Chapter 8. Viridian Forest
Natsume did not find anything like a Light Ball inside Pikachu's stomach.
Possibility One was ruled out.
That left Possibility Two.
The more Natsume thought about it, the more certain he felt that his doctoral dissertation in Pokémon research was secure.
Very soon, he would be Dr. Natsume, standing shoulder to shoulder with Professor Oak!
"Gurgle—gurgle—"
"Oh? You're hungry? Then let's go eat."
Natsume lifted Pikachu down from the equipment.
Pikachu: "???"
Wasn't that stomach growl coming from you?
Pikachu looked at Natsume helplessly.
As for the Pikachu project, it would have to pause for now.
The most important thing now was to fill their stomachs.
Anyway, the second hypothesis wasn't at the stage where it could be tested yet.
When the "type-disadvantage master" Ash Ketchum got pummeled by Brock and took Pikachu to the Power Plant for special training, he would be able to tell.
No rush.
Later, at the Pokémon Center.
They didn't hand out a thank-you banner for driving off Team Rocket, but a big meal was a given.
To express her thanks, Nurse Joy prepared a lavish dinner for the three of them.
At the dinner table, the two ten-year-olds were proclaiming their dreams:
"Hic! I'm going to become the world's number-one Pokémon Master!"
"Mm… then I… I'm going to become the world's number-one Water-type Pokémon Master!"
"Huh? Water-type?" Ash squinted at Misty, then waved a hand.
"But you don't look like a Trainer who uses Water-type Pokémon at all."
"What do I look like then?"
Misty narrowed her eyes, puzzled.
"Like a Fighting type—ah!"
For reasons beyond his control, a big lump rose on Ash's head.
Beside him, Natsume watched Ash clutch his head and howl, and couldn't help but shake his own.
These two kids were so weak to fizz that this was all it took, unlike him—he always drank Moomoo Milk straight.
Shaking his head like an old god, Natsume raised his Moomoo Milk and drained it in one go.
"By the way, Natsume, what's your dream?"
Ash held his Soda Pop and looked at Natsume curiously.
"Me? Hic!" Natsume hiccuped, paused a moment, then slammed his cup down on the table.
"Bang!"
In an instant, every eye turned to him.
Imitating Ash and Misty's dramatic posturing, Natsume proclaimed loudly:
"I'm obviously going to become the world's number-one Pokémon Master and a Water-type Pokémon Trainer!"
"Alright, I didn't expect your ambition to be the same as mine and Misty's. I won't back down eas—ah!"
Before he could finish, Ash's ear was pinched.
"He's making fun of us, can't you tell?"
Misty bellowed.
"Making fun of us?"
Ash caught on, then turned to Natsume and asked very seriously:
"Then what is your dream, Natsume?"
"My dream?"
Natsume seemed to be drunk on thin air, looking dazed.
"Of course it is… of course it is… to go home—"
Natsume answered feebly.
The system had promised him that if he created a Pokémon whose base stats surpassed the world's limit, it would open a passage between his home and the Pokémon world.
He couldn't help it; before crossing over to Sinnoh, he hadn't been alone—his parents were still back there!
If they couldn't find him, they must be frantic by now!
"Go home?"
What kind of dream was that?
Ash rubbed his chin, baffled.
But it sounded like Natsume's home was in Sinnoh, which was pretty far.
Just as Ash was puzzling over it, a shriek sounded beside him, followed by the heavy thud of something falling.
He turned and saw Natsume, already collapsed unconscious on the floor.
"Oh no, Mr. Natsume, I forgot to tell you—after poison gas exposure, you mustn't drink Moomoo Milk!"
Nurse Joy hurried over in a fluster, staring in amazement at how "frail" Natsume was.
Drinking Moomoo Milk after poison gas exposure wasn't recommended, true, but fainting?
After a burst of commotion, the night passed without further incident.
The next day.
On a path in Viridian Forest.
"Heh-heh-heh! Here, Oddish, have a taste?"
"Great stuff, right? I knew it—Miltank manure really nourishes grass!"
"Oddish!?"
The wild Oddish froze for a split second, then spewed all over Natsume and bolted.
Sure enough, never eat food from a wild Trainer!
"Come on out, Rattata—"
Natsume spaced out for a moment and vanished from sight.
Behind them, Misty narrowed her eyes, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Seriously, why is he so hard to kill?"
After two separate fainting spells, Natsume had become, in Misty's eyes, a little cockroach with tenacious vitality.
Every time you slam him with a slipper you think he's done for, and the next day he's bouncing around again.
"Even though Natsume gets hurt a lot, he always manages to turn danger into safety."
Ash walked over rubbing his chin, speaking in a slightly nostalgic tone.
In his impression, Natsume was frail—but hard to kill.
"Pika!"
On his shoulder, Pikachu voiced agreement.
This researcher was familiar to it; the lab's egg nursery seemed to have been his idea.
Though from time to time, it would see him "lying like a corpse" in various corners of the lab.
Things like getting pricked by a Weedle's stinger, certain allergy-triggering pollen, or being startled by a Gardevoir holding a Big Root—any of those "little problems" could leave Natsume "lying like a corpse" all day.
"Pi!"
Suddenly, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder seemed to notice something and stared warily at a patch of grass.
From how much the grass was shaking, there was no way it was Natsume in there.
"Mm? Pikachu, did you find something?"
"Pi!"
Before Pikachu could run over, Misty's bug sense kicked in.
"Aaaaah!"
With a scream, a Caterpie appeared in front of the two of them.
"Alright, I'm going to catch my first Pokémon!"
Seeing it was a Pokémon, Ash was thrilled.
"Are you kidding me? You're going to catch that?"
Misty bellowed even louder.
"Mind your own business! Go, Poké Ball!"
Ash turned his cap backward and simply hurled the Poké Ball.
"Do you even know you're supposed to battle a Pokémon before you try to catch it?"
Misty facepalmed.
"I know, but Natsume said you can try throwing a ball before a battle—if it works, it saves trouble. Oh, and he even gave that tactic a name."
"It's called… One-Ball Man."
Ash explained to Misty in all seriousness.
"What kind of twisted logic is that?"
Misty's expression was odd, though Ash wasn't exactly wrong.
Under their tense gazes, the Caterpie was drawn into the red-and-white ball, which blinked just once before falling still.
"Okay, come on out, Caterpie, say hello to everyone."
"Put it back!"
Misty, intimidated, snapped back with an even louder bellow.
"What? It's obviously cute. I can't stand it—women are just so annoying."
"Unlike Natsume—huh? Where's Natsume?"
Ash reluctantly returned Caterpie, then looked around to share the news, only to find no sign of Natsume.
He turned and spotted Natsume lying peacefully "like a corpse" in the nearby grass, face a purple-green hue, looking like he'd been dead for a while already.
Beside him, a mortified Weedle withdrew its stinger and, upon feeling Ash's gaze, fled in a panic.
Ash: "…"
Alright then, men are pretty annoying too.
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