Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 446 Ash Ketchum - Dark Version

Zhenxin Town, Damu Research Institute.

"Oh dear, didn't you go back to the Cerulean Gym?" Ash's listless voice echoed in the research lab, clearly showing his exhaustion.

"Are you unhappy that I'm here?" Xia's face suddenly moved closer, staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Why do you still have to sleep at my house when Natsume-nii's new research institute has so many empty rooms?" Satoshi muttered, his voice full of grievance.

Because of Xiaoxia, he has been sleeping on the floor for a month and a half, and the soreness in his lower back is lingering.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu really liked Misty, snuggling affectionately against her and making satisfied noises.

"squeak~"

The heavy wooden door of the research institute was pushed open, but the figure that walked in was neither Professor Oak nor Natsume.

What came into view was a Pikachu with meticulously groomed fur and a standard middle-part hairstyle.

"A middle parting?" Ash and Misty were both stunned, staring blankly at the uninvited guest.

"Pikachu." The Pikachu with the middle parting looked sleepy and walked familiarly to the room next door as if it were in its own home.

It opened the refrigerator with practiced ease, took out a bottle of Moo Moo Milk, tilted its head back, and began to gulp it down.

"Burp~" He let out a satisfied burp, and suddenly his whole body began to convulse violently.

"boom!"

A thick red mist burst forth from its body in an instant.

Amidst the swirling mist, a massive, dazzling red crystal, resembling a burning flame, suddenly sprouted atop its head!
Ash and Misty were captivated by this strange scene, staring intently at the changes in the middle-parted hairstyle, barely daring to breathe.

"It seems that Akane's new product development is going very well." Natsume's calm voice suddenly rang out from behind, breaking the silence in the room.

"Natsume-nii, you said you wanted to see me today, what exactly is it?" Xiaozhi's attention was immediately drawn to Natsume, and he turned around to ask.

If Natsume hadn't asked him to stay a few more days, he would already be on his way to the Hoenn region.

Natsume didn't answer directly, but instead took out an ordinary red and white Poké Ball from his pocket and casually tossed it to Ash.

"What is this?" Ash asked curiously as he caught the Poké Ball and examined it closely.

"Open it." Natsume gave a concise instruction as he walked over to the Pikachu with the middle parting and easily picked it up.

He knew that the bottle of special milk contained a vast amount of pure fire energy, enough to activate the core of the Taijing Bead in the middle-parted head's body and guide it to complete the conditions for fire Taijing crystallization.

This milk is sufficient to activate the crystallization process, and its effect on the training of Fire-type Pokémon is remarkable.

"Xiao Shi, go write the test report." Natsume said, tossing his middle-parted hair and the nearly empty bottle of special Moo Moo milk to Xiao Shi, who was wearing a white coat.

"Okay," Xiao Mao said wearily, his eyes swollen with dark circles, clearly having worked for a long time.

"Aaaaaaah!" Just then, a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, suddenly rang out from the side!

Everyone turned around abruptly at the sound—

Ash had already opened the red and white ball.

Suddenly, a strange blue doll shrouded in ominous black energy burst out of the ball. With its gaping maw wide open, it lunged at Ash's head with lightning speed, like a ferocious beast pouncing on its prey!
"What is this, Natsume-san?!" Ash exclaimed in panic as the grotesque human doll instantly covered his head like a watermelon being swallowed whole.

Sharp, cold teeth pressed tightly against the skin of his throat, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

Then, something even stranger happened—the entire life doll vanished in an instant, like a phantom!

On the other hand, after being "fused" with that hideous human doll, Xiao Zhi's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change, becoming incredibly sinister.

The most noticeable change was in his head: a huge hood, seemingly made of solidified shadows or murky energy, appeared out of nowhere and completely covered his head.

The edges of the hood were blurred and irregular, emanating wisps of cold black energy, and it seemed to wriggle slightly like a living thing.

At the front edge of the hood, above Ash's forehead and temples, several sharp, pale bone spikes, resembling the teeth of a giant shark or the fangs of a ferocious beast, pierce the shadowy surface, pointing obliquely towards the sky or forward, forming a highly oppressive and threatening crown outline, full of the creepy features of the Life Doll.

His once healthy wheat-colored skin had turned ashen, pale, and even had an unhealthy, deathly bluish-gray hue, as if his life force had been instantly drained away or completely eroded by heavy shadows.

Those bright eyes, usually brimming with passion and indomitable fighting spirit, were now empty and cold, with only indifference and hidden danger and malice seemingly remaining deep within their pupils; the youthful vitality that once belonged to him had vanished.

Under Xiaoxia's completely stunned gaze, Xiaozhi completely "turned evil".

Natsume was taken aback by what he saw; the effect was clearly beyond his expectations.

After merging with the human doll, Ash's appearance was so striking that it practically screamed "villain" on his forehead, making anyone who saw him wary.

However, this suffocating villainous atmosphere was easily broken by Ash's first words.

"I feel a cool sensation on the top of my head." It was that familiar voice, sunny, straightforward, and with a touch of youthful nonchalance, that rang out naturally.

The voice clashed sharply with his current evil and arrogant appearance.

"Pikachu, why are you making that face?" Ash looked at Pikachu, who had jumped to the ground and was staring at him with a horrified expression, completely unaware of the drastic change in his appearance.

"See for yourself."

Xiaoxia took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to complain, and handed over a small mirror with a mischievous grin. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" An even louder scream instantly echoed throughout the research institute.

Ash looked in the mirror at his reflection—a hooded figure with fangs, a pale face, and icy eyes—and was terrified.

"Natsume-nii, how did I become like this?!"

He practically scrambled over, grabbed Natsume's leg, and started crying and wailing, his comical actions creating a wonderful contrast to his terrifying appearance.

"Hmm," Natsume stroked his chin, falling into a brief moment of contemplation.

His original intention was simple: to integrate the Life Doll with Xiaozhi as a unique medium of connection.

This is the most stable and fastest way. Even if the two are separated in two different worlds in the future, he can still sense Xiao Zhi's existence and even communicate or locate him to some extent through the unique soul connection between himself and the Life Doll.

"Ahem. Well," Natsume coughed lightly, trying to explain, "I'll be heading to the Unova region in about two weeks. When you go to Hoenn, we can contact each other through the life doll inside me."

Natsume tried his best to make his tone sound natural.

"But can't we communicate through the Pokédex?"

Ash raised his face, which seemed to scream "I'm the villain," and stared intently at Natsume with his empty, reddened eyes, his gaze filled with innocent confusion.

"No." Natsume shook his head seriously, his tone resolute.

He knew perfectly well that the silly thing's affinity with mythical beasts was simply beyond belief.

Who knows if Ash will encounter something like Peacekeeper in Hoenn that can create its own alternate dimension, or something like Celebi that can pull Ash into an alternate dimension or other time and space.

If the Life Doll is inside Satoshi's body, then even if he gets caught up in that kind of place, Natsume can sense it in time through the link, and even use the Life Doll as a coordinate to exchange or rescue him.

It can also prevent you from missing out on a certain divine beast.

Compared to any physical means of communication that could be interfered with or blocked, this kind of connection at the soul level is undoubtedly the safest and most convenient ultimate solution.

"Okay." Ash stood up with tears in his eyes, looking utterly dejected despite his imposing villainous appearance.

"Natsume-nii, where did I hand the report to that wanted criminal from?!"

Just then, Xiao Mao pushed open the door and entered, carrying a large stack of documents.

When he caught sight of that fanged hooded figure with a blue face and fangs, exuding an aura that warned others to stay away, his pupils contracted sharply. Almost reflexively, he instantly reached for the Poké Ball at his waist and assumed a battle stance!
Xiaozhi: "."

He was completely speechless.

Is it really that bad?
"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded earnestly from the side, confirming that Gary's reaction was not unfounded.

It even hesitated a bit; if Xiao Zhi didn't speak, it wouldn't dare to jump onto his shoulder as usual.

"Here you go, Ash." Natsume seemed oblivious to the small misunderstanding and calmly took out Ash's Pokédex from his pocket and handed it to him.

"I've registered you for the Hoenn region's Rainbow Festival."

"Great! It's the Rainbow Contest!" Ash's frustration was instantly replaced by immense excitement. His empty, reddish eyes suddenly lit up as he eagerly took the Pokédex.

Battles and tournaments are always the driving force behind his passion.

"You can go to Suebai Town first and find Professor Birch there. I've already bought your boat ticket," Natsume said, handing over a beautifully printed boat ticket.

"Thank you, Natsume-nii! That's great, Pikachu, shall we go?" Ash thanked him excitedly, but his gaze suddenly stopped when he glanced at the boat tickets.

He stared at the time on the ticket for several seconds, then poked at the date with his finger in confusion, looking up at Natsume: "Natsume-nii, did you buy the wrong one?"

"This ship is for today, and it's leaving in two hours!"

“I didn’t buy the wrong thing.” Natsume’s tone was calm and composed, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

He casually picked up the backpack that Xiaozhi had placed aside and stuffed it into his arms, then led him through the research institute corridor and straight to the open space in the backyard.

"Natsume-nii, are you going to take me there yourself?"

Seeing Loletta, radiating a mysterious glow, quietly moored on the lawn in the backyard, Little God felt overwhelmed with gratitude.

“No,” Natsume explained without looking up as he slowly flipped through the pile of documents that Shigeru had just handed him, “The old dragons from the Dragon Sanctuary have finished their medical examinations at our research institute and are now heading back. They’ll be passing through the port of Kureha City on their way back.”

"What?" Before Ash could fully grasp the meaning of those words, a deafening and majestic dragon roar suddenly came from the sky above!

"Awoooooo—!"

A massive yellow figure tore through the clouds and swooped down at an astonishing speed!

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!" Ash only had time to let out a short scream before he and Pikachu, who was equally panicked, were firmly grabbed from either side by a giant dragon claw covered in scales.

The next second, the old Dragonite flapped its powerful wings violently, creating a gust of wind, and soared into the sky with two screaming figures, quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.

"By the way, your mother has finally discovered that there is such a thing as mailing!"

"My travel luggage has been sent to Mobai Town!"

Natsume thought for a moment and added.

(End of this chapter)