Chapter 82: The Fall of the Dragon King and the Shiny Furret Coach
The next morning, Mei slowly opened her eyes, half-buried in a soft, oversized pillow.
She'd stayed up late last night, brimming with inexplicable excitement, and by the time she realized she should sleep, the wave of drowsiness hit her all at once. In an instant, she was swallowed by the tide of sleep.
"Mmm, what a good sleep," Mei murmured, sitting up groggily. She rubbed her face haphazardly, her long hair sticking messily to her cheeks.
Before going to bed, Mei had made an effort to tidy her hair properly. However, her restless tossing and turning had undone all her work, leaving her in her current disheveled state.
"Servine..."
Lying belly-up on the bed, Servine rolled over, burying its face into the pillow. It was far too comfortable to even think about getting up.
"Oh, right, this is the farm," Mei muttered, still half-dazed, sitting on the bed in a stupor before finally realizing she was at Natsume's farm.
She hadn't slept this well in ages, and for a moment, she'd forgotten where she was.
On the floor by the bed, Tepig and Dewott were still sound asleep. Dewott lay with its arms crossed in a pose resembling a down-and-out swordsman, though its utterly peaceful expression and the telltale glimmer of drool at the corner of its mouth betrayed it.
A would-be hero... but still just a child.
As for Steenee?
The Pokémon was asleep on the table, for some strange reason. Despite having a bed and a cozy little nest, it stubbornly insisted on sleeping on the hard tabletop.
"Time to get up," Mei said, slapping her cheeks lightly to wake herself.
Her bare feet touched the soft carpet as she tiptoed carefully around Tepig and Dewott, doing her best not to make a sound and wake her Pokémon partners.
On the bed, Servine stirred at the sound of Mei getting up. The Grass Snake Pokémon struggled to open its eyes, wobbling and tumbling off the bed in an attempt to follow her to the bathroom.
It nearly face-planted onto the floor—if not for Mei catching it in time.
Otherwise, poor Tepig might have suffered a rude awakening via a falling Servine.
You dodged a critical hit there.
Thankfully, the guest room had its own en suite bathroom, sparing Mei from any awkward early-morning encounters.
Those classic light-novel scenarios? They weren't happening here.
After all, neither Mei nor Natsume had the "trip over nothing" skill unlocked. And no one had the bizarre habit of running around in their underwear.
Who even does that, anyway? This isn't a diving club or something.
"Fully recharged!"
Freshly washed and groomed, Mei gave herself a satisfied nod in the mirror.
Dressed in her usual sporty attire—short-sleeved top, skirt, and...
...black tights and sneakers?
It was a bit of a puzzling combination.
(A quick side note: pairing black tights with sneakers often results in... less-than-pleasant foot odor. Fans of such a look? Definitely the niche crowd.)
"Snort, snort!"
An energized Tepig darted around the room, exploring every corner with boundless curiosity.
Though it had already scouted the room the previous night, its enthusiasm remained undiminished.
Meanwhile, Dewott and Snivy donned their usual aloof expressions, as if trying to distance themselves from any association with drooling in their sleep or nearly face-planting.
"Alright, everyone, today marks the start of our special training!"
"Tepig!"
"Steenee!"
Unlike the stoic duo, Tepig and Steenee were full of excitement.
Tepig's eagerness stemmed from its naturally lively personality and insatiable curiosity.
As for Steenee...
It was motivated by revenge.
Yes, revenge.
Last night, Mei's Steenee had proudly returned to its old group, brimming with confidence after countless battles and grueling training sessions.
Surely, with all it had endured, it would now be the strongest in the group.
After all, back then, even the "big sister" of the group hadn't been as strong as Steenee was now.
Steenee had imagined showing off its growth, shocking everyone with a dazzling display of strength.
Instead, it got spanked by the group leader.
The so-called "Dragon King's Return" ended in a crushing defeat at the hands of some random street thug.
The sheer humiliation!
Why?
Steenee couldn't comprehend it.
But no matter!
"I'll train harder than ever and surpass her one day!" Mei's Steenee resolved.
---
"Good morning, Natsume!"
Coming downstairs, Mei caught sight of Natsume placing breakfast on the table.
Living alone for so long, Natsume had picked up some cooking skills over the years. While he wasn't exactly a master chef, his meals were decent enough—and definitely not life-threatening.
"Morning, Mei. Just in time—breakfast's ready. Come eat," Natsume said as he tidied up the kitchen and took off his apron.
He'd even considered asking Gardevoir to go wake Mei earlier.
"Thanks! I'll dig in, then. Oh, and I'll do the dishes after, no arguments! Otherwise, I'll feel bad," Mei said cheerfully, clasping her hands behind her back as she leaned closer to Natsume.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though a gentle breeze carried her fragrance toward him.
...Except there wasn't one.
Mei didn't have any noticeable scent—certainly not the kind that cosmetics or perfumes might provide.
She'd mentioned before that she never paid much attention to skincare or beauty products, yet her skin had always been flawless.
A statement that would likely spark envy among many girls.
After a simple yet hearty breakfast, Mei couldn't contain her excitement any longer.
She eagerly requested to begin the day's special training.
Despite Natsume's repeated claims that he wasn't particularly skilled at training Pokémon, Mei merely dismissed his modesty as humility.
After all, every Pokémon on the farm seemed anything but ordinary.
Not to mention Natsume's own "main team."
From Persian, Butterfree, and Corviknight to Slowking and even the Steenee tribe leader that had overpowered her own Steenee—every one of them was exceptional.
"Alright, alright," Natsume clapped his hands, stepping toward the window.
"Furret! You're up!"
Before Mei could process what "you're up" meant, an oversized Shiny Furret barreled into the living room with boundless energy.
"Furrrrret!"
Coach Furret reporting for duty! Who needs training?
Seeing the determined look on the Shiny Furret's face, Mei suddenly had a strange, indescribable feeling.
It seemed... her Servine and the others weren't in for an easy time.