Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 104 Black Cloud City

"It's so dark here."

On the road, Xiaoxia was holding an umbrella.

"It's not raining, why are we using an umbrella?" Ash tied himself and Pikachu together with his Gold Belt, and the size was just right.

"Haven't you noticed how bad the air is here? Humph, never mind, I can't explain it to you." Xiaoxia turned her head away.

Hearing the two bickering, Natsume looked up, his thoughts shifting away from the high-powered ball.

The pale blue light gradually faded. Rubbing his sore eyes, Natsume subconsciously yawned, and then began to cough violently.

"Cough cough cough cough!"

"Mr. Natsume, are you alright?"

The proud boy who had been watching from the sidelines snapped out of his daze and quickly handed Natsume a bottle of water.

"The air here is terrible, don't you guys feel it?"

Natsume was surprised to find that with each breath he took, it felt like a knife was cutting through his throat.

After gulping down half a bottle of water, Natsume felt a little better.

"The air quality is bad? It does seem a bit bad." Ash belatedly realized and looked up at the sky.

A grayish-white haze enveloped the city, and the setting sun refracted an eerie copper-red hue in the murky air. The sky, devoid of birds, resembled a corroded metal dome.

"Hey, Natsume, did you catch a cold?" Kasumi seemed to notice something.

"Yes, Mr. Natsume looks cuter than usual. I mean, his face is a little red."

Jiaozi quickly changed his tune.

"A cold?" Natsume touched his forehead.

Probably not.

"Ah!"

The moment the thought popped into his head, Natsume sneezed several times, followed by the discomfort of a stuffy nose.

"."

"We've arrived. Black Cloud City is just ahead," Xiao Gang's voice rang out from ahead.

"Perfect timing, Natsume-san, let's go to the Pokémon Center to rest for a bit," Ash quickly suggested.

The group walked forward, but Xiao Gang, who was at the very front, stopped.

"What's wrong, Xiaogang?" Xiaoxia asked in confusion, looking ahead and then being taken aback.

At the port of Black Cloud City, a steel forest loomed in and out of the mist, consisting of rows and rows of factories.

Rusty pipes spew out dark red sewage, concrete drains continuously drain into the ocean, and the factory complex resembles a crouching steel monster spewing sulfurous plumes of smoke.

"Huh?" Ash was stunned.

"This place has the largest power plant in the Kanto region, and there are also many factories here," Xiaogang explained to everyone after looking at the map.

"Doesn't the league care? This is such a pollution to the environment," Xiaoxia complained from the side.

"Ahem. The clothes we wear, the Poké Balls, the cars, all sorts of tools—these factories all contributed to this." Natsume's deep voice rang out.

"You can't look at everything from just one perspective. Cough cough cough!" Before he could finish speaking, Natsume started coughing violently again.

"Mr. Natsume, let's hurry to the Pokémon Center!"

A look of anxiety appeared on Jiaozi's face as she reached out and helped Natsume up.

"Pikachu." A weak voice came from Ash's arms.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?"

Ash looked down and noticed that Pikachu's expression was also off; the other kept twitching its nose, and arcs of electricity swirled around its two Electric Cylinders.

"I know that, it's a typical symptom of Pikachu having a fever."

Jiaozi glanced at it and immediately remembered the description in the book Natsume had given her.

"Huh?" Ash was stunned.

"What do you mean 'oh'? We have two sick members in our team right now, so of course we need to get to the Pokémon Center right away!"

Xiaoxia grabbed Xiaozhi's ear and rushed straight to the Pokémon Center.

"Natsume-sensei, let's go too."

Jiaozi pressed herself against him, her skin cool and refreshing, and surprisingly, Natsume didn't push her away.

Black Cloud City, Pokémon Center, entrance.

"We're almost in the city center, yet we can still hear the roar of the factory," Xiaoxia frowned.

"Yes, we haven't seen anyone on the streets along the way. This city feels like a ghost town."

Xiao Gang looked up and around.

“Here… cough, the alliance has been divided into heavy industry development… cough cough cough, the policy has been moved.” Natsume explained weakly.

"Oh dear, Natsume-sensei, you don't need to explain at a time like this." Natsume leaned against Jiaozi for support, the latter's face flushed red with excitement. As she spoke, Jiaozi reached out and touched Natsume's forehead.

Jiaozi's hands were ice-cold, and Natsume was 100% certain that he had a fever.

Is anyone there? Is the Pokémon Center empty?

Xiao Zhi went to the door and knocked.

"That's strange, Pokémon Centers are usually open all day."

Brock looked around at the Pokémon Center in Black Cloud City. The doors were tightly shut, and there wasn't a single light inside.

"Who?"

The door opened slightly, and a beam of light shone towards the crowd.

Miss Joey came out, yawning, with a flashlight in her hand.

"Seriously, don't disturb my sleep." Nurse Joy glanced at the group, and after seeing Ash's identification, she let them in.

Joey didn't turn on the lights; he just wandered around the hall with a flashlight.

"Um, why does this Miss Joey seem a bit different from the other Miss Joeys?" Xia whispered.

"Whatever medicine you need, the vending machine over there has it all. Don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

As Joey spoke, he pulled out a large deck chair from behind the counter, on which a Chansey lay.

Joey, holding Chansey, yawned and closed his eyes.

"."

"Hey, Miss Nurse Joy, could you please take a look at my Pikachu?"

Ash rushed forward, lifted Pikachu high, and handed it to Nurse Joy.

Joey opened his eyes and glanced at it:
"You have a cold. Go to vending machine number two, the medicine is in the second column of the third row. Go buy it yourself. If you want reimbursement, just insert the medicine catalog into the port over there."

After saying that, Joey pulled down his blindfold.

Xiaozhi: "."

"What is it?" Xiao Zhi turned around and went to get the medicine.

“Miss Joey, I need medicine, cough cough cough,” Natsume’s voice rang out.

"Huh?" On the recliner, Joey flipped up her eye mask and suddenly sat up.

"Clap!"

The next second, the entire Pokémon Center lit up.

"Ah!" The sudden light startled everyone so much that they couldn't open their eyes.

"What is this Miss Joey!" Xiaoxia muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, my sixth sense was right after all," Xiao Gang whispered.

"What sixth sense?" Xiaoxia was taken aback before she realized what she meant.

When Xiao Gang first saw Miss Joey, he would definitely have been the first to rush over.

But this time, he acted like a normal person, which was unusual.

When everyone came to their senses, they realized that Miss Joey was not wearing a nurse's uniform, but a spaghetti strap nightgown.

"Natsume-sensei?" Joey asked as she put on her coat and walked toward Natsume.

"Natsume-sensei!?" everyone exclaimed.

"Natsume-sensei?" Jiaozi hugged Natsume even tighter.

"Natsume-sensei, you seem to have a fever?" Joey touched Natsume's forehead and pulled him and Jiaozi together.

"Hey!" Jiao Zi stomped his foot.

"Hehe, I'll go prepare the medicine." Joey glanced at Jiaozi, covered her mouth and chuckled, then turned and walked into the back room.

A short while later, at a table in the dining area.

"Wow, this place is so dirty!" Xiaoxia frowned as she and Xiaogang huffed and puffed as they wiped the tables and chairs.

"Because everyone here has left, there aren't many trainers coming here at all." Not far away, Nurse Joy walked over with a bowl of medicinal soup and placed it on the table.

"Come on, Pikachu, you'll feel better after you take the medicine." Ash said, feeding Pikachu a bottle of oral liquid.

"Come on, Natsume-sensei, you'll feel better after taking your medicine." Joey said, but then noticed that the prepared medicine was gone.

"Here you are, Mr. Natsume. You'll feel better after taking your medicine." Jiaozi held up the bowl.

Natsume: "."

"I'll drink it myself." With that, Natsume took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

"Natsume-san, why does Nurse Joy call you 'teacher'?" Ash asked curiously after feeding Pikachu the medicine.

Jiaozi suddenly straightened up, leaned forward slightly, and quietly grabbed the hem of Natsume's clothes.

(End of this chapter)