"Rhyperior is unable to battle, Pikachu wins!"
The teacher acting as referee looked shocked but still announced the result.
"Impossible!" Giselle froze, blankly recalling Rhyperior.
"I told you, theory can't decide everything!" Ash walked up to her, flashing a wide, youthful grin.
"Tch!" She turned her head away and went straight to Natsume.
"Natsume, that Pikachu's tail—what did you do to it?"
She was unwilling to accept defeat. She could swear that if Natsume hadn't done something to that Pikachu, the victory would have been hers.
Natsume stood, not answering, only raising his head to the sky.
"Hey, don't ignore me!" she stomped her foot, but before she could say more, a shout came from above.
"Natsume! I warned you not to cause trouble in my school!!!"
Dean Jim descended from the sky, seated on the back of a Charizard, landing directly in front of Natsume.
He trembled with fury, raising his cane to strike Natsume on the head.
*Thud!*
Natsume grabbed Giselle's shoulder, lifting her up and using her head to block the blow.
"Ah! Jim, what are you doing?!"
"Oh my! Miss Giselle, I'm terribly sorry. Have you been enjoying your time at the academy?"
Jim quickly forced a smile, withdrawing his cane, then turned a scrutinizing gaze on Natsume.
"It wasn't me, I wasn't—she was the one battling." Natsume skillfully excused himself, even holding the girl up for emphasis.
*Huh? Smoke?*
Natsume noticed faint wisps rising from her head.
Turning her around, he saw her face bright red.
"What are you looking at?! Put me down!"
He set her down, ignoring her murderous glare.
Jim tapped his cane, scanning the area carefully, confirming that Natsume hadn't caused another incident before finally relaxing.
"Natsume, I've already arranged rooms for you all. I'll take you there now."
"Can it wait?"
"No."
Jim smiled thinly, pressing a firm hand on Natsume's shoulder.
He couldn't wait to keep Natsume under *house arrest*.
Best case scenario, Natsume would stay in the room until he left tomorrow—at worst, he'd ONLY blow up ONE building.
"Let's go, everyone."
He turned to Ash and the others, ready to personally escort Natsume to the dorm. But before he could move, Giselle spoke up:
"Jim, wait!"
"Yes, Miss Giselle, what is it?"
Jim shot his assistant a quick look, signaling him to keep a close eye on Natsume.
The assistant wiped sweat from his brow.
"Uh… everyone, please follow me."
"Wow, a villa! Natsume, you've got connections."
"Whoa, the interior looks amazing! But… why aren't there any other buildings nearby?"
"Hmm, looks like it was just cleaned up."
At least nothing happened.
Behind them, the assistant wiped cold sweat from his forehead and quietly left.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, outside the academy.
Natsume was already up, jogging around the campus lake.
On his second lap, a Charizard appeared—Jim sitting on its back, watching him like a hawk.
Fortunately, after grabbing breakfast at the cafeteria, they were set to leave.
At the gates of the Pokémon Technical Institute—
"Thank you for your hospitality, Dean!"
Ash and the others bowed neatly to Jim in thanks.
"Haha, no need, no need! You three should come visit more often!" Jim waved them off, his face full of relief.
But after only a few steps, Natsume and the others stopped.
Standing ahead of them was a porcelain-doll-like figure with a travel backpack on her shoulders—
Giselle.
"Natsume, I want you to be my teacher." She looked at him with excitement.
Natsume said nothing. He simply reached out and palmed her head like a volleyball.
Giselle: ?
With a twist, her vision shifted toward the academy gates.
"Look, your teacher's right there." Natsume pointed at old Jim.
As if remembering something, Jim hurriedly shut the gates and loudly declared:
"Ahem! Due to damaging the academy's valuable facilities in yesterday's battle, Giselle has now been expelled!"
"What? Expelled just for battling? That's too much!" Misty frowned.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault you got expelled." Ash bowed apologetically to her.
"Boo-hoo, that's right… now I have nowhere to go." She covered her face, pretending to cry.
"She's faking it, isn't she?" Brock leaned in and whispered to Natsume.
"I don't want to take in a weak student," Natsume said flatly.
In the next second, her sobbing stopped. She lifted her head, eyes firm.
"I like obedient, well-behaved students."
"Fine. What do you want me to do?" she asked, hope flickering in her eyes.
Natsume turned her around like winding up a toy and tugged on her backpack strap.
"My order is: go back to the academy and study properly."
"Natsume!" She whipped around, her eyes regaining their icy edge.
"You're a researcher, right? And I heard from old Jim you're short on money, right?"
She pulled out a sleek black card embossed with a Master Ball.
"My family owns the largest pharmaceutical company in Kanto. Take this card, spend as you like!"
Natsume accepted it, scanned it against his phone.
A little over one hundred million.
"Whoa, look at all those zeroes! Natsume, let's say yes!" Misty's eyes sparkled.
"Hmph, well?" Giselle smirked triumphantly at Natsume.
Not even close. Maybe if it were company shares.
"No." Natsume handed the card back.
She froze. "Do you even know how much is on that card?"
"I know. It's already in my account."
Giselle: ???
Before she could speak, Natsume's face hardened, his aura surging.
"I'll give you one chance." He raised a finger.
"One month. I'll guide you for one month. In that time, if you can publish a research paper accepted by a first-class journal, you pass."
"That's impossible!"
She puffed her cheeks angrily.
"One month isn't nearly enough!"
"I've already collected the data. You just need to write."
She blinked in surprise.
"…Fine, that's acceptable."
Then, with grace, she turned and bowed slightly.
"Teacher Natsume, please take care of me."
"Mm." Natsume patted her head.
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.