Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 263 Cypress Town

Azalea Town, Pokémon Center.

"Here, Cyndaquil, eat this."

Ash excitedly released the Cyndaquil he had just caught.

Before I could even hand the snack to the other person, a bright green leaf came over.

"Chirp—"

Chikorita pushed Cyndaquil aside and swallowed the snack in one gulp.

"Chirp!!!"

Suddenly, a flame shot out from the chrysanthemum leaf, causing it to jump and throb from the spiciness.

"This is food specially made for Fire-type Pokémon."

Xiao Zhi picked up the package and explained.

"Ash, if Heracross has a more centered parting, you can try forming a bond with Chikorita and having it evolve into a Mega Evolution."

Natsume's voice rang out from the side.

"Pickup?"

The man with the middle-parted hair, who had been engrossed in his meal, looked up blankly.

How did it become an adjective?
"Chrysanthemum leaves?"

Ash looked down, staring blankly at the Chikorita that was biting his finger.

"Yes, you can tell it likes you very, very much."

Natsume nodded.

Ash's Heracross is quite fond of food, so he usually trains it by luring it with food.

Chikorita is different. It doesn't need Ash to call it every day; it will occasionally run out of the Poké Balls to bond with its trainer.

After Natsume's explanation, Satoshi was filled with fighting spirit.

"Alright, let's do bond training with Chikorita then!"

"But in that case, we'd have to wait for Chikorita to evolve into Giant Bamboo Palm."

Beside her, Xiaoxia chewed on her chopsticks, seemingly lost in thought.

"Wait, does the Giant Bamboo Flower have a Mega Evolution?"

Xiao Gang discovered the blind spot.

"Yeah, it seems that Megami Tendino isn't on the official list of Mega Evolved Pokémon released by the League."

Jiaozi picked up her phone and started searching.

“I know, but the fact that the large bamboo palm does not express genetic information has already been entered into the Carlos Genetics Database.”

Natsume looked down and swiped through his phone, speaking casually.

"Carlos Genetics Database, what is that?"

Everyone turned to look at them with curiosity.

"Do you remember the steps I told you about when a Pokémon's Mega Evolution was created?"

Natsume paused, then continued:
"The first step is to find out the information about the Pokémon's non-expressed genes through the Mega Evolution Key Stone experiment."

"If you want to know which Pokémon will be researching Mega Evolution forms in the next batch of Pokémon, you can check the database."

“It is very likely that Pokémon whose genes are not usually expressed will have their Mega Evolution forms discovered in the next few years.”

Natsume explained.

"So that's it!"

Jiaozi picked up his phone thoughtfully.

"According to Mr. Natsume, the next batch of research targets includes: the giant carnivore from the Kanto region, the giant holly from the Johto region, and the Unova snake from the Unova region."

"It looks like these Pokémon will start a new breeding trend."

Xiao Gang also looked at the database with great interest.

He had never imagined that there was such a way to gain insight into the future direction of a certain policy of the alliance.

"Alright, Chicory Leaf, then we'd better work hard!"

As Ash spoke, he happily picked up Chikorita.

"Chirp chirp~"

Chikorita affectionately rubbed against Ash's face.

"Sigh, that's strange. How come there's still Charizard's non-expressing genetic data? And it was uploaded this year."

The proud son exclaimed in surprise.

Natsume leaned closer to take a look, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Just as he expected, the final form of Charizard was about to appear.

"Natsume, there's even unexpressed genetic data for Dragonite here! Such a powerful Pokémon, wouldn't it be amazing if it had a Mega Evolution form?"

Xia's voice trailed off as she spoke, and she noticed that Natsume's expression was not good.

"What's wrong, Natsume-nii?"

Ash looked at Natsume with a puzzled expression.

Isn't this a good thing?
"nothing."

Natsume rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Dragonite needs mechanical modifications to extend its lifespan.

However, super evolution can potentially change one's physical form.

What if it conflicts with my own modifications?
Either Natsume finds a solution, or Dragonite will have to say goodbye to its Mega Evolution form forever.

With a "whoosh," Natsume retrieved the rice bowl from the man with the middle parting. "Pikachu?"

With its middle-parted hair and rice grains still clinging to the corners of its mouth, it looked up at Natsume with a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing, you're just living too comfortably."

Natsume tapped the man with the middle-parted hair on the head.

The man with the middle parting turned his gaze away, then, as if he knew the place well, went to the next table and began to bow and beg for food.

"Come back here!"

Xiao Gang blushed and pulled his middle-parted hair back.

Amidst the strange looks from the people at the next table, Xiao Gang kept stuffing snacks into the arms of the man with the middle parting.

"We have enough to eat, plenty to eat!"

The man with the middle parting took the snack, took only half a bite, then kicked his legs and flipped over onto the table.

"Ok?"

The entire group at the next table stood up, watching Xiaogang and Natsume's group warily.

"Um, it's just asleep, asleep!"

Xiao Gang pointed to the snot bubbles rising from the tip of his nose with his middle-parted hair, quickly explained, and then promptly threw two small snacks into his mouth, crunching them down in two bites.

Seeing this, the person at the next table hesitated before sitting down, their gaze towards Natsume and his group still carrying a hint of wariness.

"What's wrong with a middle parting?"

Xiao Zhi tugged at the back of the man with the middle parting.

"Pica-"

Pikachu, holding a chopstick, hesitantly poked the other person.

The other person was sleeping soundly, sprawled out like a frog, showing no signs of waking up.

The man with the middle parting fell into a deep slumber.

Natsume patted the other's head and put it back into its Poké Ball.

After two weeks of indulging in food and drink, the man with the middle parting finally had enough energy to start digesting that small fragment of divine power.

"In that case, now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, let's go to the sashimi dojo!"

Xiao Zhi put down his chopsticks and announced loudly.

"No, we need to find Mr. Steel first and deliver the GS ball."

Natsume stood up.

"what--"

Ash lowered his head in disappointment.

"However, we can split up. Ash, you can go and challenge the Bread Gym first."

Natsume thought for a moment and weighed his options.

Let the other side finish challenging the gym first, then the two groups will meet up again, since they're not far apart anyway.

"In that case, is there anyone willing to come with me to the cypress bark dojo?"

Xiao Zhi raised his hand.

"Uh, I'm curious what's inside the GS ball." Xiaoxia shook her head.

"The fruit balls from the cypress bark town are very famous; I'd like to go see them," Xiao Gang said after stroking his chin and pondering for a moment.
“Mr. Steel happens to be an expert in this area.”

Seeing that no one wanted to go, Xiao Zhi was a little disappointed.

"In that case, I'll finish this quickly. Maybe I'll be able to reunite with everyone in no time!"

"Pikachu, let's set off cleanly!"

As Ash spoke, he hurriedly ran out of the Pokémon Center with Pikachu.

"Is Ash alright?"

"I've checked the Shrimp Gym Leader; he's a trainer who specializes in Bug-type Pokémon. Ash shouldn't have much of a problem."

Xiao Gang nodded slightly.

Bug-type gyms are generally considered to be the easiest gyms to get badges from.

As they left the Pokémon Center and were about to part ways with Ash, the group arrived in front of a giant statue.

The statue stands tall and imposing in the center of the town of Hachipi, holding a large hammer.

"Named Iron and Steel, what is this?"

Xiao Zhi was curious.

"Idiot, this is the name of steel!"

Xiaoxia grabbed Xiaozhi's ear.

"There seems to be something different about Mr. Steel's statue."

Xiao Gang stroked his chin; he had seen several interviews with Mr. Steel on television.

The other person was very old; they should all be addressed as "grandfather."

Yet the statue standing in the center of the square portrays steel as incredibly young, healthy, and strong.

"Natsume-nii, do you think there will be a statue of you in Pallet Town someday?"

Ash seemed to have thought of something and turned to look at Natsume.

"Hmm," Natsume said without speaking.

Actually, it already exists; there's one in Professor Oak's backyard.

The cursed doll was the one who started it.
(End of this chapter)