He noticed the words on the bookshelf were all reversed, which looked strange.
"I got used to the rules of the opposite world, even the left–right directions. That's why I'm not used to the normal world," Nobita muttered with a smile. It amused him, but he didn't stare for long—small details weren't important.
This "normal" world had no difference from the opposite one when it came to things like gravity, air composition, or the Planck constant.
Yet somehow, being here gave him a different feeling. An unprecedented sense of freedom. The air seemed fresher, and his whole body felt immersed in happiness.
"Now then, what should I do?"
As someone from the opposite world, Nobita knew he couldn't stay here forever. Even if Doraemon and the others tolerated it, the Time Patrol certainly wouldn't.
"Oh… the spare pocket!"
In Doraemon's stories, nothing was more tempting than that four-dimensional pocket stuffed with gadgets. And Doraemon actually had two—one for daily use and one hidden as a backup.
That spare pocket was kept under Doraemon's pillow.
And Doraemon's bed was in the closet of Nobita's room.
Opening the closet door, Nobita found the walls plastered with posters of the idol Ito Tsubasa. She was undeniably pretty, her doll-like face enough to make anyone sigh at the unfairness of beauty being concentrated in one person.
He couldn't help but complain, "Why is Doraemon obsessed with human idols?" But then he remembered: in Doraemon's world, robots could fall in love with humans. So maybe it wasn't so strange.
Shaking his head, he refocused on the real goal. Reaching under the pillow, he quickly found a semicircular white pocket.
"Of course I can't take this away… oh, right, the Copying Mirror!"
Muttering to himself, Nobita reached into the pocket and rummaged around until he pulled out a mirror attached to a special machine—the Copying Mirror.
He powered it up, set the spare pocket in front of it, and waited. A few seconds later, an identical pocket appeared in the reflection, and he reached in to pull it out.
"Why's it empty?"
Opening the copy, he found no gadgets inside. "So it can't copy everything at once, huh…"
He wasn't disappointed. He could just take it step by step. Even a single gadget could be worth a fortune.
Rummaging casually, he pulled out a strange flashlight. Not the familiar enlarging or shrinking lamps—Doraemon had too many lamp-shaped gadgets to keep track. Without bothering to identify it, Nobita copied it and slipped it into the replica pocket.
"Oh, I remember—the Invention Machine!"
If he had to copy everything one by one, it would take forever. But with the Invention Machine, he'd have the blueprints for every gadget.
"Invention Machine… where is it…"
After some searching, he found it, copied it, and tucked it into the replica pocket. A weight lifted from his shoulders. With this, he basically held all of Doraemon's secrets in his hands.
"Now… the Telephone Booth."
In Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld, the Telephone Booth served as a time machine. For any time traveler, it was one of the most enviable tools.
Whether the Invention Machine could make one or not, it was worth copying just in case.
Nobita tugged at the pocket—and the booth tumbled out instead of being pulled. It was too big and heavy for him. Unlike Doraemon, his hands didn't have the strength to lift it out properly.
Which made him realize: even if he copied it, a full-sized booth wouldn't fit in the pocket.
"Shrink it first."
Digging again, he pulled out a Shrinking Lamp. He zapped the booth until it shrank to the size of a schoolbag, then copied the miniature version and placed it into the replica pocket.
He was just about to copy the Shrinking Lamp itself when Doraemon and the "normal" Nobita returned.
Doraemon rubbed his belly and muttered, "Weird, my stomach's been itching."
Since Doraemon's pouch connected to the spare pocket, whenever Nobita pulled something out, Doraemon felt it.
For a robot cat to feel "itchy" at all… the 22nd-century really was amazing.
"What are you doing?"
Doraemon and the local Nobita looked at him, only curious.
Nobita quickly tucked the replica pocket into his trousers and smirked like a villain. "These gadgets… are quite fun."
Doraemon suddenly gasped. "I get it—he's the Nobita from the opposite world!"
"…"
The local Nobita's eyes lit up. "That's me? The amazing version of me? Could you… do me a favor? Teach Gian a lesson. He's been going too far lately—beating me up every time we meet."
"What!"
Nobita straightened, pretending to be outraged. "How dare a mere Gian hit me!"
Slamming the spare gadgets to the ground, he stormed out to deliver punishment.
Stepping out of Nobita's house, a white gleam flashed across his glasses as he shifted the replica pocket from his trousers to his arms. The pockets of his pants were far too shallow—losing the four-dimensional pocket would be unforgivable.
With these tools, his future was bound to be thrilling.
"So, should I become a world-destroyer… or a demon king?"
The thought made him grin uncontrollably. The whole world felt vivid, colorful. Lost in his glee, he forgot to watch his step and bumped into a massive figure.
At 1.4 meters tall, the man in front of him was a full size larger—both taller and broader.
"Nobita!"
"Oh. Gian."
Nobita didn't even flinch. Gian—Takeshi Gouda—looked completely different from the useless version in the opposite world. Here, his broad frame was filled with muscle. His long, thick arms carried the explosive strength of a crocodile's jaws. He was practically a walking powerhouse.
Beside him was his lackey, Suneo Honekawa—short, sly, fox-faced, already smirking at the spectacle. Beating up Nobita was a daily routine, after all.
Gian bared his teeth in a grin, his fist the size of a cooking pot. "Nobita, I'm in a bad mood. Let me take it out on you!"
That was all the justification he needed. Gian never required more.
His fist came crashing down.
Bang!
Like planets colliding—except Nobita calmly raised one hand and caught it. His eyes even carried a hint of amusement, as if swatting away Gian's punch was nothing at all.
Gian's face went pale. This wasn't the Nobita he knew. The weakling couldn't even withstand a shove, let alone his full strength.
"H-how is this possible? Who are you?"
Nobita smirked. "I am the real Nobita Nobi."
And with that, he unleashed a flurry.
"Ora ora ora!"
At last, the invincible Gian fell.
Suneo stood frozen, dumbstruck. When Nobita turned his gaze on him, it was like being stared at by a Tyrannosaurus. He staggered back, trembling.
"Why… why is Nobita so terrifying today?!"
Nobita ignored him. With a sneer, he turned and walked away.
Before long, he arrived at the park.
"Huh… I was walking the other way, but since this is the opposite world, of course I ended up back here…"
He sat on a bench, scanning the reversed scenery.
"Nobita!"
He turned at the sound. Minamoto Shizuka approached, carrying a dessert box. Compared to the Shizuka he'd known for ten years, this version was softer, purer.
…
In no time, word spread through the town: Nobita had beaten Gian. Among the kids, his reputation flipped instantly—no longer the butt of jokes, but a terrifying devil king above even Gian himself.
When Doraemon heard, he panicked. "This is bad! If our Nobita is cowardly, then the opposite one must be ruthless!"
Normal Nobita rolled his eyes. "What do you mean, cowardly? Don't just say it out loud!"
Still, he agreed: "We have to stop him."
They found him in the park with Shizuka. Seeing Nobita laugh and talk with her made the local Nobita's blood boil.
"What did you do to Shizuka?!"
Summoning rare courage, he lunged forward with a wild punch.
Slap—
The opposite Nobita caught it with ease. "Good spirit," he said with a grin.
Then, looking at Shizuka, he added softly, "You really are a kind girl."
Shizuka blushed. "Th-thank you…"
Normal Nobita frowned deeply.
Without another word, opposite Nobita walked toward the exit.
"Where are you going?" Doraemon asked.
"Back to my world," he replied without turning. "I want to find my Shizuka."
Shizuka's face went crimson.
The three returned to Nobita's house soon after.
Seeing two Nobitas, Tamako wasn't surprised. With a Doraemon at home, she'd seen stranger things.
"Nobita, have you finished your homework?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it…"