Chapter 49. Natsume Captured
"Go, Master Ball!"
Natsume had no other options.
This was his last resort.
This time, there was finally no "Divinity" interference.
The Master Ball struck the giant Dragonite, and a red light enveloped it.
[Natsume used a Master Ball! This Pokémon is in an Eternamax state; the capture failed.]
"Eternamax?" Natsume was utterly shocked, not even having time to grieve the loss of a Master Ball.
Eternamax is exclusive to Eternatus.
Why does this Dragonite have it too?
"It's over, it's all over, meow!"
Meowth clutched his head, feeling like the sky was about to fall.
"Can we escape, System?"
Natsume suddenly asked.
[Attempting to flee. Success!]
In the next second, the rule field collapsed, and Natsume plummeted from the sky into the sea.
Soaked in the bitter, salty seawater, Natsume was speechless.
So that was your idea of escaping?
"Think of something, meow!
She's looking over here, meow!"
Meowth clung to Natsume's head, shaking him wildly.
"Meowth!" Natsume looked up and stared at Meowth seriously.
"What is it?
Do you have an idea, meow?"
A flicker of hope lit in Meowth's eyes.
"Rather than struggling in despair, better to tidy up your remains properly."
With that, Natsume closed his eyes, looking at peace.
"Tidy up your sister, meow!!!"
With the sea surging around them, Natsume and Meowth were grabbed in one claw by the giant Dragonite and held in its grip.
"Natsume!"
"Mr. Natsume!!"
"Natsume!!!"
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
Ash drew a Poké Ball, but the giant Dragonite flapped her wings and shot into the sky.
"Boom—"
A casual motion kicked up a gale.
The gale swept up the beach's sand and dust, forcing everyone to hunch down and cover their faces.
"Onix, shield us!"
"Rhyperior!"
"Dragonite, use Twister!"
Just as everyone was barely holding on, a shout rang out from not far away.
The violent wind pressure was countered by Twister, and the beach fell quiet.
"It's Mr. Lance!"
"Mr. Lance, please save Natsume!"
Ash jumped anxiously, nearly reaching the Dragonite hovering in the sky.
"Huh?"
Dragonite shot him a curious glance, then turned her gaze to the sea's horizon.
There's the aura of a prodigy of my kind!
"Mr. Lance, save my teacher!"
"Lance, I put a tracker on Natsume.
The giant Dragonite took him—she hasn't gone far.
Go save him!"
Bill was clearly more prepared.
He hurled a device into the air.
"Don't worry.
Leave it to me!"
Lance caught the device, and the Dragonite beneath his feet surged forward at high speed in the direction the giant Dragonite had gone.
"Mr. Lance can handle it, right?"
Brock watched the direction Lance left in, full of worry.
"Oh, come on, he's a Dragon-type Elite Four member, and he has a Dragonite too.
Maybe he can negotiate with that giant Dragonite."
Misty stayed optimistic.
In the next second, a figure streaked back like a ray of light—Lance and his Dragonite.
"Boom!"
The two of them crashed into the beach and gouged out a huge pit.
"Mr. Lance, are you alright?"
Everyone looked over and saw Dragonite hugging Lance.
With that soft belly cushioning him, he was fine.
"Uu~" Dragonite let out a mournful cry.
Mistaken—
Not a prodigy, but an ancestor.
"What a powerful wind pressure, meow!"
Atop Natsume's head, Meowth opened his mouth wide, letting the gale pour in.
It wasn't that he didn't want to close his mouth—
The wind made it impossible.
"What did you say?"
Meowth's voice was carried off by the wind, and Natsume's words were barely audible either.
This Dragonite had grabbed him, but who knew for what.
She just kept speeding in one direction.
The icy sea wind slapped his face over and over.
Natsume felt like he was about to faint from the cold.
Sensing that something was wrong with Natsume and Meowth, the giant Dragonite halted.
Only then did she notice that the human she was holding had turned pale-blue and felt icy-cold in her grasp.
He looked like he'd been dead for a while.
"Hah—"
The giant Dragonite froze for a beat.
"Ptui!"
She immediately spat a mouthful of saliva onto Natsume.
"What is this, meow!"
Meowth struggled in the sticky goo, instinctively hating it.
Natsume suddenly felt warmth around him.
He opened his eyes and saw he was wrapped in Dragonite's saliva.
"Meowth, this saliva keeps you warm," Natsume kindly pointed out.
Meowth's pawing at the spit paused.
"Seriously, meow, you're going to make me—
Meow!!"
Before Meowth could finish, the giant Dragonite surged forward again.
This time, with the saliva's aid, Natsume felt much better.
He even began giving Meowth a seaside Pokémon zoology lecture along the way.
"Look at that Pokémon—Pelipper.
My favorite Pokémon.
That white one—Seel.
My favorite Pokémon.
And also that one—"
"How can there be so many favorites, meow?"
"See those two Blastoise?
One male, one female.
I'll teach you how to tell: the one on top is the male, the one below is the female."
"Do not peep at indecency, meow!"
"…"
Natsume's sutra-like lecturing was highly soporific.
From overhead, Dragonite's snores started to sound.
"Wait, how can the pilot sleep, meow!"
Meowth panicked.
Luckily, although the giant Dragonite shut her eyes as if asleep, she still flew steadily toward some destination.
Along the way, Natsume saw many islands.
But they seemed like lonely islets.
There weren't many he could name.
"I can tell we're getting closer and closer to the sea surface.
We're not going to fall into the ocean, meow!"
Meowth sounded worried.
Even though this giant Dragonite had dozed off, her grip on Natsume's hand remained firm.
Natsume couldn't break free, and Meowth couldn't run off either.
"Should we wake her, meow?
It feels like she doesn't actually mean us harm, meow."
As Meowth spoke, he heard a soft snore beside him.
Turning his head, he saw that Natsume had fallen asleep too.
"…"
Natsume didn't know how long had passed when Meowth's scream jolted him awake.
He opened his eyes and saw Meowth staring ahead in terror.
"We're going to crash, meow!
We're going to crash, meow!"
Following Meowth's gaze, Natsume realized they had no idea where they'd arrived.
Not far ahead was an island.
The island was enormous, with many peaks rising upon it.
At that moment, the giant Dragonite was flying so low she was skimming the sea's surface, her passage alone heaving up towering waves.
"Hurry up and think of a way to wake her, meow!"
Meowth said this and bit down on the giant Dragonite's hand, to no effect.
"How about you poop on her hand?
Maybe that'd wake her," Natsume suggested.
As if jinxed, at the very instant before impact with the island, a pair of huge vertical pupils snapped open.
With a single flap of her wings, the giant Dragonite came to a stop.
Natsume could see trees on the island wrenched from the ground by the shock, hurled miles away.
Where is this?
Natsume looked curiously at the island before him.
Only when the giant Dragonite set him and Meowth down upon it did he notice the island was shrouded in mist.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts