Chapter 28: Cerulean City
"I'll remind you first—the Dynamax Band is useless in Kanto, at least until particles like those in Galar start appearing here."
"Natsume, don't keep contacting me unless it's important."
At the foot of Mt. Moon, Professors Magnolia and Oak gave their parting words to Natsume's group.
"Got it, Professor Magnolia. We'll be on our way." Natsume chose to ignore the rest.
"Remember to stay in touch with my granddaughter!"
Rotom's Dynamax earlier had only been an accident.
The research at Mt. Moon was now fully taken over by Oak and Magnolia.
Within a year, they should have some preliminary results.
Until then, Natsume planned to join the Kanto League tournament—earning prize money, building a reputation, and maybe attracting investors.
...
"So… how much farther to Cerulean City?"
On the road, Misty seemed uneasy.
"No problem. If it's urgent, just find a patch of grass. Have Ash keep watch for you so a Caterpie doesn't sneak up like last time."
Without looking back, Natsume fiddled with the Great Ball in his hand.
"What are you talking about! That's not it!"
Misty wanted to argue, but her tone suddenly weakened.
"Um… can we maybe not go to Cerulean City first? Vermilion Gym is pretty close from here too."
"No. We're going to Cerulean Gym. We can get the badge there."
Misty: "…"
"That Trainer looks strong! I'm gonna battle him!"
Ash's eyes lit up, and he charged toward a passerby, clutching both Pikachu.
*System, collect today's battle data.*
*Ding!*
**Collection target: Ash. Activated.**
Three days earlier, Natsume had already discovered under the system's task:
**Data Collection for Game-Rule Adaptation to Real-World Combat**
It contained three modules:
**Reality vs. Virtual Battles** — like his earlier fights against Brock and James.
**Reality vs. Reality Battles** — standard Pokémon battles.
**Virtual vs. Virtual Battles** — which Natsume still couldn't figure out; maybe it was a function not yet unlocked.
Each day, recording even one instance from any of the three gave a reward.
The daily *battle arena rules* reward wasn't something he'd waste casually—after all, it could serve as a trump card.
For now, logging Ash's daily Reality vs. Reality battles was enough for him to receive his scratch-card prize.
*Ding!*
[SSS-Rank: Data Collection for Game-Rule Adaptation to Real-World Combat]
[Notice] Reality vs. Reality data collection complete. [Subject] Battle Arena [Reward] Scratch Card ×1 [Cooldown] 23h
Hearing the voice in his mind, Natsume lowered his gaze and focused again on the Great Ball in his hand.
Creating an Greatball Rotom should be much stronger than his Pokéball Rotom.
More importantly, while Pokéball Rotom was Electric/Psychic, its three special moves were all Normal type.
The only Normal type move Natsume knew of was **Struggle**—a move that only appeared in the games when all PP was exhausted.
To strengthen Normal type moves, the only idea he had was to keep improving the quality of the Pokéball itself.
But etching circuits into an Great Ball was far harder than into a Pokéball. He had little stock on hand, so for now he could only sketch circuits onto the Great Ball he carried.
His rush to Cerulean City wasn't just for the free badge—it was also to stock up on Great Balls and Great Balls at the department store.
"Battle's over! Let's get moving—if we hurry, we can reach Cerulean before dark."
Brock called to Ash in the distance.
"Seriously, why'd this battle end so quickly?"
Misty grumbled like a sulking wife, sneaking sideways glances at Ash.
"Huh? Don't you usually complain that my battles waste too much travel time?"
*Pika?*
Ash slipped on his jacket. He and the two Pikachu on his shoulders all turned, puzzled, toward Misty.
"Natsume, what's up with Misty?"
Even someone as dense as Ash could tell something was off with her mood.
"I don't know. Maybe when she went to the bathroom, you didn't keep watch for her."
"Is that it, Misty? Next time I'll—ow!"
A huge bump swelled on Ash's head.
"Don't just believe everything Natsume says!"
Misty finally snapped. After a moment, she swung her backpack over her shoulder, as if making up her mind.
"Hmph, forget it! Nothing to be afraid of—let's go!"
...
**Cerulean City, Pokémon Center.**
"Misty, why aren't you coming in?"
"Ahaha… I'll just wait out here for a bit… yeah, just a bit."
Her guilty eyes flicked toward the Pokémon Center's entrance.
"That's weird. Pikachu, Brock, let's go in first."
The moment they stepped inside, Brock locked onto a figure like a radar.
"My beautiful lady, please, you must tell me your name!"
He dropped to his knees at lightning speed in front of a blonde woman.
"Brock, what are you doing?"
*Pika—*
"Ahaha…"
The blonde woman froze, then turned to glance toward the Pokémon Center's door—the spot where Misty had been standing earlier.
...
**Poké Mart.**
While Natsume was frantically stocking up on Great balls and Great Balls, he felt a tug at his clothes.
*A thief!?*
His eyes hardened, and he bolted forward.
"Help! Someone's stealing from me!"
His wailing voice rang out as he used the textbook reaction.
"What are you screaming for! It's me!"
Behind him, Misty covered her face, red with embarrassment, as curious eyes turned their way.
"Misty? Weren't you with Ash and the others at the Pokémon Center?"
Natsume gave her a puzzled look.
"Uh, well… I was worried you—um—worried you couldn't carry everything."
Her eyes darted nervously as she offered the flimsy excuse. To her surprise, Natsume's eyes lit up.
"You knew! That's perfect, thanks so much. Come with me!"
He immediately pulled Misty toward the appliances section.
"Why are you buying a refrigerator? Are you out of your mind? And a microwave, a TV—how are any of these useful for traveling!?"
Out on the street, Misty struggled to drag two massive shopping carts.
They were piled high with appliances—fridges, televisions, microwaves, hair dryers.
In front, Natsume licked his ice cream. Feeling slightly guilty, he broke off a piece and handed it to her, offering a silent apology.
"Here, for you."
Misty: "…"
Did he not see her hands were full?
"How could you, a grown man, shamelessly make a kid carry all this stuff…"
Her forehead veins popped, a red line practically shooting across her face.
"Actually, I'm the weakest one here."
Natsume said it completely straight-faced.
According to the system's scan, Misty's strength was **0.3 Ash**—six times stronger than his own of **0.05 Ash**!
Ah, the pain of being fragile.
"You, you, you—" Misty was so furious at his shamelessness she couldn't even form words.
"Fine, I'll hold the ice cream for you. Just hang on until we get this to the Pokémon Center."
Too lazy to make circuits himself, Natsume had bought the appliances to strip them for parts—the circuit boards inside would last him a while.
When he held the ice cream to her mouth, Misty bit down hard in anger.
*Clang!*
The sound of teeth clashing rang out as Misty bit into nothing.
"Huh? Looks like something happened up ahead, even Officer Jenny is here."
Natsume's figure flickered, and he slipped into the crowd at the front.
"Ahhh—Natsume!"
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.