A regular Pikachu is like a stray dog by the roadside.But Ash's Pikachu? That one's a Pika-god.
Why?
This lingering question hovered in Natsume's mind.
Sure, the Pika-god was special. Sure, it had countless chances to benefit early from its proximity to Professor Oak's lab.Yet, Natsume never once had the urge to claim it for himself.
Why? Because he had already scanned it using the IV appraisal app on his Rotom Phone.Right now, that Pikachu's individual values were completely average.
That proved it—Ash's Pikachu originally was just an ordinary Pikachu.
It was Ash who made Pikachu a legend, not the other way around.
So what Natsume needed to figure out was: how did Ash achieve that?
As he walked along the path in Viridian Forest, Natsume sorted out his thoughts and nodded solemnly in agreement with himself.
"Natsume! Be a decent human being, will you?!"
Up ahead, came Ash's exasperated voice.
Natsume looked forward—it was Ash, struggling to drag his stubborn Pikachu along.
At this point in time, Ash's Pikachu was still in its rebellious phase—not willing to enter its Poké Ball, nor obey his commands.
To Natsume, the cure was simple: a flock of Spearow would straighten that right out.
With no other options, Ash had to resort to wearing insulated gloves and practically tying Pikachu up with rope. One pull, one tug—they pushed forward in this awkward manner.
But unlike the anime, Ash currently had two ropes in hand, pulling two Pokémon.
One was Pikachu.
The other... was also Pikachu.
This second Pikachu was one Natsume had specifically requested from Professor Oak.
After all, for proper scientific research, you needed a control group.
To distinguish the two, Natsume had styled his Pikachu with a middle-parted hairstyle.
"Pika?"
The middle-part Pikachu tilted its head, looking at Natsume in confusion.
It didn't understand why its Trainer was letting it be dragged along like this.
But if its Trainer insisted, there must be a deeper meaning.
The middle-part Pikachu nodded in silent understanding—and then copied Ash's Pikachu by plopping down on its butt, letting itself be pulled along too.
"Ah! Natsume! Look at this! Look what your Pikachu's doing!"
Ash pointed to the middle-part Pikachu with a hopeless expression, his eyes practically saying:"If you don't take it back soon, it's going to get corrupted by mine."
But Natsume didn't even glance his way. His focus was completely locked on a patch of bushes ahead.
Ash, curious, stopped walking and followed his gaze.
The grass rustled—something jumped out.
"It's a Pokémon!"
Ash's eyes lit up. He instantly whipped out his Pokédex.
[Spearow – the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Unlike Pidgey, it has a very aggressive temperament.]
"Awesome! It's a Spearow!"
Excited, Ash's eyes sparkled with battle fervor.
Natsume, watching Ash enter battle mode in a second, couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
No wonder this guy becomes a future battle maniac...
But unlike Ash, Natsume had a completely different reaction to seeing that Spearow.
His eyes narrowed.
Ash's Pikachu was currently maximum rebellious mode—it wouldn't listen to anyone, making it impossible to conduct any proper research.
So Natsume decided to recreate the original scene—the Spearow attack incident—to help improve the bond between Ash and Pikachu.
With that in mind, Natsume started walking toward Ash.
At the same time, Ash, full of excitement, quickly realized a cold truth:his Pikachu wasn't cooperating at all.
"No way—I have to catch my first Pokémon, no matter what!"
Determined, he pulled out his pajamas from his backpack, planning to sneak up and throw them over Spearow.
Clack!
Suddenly, a large hand landed on his shoulder.
It was Natsume. Under Ash's puzzled gaze, Natsume handed him... a small stone.
If he remembered the original anime correctly, Ash had thrown a rock at Spearow, which enraged it and triggered the attack by the entire flock.
At the critical moment, Ash had protected Pikachu, which deepened their bond.
So as Ash stared blankly at the "small stone," he finally blurted out:
"Natsume... where'd you even get a brick?!"
"Ahem... Well, when you're traveling, never underestimate the power of a good brick. Knock it out, and your chances of catching it go way up."
Natsume gave a serious nod, his pale face full of righteous wisdom.
"Really?!"
Ash's eyes lit up. He took the brick, aimed it like a Poké Ball... and chucked it at the Spearow.
His form was clumsy, but fate must've approved—because the brick landed squarely on Spearow's head.
Thunk!
A massive lump instantly popped up.
"Yes! Direct hit!"
Ash jumped up, cheering—
—but something felt off.
The Spearow didn't faint. Instead, its eyes welled up with tears... then it turned, glaring at Ash with pure rage.
Ash gulped. He felt a bad premonition.
"SKREEEEE!!"
Spearow let out a piercing cry to the sky.
FWOOSH!
In an instant, dozens of shadows descended from above like a rainstorm.
A whole flock of Spearow, all glaring at Ash with murderous intent.
Ash swallowed hard, his legs trembling.
"N-Natsume! I threw it! Now what?!"
He turned—but Natsume was gone.
Looking down, even the ropes he'd been holding had only one Pikachu left—looking completely dead inside.
Ash looked back—Natsume had already run off who knows where.
"Ni-ge-ro da yo—!!"(RUN FOR IT!!)
Came Natsume's shout from far in the distance, while Ash stood there, petrified.
In that moment, he finally understood why everyone had asked him to "keep an eye" on Natsume.
"Natsume! You traitor!!"
Behind him, the swarm of Spearow swallowed him whole.
Natsume finally came to a stop—not because he was heartless, but because:
He didn't have Ash's freakish Kanto protagonist physique.
Ash could get mobbed by a whole flock of Spearow and be completely fine—
—he even had the strength to pedal a bike full-speed to the Pokémon Center afterward.
Natsume? No way. He'd be lucky to survive with just a few scratches.
"You dummy. I'm doing this for your own good."
Natsume removed his hat, placed it over his chest, and gave Ash a solemn three-second moment of silence.
Then he turned and started walking toward the nearest Pokémon Center.
As he walked, he pulled out his Rotom Phone.
"Rotom!"
"Rotom, locate the nearest Pokémon Center."
"Rotom!"
Rotom chirped twice and projected a map with the route highlighted.
Natsume glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.
This Rotom was a starter gift from the system's newbie pack—and man, was it useful.
Rotom—an Electric/Ghost-type Plasma Pokémon—can possess various appliances.
Sure, in the games it only had five forms: mower, washer, microwave, fan, fridge—
—but games are games. Real life is another matter.
In this "real-world" Pokémon setting, Natsume had used Rotom to complete several system-assigned research projects...
...and earned a boatload of patent money.
Air conditioner Rotom, motorbike Rotom, toy Rotom—he had developed all of them.
While walking, Natsume made a mental note to bathe, change clothes, and burn incense later at the Pokémon Center—
Because he was finally going to scratch off the ten lottery tickets he'd been saving up.
Suddenly, he paused.
Up ahead, a familiar-looking girl was walking a bike toward him.
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the nearest Pokémon Center?"
The girl asked politely.
Seeing her up close, pushing a bike, Natsume raised an eyebrow.
Wait... Misty's Psyduck—isn't that a special case among ordinary species too?