Before long, the group arrived outside the lighthouse.
Although it looked close, walking all the way to the front took them quite a while.
Except for Natsume—he stood on Rotom and flew straight up.
...
**Bill's Lighthouse.**
From a distance, they could see Natsume waving at them.
Silent and eerie, almost like he was summoning spirits.
Misty, hands on her hips and out of breath, grew furious when she saw him:
"Na—mmph?"
Just as she started, Natsume covered her mouth.
"I'll do it!"
Giselle pulled Natsume's hand away and covered Misty's mouth herself.
Misty was speechless. *Since when did you become his lackey?*
Even with Giselle's hand on her mouth, Misty cast Natsume a resentful look. She wanted to ask—*why not just use Rotom to carry them up one by one?*
Suddenly, Misty noticed something odd near Natsume.
After a closer look, the group realized it too.
The Rotom that always hovered around him was nowhere to be seen—it seemed he had returned it to its Pokéball.
Such unusual behavior piqued Ash's curiosity:
"Na—mmph?"
Natsume clamped Ash's mouth shut as well.
???
The group exchanged confused looks. Was there some kind of rule here that forbade speaking?
Natsume motioned for silence, then pointed at the door.
The lighthouse gate was covered in intricate patterns.
Among the carvings, strange Pokémon fossils were embedded—no one could tell if they were new or ancient.
"Wow, those are all real Pokémon fossils. The owner of this lighthouse must be loaded."
Brock stroked his chin, studying the door in awe.
Natsume gestured again, this time toward a button on the gate.
Were they supposed to press it?
Brock pressed it casually.
"Idiot! Haven't you learned anything?"
Misty's face twisted with fear. A quick glance showed Natsume had already stepped far back from the gate.
She quickly followed, and Giselle moved to stand by Natsume as well.
But unexpectedly, nothing happened this time.
The gate didn't explode, collapse, or unleash any vicious Pokémon.
Instead, the button seemed to be a communication device. A pleasant chime rang after it was pressed.
Moments later, a cheerful male voice came from the door:
"Hello, this is Bill's Lighthouse."
"Ah, hello Mr. Bill. We're Trainers passing through and would like to stay for the night. Here's my Pokédex."
Ash spoke brightly, holding his Pokédex up to the button without caring whether Bill could actually see it.
"Oh, I see?" the voice replied, sounding like he was considering it.
"Yes! And if possible, could we borrow your kitchen? I can cook anything!" Brock added eagerly.
"Can you make fried noodles?" the voice suddenly asked.
"I sure can!" Brock nodded vigorously.
"Then you may come in."
"Thank you, Mr. Bill!"
Seeing no danger, Misty hurried closer and expressed her thanks.
*Beep beep beep—* Suddenly, an alarm blared from the door.
"Huh? What's going on?" Misty flinched at the sudden noise.
*Beep beep beep—External Electric-type Pokémon detected!* The sharp alarm kept ringing.
"External Electric-type Pokémon?" Ash muttered, lifting up Pikachu.
"It's my Pikachu. Is there a problem, Mr. Bill?"
"So it's Pikachu… I was just being overly cautious. Come on in."
As Bill spoke, the lighthouse doors gave a soft click and slid open from both sides.
Once inside, the group found the interior resembled a medieval castle.
"So creepy… feels like a Ghost-type Pokémon could jump out any second," Misty said, hiding behind Ash.
"What are you talking about? I'll catch Ghost Pokémon too."
Ash waved dismissively, clearly full of confidence.
"Hmph, then why don't you stand in front of Brock?"
"Everyone," Brock suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The group looked up—and spotted a massive Kabuto seated not far away.
"Ahhh—!" Misty screamed and shut her eyes.
**Kabuto, the Shellfish Pokémon. A Pokémon restored from a fossil of an ancient creature.**
Hearing the Pokédex's entry, Ash instinctively reached for a Pokéball.
But before he could throw it, Kabuto spoke:
"Please don't be afraid." It was the same voice as before.
"Mr. Bill?" Brock asked cautiously.
"That's right—it's me. This is a Kabuto imitation suit I created," Bill explained.
"Could you help me out? There's a button on the second left leg of the suit—I can't reach it from inside."
The group froze, realizing Bill was stuck inside.
Ash stepped forward and quickly freed him.
Smoke puffed out of the suit, and a figure emerged.
He wore glasses, his brown hair parted neatly, and a white lab coat draped over him.
"Hahaha, thank you all so much—wait Natsume!!!"
Bill's expression shifted instantly as he frantically slammed a button beside the chair.
The floor tilted sharply toward the door, dumping everyone out like garbage.
*Bang!* The door slammed shut.
"Natsume, just how hated are you!?" Misty staggered to her feet, still fuming.
The group got up, all turning to stare at Natsume.
No wonder he hadn't said a word earlier.
From Bill's reaction, if he had heard Natsume's voice from the start, they wouldn't have been let inside.
"Maybe…" Natsume paused, then said seriously, "he's jealous of my genius."
"Mr. Natsume, what should we do now?" Giselle asked.
The next moment, Natsume hoisted her high into the air.
"Senior, this is the assistant I've taken on. Won't you give her a *welcoming* gift?" he shouted toward the top of the lighthouse.
A vein popped on Bill's forehead as he appeared in the window.
*That little girl looks adorable… I just hope Natsume doesn't corrupt her.*
But no matter what, he couldn't allow Natsume inside tonight.
That guy was coming soon, and having such an uncontrollable factor nearby was out of the question.
Bill was about to ignore him when Natsume called out again:
"My Pokémon Dynamaxed back at Mt. Moon—"
*Bang!*
The doors swung open. Bill poked his head out, staring at Natsume in suspicion.
"Really?"
He had been guarding this place day and night, waiting for the rumored Dynamax Pokémon in Kanto.
Not long ago, he had heard Mt. Moon had shown unusual signs possibly linked to Dynamax.
Bill had originally planned to finish his work here before going to Professor Oak.
After all, that was his lifelong goal!
"Of course, they can testify." Natsume released his Pokéball Rotom.
Beside him, Ash and the others nodded vigorously.
"Hmm…" Bill hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed to Natsume's request.
As for Natsume's Pokéball Rotom, he had already heard about it from Professor Oak.
You can read more (around 50+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https ://ravenarchives .com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.