"Who wants to be your research assistant, Meowth?!"
"How did you get here?!"
"Quit flashing that light around! It's blinding!"
"Oh." Natsume turned off the flashlight on Rotom Pokédex and, in one smooth motion, snatched a Poké Ball from Jessie's waist.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Arbok, use Tackle on that tree branch!"
Natsume opened the Poké Ball with practiced ease.
"Ar-bok??"
Arbok glanced at Natsume, then looked over at Jessie and the others, who were hanging from a tree branch nearby.
After three seconds of silence, it launched a Tackle, snapping the branch and bringing Jessie, James, and Meowth safely to the ground.
The trio landed hard but quickly got to their feet, standing at attention and staring warily at Natsume.
"Hey, give me back Arbok's Poké Ball!" Jessie fumed, glaring.
"Here you go." Natsume tossed the Poké Ball back to her, then looked them over and said calmly:
"So? What do you think about what I said earlier?"
"Hmph! No way, meow! We'd never betray Boss Giovanni!"
"Exactly. Sticking with the boss is our best shot at success."
Natsume raised a single finger. "Monthly salary: one million."
"What?! Meowth!"
"Are you serious?!"
Meowth and Jessie's eyes turned into money signs.
"You two! Have some dignity!"
Only James stayed firm. Furious, he grabbed their shoulders and barked:
"Have you forgotten why we joined Team Rocket in the first place?!"
Meowth and Jessie snapped back to their senses—well, sort of. Though still tempted, they shook their heads firmly.
"We won't betray the boss!"
Giovanni has that much charisma?
Natsume raised an eyebrow slightly. If that's the case, maybe negotiating directly with Giovanni would be better.
But with his current status, he wasn't quite at that level. And as for his "god-making" plan… telling Giovanni was out of the question.
"Come to think of it, meow," Meowth suddenly piped up. "Natsume, you'd be a great fit for Team Rocket."
He looked at Natsume, trying to lure him in.
Really, that casual Poké Ball snatching move—it had never seen anything like it.
"I'm not interested." Natsume replied flatly and started walking toward the trio.
"What do you want?!" James cautiously pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Young Master James, if your father is interested, he's welcome to invest in me." Natsume said casually, handing him a business card.
"Rotom, let's go!"
Rotom zipped into the phone and instantly triggered Teleport.
Natsume vanished.
Meowth and Jessie stood frozen for a moment, then suspiciously turned to James.
"James?" Jessie leaned in, then suddenly raised her voice: "—Young Master?!"
"Uh, wait, I can explain—"
Cerulean City, Pokémon Center.
"Natsume, I want to challenge you!"
Ash stood at one end of the battle arena, issuing a challenge as Natsume returned.
"Pika!"
Pikachu stood proudly at his side, eyes brimming with battle spirit.
"Sure." Natsume replied, shooting a look at Middle-Part, who quickly scurried over to face Ash.
Natsume himself didn't budge, still fiddling with a Premier Ball in his hands.
"Wait, Natsume? Aren't you going to battle me?" Ash looked confused.
"Yeah. Just help command Middle-Part. He'll battle your Pikachu." Natsume raised his head and shot Ash a puzzled glance.
This kid really was a bit thickheaded. Not the type to read between the lines, huh?
Ash: "???"
"But that's not right, Natsume! You beat four of the Dragon-type Elite Four's Pokémon! One of them was even their ace!"
Ash couldn't stop glancing at the floating phone-Rotom beside Natsume.
"I'm not strong. I just got lucky." Natsume replied succinctly.
Ash: "."
He wasn't lying. Luck had played a big role.
His Poké Ball Rotom was best suited for doubles. In singles, it had no initiative.
Last time, Lance had gone easy on him, letting Natsume move first. Combined with the opponent's unfamiliarity with Poké Ball Rotom's abilities, it triggered a whole chain of unexpected events.
Of course, even without a level advantage, Poké Ball Rotom was still very formidable in singles.
"Natsume…"
Ash still looked determined. Seeing that, Natsume's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Ash, do you know who the hardest person for a Pokémon Trainer to surpass is?"
"Is it the Champion?" Ash straightened up, caught off guard by Natsume's sudden solemnity.
"No. Even Champions have people they struggle to surpass." Natsume shook his head.
"Then who is it?" Ash asked, his curiosity piqued.
"It's the trainer themselves, Ash." Natsume placed a hand on his shoulder. His expression radiated with an almost divine glow, voice solemn:
"The real gap isn't between you and me—it's between who you were yesterday, and who you are today."
"Ash, try challenging yourself!"
Natsume's passionate voice echoed across the field. Ash was rocked to his core. His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"You're right! I'm going to challenge myself!"
"Go, Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
"Middle-Part, dodge it, quick!"
"He's a lost cause." Misty sighed, pinching her forehead.
"Agreed." Brock nodded.
The Next Day – Outskirts of Cerulean City
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Block Sandshrew's Rollout!"
Inside a battle tent, Pikachu swung its glowing tail like it was wielding a giant sword, blocking Sandshrew's spinning assault.
"What?!"
The tent's owner, a green-haired boy, widened his eyes in shock.
"Good! Quick Attack into a spinning side strike!"
Ash gave the command. Pikachu braced itself with one hand on the ground, gripping its silvery, steel-like tail behind its back like a massive greatsword.
Whoosh!
Pikachu's form blurred, reappearing at Sandshrew's side in a flash, slashing down with brutal force.
Boom!
"Hang in there, Sandshrew—use Earthquake!"
The green-haired trainer tried to give a command, but it was too late. Sandshrew had already fainted.
"Whoa—that was amazing!"
The boy recalled his Sandshrew and ran excitedly toward Ash.
"How can Iron Tail be used like that?! And stay active the whole time?!"
"How on earth did you train this Pikachu?! Please, you have to tell me!"
"Uh…" Ash scratched his head awkwardly.
His Pikachu had been trained according to a plan developed by Natsume—who was still waiting for him outside.
Outside the tent, Natsume and the others waited patiently.
"Sheesh, the moment he saw someone with a 99-win streak, he just had to rush in." Misty couldn't help but complain.
"Well, it's not a bad thing to be motivated. I'll take this time to prepare lunch." Brock smiled, taking it in stride. The flat, clean area around the tent was perfect for a picnic.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone."
Before long, Ash and Pikachu reappeared at the entrance.
"Well? Wasn't that greatsword-style Iron Tail amazing?"
Natsume glanced at Pikachu's tail, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Unlike in the original series, Pikachu's tail now had a natural metallic sheen.
Ever since Pikachu learned Iron Tail, Natsume had designed a full training regimen:
A specially formulated steel reagent, adapted to Pikachu's physiology, injected into its tail.
A custom "Mouse Greatsword Style" tailored to Pikachu's physical structure, making Iron Tail more fluid and versatile.
"Thanks, Natsume! Pikachu can now keep Iron Tail active throughout a battle!"
Ash thanked him earnestly.
"Oh, right—those reagents must be expensive. I'll pay you back once I earn some money."
"It's fine. Think of it as payment for taking care of Middle-Part." Natsume patted his head.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin