Natsume found nothing resembling a Light Ball in Pikachu's stomach.
By process of elimination, that left only the second possibility.
The more he thought about it, the more confident he became that his Pokémon doctoral thesis was solid. Soon, he would be Dr. Natsume, on equal footing with Professor Oak!
*Grrr—*
"Oh? Hungry? Then let's go eat."
Natsume lifted Pikachu off the machine.
Pikachu: ???
*Isn't that growling coming from you?*
Pikachu gave Natsume a helpless look.
For now, the Pikachu research project could be set aside. The most important thing was to fill their stomachs first.
After all, the second hypothesis didn't need verification just yet. When Ash—after getting beaten by Brock—took Pikachu to train at the power plant, Natsume would see the results. There was no rush.
Later, at the Pokémon Center, Ash, who had chased off Team Rocket, wouldn't get a banner, but a feast was guaranteed. To show her thanks, Nurse Joy had prepared a lavish dinner for the three of them.
At the dinner table, the two ten-year-olds were declaring their dreams:
"Burp! I'm gonna be the very best Pokémon Master in the world!"
"Hmm… I'm going to be the world's top Water-type Pokémon Master!"
"Huh? Water-type?" Ash squinted at Misty and waved his hand.
"But you don't seem like a Water-type trainer at all."
"What do I look like then?" Misty narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"Like a Fighting-type—ah!"
Due to unforeseen circumstances, a bump appeared on Ash's head.
Natsume watched Ash clutch his head and groan, shaking his own head. These kids were so weak—they got like this from a little fizzy drink. Not like him; he always drank his straight. Calmly, he drank the milk in his hand in one gulp.
"By the way, Natsume, what's your dream?" Ash asked curiously, holding his sparkling water.
"My dream? Burp!" Natsume hiccuped, paused slightly, then slammed his cup onto the table with a thud.
*Bang!*
Instantly, all eyes turned to him.
Mimicking Ash and Misty's dramatic style, Natsume declared loudly:
"Of course, my dream is to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master and the top Water-type Pokémon Trainer!"
"Wow, I didn't expect your ambition to match mine and Misty's. I won't easily—ah!"
Before he could finish, Ash's ear was grabbed.
"He's teasing us, can't you tell?" Misty shouted.
"Teasing?"
Ash realized and turned to Natsume, seriously asking:
"So, Natsume, what is your dream?"
"Dream?"
Natsume, clearly drunk on his own imagination, looked dazed.
"Of course… of course it's to go home—"
He slurred, vaguely answering.
The system had promised him that if he created a Pokémon with stats surpassing the world's limit, it would open a channel between his home and the Pokémon world.
He has no choice—Natsume wasn't alone when he traveled to Sinnoh; his parents were still there. The thought of them not being able to find him must be driving them crazy!
"Going home?"
Ash scratched his chin, utterly confused. That didn't sound like a dream at all. Plus, Natsume's home in Sinnoh was pretty far away.
Just as Ash was pondering, Misty suddenly gasped, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Turning around, they saw Natsume, already collapsed and unconscious.
"Oh dear, Natsume, I forgot to tell you—you can't drink milk after gas poisoning!"
Nurse Joy rushed over, flustered, staring at the fallen Natsume in surprise. While drinking milk after gas poisoning wasn't advised, fainting from it seemed extreme.
After a night of commotion, the next morning arrived.
On a trail in the Viridian Forest:
"Hehe! Come on, Oddish, want a taste?"
"Isn't it great? I knew cow dung is best for grass!"
"Oddish!?"
The wild Oddish froze for a moment, spat on Natsume, and bolted. Indeed, you never eat a wild trainer's food.
"Come on, Rattata."
Before Misty could react, Natsume vanished from sight.
Misty squinted, clearly annoyed.
"Ugh, why is he so hard to take down?"
After fainting twice, Natsume had earned Misty's grudging respect—he was like an indestructible little survivor. Every time you thought he was down for the count, the next day he'd be bouncing around again.
"Natsume may get hurt often, but he always manages to get out of danger."
Ash walked over, scratching his chin, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. In his memory, Natsume was fragile yet stubbornly hard to defeat.
*Pikachu!*
From Ash's shoulder, Pikachu's approving voice chimed in. This research lab Pokémon seemed to recognize him; the daycare in the lab had been his doing, though occasionally, he could be seen *out cold* in various corners.
Be it Beedrill's poison sting, some allergenic pollen, or being startled by a Gardevoir carrying a huge root, little things could keep Natsume *down* all day.
*Pika!*
Suddenly, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder spotted something and looked cautiously toward a patch of grass.
From the movement, it clearly wasn't Natsume.
"Hmm, Pikachu, what did you find?"
*Pika!*
Before Pikachu could dash over, Misty's Bug Sense triggered.
"Ahhhh!"
A Caterpie appeared in their view.
"Yes! I'm going to catch my first Pokémon!"
Ash was thrilled to see a Pokémon.
"Are you kidding? You want to catch that?"
Misty shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Doesn't matter to me! Go, Pokéball!"
Ash turned his cap backward and threw his Pokéball.
"Don't you know you have to battle a Pokémon before catching it?"
Misty covered her face.
"I know, but Natsume said you can throw a Pokéball before the battle. If you catch it, it saves trouble. He even gave this method a name."
"What's it called?"
"It's called the *One-Ball Man*."
Ash explained seriously to Misty.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Misty looked puzzled, though Ash didn't seem entirely wrong.
Under their tense gaze, the Caterpie was caught in the Pokéball. It flickered once, then stabilized.
"Alright, come out, Caterpie, say hello to everyone."
"Put it back!"
Misty, intimidated, countered with a loud shout.
"Seriously, it's so cute! Women are just impossible sometimes."
"Not like Natsume, huh? Where's Natsume?"
Ash reluctantly recalled the Caterpie, intending to share the moment with Natsume—but he was nowhere to be seen.
Turning, Ash saw Natsume lying peacefully in the nearby grass, his face purplish-green, looking as if he'd been out cold for a while.
Nearby, an embarrassed Weedle withdrew its stinger and, sensing Ash's gaze, bolted.
Ash sighed.
Alright, men can be pretty annoying too.