Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 507 Yantu Mountain

The next day, at Mount Yantu.

Sightseeing cable car.

"Damn it, why aren't you a cute girl?"

Xiao Yao held the chibi version of Natsume in her arms, her hands moving up and down, muttering to herself.

"Don't pull down my pants."

The chibi version of Natsume expressionlessly slapped Xiao Yao's hand away.

"Oh"

"Even a bow won't do."

The chibi version of Natsume ripped off the ribbon that Xiaoyao had pinned to her head.

"Mr. Natsume, Mr. Natsume, you're amazing!!"

Beside him, Xiao Yao's younger brother, Xiao Sheng, held up a tablet and leaned over with eyes full of admiration.

The content on the tablet was, unsurprisingly, an introduction to Natsume.

"Huh? Natsume, when did you become the Unova region's champion?!"

Xiao Gang exclaimed in surprise.

"Pikachu!?" Pikachu, who was admiring the scenery, suddenly turned its head, along with Ash's surprised gaze.

"What?! The league champions! Natsume-san!!!"

Almost instantly, Ash approached and excitedly took the tablet from Max's hand.

Upon closer inspection, it was the United League champion.

"The League Champion!" Ash exclaimed longingly.

This is not something that a tournament champion can compare to. To be a league champion, you need to have a record of defeating the Four Heavenly Kings, or defeating the old champion. Even a tournament champion is just a stepping stone, giving you a chance to challenge the Four Heavenly Kings!

The chibi version of Natsume remained expressionless, glanced at the tablet, and realized that the league's approval had been granted. Now, all the information about Adeker on the Unova website had been replaced with his.

"Hey, hey, hey, your focus is so weird!"

Xiao Sheng snatched back the tablet, somewhat annoyed, and muttered:

"Isn't the title of Pokémon Professor more valuable?"

The chibi version of Natsume keenly notices that there seem to be many Pokémon science magazines and e-books on Kakashi's tablet.

Are you interested in scientific research?

Natsume asked with great interest.

"Yes! My dream is to get into a research institute like Professor Oak's or Professor Natsume's!"

Xiaosheng looked at Natsume with shining eyes.

The chibi version of Natsume nodded thoughtfully, and with his movement, his head bounced up with a "DuangDuang".

In the original work, Xiaosheng also seems to be very interested in this aspect.

"In that case, how about you come to my research institute as a free volunteer?"

The chibi version of Natsume suddenly smiled.

"Really?!" Xiao Sheng's face showed even more longing.

"Of course."

Natsume nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Now he's not a stingy PhD anymore; he's at least managed to get someone to do the work for Hoopa's sister.

While considering the matter, Natsume was turned over again.

"Is that so?"

Xiao Yao tried once again to open the thigh of the chibi version of Natsume.

"Are you a Slowpoke?"

With a whoosh, the chibi version of Natsume entered Ash's body and disappeared.

It was clear to the naked eye that Ash had put on his villainous face again, reverting to his sinister and wicked appearance.

Beneath the cable car, crimson rocks are scattered everywhere, and the crater of Mount Yantou is faintly visible.

The cable car slowly arrived at the mountaintop platform and stopped with a slight tremor.

As the car door opened, a wave of air, thick with the smell of sulfur and even hotter than down the mountain, rushed out.

"Wow!" Xiao Sheng was the first to jump out of the car, looked around, and exclaimed in amazement.

Before us lies a typical volcanic landscape: exposed, crimson and charred rocks, wisps of white smoke rising from the ground, and a pungent mineral smell permeating the air.

The massive crater resembles the mouth of a silent behemoth, with faint glimpses of dark red light surging from its depths, radiating a chilling heat.

Looking around, the scenery of the Hoenn region in the distance is slightly distorted by the heat.

"This is the summit of Yantu Mountain. It feels like it could erupt at any moment." Xiao Gang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone grave.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu also seemed a little uneasy, its ears twitching slightly.

In his human doll form, Xiao Zhi appeared unusually calm, his sinister eyes sharply scanning his surroundings as if searching for something.

Xiao Yao and Xiao Sheng were both curious and a little scared of the sight at the crater. "Excuse me, are you trainers or tourists?" a slightly tired and hoarse voice asked.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a slightly overweight middle-aged man peeking out from behind a pile of instruments.

He had messy chestnut hair, his face was covered in dust, and his lab coat looked travel-worn.

"It's you, Dr. Soros!"

Xiao Sheng immediately jumped out.

"You know me?" Dr. Soros looked at the child, who only reached his knees, in surprise.

Seeing that Ash and the others were also looking at him questioningly, Max puffed out his chest proudly:
"Hmph, of course, I know doctors from all regions!"

"Dr. Soros is an expert in space Pokémon and meteorite research. He must be here because of the meteor that fell in the Hoenn region a couple of days ago, right?"

Xiao Sheng spoke fluently and clearly, appearing to know everything.

"Haha, I wouldn't dare call myself an expert, little brother, you seem to know quite a bit about this."

Seeing that everyone had started chatting, Natsume began urging Ash:
"Up, up, up!"

“Um, Mr. Soros.”

The chibi version of Natsume was chattering in his mind, and Ash, whose head was buzzing, stepped forward.

"you"

The moment Soros saw Ash's face, his pupils contracted, and a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

"Um... I have something to do, I'll go now."

Without hesitation, Soros turned and left.

"No, we can help."

Xiao Zhi quickly chased after him.

At the same time, on the other side of the summit of Yantu Mountain, behind a hidden rock face.

Huo Cun, a cadre of the Huoyan team, paced back and forth with a gloomy expression.

In front of him, several members of the Fire Rock Team were sweating profusely as they operated complex detection instruments. The light spots representing the meteorite's energy source on the screen flickered and shifted like ghosts.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Himura roared, suppressing his anger.

"It's been a whole day! We can't even find a single rock! It's one thing that those incompetent researchers from the Alliance can't find it, but has the detector that our Fire Rock Team spent so much money to get also malfunctioned?!"

"Lord Huo-Homare!" A team member wiped his sweat, his voice trembling.

"It's not that the instruments are malfunctioning! It's that meteorite—it really is moving! The energy signal is fluctuating wildly, and its position is changing completely irregularly! We just locked onto a spot, rushed over, and it disappeared!"

"Move? Can a rock grow legs and run away?!" Himura angrily punched the rock next to him.

"Those scoundrels from the Water Fleet are definitely lurking nearby, eyeing us covetously. I've received intelligence that their forces are also heading this way. We must find Meteor before they do, otherwise the leader's plan will fail."

Himura's words came to an abrupt halt, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

This operation is of paramount importance. Activating Mount Yantu using the enormous and unique energy contained in the meteorite is a key step in their plan to expand their land territory, and they cannot afford to fail.

"Keep searching! Expand the search area! Dig three feet into the ground!" Before Fire Village's roar could finish, another member of the Fire Rock Team, responsible for lookout, suddenly lowered his voice and shouted:
"Lord Himura, look over there!"

Himura immediately looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing.

Through the cracks in the rocks, he saw a scene on the hillside not far away: a figure wearing their Fire Rock team uniform with an eerie aura was chasing after a man in a white coat.

"Don't run away!"

"Don't come any closer, I'm warning you!"

Soros watched as Ash drew ever closer, feeling an immense sense of urgency.

"Natsume-nii, why did you change into this outfit halfway through? He seems to be running even faster now."

As Ash chased after the enemy, he asked himself a question.

"Don't worry about it, just wear it."

A chibi version of Natsume is lounging comfortably in Ash's mental world.

Over there, behind the boulder.

Himura was taken aback at first, then his eyes blazed with ecstatic joy.

"It's that kid." Himura recognized Ash's distinctive, sinister face. This was the promising new member he had discovered and valued highly.

Although this guy always went his own way, his strength and methods left a deep impression on him.

"Good lad, as expected of the person I've chosen. He actually broke away from the main force to act alone and even went directly to Soros, the key figure sent by the Alliance!"

Himura instantly imagined a dramatic scene: "A loyal team member cleverly infiltrates and single-handedly tracks down crucial clues."

"I see. No wonder we couldn't find the meteorite. The Alliance must have sent Soros to move the meteorite or to do some secret research."

The more Himura thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and he excitedly slapped his thigh.

"Quick! Everyone, pay attention! Target spotted! Dr. Soros, and the meteorite he's carrying."

"Yes, Lord Himura!" The men perked up, finally having a clear objective, and immediately sprang into action.

With a determined glint in his eyes, Himura led his men out silently from their hiding place, quickly flanking Ash and Soros.

He could almost see the magnificent scene of the meteorite in his hands, the machine starting up, Mount Yantu erupting, and the earth expanding.

(End of this chapter)