Chapter 85. Celadon City
After the small incident with the Mankey attack, the group arrived in Celadon City.
In Celadon City, the group first headed for the city center.
All around them, high-rises towered, and countless glass curtain walls refracted seven-colored light.
Neon billboards flickered, and a holographic projection of Pikachu danced across the exterior wall of a shopping complex.
"Whoa—" Ash Ketchum exclaimed, tilting his head back to look at the sky.
A flock of Pidgeot swept through the gaps between skyscrapers, and the sound of their wingbeats was swallowed by the urban din.
This city, like a monument of crystal prisms, split the sunlight into a rain of a thousand rays and scattered it into every corner of the steel forest.
"Celadon City really is one of the top metropolises in the Kanto region!" Brock marveled.
He had come here several times before, but every time he entered, he still couldn't help being impressed.
"Hey, you two, don't act like country bumpkins!" came Misty's voice from behind.
The three turned back to see that, at some point, Misty had changed outfits.
She was holding Honora's arm, the two of them looking like a pair of urban ladies.
"Um, Misty, don't you think you look ugly dressed like that?" Ash felt Misty's outfit was strange, but he couldn't find the words for it.
"Quit babbling!"
Bang!
Misty drew back her fist.
"Ash, what you should say is that mature styles of dress don't suit Misty," Brock reminded him.
"Mr. Natsume, want to go shopping with me?" Honora leaned over.
"No money."
"I have money!" Honora excitedly raised a card.
"No time." Natsume lifted the Great Ball in his hand.
Bathed in the surrounding rainbow light, the Great Ball shone like a piece of obsidian.
"I'm heading to the Pokémon Center first."
As Natsume spoke, the Rotom Phone used Teleport and whisked him away.
Years ago, Natsume had already run all over the Kanto region's Pokémon Centers.
So long as the distance wasn't far, the Rotom Phone could Teleport him to almost any Pokémon Center.
"Sigh, Honora, don't be sad. I'll go shopping with you!" said Misty, wrapping an arm around Honora's.
Celadon City, Pokémon Center, in front of a communications terminal.
"Huh? Natsume, do you have something important you're asking me to help with?"
Before Natsume could speak, Delia Ketchum was the first to talk.
"Auntie Delia, you really have a knack for seeing things coming." Natsume gave her a thumbs-up.
"Hahaha, because if it's not important, you always contact me through your Rotom Phone," Delia laughed.
"It's like this. I have something I'd like Auntie Delia to run on the lab's supercomputer to simulate."
As Natsume spoke, he plugged a USB drive into the communications terminal.
In a short while, Delia received the materials Natsume sent over.
"This kind of thing—you could actually have just sent it from your laptop." Delia skimmed it.
"No, the file's too big." Natsume's face was serious.
Delia paused, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
Sure enough, after the first set of materials arrived, her computer immediately started spinning its loading wheel like crazy.
The second set of materials was slow to finish receiving.
"Natsume, what's in the second set?" Delia asked, puzzled.
"Of course it's a tutorial from zero basics. I was afraid Auntie Delia might not be well-versed in this area."
"Oh, that's true. I haven't studied anything seriously in a long time. I do feel like my brain's gotten a bit rusty these past few years."
Seeing that Natsume wasn't up to any mischief but had thoughtfully sent tutorials, Delia let out a breath of relief.
"By the way, where's Ash?"
Delia looked around, but didn't see Ash and the others behind Natsume.
"Ash went shopping," Natsume said.
"Are there any girls!?" Delia's eyes sparkled.
"Of course. I can show Auntie Delia their live feed."
Natsume said this and opened an app on the Rotom Phone.
Soon, Ash's face appeared on the screen from Brock's point of view.
Yes—the tracking tags Natsume had stuck on the group also had a live-broadcast function and were solar-powered.
Generally speaking, Natsume used them to study migratory Pokémon populations.
But in his eyes, traveling and migration were more or less the same thing.
"Wow, there are so many girls gathered around Ash!" Auntie Delia said in surprise.
"Huh?" Natsume looked too.
Ash seemed to be in a perfume shop, surrounded by a bunch of big sisters, looking quite popular.
But soon, his true colors showed.
"That's all it is. Perfume is something only women without charm would wear."
Ash's face was very serious.
The next second—"Sir, please leave!"
Clang!
From Brock's point of view, Ash was hoisted up by several big sisters and tossed out, and the shop door immediately shut tight.
Delia: "..."
"Natsume, do you think our family line is going to end here?" Delia was overcome with pessimism.
"Don't worry, Auntie. I'll teach Ash the ways of dealing with people!" Natsume said earnestly.
Delia: "..."
That would be even worse.
"Ah, so—um—do you think no girl will ever like Ash?"
Delia hurriedly changed the subject, afraid that Natsume would really become Ash's life mentor.
"Well, that..." Natsume fell silent.
On the other end of the video, Delia let out a long breath.
Subject successfully changed.
"Auntie Delia, if you're worried, you can take a look at this!"
As Natsume spoke, he sent another file.
It was 10 GB, but this file still received quickly, which puzzled Delia a bit.
She glanced at the still-spinning second file and swallowed.
"Auntie Delia, open the file."
"Oh—summer camp?"
It was a video file, titled by Natsume: "Kanto Professor Oak's Laboratory—Fourth Summer Camp."
"The fourth summer camp—Ash participated in that one, and the person in charge was you, Natsume!"
Delia was a bit surprised.
No wonder, after he came back that year, Ash would run to Professor Oak's Laboratory whenever he had free time.
"Is this a summer camp highlight reel you filmed, Natsume?"
As the video showed a super-mini Ash, a look of reminiscence appeared on Delia's face.
But soon, Delia noticed something off.
Natsume's camera kept turning toward Ash and another girl.
She was a girl with light golden-brown hair, the tips slightly curled.
Her large, rounded blue-green eyes brimmed with energy.
In the montage, she could often be seen wearing a pale pink beret.
She wore a sleeveless dress in a pink-and-black pairing, with a white ribbon belt at the waist, matched with black shorts and brown high boots.
The video froze on the final shot—Ash crouched on the ground, bandaging the little girl's wound.
Judging from the angle, Natsume seemed to be secretly filming from up in a tree.
"Ah~" Delia cupped her face.
Even she was blushing from watching it.
"Her name is Serena, she lives in Vaniville Town in the Kalos region, likes sweets, and is into fashion. Auntie, you could send some Kanto specialties, like Viridian Forest honey pancakes or Vermilion City Magikarp konpeitō..."
Natsume rattled off a combo of points, leaving Delia stunned.
"Natsume, why did you investigate the girl?" Delia didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Natsume ignored that, seriously reaching out his hand to ask, "Auntie Delia, if we set up a childhood betrothal, remember to give me a big cash gift."
Delia: "..."
After a few more words of small talk, the two ended the call.
Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Delia sat dazed at her desk, watching the highlight reel Natsume sent again and again.
"Oh my, the more I watch, the more I want to keep watching!" A maternal glow spread across Delia's face.
When Professor Oak got back and she had free time, should she travel to the Kalos region?
The thought suddenly popped into Delia's mind.
Beep—beep—
Suddenly, an alert sounded from the computer.
Delia blinked, closed the video, and found an "insufficient storage" warning had popped up on the desktop.
"How could the storage be insufficient?" Delia wondered.
Then she realized—the second set of materials Natsume sent had finished receiving.
There were more than a hundred tutorial videos, each at least 10 GB.
Frowning, Delia opened the first video.
"Mr. Natsume's class is starting!"
"'The Meaning of Scientific Research.'"
"..."
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