Chapter 186: Orange League, Depart!
The next day, the sun was bright.
Under Captain Zapdos's assault, Center-parted was the first to wake.
"Pika!"
Center-parted glared angrily at the Zapdos egg not far away. Relying on the special privileges Natsume had given it, the other side would periodically bomb its dreams. Over the past two days, Center-parted had eaten poorly and slept poorly, and its daily sleep time had dropped drastically.
It was only twelve hours now!
Center-parted strongly suspected this was using public authority for a private grudge!
"You're awake? If you're awake, go make me breakfast."
Natsume planted a big kick and sent Center-parted skidding onto the dining table.
"Pika?"
Rubbing its backside, Center-parted looked at Natsume in surprise. At this hour, it should have been doing pre-breakfast charging training, but Natsume meant it could go straight to breakfast. Afraid Natsume would change his mind, Center-parted happily hopped into the kitchen, and the sounds of crackle and sizzle came from inside.
"Get out!"
After breaking two eggs in three seconds, Center-parted was grabbed by the scruff by Professor Westwood V and tossed out in one motion.
"All the gradients of your charging training are complete. Now it's the observation period."
Natsume picked up Center-parted and walked into the backyard, setting it onto another machine.
"This apparatus absorbs electricity."
Natsume stuck two plunger-like pads onto Center-parted's two electric sacs.
"When we did current training, I had you memorize the internal current transformations, right?"
Natsume kept pressing buttons on the device, speaking without turning his head.
"Pika!"
Center-parted nodded.
"Now, you need to release current into this apparatus. The current intensity must strictly follow the pattern of your internal current shifting from strong to weak. Understood?"
Natsume suddenly turned and looked at Center-parted.
"Pika…?"
Center-parted was a little puzzled, but it still nodded. Natsume stepped back, and Center-parted began discharging according to the instructions. Watching the data recorded on the machine, Natsume nodded slightly.
He hadn't forgotten that Ash Ketchum's Pikachu still needed a way to deal with its aftereffects. Through Center-parted's hands-on testing, Natsume had confirmed that his improved charging training method—adjusting current intensity by extending the time dimension—should be free of side effects.
At least for Center-parted, that was the case. Its Electric-type moves, on top of the Light Ball boost, had doubled in power. He would only need to run multiple experiments with the lab's Pokémon, and Natsume felt he could publish another paper.
However, considering that charging too aggressively can cause aftereffects and that each Pokémon's constitution is different, it would require large-scale measurements to determine the optimal time span and current-intensity curve suitable for every Electric-type Pokémon species.
The massive workload made Natsume give up on the idea. Testing them all would probably require staying at the lab for a year or two, and Natsume didn't have that time to burn. At most, he would stay here for two months; then, while Ash was away in the Orange Islands, he would handle some matters related to his research institute application.
"Forget it. I'll see in the future if there's someone fated for this, or whether Gary Oak would be willing. I'll hand this project to him."
Natsume turned back inside and came out carrying a plate of sandwiches.
"Pika—"
Center-parted looked pitifully at Natsume.
"Cut it out. The rat poison that vanished from the refrigerator in the middle of the night—wasn't it you who ate it?"
Natsume shot it a glance.
"Pika!?"
Center-parted was startled. Wasn't that sweet candy? It had, from time to time, gotten up at midnight to eat two pellets.
"That medicine is for deworming the Sandshrew colony."
Hearing this, Center-parted let out a breath. So it was that rat poison.
"Wild Sandshrew easily get parasites in the gaps of their scales, so that one is dissolved in water for external use."
"Pika!!??"
Then what happens if you take it orally? Center-parted suddenly tensed up.
Natsume glanced at Center-parted's little belly. Hmm… before anything erupted, he should be able to collect enough data.
After finishing his sandwich and just as he put down the bowl, Ash pushed the door open and came in.
"Natsume, we're planning to set out today!"
Ash raised his hand excitedly.
"Pika!"
Pikachu raised its hand as well, and the next second, Natsume smoothly tugged it over.
"Pika?"
"Natsume, is something wrong with Pikachu?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Mm."
Natsume studied it for a long moment and shook his head slightly. Pikachu was only at Lv. 48 so far. Center-parted had fought far fewer battles than it—almost half as many—and it was already at Lv. 46.
There was only one possibility: the side effects Flint had mentioned had already begun on Pikachu. It was just that right now it was only showing the first signs; what appeared wasn't level regression yet, just difficulty in level growth.
"It's nothing. Aren't you going to rest for two days?"
Natsume looked at the two people behind Ash. Brock and Misty weren't fully geared up like Ash, but, coincidentally, both were wearing casual clothes and beach sandals.
"Heh heh, I heard the southern islands are a great place for a vacation."
Brock pushed up the sunglasses on his face.
"No time like the present—we're setting off right now!"
Misty looked extremely excited.
"All right, then."
Natsume nodded and handed a USB drive to Ash.
"Natsume, what's this?" Ash asked, curious.
"Note. Plug it into that computer over there and you'll see them. I'm going to handle something and will be right back."
Natsume pointed to the computer on a workstation nearby. With that, he put on gloves and returned to the backyard. In the backyard, Center-parted was sneaking a nap. Natsume looked at the data on a nearby instrument and nodded slightly.
"Rule Thirty-Eight: Never eat food given by strangers."
"Rule Thirty-Nine: Food snatched from strangers can be eaten."
"What kind of twisted logic is this?"
As soon as Natsume approached, he heard Misty's complaint.
"Ash, here you go."
Natsume's voice sounded, and Ash turned around to see Center-parted and something that looked like a little helmet.
"What's this?"
Natsume carried one in each hand and set them before Ash. Pointing at the helmet, he explained:
"This is a recovery strategy I back-solved from Center-parted's charging training. You'll place this little device on Pikachu's head every day. Its level should drop rapidly over these next few days. But after that, these aftereffects shouldn't occur again."
As Natsume spoke, he fitted the helmet onto Pikachu. The size was just right.
"Is that so…"
Ash was taken aback. He had also heard from Natsume about some of his Pikachu's symptoms. If left unresolved, Pikachu's level would periodically decline.
"Hey, hey, hey, Natsume—what's your basis for this?" Misty pointed at the helmet. "This thing looks like an apparatus that siphons electricity. It could be dangerous."
"Pika!"
Hearing that, Pikachu—helmet on—turned its head and looked at Natsume, nervous as well.
"Don't worry."
Natsume cast Pikachu an encouraging look. That firm, confident manner made Pikachu pause, and it felt much more at ease.
"You're a pioneer. If anything happens, I'll apply to the Pokémon League to award you the Golden Award for Sacrifice to Science!" Natsume declared solemnly.
"Pika!"
Pikachu yanked the device off its head. In the end, after some inner struggle, Pikachu still put the device back on.
To prevent accidents, Natsume had Center-parted go along on Ash's Orange League trip this time. If anything really did happen, as this device's firsthand user, Center-parted could at least do something.
"Pika!!!"
A scream suddenly came from outside. Soon, Natsume saw Center-parted clutching its backside, staggering in from the door, and rushing headlong into the bathroom.
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