Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 447 Revisiting Yuanzhu City

"Sigh, I really envy that guy, he has a new goal now."

Xiao Mao looked up at the sky, a hint of envy in his eyes.

"Don't you have goals too?"

Natsume suddenly turned around and looked at Shigeru.

"what"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mao's face immediately fell.

The scientific research work was far more arduous than he had imagined. No, to be more precise, Natsume had assigned him all sorts of backbreaking labor that was as hard as being an ox or a horse!

Especially after Sister Jiaozi went to the Unova region first, the burden of daily Pokémon training and management at the Natsume Lab almost entirely fell on his shoulders!
And this only accounts for a portion of the Pokémon count at Professor Oak's lab.

The thought of the research institute reaching full capacity in the future was too much for Shigeru to bear.

"You can ask Mewtwo for help," Natsume suggested after thinking for a moment.

With the help of Psychic-type Pokémon, tasks such as feeding Pokémon regularly every day and patrolling various parts of the research lab should be much easier to carry out.

"You mean that big purple cat that's always playing ball in the lab?" Xiao Mao complained with a bitter face, "It completely ignores me!"

Natsume nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, ever since his own private laboratory passed inspection, Mewtwo has been spending all his time inside it with his Mewtwo Ball Rotom.

Coupled with the allure of the phantom crystal ball, Mewtwo's research was indeed quite dedicated.

Back at his research institute, Natsume sat in front of his AI and began to diligently search for various information about the Unova region.

After nearly a month of reorganization, the Natsume Research Institute has begun to get back on track, its operations are gradually stabilizing, and all the necessary procedures and cooperation agreements with the alliance have been signed.

Now, he can focus more on the follow-up research of the Rotom mech and gain a deeper understanding of the intelligence in the Unova region.

According to records, the terrorist organization had been silent for six months after launching the attack on the Feiyun City Bridge.

"Ssou-ryong City is hailed as the safest city in the Unova region!!"

After browsing through the vast amount of information, Natsume realized that the situation in the Unova region might not be as bad as he had initially thought.

For example, the terrorists who believe in the so-called "Dragon of War" mentioned by Chairman Damaranchi seem to have rarely shown their faces now due to the continuous attacks from the United States Regional Alliance.

"Mr. Natsume, your reserved flight to the Unova region is now on sale!" A gentle female voice announced from the AI.

"Order one for me." Natsume yawned, got up and walked out of the research institute.

However, before heading to the Unova region, he had one important matter to attend to—he needed to go to Orb City to resolve Hoopa's problem.

Judging by the time, the annual festival to worship the Phoenix King in Yuanzhu City is almost here...

Natsume rushed to Yuanzhu City without stopping.

When he arrived, it was getting late, but Yuanzhu City was even more bustling than during the day.

The ancient bell tower was surrounded by festive lanterns, and the streets were bustling with people.

Tomorrow is the big day for worshipping the Phoenix King.

Although everyone knew in their hearts that Ho-Oh had been heartbroken by the betrayal of humans a long time ago, left the city in disappointment, and never returned.

However, as an ancient tradition that has continued for thousands of years, this sacrificial ceremony must still be held when the time comes. Nowadays, it is more like a grand commemorative event, carrying people's memories of the past.

Natsume walked through the crowded throng, which carried a faint scent of incense and candles, and stopped in front of the weathered stone steps of the Bell Tower.

As dusk settled, the towering silhouette of the spire pierced the dark purple sky, appearing exceptionally solemn.

On his wrist, the gold ring left by Little Huba conveyed a faint yet unwavering warmth, like a heart beating continuously in the distance, silently reminding him of the heavy responsibility he bore on this journey.

"I heard you won the championship?"

Behind me, a familiar voice with a lazy tone rang out.

Natsume turned around and saw that the person speaking was none other than Matsuba, the Gym Leader of Orb City.

"The champion is going to open an academy. Are you interested in becoming a teacher?" Natsume asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I’m afraid my Gengar will burn your academy down.” Pine Leaf raised an eyebrow, his tone half-joking and half-serious.

What do you mean?
Natsume paused for a moment, then followed Matsuba's gaze and senses and immediately noticed something amiss—from the charred tower not far away, wisps of smoke were continuously drifting out from the cracks in the tower!
With a thought, an invisible force of thought quietly reached out.

The scene inside the tower startled him slightly: it was packed with Gastly and Haunter.

Their numbers were several times greater than the ones he had seen last time! Even more striking was that almost every Gastly and Haunter was holding a Spicy Gum stick!

"Huh?" Natsume was confused.

He clearly remembered that he hadn't left much spicy mud for the Gastly here.

At the terrifying rate these guys consume over a dozen cigarettes a day, they should have finished them in just a few days.

How could they still have stock left? Did these Gastlys somehow find the secret recipe?
"I originally thought that you were the one who led my Gastly astray, and even attracted and gathered all the Gastly around here." Pine Leaf said, looking helplessly at the still smoking charred tower.

The surrounding tourists clearly noticed this unusual scene and quickly moved away, creating a quiet little clearing in what should have been the busiest place on the eve of the festival, where no one would approach.

Upon hearing Matsuba's words, Natsume touched his nose.

It's true that the Gastly's initial fascination with Spiny was somewhat related to him.

But the spicy mud that they still have in stock for now definitely has nothing to do with them.

“Those spicy mud.” Natsume tried to change the subject.

"Do you know what this is?" Matsuba keenly caught Natsume's tone, immediately pulled out a spicy snack from his pocket, and then abruptly turned his head, staring sharply at Natsume.

"I've heard a little about it." Natsume took the spicy jelly from Matsuba's hand without batting an eye and said calmly, "I'll take a look."

The invisible telekinetic energy instantly penetrated the spicy mud and began to analyze it.

Natsume was slightly taken aback: the texture and structure of this spicy paste were very similar to the quality of the ones he made himself. In fact, if he mixed it with the batch of spicy paste he had made, Natsume might not be able to tell the difference.

Could these Gastlys really possess such exquisite craftsmanship? That's highly unlikely.

But soon, Natsume sensed something was wrong.

A familiar, extremely subtle feeling of energy emanated from the core of this spicy mud.

"This is..." Natsume's pupils contracted slightly. He was absolutely certain he couldn't be wrong about this feeling!
This is clearly the pure, vibrant life force unique to everything in the sacred forest beside Silver Town, the one that guards the Phoenix Flame!

Right now, this unique aroma has appeared on a seemingly ordinary spicy paste.

“Mr. Natsume, I can tell you about an interesting discovery.” Matsuba said, taking out a lighter and skillfully lighting the end of the spicy paste in Natsume’s hand with a “click.”

The end of the spicy paste turned red instantly, the faint flame flickering, emitting a familiar yet somewhat pungent smell.

"What's wrong?" Natsume looked at the burning spicy paste in his hand with a puzzled expression.

Aside from the distinctive smell when it burns, this thing doesn't seem to exhibit anything particularly special.

“I’ve lit it dozens of times already,” Songye said, putting the lighter back in his pocket with a meaningful tone.

Have you ordered it dozens of times?
Natsume was initially puzzled, but as time passed, holding the burning spicy porridge, he quickly understood what Matsuba meant.

"This thing doesn't seem to shorten or disappear when burned?" Natsume asked in astonishment as he picked up the spicy paste in his hand and examined it closely.

Ten full minutes passed, and the length of the spicy paste hadn't shortened at all. The burning part seemed to be maintained in its original state by some force, or perhaps being repaired?

"Rather than saying it burns without being consumed, it's more accurate to say it possesses a peculiar 'repairing' ability." Matsuba thought for a moment, then took the still-burning spicy paste from Natsume's hand.

"Crash!"

With a forceful pull of both hands, he easily broke the spicy paste in half.

No particular changes occurred at the fracture site.

However, when Song Ye carefully put the two broken pieces of spicy paste back together, allowing the broken ends to touch—

Almost visibly, the two broken parts began to rapidly merge and heal together!
In just a few seconds, they were transformed back into a whole, intact piece of spicy paste, with the faint flame still stubbornly burning at the broken end, as if it had never stopped.

"Mr. Natsume, do you know what's going on?" Matsuba looked at Natsume again, her face full of doubt, as she stared at this strange scene.

"This thing feels like it has a life of its own," Natsume said, his eyes sparkling with wonder.

As he took the magical spicy paste, he couldn't help but recall the small amount of incredibly powerful, peculiar gunpowder he had encountered in the forest, enough to blow up a coffin.

It is highly likely that these peculiar substances are all related to the divine power of the Phoenix King.

As for these additional, almost immortal, effects, they may have some deeper connection to the divine duties that Ho-Oh holds.

Natsume is currently unsure how these Gastly creatures came into contact with Ho-Oh's power or these mysterious substances.
But this discovery at least sends a positive signal—Ho-Oh may not be as hostile and distant from Pearl City as people generally believe.

It seemed willing to engage with things here, even leaving behind traces of its power.

The chances of success for this year's festival seem to have increased significantly!
Natsume subconsciously touched the gold ring on his wrist that symbolized their promise, his gaze seemingly piercing through the magnificent sunset and looking towards some unknown direction.

(End of this chapter)