"Alright, I'll arrange a place for you to rest."
After a long round of explanations, Jim finally let out a sigh of relief.
Whatever Natsume was here for, as long as he wasn't bringing another research project, that was already a blessing!
Last time, he said he wanted to test regeneration speed, cutting Slowpoke tails three times a day. In the end, they produced an *Angry Form Slowpoke*.
And then there was the so-called experiment to verify *Male Parenting Potential*. He spirited away thirty Kangaskhan babies, sprayed them with pheromones, and handed them to a Nidoking colony to raise. The very next day, the academy's Kangaskhan herd clashed with them, joined midway by countless Nidoran offspring.
The situation turned into utter chaos.
And the time before that…
"Then I'll trouble you, Dean."
Natsume said, opening the office door.
"Heh…" Jim watched him leave as though seeing off a plague god.
"Ah!"
Just outside, Natsume bumped into a small figure.
Looking down, he saw a delicate girl, porcelain-doll-like, wearing the academy uniform. She looked about the same age as Ash.
"You okay?" Natsume helped her up. Without waiting for her to speak, he slipped her a business card.
"If your family's interested, contact me—we can talk about investments."
Giselle: ???
*Wait—that man!*
Her gaze suddenly sharpened, locked tightly on Natsume's retreating back.
"And another thing—you are not to harass my students!"
Dean Jim stormed out of the office in fury.
"Understood." Natsume replied, casually stuffing a handful of cards into passing students' hands.
*Young masters, young ladies—come have some fun.*
...
**On campus.**
Behind Ash's group trailed a shy-looking boy in uniform.
"You mean the fog just now was made by your school!?"
Ash's voice was full of shock.
"What about the other Pokémon living in the mountain?" Misty pressed.
"The whole mountain belongs to our academy. All the Pokémon here were released and raised under the school's management."
The boy, Joe, explained plainly.
"Oh my gosh… an academy this extravagant, the tuition must be insane!" Misty clutched her head, disbelieving.
Brock, however, looked thoughtful.
"If I'm not mistaken, this must be the Pokémon Technical Institute. The students here are all from wealthy families."
"Yeah. And graduates from our academy don't even need Gym Badges to enter the Indigo League Conference!" Joe added.
"No badges!? How can something like that be allowed?"
Ash's brow furrowed, his voice heated: "Just having theory isn't enough to become a true Pokémon Master!"
"You're wrong. Theory alone is enough to become a Pokémon Master."
Joe shook his head dismissively. "I used to think like you. But once I joined this academy, I realized theory is far more important than actual battles."
"Oh? And what about those guys who bullied you earlier? Didn't they rely on their *theory* to put you down? Doesn't mean they'd beat you in a real fight."
Misty's voice floated over, unusually siding with Ash.
"Yeah, why didn't you send out your own Pokémon?" Brock added.
"It's pointless. Their theory's better, so their battles will be too. My Pidgeotto can't beat them."
Joe's tone sank in frustration.
"Hey, how can you have no faith in your partner? If it were me, I'd make Pikachu fight back!"
*Pika!*
Ash's voice rang out in exasperation.
"You?" Joe glanced at Ash, then at the two Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Those two Pikachu of yours might not even beat me."
Joe shrugged, as if Ash's reaction was nothing new.
"He seems like he's already accepted his fate," Brock whispered to Misty.
"Yeah, if I'd known, I wouldn't have helped him out earlier," Misty nodded with irritation.
Natsume had disappeared, so the three of them searched the area.
They didn't find Natsume, but instead came across a student being bullied—Joe.
"Hey, hey! Don't act like it's fine to be bullied! Tell me who their leader is, I'll get revenge for you!"
With overflowing righteousness, Ash grabbed Joe's collar and shouted.
"Well, actually, having them push me like this isn't so bad."
Joe remained indifferent.
"Why would he think that's encouragement…" Misty sighed, pressing her forehead.
"I don't care, just tell me what their leader looks like, I'll get revenge for you!" Ash was still furious.
*Pika!* Pikachu was fired up as well.
"Alright then." Joe pulled out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Ash.
"Here, the one in the middle is the founder of the *Whip of the Academy* club."
Ash rolled up his sleeves and leaned in.
"Okay, let's see which jerk it is—"
Suddenly, Ash fell silent, and Pikachu froze as if turned to stone.
"What's wrong with you? Being scared isn't like you, Ash." Misty frowned and leaned closer.
She too fell silent.
"What are you two doing?"
Curious, Brock stepped up to look—then also went quiet.
On the photo, a crowd stood together, including the bullies who had harassed Joe.
At the center was a clean-looking boy, harmless in appearance, smiling brightly at the camera while flashing a peace sign.
It was unmistakably Natsume.
"Natsume!!"
Misty cried out in shock.
Though he looked younger in the photo, it was definitely him.
"Natsume… how is this possible?!"
"Maybe there's some misunderstanding here?" Brock was the first to regain his senses. He pointed at Natsume in the photo.
"Joe, do you know this person?"
"No. I only heard from some seniors that Mr. Natsume was just the founder. The club already has a new president." Joe shook his head.
"I knew it—just a misunderstanding." Brock wiped imaginary sweat from his brow.
"Alright then, Joe, tell me who the current leader is!" With the misunderstanding cleared, Ash's eyes burned with renewed determination.
"Just watch, Joe—I'll show you that real battles are what truly matter!"
"The current president, huh…" Joe's eyes suddenly lit up.
He carefully pulled a poster from his pocket and unfolded it with solemnity.
"Here she is. Her name is Giselle!"
Ash once again rolled up his sleeves, full of fire.
"Alright, let's see what kind of jerk—whoa, she's cute."
"Yeah… in five years, she'll definitely be a top-class beauty," Brock said with heartfelt admiration.
"Hey, hey! What are you two doing?!" Misty stomped over, wanting to see just who this was.
On the poster stood a girl who looked a few years older than Misty.
Her black hair was tied with a sleek ribbon, her gaze sharp and cold. At the corner of her left eye was a beauty mark. She wore a white uniform with a black skirt and thigh-high socks, her chin slightly raised, eyes like blades piercing out from the poster, her arrogance almost tangible.
"How does this count as cute?!" Misty huffed.
"And besides, girls change a lot as they grow. Who knows what she'll look like in five years," Misty added sourly.
"No, Giselle-senpai is already an adult. She's a senior," Joe said, eyes glowing with admiration.
"Oh? So even if she's underdeveloped, she's still ahead of Misty—ow!" Before Brock could finish, a huge lump instantly appeared on his head.
"Suddenly, I think a little push now and then isn't such a bad thing," Brock quickly recovered.
"Exactly!" Joe smiled like he'd found a kindred spirit.
"Wait a second! Just because she's cute doesn't give her the right to bully others!"
Ash, ever the straightforward one, was the first to react. "I'm going to challenge her!"
*Pika!*
With that, Ash stormed off with both Pikachu at his side, marching through the campus in search of her.
You can read more (around 50+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free here[https://ravenarchives.com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.