Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 283 The Old Man Who Paddled the Boat
"Bang bang bang!"

Several heavy books were thrown in front of Xiaoxi, pulling the girl back to reality from her fantasy.

"Mr. Natsume, what are these books?"

Xiaoxi picked up a book at random—"Herbalism".

Akane was taken aback. Although Natsume didn't explain, she understood as soon as she saw the name.

Not only various mildly toxic herbs, but feeding herbs directly to the milk tank might also give the produced Moo Moo milk some special effects.

"These things... well, that's about right. You can learn them on your own, otherwise you'll easily be led by the nose by some unscrupulous research institutes, wasting money and time."

As Natsume spoke, he patted several more large books. Lei was already taller than Akane in front of him.

"Oh, do I have to learn all of these?"

Akane stared blankly at Natsume.

"Why are you looking at me? Do you expect me to teach you, or do you expect your seventy-year-old grandfather to learn?"

Natsume waved his hand.

"Young people, in their teens and twenties, are at the age to take risks and make a name for themselves."

Natsume patted Akane on the shoulder in encouragement.

"Haha, even my old bones can still make a fuss!"

A burst of hearty laughter came from behind them.

Looking back, I saw an elderly man with a cane and glasses.

"Grandpa, you're back."

Xiaoqian was pleasantly surprised and went forward to help her grandfather up.

“I heard your conversation, Mr. Natsume. You have a lot of ideas, thank you so much.”

Grandpa Akane stepped forward and shook hands with Natsume.

"Speaking of which, I also studied pharmacology back then. I'll take care of these things. Xiaoqian, you just focus on being a good gym leader."

"Thank you grandpa!"

Grandpa Xiaoxi casually picked up a book on herbal identification and flipped through it.

"In that case, we'll take our leave."

The grandfather was kind and the grandson was filial; everyone seized the opportunity to say goodbye.

"By the way, if you're looking for researchers to collaborate with, I recommend Dr. Kongmu's research institute."

Natsume peeked out from the doorway.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble!"

Inside the house, Grandpa Akane closed his book and looked at the large pile of books that Natsume had given him.

Suddenly, he seemed to notice something, and his expression froze.

Why study theology?
Natsume, carrying several boxes of Moo Moo Milk made from leaf-cutting grass and hemp grass, followed the others towards their next destination, Round Pearl City.

Natsume has already provided ideas and plans regarding Akane and her grandfather's ranch, as well as the development of the new Moo Moo milk product.

Whether or not she can succeed, and how she can succeed, depends on whether Xiaoxi can seize the opportunity.

"Pica-"

Beside him, a man with a middle parting looked up, the light bulb shining directly on Natsume's forehead.

His bald head was like a magnifying glass, so bright that everyone couldn't open their eyes.

"Okay, that proves it works. You don't have to drink it."

Only after Natsume spoke did the man with the middle parting feel relieved enough to put the bottle of Moo Moo Milk back into Natsume's backpack.

Anyone who drinks ten pounds of milk a day will feel nauseous.

"Natsume-kun, what's that light bulb on the Chinese leader's head?"

Along the way, everyone's eyes couldn't help but glance at Tai Jingdian's middle-parted hair.

Xiao Zhi finally couldn't help but ask.

"This is called Taijinghua, which is a combat system."

Natsume replied without turning his head.

He's contacting the software development subsidiary of Jiaozi; his translation software seems to have passed testing and is ready to go live.

"Too Crystallized? I've never heard of that before. Is it possible to temporarily add a type to a Pokémon?"

Xiao Gang has keen insight; he accurately guessed the answer based on their brief previous battle.

"Yes, more or less. You'll find out about its origins when you have the chance in the future."

It was too complicated to explain, so Natsume simply gave up.

"Pica-"

Pikachu, unusually, didn't stand on Ash's shoulder; it walked on the ground with the guy with the middle parting, looking rather listless.

"What happened to them?"

Ash noticed that the guy with the middle part and Pikachu would burp every now and then, and their facial expressions would be sullen.

Natsume glanced at it. He picked up Pikachu by its two hind legs, turned it upside down, and carried it to the riverbank in front of him.

"Waaaaaah—"

The guy with the middle part and Pikachu started vomiting violently.

The milky white liquid entered the rushing river and disappeared instantly.

"The river here is very fast, and there's no bridge."

Xiao Gang walked over with a map.

"It seems we'll have to rely on Mr. Natsume's telekinesis to get us there." Jiaozi grabbed Natsume's shoulder.

"Hey young people, want to cross the river?"

Suddenly, a ship stopped in front of them.

On the boat, there was an old man holding a pole, and the thin bamboo pole trembled in the rushing river.

"Are you Musashi?"

"Still Kojiro?"

Xiao Zhi and Xiao Xia looked at the old man suspiciously.

"What are you talking about?"

The old man used a bamboo pole to propel himself ashore, causing the boat to rock slightly.

Natsume glanced at the river surface discreetly.

"Here's the thing, I really want to see Sudowoodo, a Pokémon. If you can find it for me, I'll take you across the river."

As the old man spoke, he displayed a photo album to everyone.

In the photo album, there is a Pokémon that looks like a tree but isn't quite.

"Uh, no need, grandpa, we have a way to cross the river."

"No, you don't."

The old man shook his head vigorously.

Nearby, Natsume was using his telekinesis to curiously probe the bottom of the boat and discovered a peculiar golden ring that held the boat in place in the turbulent water.

The next second, a terrifying suction force emanated from the golden ring, instantly pulling away Natsume's telekinetic energy as he probed beneath the river's surface.

[A divine beast has been detected. Data collection has begun. Please provide more battle data.]

The system's voice sounded at the same time.

"what?"

Natsume felt that the golden ring looked familiar, and as he was wondering if he had seen it in a museum, Satoshi nudged him.

"Natsume-nii, show him!" Satoshi nudged Natsume with his elbow.

Unexpectedly, Natsume did not use his telekinesis again, but instead stared intently at the photo album in the old man's hand.

What's blue behind that tree's shadow?

Natsume glanced past the Sudoku tree and pointed to the fleeting blue figure in the photo.

"This thing might be a Pokémon, I don't know. As long as we find a Sudowoodo, I'll take you across the river."

The old man chuckled as he watched Natsume, who seemed genuinely interested.

"Let me see."

Natsume took the photo album and found it to be a thick stack with many more photos at the back.

With a casual flip, a majestic blue Pokémon appears on the swamp, its white ribbons and blue mane intertwined, a truly beautiful sight.

"This is... Suicune!" Ash exclaimed.

"It is indeed Suijun."

Natsume nodded, but made no move.

Moreover, this is a shiny Suicune, with a body color and mane that are quite different from ordinary Suicune.

But it has been confirmed that the Suicune is the same one that was surrounded by poachers that day, and the poachers had normal fur coloration.

"I never expected you could take such a valuable photo, grandpa! This is Suicune, and it has a unique color!"

Xiao Gang said excitedly.

"Forget about Suicune, look here."

The old man angrily slapped Xiao Gang's hand away and pointed behind Shui Jun.

It was a forest.

"So many trees, what's wrong?"

Xiao Zhi looked puzzled.

"Hey, didn't you guys see that? Nonsense Tree, Nonsense Tree, that big blue dog is just trying to steal the spotlight!"

The old man, holding a bamboo pole, angrily pounded on Xiao Zhi's head.

Only then did everyone notice that in the very center of the lake, in front of the towering trees, there was a Sudoku tree, serving as a backdrop for Suicune.

(End of this chapter)