Chapter 91: The HopHopHop Town Mystery
By evening, Midchu's special training had ended.
It stumbled off the table, feeling as if the sky had collapsed.
The world seemed utterly chaotic, black as ink.
Midchu could already imagine Natsume racing a group of people in his mental world's go-kart competition.
*No, this couldn't happen!*
He has to do something.
"Whew—" At the dining table, Giselle exhaled deeply.
Opening her eyes, she felt warmth in her hands.
Looking down, she realized she was tightly holding Natsume's hand, her palm covered in sweat.
"You don't seem very comfortable," Natsume said, looking at her curiously.
Giselle's face was drenched in sweat, dripping down her chin, her damp hair sticking to her flushed cheeks.
She held her own hand, palm warm but fingertips icy.
"Ah!" Giselle abruptly withdrew her hand, lashes trembling, and stood up quickly.
"Sorry, Mr. Natsume, I embarrassed you." A blush spread up her pale neck as she took a tissue and wiped the sweat from his hand.
"I… I'll go take a shower first." Lowering her head, she quickly went upstairs.
*Pikapi!* After Giselle left, Midchu tugged at Natsume's sleeve.
"You're not going to rest properly? What is it this time?" Natsume asked, surprised.
After training, Midchu usually just fell asleep.
*Pika, pika!* Midchu waved his short hands in the air, clearly trying to communicate.
Sensing he had something to say, Natsume opened his mental link fully.
Under the blue glow, Midchu froze for a moment but quickly recovered, focused on his grand plan.
*Pikapi, pika!*
"You want a full list of Legendary Pokémon?" Natsume asked in surprise.
"What would you do with that thing?"
*Pika, pika!* Midchu clenched his fists.
"Interested in Legendaries… trying to find relatives?" Natsume twitched his mouth.
"Fine, I'll give it to you."
Though he suspected Midchu was tricking him, no matter the reason, this lazy Pokémon wanted more knowledge, and as a Trainer, Natsume couldn't refuse.
He retrieved a small booklet from the system space.
It contained basic records of nearly every Legendary Pokémon species in the League.
Midchu accepted it like a treasured prize.
Opening it, Midchu froze.
It seemed… he couldn't read?
No matter, he would at least memorize the appearances of all these Legendaries.
Natsume quietly observed, unaware of Midchu's exact plan.
Midchu displayed a seriousness completely different from usual.
Even when Natsume waved Midchu's favorite Leaf Muffin in front of it,
*Ah-woo!* Midchu turned away, swallowing it whole.
"…"
Regardless, this was a good sign.
"Ah!" Natsume stretched, preparing to order at the front desk.
"Natsume! Something's wrong! Misty's gone missing!"
Ash rushed into the Pokémon Center.
"Who's missing?" Natsume, chewing rice, handed Ash a bottle of water.
"Misty… she's gone."
"Wait, wait, explain clearly first." Natsume noticed Officer Jenny following behind Ash.
"Wasn't Misty supposed to go to the aquarium?"
"Yes, Natsume. I ran into her halfway there, but when I looked back, she was gone. All I found nearby was her Pokédex."
Ash spoke as he pulled out a Pokédex with a Magikarp keychain hanging from it.
"Maybe she just didn't want to be around you?" Natsume tilted his head.
"That's not it, Mr. Natsume," Officer Jenny cut in.
She pulled out a stack of papers—missing person notices.
"Lately, children have been disappearing in HopHopHop Town…" Her voice was heavy with exhaustion.
"Yeah, I ran into Officer Jenny, and then Misty disappeared, so I came to find you," Ash explained.
"Oh, I see." Natsume didn't waste words and pulled out his Rotom Phone.
"I've found Misty's location. Let's go." Before long, he had pinpointed her.
"Mr. Natsume, please let me see!" Officer Jenny's tense expression suddenly eased.
Ash had told her Natsume had a way to track people, so she followed immediately.
Natsume waved his hand, and the Rotom Phone turned around, showing her the red dot on the map.
"This is… the Game Corner?" Jenny frowned slightly, then continued:
"If I'm not mistaken, that's owned by Team Rocket."
"What?! Team Rocket?! That means Misty's in serious danger!" Ash clutched his head.
"Either way, let's get moving. Giselle, please look after Pikachu for me."
"Eh? Alright."
Natsume handed the Pikachu, still absorbed in his booklet, to Giselle, who had just come downstairs with a towel around her neck.
As they stepped out of the Pokémon Center, Officer Jenny called after them.
"What is it, Officer Jenny? We don't have time!" Ash said anxiously.
"Don't rush. If this involves Team Rocket, the three of us won't be enough."
She raised her wrist to check the time.
"Officer Jenny, did you call for backup?" Ash asked.
"Yes. This case has been ongoing for nearly half a year without resolution. I reported it to the League last month, but their manpower is tight right now."
She shook her head and said no more.
It made sense—Mt. Moon and the Mysterious Islands had drained a lot of the League's enforcers. They needed to protect researchers and keep out smugglers.
"Officer Jenny, can you tell us more about the case?" Natsume asked while they waited, showing his researcher credentials.
"Half a year ago, children in HopHopHop Town started vanishing," she said, nodding slightly as she took the ID.
"At first, we suspected kidnappings. But as the numbers grew, something stranger happened—every month, the missing children suddenly returned."
She paused.
"You may not believe this, but those children came back completely fine."
"Huh? Then what's Team Rocket even kidnapping them for?" Ash asked in shock.
Jenny shook her head. "We don't know. Questioning the kids gave us no useful information."
"All they ever say is that they *became all sorts of Pokémon and lived freely* during that month."
Her voice lowered.
"It sounds ridiculous. We debated for a long time and could only assume some Pokémon with Hypnosis lured them away… but now, it turns out Team Rocket is involved."
Natsume frowned in thought.
The kids said they became Pokémon. And Team Rocket was feeding and caring for them in the meantime.
"Do these children like Pokémon?" Natsume suddenly asked.
Jenny blinked, then nodded.
"That's the common thread. Every missing child lived with Pokémon at home."
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.