Pokémon: Who told him to come out of Pallet Town!

Chapter 31: Ash, try challenging yourself!

"Who wants to be your researcher, meow!"

"You...how did you get here!"

"Don't flash your lights around, it's very dazzling!"

"Oh." Natsume put away his flashlight and reached out to pull a Poké Ball from Musashi's waist.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing!"

"Arboss, use Tackle on the branch!"

Natsume skillfully opened the Poké Ball.

"Uncle—??"

Abobo looked at Natsume, then at Musashi and the others hanging from the tree branches not far away.

After a three-second silence, it still used its ramming ability to break the tree branch and save Musashi and the others.

The three of them fell to the ground, but quickly stood up and looked at Natsume with serious expressions.

"Hey, give me back Arbok's Poké Ball!" Musashi glared angrily at Natsume.

"Here you go." Natsume tossed the Poké Ball to Musashi, then looked at them and continued:

"How about what I said earlier?"

"Hmph, impossible, meow! We would never betray Boss Itagaki!"

"That's what I mean. Only by following Boss Banmu can you have a future."

Natsume held up one finger: "A monthly salary of one million."

"What the heck?!"

"Are you telling the truth!"

In Meow Meow and Musashi's eyes, it became the image of Little Money.

"Can't you two have any backbone?!"

Only Kojiro remained unmoved, angrily pulling the two of them away:

"Have you all forgotten why we joined the Rockets in the first place?!"

Meow and Musashi regained some of their senses. Although there was still some attraction in their eyes, they firmly shook their heads.

"We will never betray Boss Banqi!"

Is Banmu's prestige really that high?

Natsume raised an eyebrow slightly. If that was the case, going to Itagi to demand the person back might be the best option.

But given his status, it seems insufficient at the moment, and as for his "god-making" plan, it's even less likely that he would tell Banji about it.

"Speaking of which, Natsume, you'd actually be a good fit for Team Rocket."

Meow Meow looked at Natsume, trying to turn him against his cause.

Honestly, I've never seen anyone casually scoop up a Poké Ball like that before.

"I'm not interested," Natsume said, and walked towards the three of them.

"What are you going to do!" Kojiro asked warily, pulling out the red and white ball.

"Young Master Kojiro, if your father is interested, he could consider investing in me," Natsume said, handing Kojiro a business card.

"Rotom, let's go!"

Rotom merges into the phone, instant teleportation activated!

Natsume disappeared, and Meowth and Musashi were stunned for a moment before looking suspiciously at Kojiro beside them:

"Kojiro?" Musashi approached, then his voice suddenly rose: "—Young Master?"

"Uh... well, let me explain."

......

......

......

Cerulean City, Pokémon Center.

"Natsume-nii, I want to challenge you!"

Ash stood at one end of the battlefield and challenged Natsume, who had just returned.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu also looked at Natsume with a fierce fighting spirit.

"Okay." Natsume said, giving the guy with the middle part a wink, and the latter eagerly stood opposite Ash.

Natsume himself remained motionless, still fiddling with the Super Ball in his hand.

"Natsume-nii, weren't you going to fight me?"

Ash looked at Natsume with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, you can help direct the guy with the middle parting and have him battle your Pikachu." Natsume looked up and gave Ash a strange look.

Why is this child so stubborn and inflexible?

Ash: "???"

"That's not how it works, Natsume-nii! You defeated four Dragon-type Elite Four Pokémon, and one of them was an ace!"

As he spoke, Ash couldn't help but glance at Rotom, the cell phone floating next to Natsume.

"I have no skill; I rely on luck." Natsume said succinctly.

Xiao Zhi: "..."

Natsume wasn't lying; luck played a large part.

His red and white ball, Rotom, is best suited for doubles matches; he has absolutely no first-mover advantage in singles.

Last time, I let him go first, and because he didn't understand the moves of the Baby Ball Rotom, it caused a series of subsequent reactions.

Of course, even without a level advantage, Rotom is also very strong in singles.

"Natsume-nii..."

Seeing that Ash had no intention of giving up, Natsume looked at him, his expression suddenly becoming very serious:

"Ash, do you know who is the hardest Pokémon Trainer to surpass?"

"Is he the champion?" Ash was a little nervous because of Natsume's sudden seriousness, and his expression involuntarily became serious as well.

"No, even champions can be insurmountable." Natsume shook his head.

"Who is that?" Ash's interest was piqued.

"It's the trainer himself, Ash!" Natsume patted Ash on the shoulder, his face seemingly bathed in holy light, revealing an extremely solemn expression:

The difference lies not between you and me, but between yesterday and today.

"Ash, try challenging yourself!"

Natsume's passionate voice rang out, and Ash was greatly shocked, his fighting spirit soaring wildly in his eyes.

"That's right, I need to challenge myself!"

"Go, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Middle-parted hair, get out of the way!"

......

"It's over, he's beyond saving." Xiaoxia sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Yes, I second that," Xiao Gang added.

......

......

The following day, Cerulean City, suburbs.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to stop Sandshrew's roll!"

Inside the battle tent, a Pikachu held its tail horizontally in front of it, as if it were wielding a large cleaver.

"What?"

"That's right!" The owner of the battle tent, a boy with dark green hair, suddenly widened his eyes.

"Alright, Lightning Strike, Spinning Side Slash!"

Ash gave the order, and Pikachu braced itself on one hand and held its silvery-white, steel-like tail root behind its back with the other, as if carrying a giant sword.

"Whoosh!"

Pikachu appeared instantly beside Sandshrew and unleashed a powerful blow.

"boom!"

"Hold on, Sandshrew, use Earthquake!"

The tent owner, with his dark green hair, was about to give an order when he saw that the pangolin had lost its fighting ability.

"Wow—amazing!"

The tent owner retrieved Sandshrew and excitedly ran towards Ash.

"Why can the Iron Tail be used like this? And why has it always existed?"

"Please tell me how you raised your Pikachu!"

"Uh..." Xiao Zhi scratched his head awkwardly.

His own Pikachu was conceived through a breeding plan devised by Natsume-san, who is still waiting for him outside.

Outside the battle tent, Natsume and his friends waited quietly for Ash.

"Honestly, seeing someone else's 99-game winning streak made me so eager to jump in."

Xiaoxia continued her usual complaints.

"It's good to be motivated. I'll take this time to prepare lunch."

Xiao Gang, on the other hand, didn't mind. The area around the battle tent was clean and flat, making it a good place to eat.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

Soon, Ash and Pikachu appeared at the tent entrance.

"How was it? Wasn't that Pikachu Greatsword technique awesome?"

Natsume glanced at Pikachu's tail and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Unlike the original work, at this moment, Pikachu's tail naturally exhibits a metallic sheen.

Ever since learning that Pikachu had learned Iron Tail, Natsume has devised a series of plans for him—

Natsume personally prepared a special steel reagent and injected it into the tail, making it more suitable for Pikachu's constitution.

The Great Sword Technique, custom-designed based on the Pokémon's body structure, allows for smoother use of Iron Tail.

"Hmm... Thank you, Natsume-nii. Pikachu can now activate Iron Tail throughout the entire battle!"

Ash thanked Natsume earnestly.

"By the way, Natsume-nii, are those reagents very expensive? I'll pay you back when I make some money."

"It's nothing, consider it payment for taking care of the guy with the middle parting." Natsume patted Satoshi's head.