei had been recruited.
Team Rocket was always on the lookout for talent.
Honestly, it would've been more surprising if Natsume-sensei hadn't been approached.
Natsume nodded thoughtfully.
Well, if you had said so earlier! So everyone's been through this, huh?
Seeing talent and immediately making an offer…
Is this what you call Boss Giovanni's "Strong Person Identification Technique"?!
After tying with Lance's bird, Natsume-sensei now had another bragging right: "Favored by Giovanni"!
"Wait…" Natsume muttered to himself.
"Then who… hasn't been invited yet?"
Gold was fuming.
"Why has Team Rocket never recruited me?!"
I'm a star Trainer who made a name for himself in Johto, after all!
Even though I'm not that interested in Team Rocket… at least give me some face!
Green laughed, "You could always contact Silver and ask him to recommend you."
"Yeah, no thanks."
Gold, like a concerned big brother, stroked his chin.
"That guy always looks so gloomy. I wish he could be a bit more open."
Natsume was slightly stunned.
Oh right, I almost forgot that Giovanni is Silver's father!
Silver and Green were taken in by Pryce when they were young, mastering the abilities of "Exchange" and "Evolution" respectively.
Due to various misunderstandings, Silver refused to acknowledge that his father was the Leader of Team Rocket.
Giovanni, on the other hand, was desperate to find his son.
Silver, who had a strong sense of justice despite his thief background, was determined to bring down Team Rocket…
Natsume looked up at the sky.
"Such… a heartwarming father-son relationship."
…
That night, with all the talk about Team Rocket and Giovanni, Natsume was thoroughly exhausted.
Natsume-sensei just wanted to be a regular Gaming section Content creator, making a bit of money here and there.
Who would've thought Team Rocket would come knocking…
Natsume muttered to himself, "I guess… gold shines no matter where it is?"
It was almost 10 PM, and the family still hadn't had dinner.
The three little ones stared at Natsume with teary eyes, their gazes flickering with hunger.
Natsume smiled gently, "Alright, I'll get dinner ready now!"
"Haunter! (?`▽′?)?" Haunter raised both hands in agreement.
Eevee jumped onto Natsume's shoulder, watching intently as he lit the fire and started cooking.
The flames illuminated Eevee's face, its fur tinged with an orange glow, making it look even more adorable.
"You can have some Pokéblocks first."
Natsume patted Eevee on the head, "Just to tide you over. There'll be a late-night snack too."
Eevee narrowed its eyes and let out an impatient cry, "Eevee!"
I know!
Natsume smiled.
Not obsessing over battles, but spending these everyday moments with Pokémon…
That's also part of what makes Pokémon so wonderful.
Natsume shook his head and chuckled helplessly:
"If only everyone could backstab me a little less… that'd be even better!"
…
Squirtle, who had been hiding, slowly peeked out its head and cautiously sniffed the air.
"Squirtle…" Squirtle's face turned pale.
Its heightened senses, thanks to its Aura, made its sense of smell even more acute.
Grabbing a couple of tissues, Squirtle plugged its nose and stood up proudly.
Suddenly, Squirtle opened its mouth wide, taking in several deep breaths.
"Squirtle… Achoo!"
Squirtle shivered, rubbed its red nose, and grinned goofily.
"Squirtle(*￣︶￣)" (Feels good.)
In an instant, the moisture in the air began to swirl.
A small gray cloud formed, gathering near the ceiling.
Squirtle and Haunter looked up simultaneously, stunned for a moment before feeling a sudden surge of excitement.
After training Rain Dance for so long… it finally worked!
With a synchronized high-five, Haunter and Squirtle held hands and started spinning around joyfully.
Haunter & Squirtle: o(*≧▽≦)ツ
The humidity in the room continued to rise, the rain cloud fully formed, ready to pour.
Drip, drip—
Raindrops began to fall onto the floor.
"Awoo~"
Haunter and Squirtle tilted their heads back, opening their mouths wide to catch the raindrops.
A glint of pride flashed in Squirtle's eyes.
Natsume… will definitely be impressed!
…
In the kitchen.
For some reason, Natsume suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Eevee seemed to sense something too and quickly darted out of the room.
Natsume turned off the stove, removed his apron, and walked out of the kitchen with a complicated expression.
In an instant, raindrops splashed onto his eyelashes.
Inside, it was as if a water pipe had burst, with water spraying everywhere.
Natsume looked up to see a small rain cloud gathered near the ceiling, seemingly formed by a Pokémon's move.
The three little ones were gleefully splashing in the water, their laughter ringing out, completely oblivious to their "father's" increasingly pale face.
"Eevee(*≧▽≦)" Eevee hopped around in the puddles, sending water flying everywhere.
"Squirtle(づ￣3￣)づ" Squirtle tilted its head back and shot a Water Gun into the air in celebration.
Haunter patted Natsume on the shoulder, grinning widely, "Haunter!"
Impressive, huh?
I taught them that!
Natsume's hands and feet turned cold.
Glancing at Squirtle's move list and seeing "Rain Dance," Natsume wasn't sure if it was the rain wetting his eyes or his tears mixing with the water.
His hair soaked, his lips trembling, Natsume slowly walked over to the sofa, where the rain was pattering down noisily, and sat down.
He buried his head in his hands and stopped thinking.
"At least… I won't have to call a cleaning service tomorrow…"
Natsume forced a pale smile.
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