Chapter 101: You Should Just Go Back to Being a Gym Leader
"Look! That Dragonite just unexpectedly sent someone flying again!"
"The two wild Pokémon on this year's C-rank arena are really strong too!"
"In my opinion, the Pikachu on the D-rank arena is the real highlight—how did he even train his Sleep skill?"
The audience buzzed with excitement and discussion.
The cameraman's eyes darted around as the host moved between arenas, switching constantly.
This year's P1 Grand Prix was too interesting.
In the past, all attention was on the A and B-rank arenas, while C and D were just for entertainment.
This year, the C and D arenas were full of action.
On the A-rank arena, an Hitmonchan lay under Dragonite's paw.
"Hitmonchan!" Anthony exclaimed, then sank to his knees, unable to believe his defeat.
"Wow—the A-rank arena has a winner! The *Gentle Tyrant* takes the victory!"
The host's voice rang out, and Natsume's mouth twitched slightly.
Audiences loved giving nicknames to competing Pokémon.
The Hitmonchan that Anthony had used was called the Boxing Master.
"Damn it, stopped here?"
Anthony's hands pressed the ground, his eyes full of frustration and disbelief.
Light footsteps approached as Natsume stood before Anthony.
"You're strong, and your strategy is impressive. I can't even imagine what training it would take to raise a Dragonite like yours!" Anthony looked up sincerely.
"Can you tell me what kind of training lets a Pokémon's strength defy the expected motion of her attack?"
Anthony had studied Fighting Pokémon extensively. He had observed Natsume's Dragonite many times.
With that initial movement, there was no way that kind of explosive power should have been possible!
Natsume touched his nose.
He didn't know either; even Dragonite itself didn't know the strength of her next strike.
"You should just go back to running your gym."
With that, Natsume turned and left.
"What?" Anthony froze.
After a moment, he stood.
"I won't give up! I can still compete in the B-rank redemption matches. Wait for me—I'll defeat you!"
Anthony shouted after Natsume.
Natsume ignored him and looked toward the D-rank arena.
...
On the D-rank arena, Midchu slept soundly, while his opponent, Machamp, panted heavily from exhaustion.
"Phew~" Ash leaned against the railing, drifting off.
Although he wanted to respect his opponent, after staying up all night training with Natsume and seeing how boring Midchu's strategy was, Ash couldn't help falling asleep.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" the opposing boy shouted, frustrated.
"Wow, another trainer so frustrated he's dazed!"
The host's voice rang out as Machamp's trembling fist fell on the sleeping Midchu.
The moment heit made contact, his punch slipped weakly, and Machamp collapsed straight to the ground, fainted from exhaustion.
"Another victory in dreams! Pikachu takes first place in the D-rank arena, and it's still asleep!"
"Even his trainer is asleep!"
Ash slept soundly, unaffected by the host's exclamations.
"Looks like the Dream Armor works really well."
Blue light flickered in Natsume's eyes. In Midchu's mental world, there wasn't a single nightmare—it had all been neutralized.
And Midchu was reading a book?
Beside him laid a small round shield and a short sword casually placed, while he held the precious Legendary Pokémon booklet he had requested from Natsume.
*Wasn't he supposed to be unable to read?*
Thanks to their telepathic connection, Natsume realized that in the mental world, Midchu could understand human writing.
Natsume nodded in satisfaction.
The kid had a lot of potential—seeing him put in effort now felt rare and valuable to Natsume.
"Uh—excuse me?"
A man with a thick accent suddenly stopped Natsume.
"What is it?" Natsume glanced at the short, slightly overweight middle-aged man.
"I'm from Rainbow City Grand Furniture Company. We've been developing wellness products for beds recently."
"No girlfriend, no need to buy," Natsume replied, turning to leave.
"Wait, wait! Just take a look!" The man hurriedly pulled out a Pikachu-shaped pillow.
"This is our latest product, the Pikachu Massage Pillow. It helps relieve neck fatigue."
"Oh, a wellness product, huh," Natsume observed.
The pillow's limbs stood upright, and the little fingers were creatively made into massage claws.
"Not interested, I won't buy it," Natsume shook his head and moved to leave.
"Wait, sir, I want to ask that young man to be our spokesperson."
The man hurriedly blocked Natsume, pointing toward Ash in the distance.
"I checked the participant information—you're his guardian. How about it? The endorsement fee is set!"
Natsume raised an eyebrow, took the card, and stuck it on his phone. Seeing the number, he froze.
Almost twenty million.
Wow—endorsements pay this well?
And this was just a local, minor tournament, plus the company was practically unknown.
No wonder Leon's battle robe was covered in sponsor logos.
Natsume stroked his chin, thinking about getting a custom robe for himself and Ash in the future.
"I agree. Go talk to Ash—if he's willing, that's fine."
He handed the card back to the man and returned to the audience seats.
...
"Natsume, why are you up here?"
Misty asked curiously.
"Most of the first-place matches this morning are done. Next are the redemption matches and finals," Natsume explained.
He sat in the seat reserved by Giselle, taking the juice she handed him with a sip.
"Miss Rebecca's father… he's the one just defeated by Natsume, right?" Giselle asked.
Natsume nodded.
For this type of tournament, abandoning his gym leader identity and ignoring his own daughter felt unworthy.
"Eh? Anthony doesn't seem in form—he's going to lose the B-rank redemption match," Brock suddenly said, keeping an eye on Anthony.
Everyone turned to see a Hitmonchan and a Hitmontop battling fiercely on the B-rank arena.
"Hang in there, Hitmonchan!" Anthony's hopeful voice called out.
But he wasn't Ash—Hitmonchan's stamina waned, gradually unable to hold on.
Natsume shifted his gaze to Anthony's opponent, a tall figure in a long coat and mask.
It was Team Rocket in disguise.
At the top, Meowth and Jessie—Jessie's thighs clamped tightly around James's head, his face red, clearly struggling.
"Hahaha, Meowth! Totally worth losing from A-rank, we finally got him!" Meowth whispered excitedly.
"Hitmontop, finish him with a Mega Kick!" Jessie commanded.
Hitmontop leapt high, kicking Hitmonchan out of the arena.
"That Hitmontop looks really strong," Brock exclaimed.
"When Miss Rebecca described it, I thought her dad was powerful," Misty tilted her head, puzzled.
*Where did Team Rocket even get that Hitmontop?*
Natsume tilted his head, deep in thought.
"A beautiful strike! Hitmonchan defeated, Anthony eliminated!"
The host's voice rang out. Anthony sat in shock.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.
Looking up, he realized his opponent was approaching.
"Just go back and be a proper gym trainer." Jessie said coldly, leaving those words before turning and walking away.
Anthony froze, hearing the familiar tone, staring blankly at Jessie's departing figure.
Inside a public restroom near the tournament venue, a tall man was stripped down to his underwear, his hands and feet bound, and a ball of yarn stuffed in his mouth.
"Alright, since you listened to us and beat that person, as agreed, we can let your trainer go."
At the restroom entrance, Hitmontop exhaled in relief, his heart racing as it watched the red-haired woman leave.
*Terrifying—humans were terrifying.*
It had come to the tournament with his trainer, only to be intercepted mid-way by an enraged red-haired woman who, without a word, beat them both up.
Clearly, even Pokémon had their limits.
You can read more (around 100+ 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.