Chapter 217. Even Being a Villain Has a Threshold
"It's dead."
Mewtwo closed its eyes.
"Tsk—"
Natsume's eyes filled with tears, clearly unable to bear such a scene.
He grabbed Pikachu and started wiping his tears with it.
"Pikachu?"
"Sorry.
I thought it was center-parted."
Natsume handed Pikachu to Ash Ketchum, who was also in tears.
Up in the sky, the extreme weather gradually faded.
Natsume turned and looked toward the distant island.
The two Legendary birds had clearly recovered.
With their help, Professor Ivy and the others obtained the three orbs, placed them on the altar, and stabilized the power in this region.
"Kraa?"
About to leave, the Zapdos with Divinity seemed to sense something.
It wheeled around and flew this way.
It landed on a reef by the islet, staring with a complicated look at the Moltres that had self-immolated in flames.
Suddenly it stiffened, its sharp gaze fixed on the egg nestled in Moltres's arms.
"Kraa??"
Zapdos was dumbfounded, wondering if this was the orphan its old colleague had left behind.
But on closer look—no, that wasn't right.
"Hyaa—"
Articuno also flew over, scattering shards of ice along the way.
It stood facing Zapdos, scolding the hesitating Zapdos in anger.
The bird is gone.
Of course we should take in the child it left—
Articuno fell silent mid-sentence.
It glanced at Zapdos, then at that egg, the doubt on its face only growing heavier.
In the end, Articuno said nothing and flew away in silence.
"Natsume, what's it doing over there?"
Ash pointed at the Zapdos with Divinity standing on the reef, curious.
"No idea.
Maybe it's thinking there's a remarkable Pokémon in its flock now."
Natsume rubbed his nose.
"I'm going to find Lugia."
Mewtwo spoke, ended its Mega Evolution, and revealed its original form.
"It's you, Mewtwo!"
"You've turned good!"
Ash pointed at Mewtwo, eyes wide.
That reflex arc is way too long, huh?
Mewtwo cast Ash a glance, twisted its form, and vanished from sight.
"Once you find it, tell it to wait a bit before leaving.
I have questions."
Thinking of those hundreds of fallen feathers, Natsume offered a reminder.
"You—you killed my Moltres!"
Behind them, Lawrence III's shrill scream rang out.
The two turned back together, and in his pupils, they saw Moltres reflected in the firelight.
"Almost forgot about you, you scumbag!"
Ash cracked his knuckles, the sound clicking and popping.
"You… you…"
Lawrence III shrank back and looked at Natsume.
The latter's psychic power seemed very strong.
"I—I have money.
I have lots of money!"
"I'll give it to you.
All of it!
Let me go—let me go!"
Lawrence III was very sensible about it, succinctly pulling out a wallet.
Inside were not banknotes but a dense stack of bank cards.
"Tell me the passcodes."
In the blink of an eye, the wallet was in Natsume's hand.
"Natsume!"
Ash stomped his foot, looking at Natsume anxiously.
"Alright, alright, I'll write them, I'll write them!"
A look of deliverance crossed Lawrence III's face.
Clearly, this "Mr. Natsume" was the one in charge here.
After a good while, he wrote down the passcodes for all the bank cards.
"Hahaha, that golden rod is yours.
I'm leaving now."
As he spoke, Lawrence III reached for the Poké Ball at his waist, intending to leave.
However, his hand came up empty.
"Looking for this?
There's an Aerodactyl in it, right?"
At some point, a Poké Ball had appeared in Natsume's hand.
"Haha, Mr. Natsume, I'm going now, otherwise the League people will be here."
Lawrence III looked into the distance and saw several helicopters flying this way.
He smiled obsequiously and moved to take the Poké Ball from Natsume's hand.
The next second, a violent surge of Psychic power froze him in midair.
"Mr. Natsume… what do you mean by this?"
Lawrence III's grin was all teeth and no mirth.
"Who said you could go?"
Natsume looked at him in puzzlement.
"Y-you… you already took my money…"
The words slipped out, and Lawrence III regretted them instantly.
"Sir, those are criminal proceeds legally confiscated by Researcher Natsume.
Please don't slander me."
Natsume, face solemn, stuffed the wallet into his own pocket.
"Alright.
Time to settle our accounts."
Natsume spoke and slapped his forehead.
A small orb of light appeared, with a tiny, blurry human figure inside.
Looking closely, it was a chibi Natsume, face livid with rage.
"This is my Life Doll.
It's very angry, because I sealed a bout of bad emotion into it.
Now I'm taking it back."
Natsume smiled at Lawrence III, sending a chill down the latter's spine.
The next second, the Life Doll's lips curled up, and Natsume's face darkened.
"Brain-dead villain.
Lawrence the Third, right?"
Natsume enunciated the name one word at a time.
"Y-you… what are you going to do?"
Lawrence III felt Natsume lift the restraint on him, only to realize his feet seemed to be hugged by a Dragonite, weighing a thousand pounds.
He looked down.
Sure enough, a Dragonite was clamped around his ankles.
"Ash!"
Natsume didn't waste words.
Blue psychic light flashed in his eyes, and he hoisted Ash up with one hand.
Ash understood at once and swung a punch.
"Thud!"
With a dull thump, Dragonite's claws were left holding nothing but a pair of boots.
"Uh?"
Dragonite stood up curiously and, after a while, found Lawrence III in front of a boulder—half his face swollen into a pig's head.
"This punch is for ruining my business!"
"Thud!"
"This punch is for cutting off my power!"
"Thud!"
"This punch is for wasting several days of my time!"
"Thud!"
"This punch is for wrecking my raw materials!"
"Thud!"
Natsume recited item after item, and with each line, Ash obligingly drove a fist home.
Panic seized Lawrence III.
He'd thought Natsume would thrash him in the name of justice, but it was all personal matters!
He really was going to get killed!
After a clatter of blows, Natsume set Ash down.
Lawrence III's face was swollen into a pig's head.
He lay on the ground like a fish about to die of dehydration, mouth gaping in ragged breaths.
Thinking it was over, he then saw Natsume take a drink of water, shove a piece of bread into Ash's hand, and hoist Ash up again.
"This punch is for all the people of Kanto!"
"Thud!"
"This punch is for the League!"
"Thud!"
"This punch is for protecting the environment—everyone's responsibility!"
"Thud!"
When it came to public matters, Natsume had a whole set—fluent and inexhaustible.
No one knew how long it went on.
Lawrence III felt his face go completely numb.
It swelled so much he could no longer see the road ahead.
"Leagu— help… me…"
At this point, Lawrence III became the one who most hoped the League would arrive on scene.
In a daze, he felt someone rummaging over him.
After a while, Natsume's exclamation came.
"What?
You barely went to school?"
"Thud!"
Ash planted another punch.
"Wh— why a-are y-you… s-still h-hitting me?"
Lawrence III drooled, his words slurred and mushy.
"On behalf of Giovanni.
He says illiterates shouldn't come out to be villains—hurting others and not helping themselves."
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