The group quickly returned to the Pewter City Pokémon Center.
After dinner, Flint, deep in thought, pulled Natsume aside.
"What do you need?"
Natsume looked at Flint, who was carrying a large bag of berries.
"I'd like to ask a favor of you."
"I'm busy."
Natsume waved him off, ready to return to his room to work on the follow-up S-Rank task.
"Wait, you might be interested in this!"
Flint called after him. When Natsume turned, Flint held a fist-sized object hovering in midair, emitting a faint glow.
"Huh?"
Curious, Natsume leaned in and took a closer look.
It was an irregular fragment of a meteorite, rough on the surface but with sharp crystalline edges. The main body was golden, with a faint orange-red glow inside, resembling flowing lava.
Faint star-shaped patterns were visible on the surface. Hovering above Flint's hand, it was surrounded by tiny sparkling particles, like a miniature star.
"A Wishing Star!? Isn't this a specialty from the Galar region?"
Natsume's voice was full of astonishment, as if he had seen something extraordinary.
"Galar region? Hahaha, so it's not from Kanto. No wonder I didn't recognize it."
Seeing Natsume's interest, Flint looked at him earnestly and said directly:
"Do me a favor, and this is yours."
Natsume glanced at the Wishing Star in Flint's hand and thought for a moment.
Wishing Stars were used to craft Dynamax Bands. According to Professor Magnolia's research in Galar, and using Professor Oak's lab, Natsume felt he could make a Dynamax Band without issue.
But the reason a Dynamax Band allows a Pokémon to Dynamax is that it channels *Galar Particles* through the Wishing Star, giving the Trainer the power to Dynamax a Pokémon.
Outside of Galar, Dynamaxing is impossible.
*Wait a second!*
Natsume's eyes darkened as he recalled the unusually large Pokémon from the original story—
**Gigantic Tentacruel, Giant Dragonite…**
*Could there be something like Galar Particles in Kanto as well?*
"All right, I'll do it—just give me the Wishing Star."
Thinking this, Natsume didn't even consider Flint's favor and agreed immediately.
Sure enough, the system would provide tasks for the gigantic Pokémon the protagonist group would encounter later.
Following the system's guidance, not only could Dynamaxing be studied in Kanto, but gaining a personal means to Dynamax Pokémon would also be excellent.
"Fine, this is yours. Come with me."
Without further ado, Flint handed the Wishing Star to Natsume and headed outside.
Natsume secured the Wishing Star and reminded the Pokémon Center staff before leaving:
"Misty, remember to wash my clothes, and you'll treat me to a meal later."
"Hmph, fair enough."
Inside, Misty, holding the clothes, pouted slightly.
Night fell over a small hill in the outskirts.
Flint carried a large bag of berries, moving swiftly, and soon brought Natsume to the same stand from earlier that day.
*Pi?*
A faint sound drew Natsume's attention.
Looking up, he saw a Pichu standing on Flint's stand.
Upon seeing Flint, Pichu visibly lit up with joy.
"Here, eat."
Flint offered the berries to Pichu, which ate eagerly while curiously watching Natsume.
Natsume crouched down, causing the little one to startle and clutch a Berry, keeping its distance.
"Come on out and eat."
Flint's voice called from the side.
Soon, Pokémon emerged from all directions, especially from the cave Flint had covered during the day.
Pikachu, Pichu, Magnemite, Voltorb, and Electabuzz all appeared.
Without exception, they were all Electric-type Pokémon.
Natsume asked curiously, "These are—?"
"These are the Electric-type Pokémon that were abandoned. Many of them found their way back here by memory, and I took them in."
With that, Flint silently began distributing berries to them.
Natsume stood behind, a hint of emotion stirring in his chest.
After a long while, under the moonlight, Flint finished handing out the berries. He stood up and looked at Natsume with a pleading expression:
"I'd like to ask you for a favor—help me find a way to eliminate the side effects of Electric training."
Watching the cheerful Electric-type Pokémon happily munching on berries, Natsume didn't respond as he usually would; this time, he nodded with unusual seriousness:
"Don't worry. Even without your request, I would do it."
"Thank you, then. Here are some of my breeding notes. I hope they help with your research."
Natsume took the notes, and Flint felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder.
It was Natsume placing his hand there.
"Do you really want Brock to manage the Pewter Gym alone?"
"Giving these kids a better environment, and Brock's younger siblings will be happier too."
"…Think it over carefully."
With that, Natsume disappeared.
At the Pokémon Center, in Natsume's room:
Flash!
A pale blue light streaked across as Rotom teleported Natsume back.
The Wishing Star was temporarily stored in the system space. Natsume opened Brock's breeding notes and began studying them diligently.
The notes were extensive, essentially a diary of Brock's casual observations. Natsume needed to extract useful information first, which would take considerable time.
The next morning:
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
From below, Ash's strong training voice could be faintly heard.
Inside the room, Natsume stretched, looking unusually energetic despite a sleepless night.
On the right side of his desk lay two notebooks, both filled with dense records.
One was Flint's breeding notes; the other contained Natsume's own summaries of useful information.
Flint had conducted Electric current training on many different Pokémon, and multiple Pokémon of the same species with different talents.
From the fragments Natsume organized, a pattern emerged:
For the same Electric-type Pokémon, the better the natural talent, the more effective the current enhancement.
However, for different species, it was the opposite: weaker Electric-type species received greater enhancement.
As for the so-called side effects, Natsume already had an initial idea.
They were likely related to the number of current applications and the intensity of the current.
After all, Pikachu had already experienced some improvement during the first charge at the Pokémon Center, and Natsume had observed for several days without seeing any level reduction.
By adjusting in batches—varying the intensity, duration, and frequency—he could likely develop a current enhancement training method without side effects.
But this required repeated experiments over a long period. As for Natsume's experimental subject—
"Come out, Midchu."
A flash of red light, and a Pikchu with a styled middle part appeared in the room.
Unlike the hardworking Pikachu outside, Midchu was still under a small blanket. His short legs kicked out lazily, sprawled on his back, a bubble forming at his nose. One big, one small, he stretched and curled.
Natsume stood behind, staring at him with a deadpan expression.
The trainer gave the intense glare of doom.
*Pika!*
Sensing Natsume's gaze, Midchu woke abruptly, fur standing on end like a tiny hedgehog.
He turned his head toward Natsume, a sense of foreboding in his heart.
"Heh heh."
"Your good days are over."
You can read more (around 50+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https ://ravenarchives .com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.