Chapter 100: Midchu's DReam Armor
*Pikapi?* Midchu touched his head, looking completely incredulous.
"All right, explain how that little shield appeared just now."
Natsume's telekinesis swept over, confirming that Midchu's will form had no damage to repair.
*Pika*, Midchu lowered his head, deep in thought. At this moment, he realized the significance of the shield—it could give him a means of protecting himself within the dream world.
"Midchu, try to recall the feeling from before and attempt to form a shield," Ash encouraged.
Midchu nodded, looking slightly strained. Soon, milky-white mist began to gather above his head. The mist condensed in his paws, forming a small, translucent shield, as smooth and bright as white jade.
*Pika!* Midchu excitedly raised the little shield.
"This is…" Natsume opened the system panel. Midchu's transformation appeared connected to his Divine Exclusive.
**[Pikaremon]**
[Divine Authority: Realm of Eternal Sleep]
[Divine Exclusive: Dream Armor {INCOMPLETE}]
Indeed, Midchu had acquired a Divine Exclusive skill. But Natsume wondered where it had gotten enough Divine Authority to activate it—it might have come from the large divine energy chunk it had absorbed last time, only now fully integrated.
Natsume examined the Dream Armor {INCOMPLETE}.
[Dream Armor {INCOMPLETE}:
In Realm of Eternal Sleep, Pikaremon can create armor to protect itself. Due to insufficient Divine Authority, the armor is incompletely formed.
Data incomplete.]
"Oh~" Natsume nodded; it matched his expectations.
"Ash, you should step outside for now," Natsume telepathically instructed.
"Oh, okay," Ash replied, dazedly nodding.
In the preparation tent, Ash opened his eyes.
"Ah—Giselle, what are you doing here?" The first thing he saw was an indignant Giselle.
"Nothing, I'm waiting to ask Natsume a question," she said.
"Uh, fine, I'll take Midchu out for a bit." Following Natsume's instructions, Ash carried Midchu outside. Though it was nighttime, many contestants were still training, so Ash's presence wasn't unusual.
...
**In Midchu's dream world**
"I'll have Ash's Pokémon attack you in reality," Natsume's voice echoed.
*Pika?* Midchu flinched.
"Let's test your little shield and see how much of a nightmare it can block."
Natsume concentrated blue particles in his hand, producing a small notebook.
"Ready!" As he spoke, the dream world dimmed suddenly.
A humanoid figure wreathed in flames appeared nearby—probably a Charmeleon attack transformed into a nightmare.
Natsume squinted, feeling the figure looked familiar. The humanoid charged at Midchu.
*Pika!* Midchu raised his shield. The instant the figure touched it, it shattered.
*Pika?* Midchu peeked over the shield. The shield seemed to counter the nightmare; his color dimmed slightly. Natsume noted the effect in his notebook.
One after another, more figures appeared: a water figure and a wooden one.
Nightmares born from Squirtle's and Bulbasaur's attacks.
Seeing the carved face on the Grass-type figure, Natsume realized with a start—that was his own face.
"I'm a nightmare in Midchu's mind?" Natsume felt a chill. Too chilling!
*Pika*, Midchu embarrassedly retracted his head.
*Bang bang!*
The two nightmare figures crashed against the milky-white shield and vanished in a puff of smoke. The shield in Midchu's hands also dissipated.
"How long will it take you to reform that shield?"
Natsume asked.
*Pika!* Midchu shook his head, signaling he didn't know.
"That's fine, I'll help you test it."
Ten minutes later, Midchu's shield formed again.
*Bang bang bang!* The shield shattered, and Midchu slumped to the ground.
Another ten minutes passed. Midchu tried to form the shield, but Natsume stopped it.
"Can you control the condensation of this milky-white mist? For example, instead of forming a shield, could you form a sword?"
Natsume guided patiently.
Midchu paused. He liked the shield—it protected him. He even considered, once his Divine Authority was fully restored, forming a turtle shell to lie inside and continue resting in the dream world.
Mist rose from Midchu's head. With Natsume's telekinetic assistance, the mist split into two. One part condensed into a small round shield, only large enough for Midchu's head—not enough to cover his whole body. The other part formed a small short sword.
*Pikapi!* Midchu looked at Natsume seriously, signaling he couldn't give up the shield.
"All right," Natsume said with a twitch of his mouth.
*Bang!* The small round shield blocked one attack before shattering.
*Bang bang bang bang!* The short sword cut through four nightmare creatures before dissolving.
"See? Often, offense works better than defense," Natsume noted carefully in his notebook.
After testing, the combination of small shield plus short sword proved most effective.
*Pika!* Midchu spread his paws, asking if he could rest.
"No, too few tests; results might be coincidental. We need more trials."
In the dream world, Natsume lifted the drowsy Midchu. It was still mysterious how a sleeping Pikachu could train in the dream world—dreams within dreams.
The whole night passed.
...
**Next morning**
"Wow, Ash, what were you doing last night?" Misty exclaimed, noticing the dark circles under Ash's eyes and Pikachu's.
"Ah~ training Midchu," Ash yawned.
"So, Natsume, did you get the data?" Ash asked, looking at Natsume emerging from the tent.
Natsume had dark circles too, but his expression was energetic.
"All collected. Good. The P1 Grand Prix champion this time will definitely be you, Ash."
"Really? That's amazing!" Ash shivered in excitement at the thought of facing the Fighting-type masters in the future.
Over the night, Natsume gained a preliminary understanding of Midchu's new abilities.
The milky-white mist that could condense into armor was linked to the amount of Divine Authority inside it. To form full-body armor, Midchu needed more shards. Currently, he could only form a small round shield and a small short sword. Against attacks not from extremely powerful Pokémon, this was enough.
The current strategy Natsume devised: use the dream armor to block a nightmare—then evade for ten minutes—then reform the dream armor.
...
After breakfast, the team entered the preparation area for today's matches.
"Ash, Natsume, good luck!"
In the stands, Misty, Brock, and Giselle cheered them on.
"Welcome to today's P1 Grand Prix!" the host announced.
"Today, we'll see who's the strongest—let's watch closely!"
The audience buzzed with excitement, knowing which arenas to watch.
On the A-rank arena, all eyes were on that cunning Dragonite.
The B-rank arena featured the redemption matches of A-rank eliminated competitors.
The C-rank arena showcased the battle between the two wild Pokémon.
The D-rank arena focused on the Pikachu that fell asleep immediately.
"Haha, this year's P1 Grand Prix is way more exciting than previous years!"
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.