After ending the call, Natsume walked out of the Pokémon Center.
Celedon City was enormous, and land in the central district was worth a fortune. Even the Pokémon Center—normally a dominant League facility in every city—had been pushed back here.
Opening the map, Natsume found his location on the third ring of the city. Beyond that was the suburban area.
Fortunately, the city's transport was convenient and interconnected. Even though the Pokémon Center wasn't central, getting around was easy.
Before long, Natsume exited the subway station and arrived at the Celedon Gym.
"Whoa… this Gym's loaded."
The Celedon Gym was like an ecological museum under a massive transparent dome. Inside, he could faintly see stretches of simulated forest, home to many Grass-type Pokémon.
More importantly, even though this wasn't the city's exact center, it was still prime land within the inner ring.
"If only it worked like the games—win against the Gym Leader and get pocket money."
Tossing the Ultra Ball in his hand, Natsume headed toward the enormous Gym.
At its base stretched a wide staircase that alone took up an expensive chunk of real estate. Many people moved up and down the steps. Most were adults with kids in tow—not challengers, but tourists.
**Chlorophyll pulse, photosynthesis smile**
Natsume read the slogan displayed outside the Gym and froze for a moment. Looking up, he noticed it didn't have the usual League plaque with the Gym's name.
"Urban Oasis?"
He read aloud the golden words displayed on the Gym.
"Sir, are you bringing your child to visit the Urban Oasis eco-dome? Nature is the best teacher!"
A uniformed staff member approached, enthusiastically promoting.
"No thanks, I'm here to challenge the Gym." Natsume waved him off.
He remembered last time he came to Celedon—about two years ago—this *side business* didn't exist.
"Oh, I see! Please head this way."
The staff guided him through a passage.
Natsume nodded and stepped inside—only to spot Ash trudging out, dejected.
"Ash?" Natsume waved.
"Natsume! You've got to stand up for me!" Ash suddenly grabbed onto his leg.
"What happened?" Natsume asked, puzzled.
"The Gym Leader blocked me—she won't accept my challenge!" Ash's eyes welled up.
"Why would she block you?" Natsume's expression grew stranger.
"The Celedon Gym Leader… she's the perfume shop owner. Natsume, you might not know—mmph!"
Natsume quickly covered Ash's mouth.
"I get it," he muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. This Gym's *extra businesses* explained how it could afford so much land.
"Natsume, what do I do now?" Ash slumped to the floor in despair.
"Where's Pikachu and… Midchu?" Natsume asked, noticing both were missing.
"Oh, Pikachu's inside with Misty and the others. Midchu's napping on a solar lamp."
"Sleeping where?" Natsume blinked.
*CRASH!* From the end of the passage came the sound of shattering glass.
Before either could react, the doors burst open, and a middle-parted Pikachu—clutching his blanket—was tossed out.
*Pika?*
Groggy, Midchu rubbed his eyes, yawned, flopped back down, pulled the blanket over his belly, and started snoring bubbles.
Natsume rubbed his forehead. Ever since Midchu fused with that shard, it had become more and more prone to sleep.
Ash scooped it up, then looked at Natsume with pleading eyes.
"Natsume, without the Rainbow Badge… what do I do?"
"Here, take this, the Rainbow Badge."
Natsume said, handing Ash a colorful badge shaped like flower petals.
"Whoa, Natsume, where'd you get this?" Ash exclaimed.
"Fake, obviously. Where else?" Natsume replied, pulling out a black pouch from god-knows-where.
Inside were all kinds of counterfeit badges, looking incredibly realistic.
Ash: "…"
"Natsume, why are you carrying so much fake stuff?"
"When you're out in the world, your identity is what you make of it," Natsume repeated.
"No way, I want to win against Gym Leaders and earn badges with my own strength!" Ash shook his head, determination flashing in his eyes.
"In that case, let's break in!" Natsume said, changing into a Team Rocket officer uniform and handing a smaller Team Rocket member outfit to Ash.
"???"
"That'll get us permanently banned…" Ash muttered, feeling this was getting more and more suspicious.
*Clang!* The door opened again, and three figures were thrown out.
"Sirs, without a special invitation, you'll need to buy tickets to enter!"
"Dammit, meow!" Meowth got up angrily, then froze on the spot.
"This is your fault, Jessie, you let it slip!"
"Oh, and you, James! You were about to just sneak—" Jessie quickly shut her mouth.
"Natsume? And the twerp? What are you doing here?"
All three pairs of eyes locked onto Ash and Natsume.
"Wait a second, why are you wearing that uniform?!"
Seeing Natsume's outfit, the trio reacted instantly.
"Picked it up near the Game Corner," Natsume said offhandedly.
"Game Corner?" The trio froze, then their eyes lit up.
"Meowth, did you hear that?" Meowth pulled the two closer.
"Heard it loud and clear—the officer uniform from the Game Corner."
"Could it be… the unknown idiot officer that Boss Giovanni has the whole organization hunting for… maybe it's the one from the Game Corner, meow!"
"Yeah, yeah! This place is close to Celedon City. He must've dropped it when fleeing in a panic!" Jessie's eyes shone as she analyzed.
"And I heard that the Game Corner's top jackpot prize—Dratini, which no one has ever won—is actually that officer's Pokémon," James added.
"It matches, meow, it all matches perfectly!"
"But the perfume here…" Jessie hesitated for a moment.
"Oh, who cares about perfume, meow!"
"If we drag that rotten officer out, Boss Giovanni will definitely praise us, meow!"
"Promotion, rank-up, officer uniforms on our backs, meow!"
"Alright, let's go right away!"
Afraid of others stealing the credit, James instantly dragged the two and dashed off at full speed.
"Natsume, don't you dare tell anyone you just picked up that uniform, meow."
"Just say it's a replica, please, meow!"
As they rushed past, Meowth still begged Natsume to keep it secret.
"What are they even doing?"
Ash tilted his head, puzzled as he watched Team Rocket suddenly run off in a frenzy.
Natsume shook his head. He only knew that somewhere inside the Celedon Game Corner, Team Rocket had a hideout.
But why the trio got so excited all of a sudden, he couldn't figure out.
"No idea. But I did just come up with a good way to help you sneak in," Natsume said, lowering his head to look at Ash.
"What way?" Ash looked up, meeting Natsume's silent, smiling gaze.
A sudden shiver ran through him.
You can read more (around 100+ 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.