Pokémon: Who told him to come out of Pallet Town!

Chapter 1: My name is Natsume

"Professor Oak, why are you at my house again?"

"Ah...hahaha, it's Ash..."

"You're setting off on your trip tomorrow, so remember to come early to collect your starter Pokémon. Don't be late!"

Professor Oak dashed away at the door.

Ash turned his head and looked at Professor Oak, somewhat puzzled.

But soon, he cheered himself up. Tomorrow would be the most crucial step for him to become a Pokémon Master!

Claim your own starter Pokémon.

Ash didn't take Professor Oak's advice about not being late seriously at all.

He had already spoken to Natsume, who works at Oki's lab, and Natsume would keep an eye out for him.

The next day, at Oki's research lab.

"Ah—they've all been picked out!?"

A startled cry rang out, scaring away many of the little finches perched in the trees.

Inside the research institute, a teenager was holding his head, seemingly in a state of panic.

Beside him, Professor Oak, holding a small notebook, looked at the dejected Ash, shook his head slightly, and couldn't help but say:

"Seriously, how could you let that kid Natsume choose your Pokémon? He always sleeps until noon."

Xiao Zhi: "..."

The atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound broke the silence.

"Bang!"

A red and white ball hit Ash squarely on the head.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the target was not a Pokémon, and the red light emanating from the red and white ball did not capture Ash.

"Ouch, Natsume-san, how many times have I told you? I'm not a Pokémon! Stop throwing Poké Balls at me, it hurts!"

Ash winced in pain, clutching his head as he looked toward the doorway where a tall, thin boy was walking against the light.

As the boy approached, his figure, previously hidden in the light, was revealed.

Dressed in casual sportswear, with delicate features, fair skin, and an air of scholarly refinement, she gave off a well-behaved and easy-going vibe.

Beside Natsume, a cell phone with a pair of tiny lightning bolt wings floats.

In response to Ash's complaints, he simply shrugged.

Who knows?

After saying that, Natsume sighed and picked up the red and white balls that were dripping loudly from the ground.

The 32nd attempt to catch the strongest humanoid Pokémon failed.

[Ding! The progress of the D-rank research project—(Is Ash a humanoid Pokémon?) has reached the target. Conclusion: No.]

[Win a scratch-off lottery ticket!]

Natsume's face lit up with joy upon sensing a scratch-off lottery ticket appear in the system space.

He finally collected ten scratch-off lottery tickets.

Just as Natsume was considering whether to head home, take a bath, change clothes, burn incense, and then enjoy a happy ten-pull, he heard Ash's mournful voice from the side.

"Natsume-nii, where's the Pokémon I asked you to pick out for me?"

Seeing Natsume's stunned expression, Ash seemed to be getting a little frustrated:

"Please, you haven't forgotten, have you? I just got a good scolding from Xiao Mao at the door."

"Oh, this?"

Natsume turned to look at Satoshi, his face full of sincerity, and said:

"Of course I haven't forgotten. The Pokémon I prepared for you is unlike any other Pokémon you've ever seen from other trainers."

"I cherish it very, very much~"

Natsume's tone was seductive, and Ash was slightly taken aback, his curiosity piqued.

Since Natsume is an assistant at Oki's lab, there's some credibility to what he said.

Ash's eyes lit up, and he secretly began to look forward to it.

What kind of unique spirit could it be?

Natsume walked behind Satoshi and pressed a switch.

Soon, under Xiaozhi's watchful eye, a yellow-skinned mouse was slowly lifted up by the mechanical platform.

"Wow, that's cool! It looks like a really powerful Pokémon!"

Ash's eyes lit up as he took out the Pokédex that Professor Oak had given him and pointed it at the yellow-skinned mouse in front of him.

Soon, a mechanical voice came from the encyclopedia:

Pikachu, the Electric Mouse Pokémon, are as common as stray dogs on the street...

Xiao Zhi: "..."

"Natsume-nii, didn't you say this was something you cherished... um, Natsume-nii?"

Turning his head, Xiaozhi couldn't find Natsume. Looking around, he discovered that Natsume had somehow run outside.

Natsume pointed behind Ash.

Ash and Professor Oak turned around at the same time and saw an angry Pikachu.

It seemed that the blunt words in the Pokédex had angered him.

"Pikachu!"

One 100,000-volt shock knocked the two people inside to the ground.

"Natsume-nii, you're so unreliable..."

Ash lay on the ground, his pajamas charred. He reached out and pointed at Natsume, who was unharmed by the door, trembling as he made his accusation.

Sigh, you fool.

Looking at Ash's expression, Natsume shook his head.

This Pikachu is truly very rare!

[Ding! A special individual has been detected in the Pikachu population!]

[S-Rank Research Project Issued: "Deciphering Ash's Pikachu."]

As expected... Ash's Pikachu is a special case.

Upon hearing the system notification, Natsume smiled.

After being transported to the Pokémon world, he was bound to the Pokémon Research System.

By continuously searching for and researching the unique individuals that stand out from the ordinary Pokémon population, you can continuously obtain rewards!

The first thing Natsume thought of was Ash's Pikachu.

A single 100,000-volt attack would require Arceus to use a stone slab to block it; a Pikachu with that kind of power is definitely a special individual.

Looking at Ash and Professor Oak, who were lying on the ground convulsing inside, Natsume smiled warmly.

"Ash, I've already told Aunt Hanako that I want to travel with you."

......

......

......

The main entrance to Oki Research Institute.

The area was surrounded by a large crowd.

Today is the day the five trainers from Pallet Town set off, and they have all come to see them off.

The first three have already set off; now, they are sending Ash and Natsume off.

In the crowd, Hanako was carrying large and small bags and kept stuffing them into Satoshi's hands.

"Here's your water bottle, the tent, the rope, and the rubber gloves—you never know when you might need them!"

"Okay, okay, Mom!"

Xiao Zhi's hands were almost overflowing.

Seeing this, Hanako smiled, then said gently:

"Oh, and Natsume is also going with you."

"I know that. Natsume-nii told me about it when we were at the research institute."

Xiao Zhi scratched his head.

For some reason, he always felt that the neighbors around him were looking at him with great enthusiasm. He hadn't seen anyone so warm when he took Xiao Mao and the others away before.

"Haha, that's good. Keep an eye on Natsume along the way, okay?"

"Okay, Mom, I'll be a good boy and listen to Natsume-nii... Ah, what did you say?"

Ash stared blankly at Hanako, pointing at himself with one finger, his expression seemingly saying:

"You expect me, a ten-year-old, to take care of an adult who just turned eighteen?"

Unexpectedly, the neighbors didn't find it odd at all; instead, they all chimed in:

"Yeah, Satoshi, I'm counting on you to take care of Natsume. You have to keep an eye on him!"

"That's right, Ash, you absolutely mustn't forget, Natsume is from Sinnoh, not Pallet Town. Make sure you explain that to everyone!"

......

"Ah... okay."

The neighbors chimed in with their opinions, and Xiao Zhi, somewhat bewildered, scratched his head and had no choice but to agree to everything.

Everyone's so strange.

Just then, a shout came from afar:

"Ash, over here, let's go!"

It was Natsume. He was dressed in clean and tidy sportswear, carrying a travel bag, and waving at Ash.

Natsume looked at everyone who was seeing him and Satoshi off and couldn't help but feel a little moved.

The past five years since he moved to Zhenxin Town kept flooding back to him, and he couldn't help but sigh.

It is indeed a heartwarming anime world, where people are so simple and unpretentious!

Just wait, once Natsume becomes a true master of Pokémon research, he will definitely come back to benefit the people of Pallet Town!

"Go, Ash, don't give up on your dreams so easily!"

"Yes, Ash, you're going to become a Pokémon Master. Before that, please make sure to train with Natsume!"

All around, countless people urged them on.

"Well... okay, I'll take my leave now. I'll definitely come back to see you all once I become a Pokémon Master!"

Ash waved and smiled, bidding farewell to everyone before embarking on his journey with Natsume.

As the sun set, the two shadows stretched longer and longer.

At the entrance of Ooki's lab, the sadness and reluctance on the faces of the people who saw Natsume walk away vanished in an instant.

Instead, an incredulous ecstasy filled the air!

"They're gone, they're gone, that devil Natsume is finally gone!"

Some people cheered.

"Yes, heavens have eyes! Ever since he moved here from Sinnoh five years ago, my little Ponyta hasn't had a single good night's sleep!"

"And then there's my Oddish. That kid Natsume always mixes its droppings into its food, saying things like, 'We need to research whether plant Pokémon can be produced and consumed independently.'"

"Waaaaah, by the time I found out, I'd already been eating shit for over a year! I can't change my taste now..."

"I don't know who summoned this devil. He takes my little Geodude to get CT scans every day. Now he's afraid of light. He says he wants to 'study whether Geodude will get kidney stones'."

"..."

The crowd was instantly enraged. Professor Oak stood in the crowd, hunching his shoulders, not daring to utter a sound.

Not only the residents of Pallet Town, but even the Pokémon in Professor Oak's backyard all flew into the sky and climbed up the trees.

After confirming that Natsume the Great Demon King was really gone, they cheered.

Several fiery monkeys, having somehow acquired gongs and drums, began to beat them.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and the entire Zhenxin Town was like a festival, bustling with activity!

The sound of gongs and drums behind them was already quite faint when it reached Natsume and Satoshi's ears.

Xiao Zhi suddenly felt a lump in his throat and said with some reluctance:

"Everyone...everyone seems really reluctant to see us go."

On the way, the faces of his mother and neighbors seeing him off were deeply etched in Xiaozhi's mind.

And those blessings, those urgings...

Xiao Zhi's eyes involuntarily became a little moist.

"Natsume-nii, why don't we go back and stay with everyone a little longer?"

Ash wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and looked at the tall Natsume standing to the side.

When Natsume arrived in Pallet Town, he used his patent fees to build several roads and a power plant.

It's clear that the other person truly considers this place their home, and Natsume-nii must feel just as reluctant to leave as I do!

Natsume turned his head to look at Satoshi, a strange look on his face.

Ultimately, Ash is still just a ten-year-old kid on his first trip.

Thinking of this, Natsume grinned, revealing a set of youthful, white teeth, patted Satoshi's shoulder, and loudly comforted him:

"No need to look back, Ash!"

"A real man leaves behind a resolute silhouette!"