Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 538 What are you doing here!?
The moment Xiao Yao and her two companions disappeared at the end of the passage, the atmosphere suddenly became subtle and tense.

The "Fire Rock Team Member" who casually stole the sandwich and the tall, composed "Fire Rock Team Member" turned around almost simultaneously and walked in unison toward Izumi, who was still in a daze.

Their movements no longer deliberately blended into the environment as before; instead, they carried an invisible sense of synchronization and oppression.

Izumi instinctively sensed something was wrong, and her heart skipped a beat.

The eyes of these two "insiders" were too calm, even carrying a sense of scrutiny.

She instinctively took a half step back, her back slightly tense, one hand stealthily reaching for the Poké Ball belt clipped to her back, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"Which squad...are you from? What's your codename?"

However, her questioning came to an abrupt end.

Because the moment her attention was drawn to the two people in front of her, Natsume's figure blurred without warning, like a ghost.
Almost in the blink of an eye, before she could even see how he moved, Izumi felt a sudden lightness around her waist.

She looked down in astonishment and discovered that the six Poké Balls clipped to her belt had vanished!

Natsume had returned to his original position, as if he had never moved. However, he was deftly spinning six familiar red and white balls between his fingers, a playful smile on his face.

Just as Izumi was stunned and lost in thought by this sudden turn of events...

The tall man moved!

He seized the fleeting opportunity and closed in instantly like a raptor pouncing.

His movements were fierce and sharp, yet perfectly controlled. With one hand, he blocked her instinctively raised arm, while with the other hand, his fingers pointed like a knife, he slashed straight at her unprotected neck with precise force.

Before Izumi could even cry out, she felt a precise blunt strike to the back of her neck, her vision went black, and her consciousness quickly sank into darkness.

She slumped down, but the tall man reached out and caught her, gently laying her down in the shadows beside him to avoid making too much noise.

The entire process was smooth and the teamwork was astonishing.

Natsume smiled and showed the tall man the six Poké Balls belonging to Izumi that were spinning between his fingers.

Only then did the other person raise their hand and slowly remove their hood, revealing striking red hair and sharp, hawk-like eyes.

It was none other than the Dragon Messenger—Adu!
Wataru looked at Natsume's skillful cooking, his lips twitched slightly, and his tone was somewhat helpless: "You're a perfect fit for the Unova region."

"Are you referring to my becoming the champion?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Watari saw Natsume slowly raise his other hand.

In that hand, six red and white balls lay, which he skillfully played with between his fingertips.

Watari subconsciously looked down at his waist—

Sure enough! The Poké Ball on my belt had been completely wiped clean without me even noticing!

Crossing: “.”

This refers to the increase in the crime rate.

He looked up, expressionless, at Natsume who looked innocent and even blinked. After a long while, he let out a breath, shook his head helplessly, and took his Poké Ball back from Natsume.

"Let's get down to business," Watari quickly tucked the ball back into his waistband, his expression turning serious again. "What are you doing here?"

"Strolling around, watching the excitement."

Natsume also dropped his joking expression and casually stuffed Izumi's Poké Ball into his pocket.

School security office Pokémon +6.

Natsume shared the information succinctly:
"I just saw Blaze use the red orb to control a Kyogre and is taking it to the Aqua base. I guess he wants to forcibly trade it for a Groudon that they might have captured."

After listening, Du frowned and said, "That's pretty much what I thought."

"What, you, the inspector, aren't you going to chase after them immediately upon hearing this news?"

Natsume asked curiously.

Du shook his head slightly.

His gaze drifted deeper into the base.

“Not long ago, Team Magma secretly smuggled something else in, and I need to investigate this place thoroughly!” Upon hearing this, Natsume's eyes brightened, and he immediately made a decision:

"In that case, let's split up and act separately."

"Go after Blazing Pine and make sure that 'deal' doesn't turn into an uncontrollable mess. Also, find out what the Aqua Team is up to."

He pointed to the unconscious Izumi at his feet: "This girl will be a problem if she wakes up. You can take her with you; maybe you can get some information about the Fleet of Azur Lane out of her."

With just a few words, all the trouble was pushed onto Du.

"As for that thing deep inside the base that even you felt was 'not right'..."

Natsume's lips curled into a smile full of curiosity: "Leave it to me to take a look."

His interest in Team Rainbow Rocket far surpasses his interest in watching two legendary Pokémon without any divine roles fight each other!
Having obtained information from Wataru that seems to be related to Team Rainbow Rocket, Natsume is determined not to give up.

Wataru gave Natsume a deep look, knowing that this was the most efficient arrangement at the moment.

He nodded, said no more, and deftly hoisted the unconscious Izumi onto his shoulder.

"Stay connected, and proceed with caution."

As soon as he finished speaking, Watari's figure seemed to blend into the shadows, swiftly heading towards the port where the submarine had left, in pursuit of Blazing Pine.

Natsume watched him leave, then turned around and looked toward the deep, dark passageway of the base, which resembled the throat of a giant beast, where even more imposing warning lights flickered.

"Something being transported in secret. Don't disappoint me."

He muttered to himself, his figure flickered, like an invisible ghost, silently slipping into that unknown darkness.

Natsume felt like a secret agent.

He dodges left and right, occasionally walking close to the wall, until he is spotted by a Team Magma member.

"boom!"

Dragonite unleashed a punch, and the rock layer in front of it seemed to melt, turning red and emitting billowing heat.

Behind Natsume and Dragonite, Team Magma members lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up.

There was nothing we could do; they had found us.
The only option left is to unleash Musou attacks.

With the help of the simple map and directional clues provided by Watari, Natsume quickly broke through the obstacles and found his way to the door of a heavily guarded independent cabin deep inside the base.

Having dealt with the last guard at the door, Natsume took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy metal door.

The cabin was dimly lit, and in the center was a square object about two people tall, completely covered by an incredibly thick black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"Snoring...zzZ...snoring..."

A steady, loud, and rhythmic snore was clearly coming from under the black cloth.

Natsume raised an eyebrow: "Pokémon? What kind of Pokémon snores so loudly while sleeping?"

His curiosity grew even stronger. He signaled Dragonite to stay alert, then stepped forward, carefully reached out and pinched a corner of the black cloth, and suddenly pulled it down!
The curtain slipped down.

The ferocious or mysterious Pokémon that was expected did not appear.

What came into view was a specially made reinforced cage.

Inside the cage, a familiar figure was lying sprawled out on a simple mat, fast asleep.

The man was wearing a slightly worn and even dusty champion's cape, with a wrinkled casual floral shirt underneath. He had a stubble beard and his hair looked unkempt and disheveled.

He still had one hand resting on his slightly protruding belly, which rose and fell rhythmically with his snoring.

It was none other than Alder, the former champion of the Unova region!

Natsume was stunned by the unexpected scene before him.

"How did you get here?!"

(End of this chapter)