*Sealed… and then what?*
The same question echoed in everyone's minds.
*Clefairy, Clef, Clefairy!*
An eerie silence settled over the battlefield, broken only by the persistent calls of the Clefairy. All eyes were fixed on Pokéball Rotom at the center of the field.
Even several researchers leaned closer, intently observing Rotom.
Two minutes later.
*Roar!*
With a painful roar, Charizard was released.
Panting heavily, its once-powerful presence had visibly weakened.
Only two minutes had passed, and it was about sixteen levels higher. Natsume quietly noted this.
Seeing Charizard's state, Lance's eyes widened, and he instinctively commanded:
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
*Roar!*
Charizard opened its mouth, flames gathering rapidly.
*Sizzle—*
A golden arc of electricity flashed across it, instantly interrupting the attack.
"Paralysis?"
Lance exclaimed in shock.
"Does your Cursed Ball also cause paralysis?"
"Of course, that's why it's called Cursed Ball. Rotom, continue using Cursed Ball!"
Charizard, frozen in place, was engulfed again by a purple light.
Two minutes later, Charizard went in vertically, came out horizontally.
"Charizard is unable to continue battling. Natsume wins the first match!"
Brock loudly announced the result.
"This skill…?"
Indeed, Lance's pupils trembled.
"Natsume, send out your second Pokémon," he said slowly.
"Alright, I understand," Lance's expression grew serious. "Return, Charizard."
"Go, Gyarados!"
"Roar!!!"
A red flash filled the battlefield as a dragon-like Pokémon with a massive armored back appeared. ITS most striking feature was its ferocious jaw.
**Gyarados, Lv.70.**
"Pokéball Rotom, Cursed Ball!"
"Dodge!"
This time, Lance didn't let his Pokémon absorb the Cursed Ball head-on. It was a nearly unbeatable move in one-on-one battles.
"Use Crunch!"
Gyarados deftly avoided the purple beam and closed in on Rotom.
Crunch, a Dark-type move, is super effective against Rotom's Electric/Psychic typing. With Gyarados' high level, a single hit could be devastating.
Unexpectedly, Natsume countered:
"Rotom, ram it!"
*Bang!*
Crunch slammed into Rotom, which let out a dull, pained cry.
"Doomspear!"
As expected, Rotom—its stats heavily invested in defense—did not falter.
"Swoosh—"
A strange wave of light burst from Pokéball Rotom, instantly radiating outward several meters.
The area within the wave was drained of all color, turning entirely black and white, as if Rotom had stripped the space of its hues.
Even Gyarados' colors faded, leaving it a lifeless black-and-white silhouette.
Without struggle, without fear, Gyarados hovered eerily in place.
"This is…" Lance's unease deepened as he observed Gyarados' frozen state.
Once all color vanished, the light abruptly contracted, and the black-and-white Gyarados was drawn back into Pokéball Rotom.
"Rotom…"
Exhausted, Rotom's glow dimmed to gray, the red-and-white shards of the Pokéball slowly shrinking until they hovered motionless.
"What did you do to my Gyarados?" Lance demanded, concern in his voice.
Doomspear—the name alone sounded dangerous.
"Don't worry. Gyarados will be released once the battle ends. Send out your next Pokémon. The stronger your Pokémon attacks, the faster Gyarados will return," Natsume explained, waving his hand.
"Understood."
Lance nodded solemnly, realizing Natsume intended to provoke Rotom into action.
"I didn't expect a single Pokémon could reach this level of power." Lance's expression was grim. "Let's go, old buddy!"
At his command, an enormous orange Dragonite descended into the battlefield.
*Roar—*
Dragonite howled to the sky, eyes locked intently on Pokéball Rotom. Having observed from above for some time, he wasn't about to relax now.
**Dragonite, Lv.88**
"Try attacking my Rotom as hard as you can. The more damage you deal, the faster Gyarados will be released. Once the PP for Cursed Ball and Doomspear is depleted, it won't retaliate!" Natsume called out to Lance.
Lance, puzzled, nevertheless commanded:
"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"
*Boom—*
A white beam struck Pokéball Rotom. Oddly, aside from a grayish ripple, Rotom didn't react.
"What?!" Lance was stunned.
"Keep going!"
Indeed, Natsume's voice rang out again. Looking up, Lance saw a middle-parted Pikachu handing him a chip, oddly calm amid the chaos.
Seeing this, a flicker of frustration rose in Lance's chest.
"Thunder Punch!"
*Bang!*
A concentrated bolt of electricity surged from Dragonite's fist, hitting Rotom solidly.
Finally, Rotom reacted.
*Whoosh!*
A Gyarados in a stunned state was released.
Seeing the damage on Gyarados, especially the burn mark matching Dragonite's punch, Lance's eyes widened.
"Your move transfers damage!?"
"Exactly. Otherwise, why would I have you attack Rotom?" Natsume replied, munching on his chip.
Lance was speechless. He had expected Gyarados to be at risk if Rotom wasn't defeated—turns out, this was the effect all along.
"Dragonite, Dragon Ascent!"
Lance acted decisively, aiming to end the battle quickly.
Rotom had already absorbed a solid Crunch from Gyarados, nearly exhausted.
*Roar!!!*
Dragonite surged into the sky, its presence coalescing into a massive draconic silhouette, then descended straight toward Pokéball Rotom at full speed.
"Watch out, Natsume, dodge!"
Outside, Ash's panicked voice rang out. If Rotom got hit, it would definitely go down!
*Crunch.*
Natsume, still chewing on his chip, acted as if he hadn't noticed.
*Roar!!!*
In the blink of an eye, Dragonite reached Rotom's position.
"Rotom, Healing Ball."
*Rotom!*
A green beam effortlessly struck the nearby Dragonite.
*Whoosh!* Dragonite was absorbed.
The next moment, Dragonite returned to the battlefield, enveloped in a green wave of healing energy, looking even more robust than before.
"Congratulations! Your healthy Dragonite has become an even healthier Dragonite."
Lance: ???
You can even interrupt an attack like that?
"Is this kind of battle… even allowed?"
Ash was bewildered.
"I don't know. Feels shameless, but I guess it counts as a tactic if you've got the nerve."
"Really…"
Ash squinted, feeling there was so much to learn from Natsume.
"Dragonite, take to the sky! Circle rapidly above, stay away, avoid the green beam, and then use Hyper Beam!"
As the Dragon-type Ace of the region, Lance quickly formulated a strategy.
*Roar—*
A thick white beam shot straight down toward Pokéball Rotom.
"Here, eat this."
Natsume handed a chip to Midchu, fidgeting nearby.
Watching Rotom's reliable back facing down Hyper Beam, Natsume shook his head slightly. This was the limit.
*Clefairy! Clefairy!*
Suddenly, the Clefairy's cries grew louder.
"What's happening?"
Blue electric light surged from around the field, converging on Pokéball Rotom.
"Psychic? No!"
Natsume narrowed his eyes. Within the blue light were faint black-and-red particles—few, but visible upon close inspection.
*Clefairy! Clefairy!*
The Clefairy's cries reached a peak, resonant and powerful, as if the ritual had completed.
In an instant, a brilliant azure pillar enveloped Pokéball Rotom.
*Roar!*
Dragonite's Dragon Ascent collided with the pillar and was instantly interrupted, tumbling through the air before regaining control.
*Clefairy! Clefairy!*
*The Moon God will not lose!!!*
Within the azure pillar, the proportion of black-and-red particles steadily increased, forming an ominous dark-red light column.
Pokéball Rotom's size expanded continuously in the process—growing larger and larger!
"This is…"
Natsume and Lance's eyes widened in unison as they exclaimed:
"Dynamax!?"
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.