"Ash, pedal faster if you don't want to die!"
Through the rain, Ash felt the downpour lighten as he turned his head.
It was Natsume, holding his Rotom Phone in one hand while sheltering Ash with an umbrella in the other.
"Oy, Natsume, don't keep saying such weird things!"
Ash's legs blurred as he pedaled with all his might, and miraculously, Natsume's words seemed to push him to go even faster.
Though Ash couldn't understand a word Natsume said, it didn't matter—every second closer to the Pokémon Center meant Pikachu would be safer.
"Hang in there, Pikachu!"
Sunset over Vermilion City.
In the duty room, Officer Jenny frowned at the wanted poster in front of her.
The poster showed a man and woman in distinct uniforms, the most obvious feature being the large **R** emblazoned on their chests.
"Really… Pokémon thieves appearing in Vermilion City?"
Suddenly, Jenny's eyes narrowed. She stood, staring into the distance.
"I didn't expect to see them so soon."
The duty room door opened, and Jenny stepped outside, serious and ready.
Through her view, at the city entrance, two boys—one large, one small—were racing toward her, fleeing desperately.
Behind them trailed a fierce, wild presence.
"Natsume, who's standing at that checkpoint ahead?"
"Officer Jenny. Make sure to show your Pokédex when the time comes."
Receiving the answer, Ash pedaled even harder, closing the distance rapidly.
Behind Ash and Natsume, Misty saw Officer Jenny blocking the checkpoint. Her excitement surged—these two *thieves* were about to be punished!
As they approached, Jenny could clearly see Ash and Natsume.
Seeing the injuries all over Ash, her expression darkened.
And inside the bike basket, Pikachu lay barely conscious, sparking her anger even more.
"Officer Jenny, this is mine."
"I know. Hurry and get through!"
Unexpectedly, Jenny only glanced at Ash and Natsume's Pokédexes before allowing them to pass.
"Officer Jenny, stop those two thieves!"
From afar, Misty shouted excitedly.
Yet Jenny didn't intervene, letting Ash and Natsume enter Vermilion City freely.
Was her voice too quiet?
Misty quickened her pace.
"Go, Growlithe!"
As Misty approached, Jenny tossed out a dog-like Pokémon.
Misty froze mid-step, intimidated.
"Hmph, not only did they appear in Vermilion City during this storm, but one of the victims is a Pokémon researcher!"
"You've got some nerve!"
Jenny glared at Misty as if facing a formidable foe.
Misty: ???
*Wait—they're the thieves here!*
On the streets of Vermilion City, Natsume glanced back at Misty, who had been blocked, and shrugged.
Ash was anxious, and so was he.
Earlier, on the road to Vermilion City, Natsume had used his lab privileges to notify the local authorities in advance.
Almost immediately upon seeing him, Officer Jenny had let him and Ash through.
Soon, with Ash's powerful pedaling, the bike performed far beyond its supposed capabilities, and the Pokémon Center appeared ahead.
But as Ash leapt off to carry Pikachu, the bike couldn't bear the weight and collapsed into a pile of broken parts.
"Joy! Please save my Pikachu!"
Ash rushed anxiously into the Pokémon Center, calling out as he ran.
Outside, Natsume stared at the bike reduced to scattered pieces, lost in thought.
In the original story, without him, the bike would have been charred by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, leaving Misty to cling to Ash.
Now, without any Thunderbolt, the bike still shattered into pieces.
Natsume clicked his tongue, took out a small notebook, and began sketching and jotting notes.
Finally, he reached a conclusion: *the plot of this world has the ability to self-correct.*
"System, does this count as seeing through fate? This has to be at least an SSS-level research topic, right?"
**+1**
The system immediately added one coin to Natsume's backpack—another worthless, non-ranked task.
Natsume remained silent and turned, following Ash into the Pokémon Center.
Inside, Pikachu had been rushed into the emergency room while Ash waited anxiously outside.
"Ash, do you want to call your mom?"
"Um… okay, Natsume… but Pikachu is—"
Ash's face was filled with guilt and worry; he clearly wasn't in the mood to call anyone.
Glancing at Natsume, who moved at an unhurried pace, Ash couldn't help but ask,
"Natsume, why aren't you worried at all? If—"
"Nonsense. It's not my Pikachu, of course I'm not worried."
Ash bit back the rest of his sentence: "I wish I could be like you."
*Ring! Ring!*
A phone rang.
It was the Pokédex Ash held.
Among Natsume's patents was one that added mobile phone functionality to a Pokédex for new trainers.
"See? Aunt Delia is calling you," Natsume said, pointing to Delia's avatar on the Pokédex.
"Right."
Heavy-hearted, Ash answered the call.
Natsume turned his gaze outside.
Night was falling—it was time to rest.
He ascended to the second floor of the Pokémon Center, where trainers could use the rooms to rest.
Pikachu would be fine, and his S-ranked research task was about to see progress.
But for now, the most important thing was to scratch open all ten of the lottery tickets he had saved over the years.
Rubbing his hands together, Natsume hurried into the room.
He intended to bathe, change clothes, and burn incense—but realized he had forgotten the incense.
By the window, wearing pajamas, he gazed at the night. The cold wind made his heart feel desolate.
A ten-ticket scratch without ritual was bound to lack soul.
No, he had to go find incense.
Resolute, Natsume left the room.
Under the moonlight, a massive Meowth-shaped hot air balloon floated in the sky.
Inside, two men, one woman, and a cat huddled together, seemingly plotting.
If Officer Jenny were here, she would recognize them as the Pokémon thieves from the wanted poster.
They discussed eagerly:
Jessie: "Hahaha! Under the cover of night, we'll capture every Pokémon in the Center!"
James: "Yes! Among all these injured Pokémon, there must be some rare ones!"
Meowth: "That's right, Meowth! Deliver the treasured Pokémon to Boss Giovanni, and he'll give us Meowth coins!"
Natsume: "Exactly. If Boss Giovanni is pleased, he might even let me study Mewtwo—an S-ranked task after all!"
Meowth: "Right, Meowth! And he might let you—Who are you, Meowth?!"
In an instant, a piercing cat-like cry cut through the night, and the meeting abruptly ended.
Team Rocket froze as if they'd seen a ghost, quickly distancing themselves from Natsume and moving to the other end of the hot air balloon.
"Y-you… who are you!?"
Jessie and James reacted in unison, faces filled with terror as they stared at Natsume.
Could this be a ghost?
They were floating in midair—how could someone have gotten up here without them noticing!?