*Hiss—ha!*
The blaze on the spicy sludge suddenly flared up, burning violently.
"Whew—" As the smoke was drawn in, a round, plump silhouette began to emerge.
The outline solidified, glowing violet, until the inner smoke could no longer be seen.
*Gengaa!*
A chubby, red-eyed Gengar appeared out of thin air!
With the spicy sludge clamped in its mouth, Gengar patted its belly with its stubby hands, looking as if to say, *leave it to me*.
"Gengar, Level 86." A childish voice rang out.
Natsume glanced in surprise at the doll cradled in Sabrina's arms.
*Psychic powers could do this too?*
*Well, it made sense—Psychics could generally sense another's strength. Most Psychic-type Pokémon had perception abilities far beyond other Pokémon.*
*But to be this precise, like Sabrina, was no easy feat.*
"All right, Gengar, fight as you like!" Natsume gave Sabrina a thumbs-up.
To last even five seconds against the Ghost-type Elite's ace—that was enough.
"No need. You may go." The doll's voice echoed, and faint azure light flickered within the cloth pupils.
In the next moment, a golden round badge appeared out of nowhere.
It landed in Natsume's hand. He could see a pentagram-like design etched onto it.
"You may leave." The doll dismissed them bluntly.
"Wait, what about me?!" As Natsume exited, Ash immediately stepped forward.
His fighting spirit burned as he stared at the Alakazam in front of Sabrina.
The Gym Leader's main Pokémon—it looked incredibly strong!
Ash hurriedly pulled out a spicy sludge, ready to light it and call on Gastly.
But before he could, another golden badge appeared out of thin air, dropping into his hand.
??? Ash froze in disbelief.
Everyone outside thought he couldn't win, yet inside he was handed a badge straight away?
"All right, you can leave now." The doll's icy voice rang again.
Natsume thought he noticed Sabrina's lips twitch slightly when Ash pulled out the spicy sludge.
"What's this? I don't want a badge just handed to me!" Ash didn't care about the golden badge—he only wanted a real battle with Sabrina.
"Leave!" The doll's face turned cold, and its psychic power surged again.
Unexpectedly, this time a faint blue aura wrapped around Natsume and the others.
Sabrina's eyes lifted coldly, catching sight of the Gengar floating above, puffing smoke.
"Wow, amazing—we're flying!" Misty exclaimed.
"Mm, not bad." Natsume rubbed his chin, taking it all in.
He told Gengar not to cancel Sabrina's psychic power just yet—he wanted to experience it fully. After all, he had plans to learn psychic abilities himself.
Sabrina's gaze locked onto Natsume's face.
She could tell this powerful Gengar didn't belong to the group, but it seemed to protect them—and even obeyed some of their commands.
The psychic force carried them all, floating toward the Gym's exit.
"This isn't fair! I want a battle, a battle!"
Ash shouted wildly and suddenly broke free from the doll's psychic grip.
"Huh?" The doll tilted its head, puzzled. Sabrina's eyes glowed blue, dazzling bright.
An even stronger psychic force surged over Ash, lifting him once more, dragging him toward the Gym doors.
"No! I want a battle, a battle!" Ash resisted, like burning charcoal doused in cold water, hissing and crackling.
At the doorway, a middle-aged man in work clothes slowly walked in.
"By now, it should be time to rescue them." He muttered to himself.
A faint blue light gathered around him beneath his lowered cap brim.
But it quickly faded away.
Sensing something, he raised his head toward the Gym entrance.
"I want a battle, a Pokémon battle!"
"Geez, Ash, shut up already—she can't hear you now." Misty clapped her hands over her ears.
The group, along with Ash's frustrated cries about the battle, was tossed out like garbage.
Bang! The massive doors slammed shut, glowing blue, as if Sabrina had sealed them with a psychic lock.
Off to the side, the middle-aged man stood silently.
This was the first group he had ever seen walk away from his daughter unharmed.
"How… how did you do it?" he asked, stepping forward, his face filled with excitement.
"Uh… who are you, old man?" Ash blinked in confusion, feeling like he had seen him somewhere before.
"He's the guy we passed outside the Gym earlier!" Misty grabbed Ash by the ear.
"What do you mean how? Sir, is there something you need?" Brock stepped up politely.
"I want to know—how did you make Sabrina angry?" the man asked eagerly, grasping Brock's hand.
"For eight years—ever since she was ten—I haven't seen a single expression on little Sabrina's face!"
His own psychic ability was strong, and the instant the Gym doors opened, he had sensed it—an emotion spilling from Sabrina's aura. Anger.
"Oh, that." Nearby, Natsume raised his head and pulled out a massive flashlight.
"Here, just shine this on her and you'll see." He looked earnestly at the man in work clothes.
"This?" The man froze, looking puzzled.
"Yeah, come to think of it, it was Natsume's searchlight that ticked her off." Misty thought it over and nodded.
"Brother, could you lend me that flashlight? Please!" The man grabbed Natsume's hand, pleading with his eyes.
"One hundred million." Natsume held out his hand.
"…"
"Sigh." The man let out a long breath, then slowly said:
"…Actually, I'm the former Gym Leader here—Seth Kenshin. Sabrina is my daughter."
His words instantly captured everyone's attention.
All ears turned toward him—especially Misty, who darted forward, eager for secrets.
After some discussion, they roughly understood the cause of Sabrina's strange behavior.
"So what you're saying is, because Sabrina was so talented, you taught her psychic powers from a very young age?" Ash rubbed his chin.
"And the more she studied, the more she became obsessed. Meanwhile, you had no time to be with her," Brock added.
"So she spent all her time with dolls, cut off her emotions, and grew into this withdrawn, anti-social personality?" Giselle frowned.
"That's awful! Poor Sabrina—what terrible parents you've been!" Misty shouted angrily, pointing at Seth Kenshin.
"So…" Seth Kenshin hesitated, then looked at Natsume with desperate eyes.
"Please, Mr. Natsume—lend me that lamp. I haven't seen Sabrina show any emotion in so long!"
At that moment, Seth Kenshin was like a dying man on his deathbed, clinging to the faintest sliver of hope.
He clutched at Natsume's arm, frantic and pleading.
"I understand—you're desperate right now." Natsume nodded, sympathy flickering in his eyes.
"Ten billion." Natsume named his price without hesitation.
"…"
You can read more (around 80+ 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.