Chapter 92. Celadon City Cold Case
At dusk, center-parted's special training ended.
It staggered off the table, feeling like the sky was collapsing.
Everything around it was indistinct to the eye, and heaven and earth were as black as pitch.
The center-parted could already imagine Natsume leading a whole group to run a kart grand prix inside its mental world.
No, that won't do.
It had to do something.
"Hoo~" Beside the dining table, Honora let out a long breath.
When she opened her eyes, her hands felt hot.
Looking down, she found herself clutching Natsume's hand, her palm beaded with sweat.
"You don't seem very used to it?" Natsume gave Honora a curious look.
Honora's face was slick with sweat, which ran down her chin.
Her damp hair stuck to her reddened cheeks.
She lowered her head and clasped her own hands, her palms feverish while her fingertips were icy.
"Ah!" Honora yanked her hand back, her lashes trembling as she shot to her feet.
"Sorry, Mr. Natsume, that must have been embarrassing for you."
A flush crept up her fair neck, and she took out a tissue to wipe the perspiration she had left on Natsume's hand.
"I—I'll go take a shower first."
With that, Honora bowed her head and quickly went upstairs.
"Pika pi!" After Honora left, center-parted tugged at Natsume's sleeve.
"If you're not going to get some proper rest, what are you up to?" Natsume looked over, a little surprised.
When training ended, didn't center-parted always flop down and sleep?
"Pika, pika!" The center-parted stretched out its short little arms and gestured furiously in the air.
Seeing it clearly had something to say, Natsume opened his telepathy to full.
Shrouded in a blue, ghostly light, center-parted flinched for a moment, but it quickly regained its composure for the sake of its grand plan.
"Pika pi, pika!"
"You want a complete Legendary Pokédex?" Natsume was puzzled.
"What do you want that thing for?"
"Pika, pika!" The center-parted clenched its tiny fists.
"You're interested in Legendary Pokémon and want to look for relatives in there?" Natsume's mouth twitched.
"Fine, I'll give it to you."
Although he felt center-parted was trying to trick him, no matter the motive, if this lazybones wanted to broaden its knowledge, Natsume as its Trainer wouldn't refuse.
Natsume took out a small booklet from his system space.
On it were the League's basic records for almost every Legendary Pokémon species group.
The center-parted accepted it like a treasure.
When it opened it, center-parted froze.
It seemed… it couldn't read?
But that was fine—first memorize what every Legendary looks like!
Watching silently to the side, Natsume didn't notice what center-parted was planning.
He only noted that it showed a seriousness completely unlike its usual self.
Even when Natsume waved center-parted's favorite leaf pancakes in front of its nose—
"Chomp!"
The center-parted turned its head and downed them in one bite.
"…"
Forget it—whatever the case, this was a good thing.
"Ah—" Natsume stretched and prepared to go to the front desk to order a meal.
"Natsume, bad news, Misty's gone!"
At the Pokémon Center entrance, Ash Ketchum rushed in.
"Who's gone?" Natsume chewed his rice and handed Ash a bottle of water.
"Misty—she's gone."
"Hold on, hold on, explain clearly first."
Natsume noticed Officer Jenny had followed close behind Ash.
"Wasn't Misty going to the aquarium?"
"Here's what happened, Natsume."
Ash took a drink and spoke slowly.
"I ran into Misty halfway there, but when I turned my head she was gone, and all I found nearby was her Pokédex."
As he spoke, Ash took out a Pokédex with a Magikarp mascot charm hanging from it.
"Maybe she didn't want to hang out with you?" Natsume tilted his head.
"That's not it, Mr. Natsume," Officer Jenny spoke up beside him.
She pulled out a stack of papers, all missing-person posters.
"Lately, children have been going missing in Celadon City."
"Yeah, I ran into Officer Jenny, and with Misty missing too, I came to you," Ash explained.
"Okay, got it."
Natsume didn't waste words and pulled out his Rotom Phone.
"I've got Misty's location. Let's move."
In no time, Natsume had pinpointed her.
"Mr. Natsume, please let me see!"
The tension in Officer Jenny's features instantly loosened.
Having heard from Ash that Natsume had a way to track, she had followed at once.
Natsume waved his hand, and the Rotom Phone rotated toward her so she could see the red dot on the map.
"This is the Celadon Game Corner?" Officer Jenny blinked, then said,
"If I remember right, that place is a Team Rocket front."
"What? Team Rocket—then Misty's in serious danger!" Ash clutched his head.
"Whatever the case, let's head out first. Honora, please look after center-parted."
"Eh? Okay."
As Natsume spoke, he handed the studious center-parted to Honora, who had just come downstairs with a towel around her neck.
When they stepped outside the Pokémon Center, Officer Jenny stopped Natsume and Ash.
"What is it, Officer Jenny? It's an emergency right now!" Ash's face was tight with anxiety.
"Don't panic. Since Team Rocket is involved, the three of us alone definitely won't be enough."
As she spoke, Officer Jenny raised her wrist and checked the time.
"Did you call for backup, Officer Jenny?" Ash asked curiously.
"Yes. This case has dragged on for nearly half a year without a conclusion."
"I reported it to the Pokémon League last month, but League manpower is a bit short at the moment."
Officer Jenny shook her head and said no more.
League manpower being tight made sense—at Mt. Moon and that mysterious island, the League had dispatched many inspectors.
Besides protecting researchers, they also had to watch out for illegal elements trying to sneak in.
"Officer Jenny, could you tell us some details about this case while we wait?" Natsume spoke up and handed over his Researcher ID.
"Six months ago, children in Celadon City began disappearing," Officer Jenny said, nodding slightly after accepting Natsume's ID.
"At first we thought it was kidnapping, but as more and more children went missing, something stranger happened—every month, they would suddenly come back."
Here, Officer Jenny paused.
"You might not believe this, but the children who returned were all perfectly normal."
"Huh? Then what would Team Rocket be taking them for?" Ash blurted out in surprise.
Officer Jenny shook her head.
"We don't know."
"Questioning the kids gave us no useful information."
"All we know is that they said, for that month, they had turned into all kinds of Pokémon and lived freely."
Her voice grew softer as she spoke.
"It sounds ridiculous, and after much discussion, all we could conclude was that some Pokémon capable of Hypnosis lured the children away… but we didn't expect Team Rocket to be involved."
Beside her, Natsume fell into thought.
Feeling like they had become all sorts of Pokémon.
And Team Rocket even providing good food and drink for the kidnapped children.
"Do these kids like Pokémon?" Natsume suddenly asked.
Officer Jenny froze for a moment, then nodded.
"That's one common thread."
"The missing children generally had Pokémon living with them at home, to some extent."
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