Chapter 0847: World Tournament, The Bracket Is Revealed!(Two-in-One)

The battle between Natsume and Ash had come to a close.

Thanks to this match, the Alola League—and really, the entire trainer community—got a huge promotional boost.

Pokémon begin to resemble their trainers more and more.

That invisible yet tangible “bond” between them—it might even push past their limits, unlocking the possibility of Bond Evolution!

Trainers usually fell into two camps: Team Paul, or Team Ash.

But this battle showed the whole world:

Ash, with his hot-blooded energy, and his equally fired-up Pokémon, have their own distinctive tactical style.

While Natsume, the master of strategy... well, he’s downright dirty!

And it wasn’t just trainers—academia was abuzz as well.

Pokémon with special talents, the once-in-a-millennium Bond Evolution, unique signature Z-Moves crafted for each... Scholars had their eyes opened. Their respect and curiosity for Pokémon science shot up like never before.

Just as the legendary Professor Oak once said: “There are still countless unknown frontiers in the world of Pokémon, just waiting to be explored!”

After this match, the entire Alola League season officially wrapped up.

Ash, as Alola League Champion, would go on to challenge the next World Tournament.

He’d miss this year’s elimination rounds, but at least he could witness “Natsume-sensei wrecking XX Champion” in person.

Natsume joined Kukui and the students at the Hau’oli City beach party.

Aunt Delia, Professor Oak, Blue Oak, and the gang were there, too.

It was a perfect summer—clear blue water, palm trees swaying gently at the edge of the beach.

Kiawe swept Ash into a headlock, grinning, “Dude! You beat three of Natsume-sensei’s Pokémon!”

Ash scratched his head with a laugh. “That’s just ‘cause Natsume-sensei and Gengar went easy on me.”

Lillie, blonde ponytail swinging and backpack in hand, smiled:

“I think Gengar-sensei was just moved by Ash and everyone’s hard work—so he went easy on you.”

Lana leaned closer, arms behind her back. “Because Ash and Pikachu already cleared the evaluation~”

“Kind of like an Island Trial? Makes sense!” Mallow clapped her hands, eyes shining with stars.

“I passed the evaluation... I guess...”

Ash sat cross-legged on the sand, glancing behind him at Charizard, Infernape, Bond Greninja, and the rest of his team.

Rowlet perched on his head, Pikachu wiggled into his lap, and he rubbed Lycanroc’s forehead, breaking into a big grin as he threw his arms wide and shouted:

“Feelin’ good~!!”

“Pikachu~ (≧▽≦)”

Over at the beachside stove, Team Rocket was helping Natsume with the cooking, glancing over their shoulders.

“Jeez, that twerp stole my catchphrase!” Jessie growled, clenching her fist.

“But why are WE the ones helping out, nya?” Meowth asked.

“I heard there’s a new assignment for us coming up...” James muttered.

Natsume stirred the pot, unfazed:

“Because vacation’s over, and your next mission is to head to Galar.”

“Galar?” The trio echoed.

“Yep, Galar loves all those battle tournaments, and there are special power spots for Dynamax and Gigantamax forms.”

“I get it, nya!” Meowth chimed in. “You want us to steal that G-Max energy!”

“Uh… actually, you’re to man the arena stall and sell some Gigantamax Pokémon plushies.” Natsume corrected.

The trio froze, spirits deflated.

“What kind of feeling is THAT~ (｀Д｀)”

“Wobbuffet!”

Bewear cradled Stufful, gazing kindly toward Team Rocket from afar.

Giving off those wholesome, “mom sees her kids off” vibes.

Soon, Team Rocket would leave Alola behind, too.

“Uu…” Bewear’s eyes glazed, standing in place for quite a while.

As the party started, Lusamine and Gladion made their appearance once more.

Gladion explained he’d go with Lusamine to Kanto, searching for their father—with Lillie coming along.

“I see.” Kukui rubbed his stubble as he looked at Gladion. “That means there’ll be fewer students next semester.”

“Isn’t Ash staying in Alola?”

“Nope. Once the party ends, Ash is heading back to Pallet Town with his mom,” Kukui said, hands in his lab coat pockets. “He wants to prep for the next World Championships.”

“I see.” Gladion’s eyes flashed. “I’ll be entering next year’s World Championships, too.”

Kukui laughed, bright and carefree. “Ha! A rival makes things fun—you push each other to get better. Alright, let’s eat!”

“Gengar(*⊙⊙)”

Gengar, spoon in hand, inhaled a plate of curry rice—face completely smudged with sauce.

Blue Oak’s Alakazam sat upright, beard flowing, eyes flicking to Gengar, then down to the messy spoon.

Gengar, covered in rice, sheepishly handed back the spoon:

“Gengar~” (Sorry—here you go!)

At last, order restored. What a happy ending!

Natsume now sat with a brown-haired, spiky-headed guy in a jacket, Professor Oak at the end of the row.

Blue Oak, composed as always after all that etiquette training in Kalos, spoke:

“Next week, the Top 16 will be finalized, Natsume-sensei—and the draw for matchups as well.”

Natsume tensed. He’d been busy battling legendary Pokémon lately—no time for Baby Cups.

Last time he checked he’d ranked 12th. He pulled out his mobile to see the latest results.

A bold number “10” flashed. Natsume blinked. Good grief—he’d gone UP by not playing!

Reason’s simple: apparently, two unlucky saps got stomped by Blue Oak and dropped behind him on the leaderboard.

“What’s your rank now?” Natsume asked.

“Fourth. I beat Raihan and Master Mustard,” Blue Oak replied.

Natsume couldn’t help feeling bad for Raihan.

First got trashed by Leon, then battled me, and now Blue Oak...

He’d faced Mustard the old master once before. Mustard’s Urshifu was definitely high-tier, but couldn’t handle Blue Oak in his prime.

“It’s an intense lineup this year.”

Blue Oak sipped his juice thoughtfully. “There are multiple Champions in the Top 16: Ryo, the Touran League Champ, Alder—the former Unova Champ, and Steven Stone.”

That stumped Natsume for a second, then he got it.

Counting himself, Ryo, Alder, and Steven, there were FOUR ex-Champions in this Top 16!

In fact, most of the Top 16 were Champion-level trainers—plus wildcards like Pyramid King Brandon and his Regi trio, or unstoppable Elite Fours like Lorelei and Caitlin.

The sixteen-to-eight matchups would be held at Indigo Plateau. Advance there, and you complete the “Eight Masters” challenge.

If you want to beat Red, Leon, or Blue Oak—those real “Battle Legends”—you’ll have to work for it.

Fighting Champions and Elite Fours...

Natsume looked down at his buttered bread, mumbling,

“So they want me to stomp rookies, huh?”

……

Two days later.

Kalos Region, Lumiose City.

Inside a cafe on Southern Street, Rotom’s electronic voice echoed through the air.

“Beep… The Top 16 roster is out, Rotom!”

“Let me see, let me see!”

Natsume lounged on the sofa, Rotom Phone in hand, scrolling through the list of Top 16.

Even so, upsets were always a possibility.

After confirming he’d made the cut, Natsume scanned over the names—and was honestly surprised.

Wow, more than half are members from the group chat!

Non-chat group members included Alder, Brandon, Ryo, Mustard, and Drake.

Alder absolutely refused anything to do with phones or computers. Brandon, Ryo, and Drake were all serious types—hardly touched social media.

Old man Mustard was Leon’s mentor, a total game nerd. If anyone could get him to join the group, it’d be Leon…

He opened the chat group—and sure enough, the hot topic was the Top 16 bracket.

Misty: “Sister Lorelei’s incredible, she made Top 16!”

Brock (squinting): “Lorelei has always been Kanto’s veteran Elite Four, with legit Champion-level strength.”

Janine: “So true… My dad always said Lorelei’s team is a great counter to Lance the Champion.”

Even if Lorelei officially ranks below Bruno in the Elite Four—

Bruno struggles to beat Lance, while Lorelei has a pretty easy time with ‘Lance the Birdbrain.’

Lance winced: “I know, most of my team’s part Dragon, part Flying…”

Silver, face blank: “Oh, so you ARE aware.”

Lance’s brow jumped: “Gold, are you texting from Silver’s phone again?”

Gold: “???”

Why is it every time Silver says something, I get roasted?

Gold ’t even have time to reply before Lance muted him with a dramatic wave of his hand.

Gold just browsed the chat in silence, arms folded, seriously wondering where it all went wrong.

“Lorelei, veteran Elite Four…” Gold muttered quietly.

How “veteran” are we talking here?

Back at home, Lorelei flipped through some shoujo manga. When she woke up and saw the group talking about her age, she teared up a little.

No need to emphasize “veteran Elite Four” so much!

Aside from Lorelei, two other Elite Fours made Top 16.

First, the psychic specialist: Caitlin.

Caitlin’s Confusion is even stronger than Sabrina or Lucian’s. For an Elite Four, even in a Top 16 overflowing with Champions, she had a pretty smooth ride.

The other: Hoenn’s head Elite Four, the Dragon Master—Captain Drake.

At the Ultra Ball tier, Drake faced Unova’s rising Champion, Iris, and bested her thanks to his seasoned experience.

Both are top-tier among the Elite Four. Even against Diantha or Alder, they stand a real shot.

Green: “Indigo Plateau’s gonna be packed with tourists this year!”

Erika smiled gently: “This one can finally expand her perfume business~”

“I’ve already gotten the call from the Kanto League. I’m heading to Indigo Plateau for field maintenance.” Brock squinted. “Lt. Surge, you’ll probably get a task soon too.”

“I gotta go too?” Lt. Surge balked.

“Yeah, man. Your security company’s famous—wouldn’t be surprised if they get you to run event security.”

“Hrmph…” Lt. Surge sulked.

Me, the Electric type expert, captain of S.S. Aqua—reduced to a bodyguard? I better get paid extra.

“Johto League will send more support, too,” Inspector Falkner noted. “Indigo Plateau’s run by both Kanto and Johto, after all.”

“@Lance, any insider info on the draw? Spill the beans?” Old Man Wattson prodded with a grin.

“No inside info!” Lance groaned. “Everything was fair, open, and aboveboard!”

Wattson waved him off: “Oh, come on. With all the Porygon and Rotom out there, who still believes that?”

Lance: “……”

So tired… but I really can’t argue!

Caitlin, cool as ever: “I want to battle Cynthia.”

Might as well lose to Cynthia—at least she’ll comfort me.

Cynthia’s eyes crinkled with a smile: “You’ve got my vote~”

Wallace straightened up: “If possible, I’d like a later slot—I still have the ‘Wallace Cup’ to handle.”

Ruby suggested: “Master, I can judge for you if you need.”

Sapphire bared her teeth: “No way!”

Ruby glanced over: “Huh?”

Sapphire tossed her phone, puffing her cheeks: “Not happening!”

Who knows if you’re sneaking off to date Courtney!

In the chat group, Raihan piped up: “This old man is gonna battle Leon!”

Lance: “That’s not under my control, okay!”

“Uh… so…”

Leon scratched his head, laughing sheepishly:

“Where exactly is Indigo Plateau again?”

……

July 2nd, Saturday.

The world’s eyes focused on Indigo Plateau.

This historic battlefield has given rise to countless legends. It’s where Red, Blue Oak, Professor Oak, and many others began their journey.

And now, the World Tournament’s Top 16—cutting from sixteen to eight—was about to begin!

Inside the main arena, the Sacred Flame burned bright. On the emerald field, more than a dozen of the world’s strongest trainers took their mark.

The cheers were thunderous, like an ocean surrounding the trainers!

“Leon and Raihan aren’t here yet?”

Lance, cape fluttering and dressed in his blue-and-red Champion uniform, folded his arms, scanning the crowd.

“Probably still lost somewhere on the way,” Natsume said dryly.

He glanced back—Cynthia in a regal black coat, chatting with a sleep-hatted, drowsy-eyed Caitlin.

Feeling Natsume’s eyes, Cynthia’s long lashes fluttered as she offered a gentle smile.

The livestream camera zoomed in, perfectly catching Cynthia’s soft smile.

The chat instantly turned lemon-yellow.

“My Queen, MY Cabbage~o(╥﹏╥)o”

“Can we get through a brackets show without feeling single?!”

“Natsume-sensei: After this tournament I’m going home to get married!”

The arena buzzed, a massive screen standing tall, a three-minute countdown ticking down.

Trainers chatted in little groups, waiting for the show.

Natsume greeted Champion Ryo, then walked up to Mr. Brandon in his green army coat and thanked him with a smile:

“Thanks for your help with Regigigas!”

After every epic showdown, Regigigas would return to Snowpoint Temple, meaning Brandon had to clean up the mess.

Brandon’s feelings were… complicated.

You call that “thanks”? You’re just giving me a headache!

The huge central screen’s countdown dropped to zero.

Next second, the display burst into flames and the matchups started popping up, one by one!

Viewers everywhere held their breath, watching the avatars flash up on-screen.

【 Cynthia VS Caitlin 】

【 Lance VS Drake 】

【 Leon VS Raihan 】

【 Blue Oak VS Diantha 】

【 Mustard VS Ryo … 】

Natsume stared at all these ‘revenge matches,’ confusion swirling in his heart.

Lance, you expect me to believe this was random?!

Suddenly, a roar swept through the audience stands, cheers crashing like a wave!

Natsume jolted and looked at the big screen, pupils contracting.

The final slot—that was his own name on display.

【 Natsume VS Steven Stone 】!

Natsume stood on the grass, gazing out at the crowd.

Over Mr. Brandon’s shoulder, he spotted Steven and Wallace chatting together.

Steven, sharp in a tailored suit and eyes blue as sapphires, caught Natsume-sensei’s gaze. His own eyes narrowed slightly, lips curving up in a reserved smile.

Top 16—his next opponent.

One of the Eight Masters, the fourth seat:

Steven Stone!!