Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 456 Who Stole the Stele?
"Om-!"

An indescribable feeling, as if his entire spiritual universe was collapsing inward, instantly swept over him.

On the sacred fire nest bed, the resting Phoenix King seemed to sense something. Its lazy, half-closed golden phoenix eyes suddenly opened, and with a hint of genuine surprise, it accurately looked down at Natsume.

in reality.

Natsume's feelings became incredibly strange, a mixture of tearing pain and rebirth-like comfort.

He felt as if he had transformed into a black hole that devoured everything.

In the other world, the golden laboratory that he had painstakingly built was collapsing inch by inch like a sandcastle.

All the instruments, tables, chairs, documents, and even the golden psionic energy that constitutes the space itself, flowed like rivers into the sea!
It is greedily and frantically absorbed and integrated into every tiny cell, nerve, and drop of blood in the body!
The speed was far beyond imagination.

In the blink of an eye.

The inner world was completely empty, without leaving even the slightest trace of telekinesis.

It's like it never existed.

"Gone?!"

Natsume suddenly opened his eyes and abruptly stood up.

His face was filled with disbelief, shock, and bewilderment.

Subconsciously and habitually, I activated my psychokinetic abilities, imagining that once all-powerful God's-eye view peering outwards.
Empty and desolate, utterly empty!
The keen perception that used to allow him to sense an area of ​​hundreds of meters with a single thought is now completely stripped away.

He could not sense any external energy fluctuations, air flow, or even the temperature of the flames that were right next to him; he could only feel them through his skin.

It was as if he had instantly fallen from an omnipotent "god" to the most ordinary mortal.

"What's going on?!" Natsume stood there dumbfounded, his mind reeling with shock.

The power... has vanished? No! That's not right!
"Pica-!!!"

Just then, the middle-parted man, exhausted from working in the generator, was jolted awake as if by an invisible needle!

It stared intently at Natsume and shook its head violently.

Seeing the reaction of the person with the middle parting, Natsume's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Through his persistent and unwavering willpower training, the man with the middle parting has developed an exceptionally keen perception of telekinesis, especially of his own.

Since it can sense it, it means its telekinetic power is still intact.

You just can't feel it anymore?!

Natsume frowned, forcing himself to calm down and carefully introspect.

He suddenly realized a crucial point—this new power seemed to have completely integrated into his body, perfectly blending with his flesh, bones, nerves, and even soul.

Just like blood in the body, you can't feel it flowing normally, but it's everywhere and the cornerstone of life.

You can only "see" it when you cut your skin and your hand bleeds.

What Natsume lacks now is a way to "break through the skin" and make this new power manifest.

Or rather, a key.

"Forget it, there's no rush." ​​Natsume let out a long breath, suppressing the shock and a trace of anxiety in his heart.

As the pioneer of this path, this final step can only be achieved through exploration and enlightenment on my own.

He tried to move his body and felt an unprecedented lightness and coordination, as if he had shed a heavy shackle.

Just as he regained his footing, before his mind had fully calmed down—

"boom--!!!!!"

A deafening, earth-shattering roar.

Turning his head, Natsume was horrified.

The heavy, reinforced gate of the Bell Tower was as if it had been struck head-on by a meteor from outer space.

It instantly exploded into countless fragments burning with golden-red flames.

A violent shockwave, carrying smoke, dust, gravel, and scorching metal fragments, swept through the entire tower like a raging sea.

The blinding sunlight, like countless golden swords, instantly pierced through the smoke and dust, forcefully pouring into this sacred place.

Amidst the swirling smoke and blinding beams of light, a terrifying figure, as large as a mountain and radiating overwhelming dragon might and endless fury, appeared!
Like a demon god descending to earth, he came down against the light, stepping over broken doors and burning flames!

The massive body covered in thick, dark gold scales caused the entire bell tower to tremble with every step it took.

The thick dragon tail swept across the ground, carving deep furrows.

"Who stole the stone tablet?!"

Its massive head was lowered, and its dragon eyes, burning with molten lava-like fury, were like two falling suns, instantly locking onto the Great Dragonite that had just completed its metamorphosis inside the tower, as well as Natsume standing to the side!

Upon seeing the black rod on the back of the giant Dragonite, the guardian Dragonite visibly paused for a moment.

"Oh~"

The guardian Dragonite narrowed its eyes.

The rage in its eyes completely faded, replaced by immense shock, unbelievable ecstasy, and a lingering fear.

With its massive body leaning slightly forward, the guardian Dragonite approached.

At this moment, the Great Dragonite was enveloped in the sacred flames, sleeping peacefully. The Guardian Dragonite stretched out its giant claw, with an indescribable caution, and gently, tentatively touched the edge of the Great Dragonite's newly grown, still somewhat fragile wing bones.

The movements were as gentle as if touching a fragile treasure.

Natsume took a few steps forward and clearly explained the whole story to the guardian Dragonite, including how the black rod was used to repair the Great Dragonite's body and how the monument descended on its own.

The guardian Dragonite listened in silence, a hint of barely concealed horror flashing deep in its eyes.

Even with its long lifespan and immense power, it has never been known that anyone could truly control those mysterious steles originating from the ultimate weapon.

"I see." The guardian Dragonite's deep voice rolled in its throat as it digested this shocking information.

Its enormous head slowly turned toward its still-sleeping daughter, the joy of finding her again overshadowed by a new layer of doubt.

"However," it said, its gaze sweeping over the now "enormous" body of the Great Dragonite, its tone tinged with obvious confusion, "why is my daughter so plump?"

It uses relatively euphemistic language, but its target is clear.

At this moment, the Great Dragonite was sturdy and heavy, with a full layer of fat under its scales. It was no longer the streamlined and agile dragon that was common among dragons, and it looked more like a sleeping orange Snorlax.

Natsume subconsciously touched his nose, his gaze drifting subtly towards Ho-Oh, who was perched atop the Sacred Flame Nest.

This result is clearly inseparable from Ho-Oh's divine powers of "holiness and flesh and blood"—the ultimate activation seems to also include a full reserve of energy.

Or rather, sacred and lard.

The guardian Dragonite keenly caught Natsume's gaze, and its enormous dragon eyes turned to look at the noble figure.

Ho-Oh seemed completely uninterested in the conversation below the tower, focusing intently on studying the patterns on the tower's top. He gracefully raised his head slightly, gazing into the void.

"Ho-Oh?" The guardian Dragonite seemed to suddenly recall some important information, raising its massive claws to scratch the hard scales on the side of its head, and spoke with a hint of uncertainty, "Wasn't she dead?"

"Who died?!"

Phoenix King's languid posture vanished instantly, and its massive head suddenly slumped down.

Its golden phoenix eyes, sharp as knives, were fixed on the guardian Dragonite below with an angry look of displeasure.

That unique female voice resounded directly in their minds, containing a cold and authoritative tone.

"You've been so eager to tear down my gate, is it just to deliver a message of death?"

The guardian Dragonite pondered for a moment, then shook its head very seriously.

“Actually,” it added calmly, pointing its massive claws at the ruins of the tower gate it had violently breached, “it did more than just tear down your facade.”

Natsume looked in the direction it was pointing.

Through the huge hole left in the gate, the morning light poured in, clearly illuminating the scene on the square outside the tower.

Countless trainers and their Pokémon lay sprawled on the ground, while many Officer Jennys lingered in front of the tower, anxiously looking in this direction.

These were all citizens of Orb City, who clearly mistook the Guardian Dragonite for someone who had come to offend Ho-Oh.
The golden holy flames surrounding Phoenix King suddenly surged, like a raging torrent being ignited.

"you!"

"Shh!"

Before Ho-Oh could finish speaking his furious words, the guardian Dragonite's massive figure had already transformed into a blurry, dark golden streak of light, disappearing from the spot at an incredible speed.

Also disappearing was Natsume, who was standing next to it.

“Senior,” the air currents from the high-speed flight whistled past his ears. Natsume steadied himself and looked at the Guardian’s massive claw gripping his shoulder armor, his tone tinged with helplessness, “You’re running away on your own, you don’t need to take me with you, do you?”

The guardian Dragonite did not respond, but simply increased its speed.

A moment later, it landed on a secluded hillside outside the city and gently put Natsume down.

The guardian dragon's massive body turned towards Natsume, and its lava-like dragon eyes revealed a rare expression of unease.

Its gaze wandered somewhat, and its enormous Adam's apple bobbed unnaturally.

“Actually,” its voice lowered, with a hint of barely perceptible hesitation, “I was planning to find you later.”

"Since we've come across this now, let's take this opportunity to speak."

“Please speak, senior,” Natsume said immediately, his hair instantly parted in the middle. He patted his chest and promised, “I will do my best to help you in any way I can.”

The guardian Dragonite took a deep breath, as if gathering its courage.

“Based on the location you provided earlier,” it paused, its massive claws rubbing together somewhat helplessly, “I’ve found the child’s mother.”

"It's...it's that one."

This dragon guardian, who had lived for countless years and possessed unparalleled majesty, stammered like a naive young boy, his eyes darting away, unable to meet Natsume's gaze.

"Just what?"

Seeing the other person's unusually awkward posture, Natsume became even more suspicious and patiently pressed for answers.

The Guardian Dragonite seemed to have made up its mind, uttering a few words at lightning speed: "So, do you possess... a miniature Dynamax energy well?"

After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the hillside.

"Oh--"

Natsume understood instantly.

(End of this chapter)