"What did you say?" The boy didn't seem to catch Natsui's sarcasm. "Do you know how hard I worked to get close to them? Look at this outfit! It took me ages to make!"
How to put it... this person just didn't seem very bright to Natsui.
What normal person would try to get close to Zigzagoon this way? He wasn't a Pokémon watcher. Even if he got close, what then? He'd still have to battle them to catch them.
Besides, this had nothing to do with Natsui. When he arrived, the Zigzagoon left on their own. He didn't drive them away.
If the Zigzagoon had shown any reluctance to leave, or any defensive posture, Natsui wouldn't have set up camp here.
Shaking his head, Natsui didn't want to deal with him. "If you have time to chat with me, you'd be better off chasing those Zigzagoon. Maybe they haven't gone far."
Hearing this, the boy didn't leave. He looked at the Torchic next to Natsui.
"You're a Trainer, right?" he yelled. "In that case, have a battle with me!!"
"A battle with you?"
Natsui sized up the boy. He could already tell this person wore his thoughts on his face. His mood changed too quickly, and he said whatever he was thinking, unable to hide anything. He was a simple-minded guy.
There was no point getting angry at someone like this. He would just drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. But shaking him off wouldn't be easy with just words.
"You're really persistent." Natsui stood up from his folding chair and walked into the clearing. "It looks like you won't leave unless we battle."
Seeing Natsui agree, the boy seemed to instantly forget his previous annoyance. "Great!" he said. "Let's start right away!"
He took a Poké Ball from his pocket, aimed it at the ground, and pressed the switch. A blue light flashed, and a Mudkip appeared.
Although Mudkip has "kip" in its name, it isn't really a fish.
As one of the three Hoenn starters, Mudkip was just as popular as Torchic. Its appearance was soft and smooth, somewhat like an axolotl.
Mudkip had slimy blue skin and a small, flexible body. It had a high fin on its head, striking orange gills on its cheeks, and a large tail fin, all of which left a deep impression.
It usually rested by burying itself in the mud at the bottom of a river. In the water, it used the gills on its cheeks to breathe. The fin on its head was a sensitive radar that could detect its surroundings from the flow of water or air, without using its eyes.
It had surprising strength. It could not only swim at high speeds but also use its four legs to push off the ground. If it was in danger, it could use its muscles alone to shatter rocks larger than itself.
But this Mudkip looked like it hadn't been traveling long. It seemed a bit inexperienced and hadn't evolved into Marshtomp.
Of course, it was possible that, like Ash's Pikachu, it just didn't want to evolve but was still very powerful.
Whether it was strong or weak, a battle would reveal everything.
After a moment's thought, Natsui took a Poké Ball from his belt and released his Eevee.
Since the opponent's Pokémon didn't look overly powerful, Eevee should have no problem.
The two Pokémon stood on opposite sides, and Natsui and the boy stood behind them.
Personality determines style. When the battle started, the boy showed surprising energy. Under his command, Mudkip ran at Eevee and charged.
"Eevee, dodge it."
Knowing Mudkip had good strength, Natsui wouldn't let Eevee take the hit. He quickly ordered a dodge and then counter-attacked.
Eevee sidestepped neatly, avoiding the forceful charge. It then opened its mouth, revealed its sharp teeth, and bit down on Mudkip.
Natsui didn't know what Mudkip tasted like, but judging by its pained expression, he knew Eevee's bite was serious.
"Shake it off!" the boy shouted.
Mudkip twisted its body, but Eevee's bite was firm, and it refused to let go. Mudkip struggled for a while but couldn't break free.
Finally, Eevee let go and backed off, giving Mudkip a chance to breathe.
Seeing that Eevee had the speed advantage, the boy changed tactics. At his command, Mudkip shot out a Water Gun, attacking from mid-range.
The Water Gun curved through the air toward Eevee.
Although Eevee was faster than Mudkip, it wasn't fast enough to dodge a Water Gun, so it couldn't avoid the attack.
But Natsui had a way to deal with it.
"Eevee, use Quick Attack!"
Eevee's speed suddenly increased. It shot forward, barely avoiding the stream of water, and slammed into Mudkip again.
Mudkip lost its footing and stumbled back. Before its Trainer could give an order, it found a clump of mud from somewhere and threw it at Eevee.
It seemed even Mudkip knew its opponent was faster and had to limit its speed to win.
But its wind-up was too obvious. Natsui saw it clearly and wouldn't let it succeed.
He had Eevee dodge it easily, then used Swift to take Mudkip down.
"Eh?" Seeing Mudkip faint, the boy rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe he had lost so easily.
For Natsui, after so many high-level tournaments and world-ending events, this battle was really just at a beginner's level.
He wasn't being arrogant; it just wasn't difficult. The opponent's every move was simple, and he could predict all of them.
The boy recalled Mudkip to its Poké Ball and looked at Natsui in amazement.
"You're amazing! What's your name?"
Natsui shook his head. He could see that this person was just simple-minded and spoke without thinking, but he didn't mean any harm.
"Before you ask for someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
Hearing this, the boy first looked stunned, then nodded hard. "Ah... right! That's how it should be. Then listen up! Sometimes, I'm a Zigzagoon running through the forest! Sometimes, I'm a Tentacruel with many tentacles! And sometimes, I'm a Vileplume with a gorgeous dance! But my true form... is the shorts-wearing boy, Nicholai!!"
Zigzagoon? Tentacruel? Vileplume? Shorts Boy!?
Natsui watched as the boy pulled costume after costume from his huge bag, changing rapidly. He felt a throbbing in his temples.
He really... hated dealing with people like this.
His blood pressure was rising.
He couldn't keep up with their rhythm or way of thinking, and he completely failed to understand their motives.
Without responding, he turned and walked back toward his camp.
Seeing Natsui leave so abruptly, Nicholai stood stunned for a moment, then shouted at his back, "Wait! You still haven't told me your name!!"
Natsui didn't stop. "When did I say I was going to tell you my name?" he said lazily. "Now, please don't bother us. Goodbye."
"But..." Nicholai's mouth hung open. "...But... But you just said I had to introduce myself before asking your name!?"
"I did." Natsui looked back, his eyes narrowed. "But I never said I would introduce myself, too."
"I..."
Nicholai was about to say something, but then he thought about it. Hey? He's right!
The man never did say he would introduce himself!
Nicholai started to chase after him, but seeing Natsui's cold, "do not disturb" expression, he stopped awkwardly.
He wasn't completely clueless. Seeing the man's obvious avoidance, he knew he shouldn't keep pestering him.
It was just a shame he wouldn't get to know the name of such a strong Trainer.
Oh well. Forget it. I should just go back to figuring out how to get close to the Zigzagoon.
When Natsui got back to the camp, Erika had already finished dinner.
The rich aroma of curry wafted from the pot, instantly making him hungry and his stomach growl.
Looking at him, Erika smiled softly and asked, "Finished?"
"Yeah." Natsui nodded lightly, sitting down next to her. "A simple-minded idiot who easily offends people. My least favorite type to deal with. It's better not to get involved with him."
Seeing Natsui's "keep him far away" look, Erika couldn't help but find it funny.
To think that the man who wasn't afraid of any Pokémon would be so reluctant to deal with a person of this personality. It was truly unexpected.
...
It was noon the next day when they finally left Petalburg Woods.
Besides meeting Nicholai, Erika also encountered a Seedot and a Shroomish. Both were Grass-types not found in Kanto, so she naturally caught them both.
With this, not only Natsui, but Erika too had caught two Pokémon in a short time after arriving in Hoenn. It was a bountiful trip.
After exiting the forest, they continued north for a short while and saw Rustboro City in the distance.
Rustboro City, a city that pursues the fusion of nature and science.
This was a large city in western Hoenn. Its economy, size, and population were all much larger than Petalburg City's. In addition to a Pokémon School, many world-famous corporations were located here.
But before they even reached the outskirts, they saw three people in uniform red clothes and hoods kick a man in a suit to the ground. They snatched the briefcase from his hand and ran quickly toward them.
Huh? A robbery?
One of them saw Natsui standing in the middle of the road. His eyes hardened, and he shouted, "Get out of the way if you don't want to die! Don't block the road!"
Behind them, the man in the suit who had been kicked down also yelled at Natsui, "Stop them! They stole my briefcase!!"
There was no time to think. The three men in red uniforms were already in front of Natsui. Natsui silently took a step back.
Just as the three were secretly pleased that this man wasn't going to interfere, the shadow at the man's feet suddenly squirmed. A long arm stretched out like a rope, blocking their path!
They couldn't stop in time and were tripped by the arm, falling flat on their faces.
When they scrambled up, they were furious and glared at Natsui.
"Kid, you dare block us!?"
One of them threw a Poké Ball. With a flash of light, a Houndoom appeared and, without warning, leaped at Natsui.
Natsui stood with one hand in his pocket, not even moving.
Just as the Houndoom leaped high, its jaws open and foul-smelling drool dripping, about to bite Natsui, his shadow squirmed again. The next second, two giant claws rose from the shadow and pinned the Houndoom in mid-air.
"What!?"
The three men in red finally focused on Natsui's feet. Behind the claws, a Gengar with a playful smile floated up from the shadow.
Gengar chuckled. "Did you really think you could touch him? You're underestimating us."
"A... a talking Pokémon!?" They were even more shocked.
By now, the man in the suit had run up, panting. Perhaps wary of the three men, he didn't get too close. He stood at a distance and pleaded with Natsui, "Sir! I'm an employee of the Devon Corporation! Those people stole my briefcase for some reason! It has important things inside! Please, you must help me get it back! Please!!"
Devon Corporation?
Natsui nodded in understanding. He looked at the three men, his gaze lingering on their red uniforms and hoods.
He already knew what this plot was.
And these three, with their uniform, eye-catching outfits, were clearly members of one of Hoenn's two infamous criminal organizations—Team Magma!
They were called a criminal organization, but these people weren't evil like Team Rocket.
Team Magma's main base of operations was Hoenn. They believed that human development was closely linked to the happiness of the world. They thought the coexistence of humans and Pokémon hindered development. Therefore, their goal was to expand the landmass to increase the area for human activity.
Finding the Legendary Pokémon Groudon was one of their most important objectives.
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