Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 593 Dr. Yew

Natsume stood at the end of that deep alley, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed wooden door that emitted a faint light.

Unlike the other villagers' houses, which had their doors and windows tightly closed, above this door hung a light bulb that emitted a steady, slightly dim glow.

This artificial light, extremely rare in the Reverse World, was like a lighthouse in the darkness, firmly attracting Natsume's attention.

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then gently pushed the door open.

The door remained completely still, clearly locked from the inside.

Instead of forcibly breaking down the door, he walked around the unassuming building, his fingertips tracing the rough walls, his telekinetic senses meticulously examining every inch of the structure.

Finally, in a corner behind the house piled with discarded wooden crates, he found a trapdoor that was slightly different in color from the surrounding ground and had tiny gaps along its edges.

The entrance is extremely well hidden, almost blending into the ground.

Natsume crouched down, his fingers gripping the gap, ready to pull it open—

“Crack.”

Suddenly, the trapdoor was pushed open from the inside, leaving a crack!

A face suddenly peeked out from the gap.

The first thing that caught Natsume's eye was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose and were stained with a little oil.

Behind the glasses, a pair of light green eyes appeared somewhat dull due to fatigue, with heavy dark circles under them, but deep within their gaze still carried the keenness and vigilance unique to researchers.

Her face was somewhat pale, and a few strands of chestnut hair fell out of what should have been a neat ponytail, sticking to her sweaty forehead and cheeks.

She looked to be around thirty years old, and her features still faintly revealed her original delicate and intellectual beauty, but at this moment they were covered by deep fatigue and a tense anxiety.

His signature white lab coat was wrinkled beyond recognition, the collar was loose, the cuffs were rolled up to his elbows, and there were a few fine scratches and a fresh bandage on his exposed forearm.

Eyes facing each other.

"Gengar?" Natsume, still wearing the Gengar mask, called out tentatively.

Those light green eyes widened instantly, and fear quickly overwhelmed their previous exhaustion!
"Sh-!!!"

She didn't give Natsume any time to react. Almost reflexively, a hand wearing a half-finger glove, covered in black machine oil and green crystalline powder, suddenly reached out from the crack in the door and grabbed Natsume's wrist tightly.

Her strength was astonishing, completely unlike her seemingly weak appearance. She violently pulled Natsume down in an almost brutal manner!

"Well!"

Caught off guard, Natsume was pulled off balance by the force and almost fell headfirst into the darkness.

They fell into a heap in a sorry state.

"boom!"

The trapdoor slammed shut the instant they fell in, making a dull thud, and then slammed shut on the ground as if it had never been opened.

The alleyway fell silent again, with only the lone electric light casting a faint glow in the darkness.

……

In the cellar.

A series of rapid breathing and hurried rustling sounds came from the darkness.

"What's so hard? Take it down!" Dr. Yew's annoyed voice rang out.

"It's a little turtle."

"Just grab it by the neck."

From the side, Natsume's voice could be heard.

Dr. Yew was taken aback.

She did as she was told and stood up.

He subconsciously pulled a palm-sized, oddly shaped metal device from his white coat pocket, his thumb nervously rubbing a button on it.

The device clicked softly, and instead of flames emerging from its top, it first projected a stable and cold, oily-green halo. Under the cover of this halo, a small cluster of orange-red flames appeared out of thin air and began to leap steadily.

The long-awaited light enveloped the tunnel.

Dr. Yew saw clearly the "little turtle" he was holding.

"This is... a Pokémon I've never seen before?" Yew murmured to herself, only to see Natsume reach out his hand.

“My good partner.” With that, Natsume stretched the little turtle’s neck and tucked it into his waistband.

Dr. Yew watched all this in silence, and after a long while, he moved his gaze upwards, finally fixing it on Natsume's face.

In the firelight, the green cloak shimmered, beneath which lay a fair face.

For some reason, I feel like I've seen the yew tree somewhere before.
Why would I switch places with you?

Talebagos spoke in a daze.

"This is our bond."

As Natsume spoke, he subtly tapped the little turtle's head, replenishing the psychic energy he had used up.

I don't know why, but I can't project my telekinetic powers into the Reverse World.

It cannot attach to anything else unless it comes into physical contact with itself.

But Talebagos can.

"Bonds? Is this your Pokémon?"

Dr. Yew suddenly spoke up.

"Hmph!" The little turtle crossed its arms, thinking that Natsume would definitely take the opportunity to show off.

But before he could utter the words of sabotage, Natsume immediately rejected them.

"No."

Talebagos was speechless.

"Are you OK?"

As Natsume spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the "lighter" in Dr. Yew's hand.

"N-nothing." She used the momentum to stand up, subconsciously taking a half-step back.
She distanced herself slightly from Natsume, and as she moved, a soft "thump-thump" sound came from beneath her feet.

It felt like something metallic was gently tapping the ground.

The light was dim, and the air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of engine oil, sweat, and some kind of burnt energy.

After a short rest, Dr. Yew recovered.

She slowly raised her head, looking at Natsume with a scrutinizing gaze:
"Who are you?! How did you find this place?! Didn't those 'residents' outside notice you?!"

She stared intently at Natsume, her gaze quickly sweeping over his conspicuous light green cloak and comical Gengar headgear, her eyes filled with confusion and extreme vigilance.

"I?"

Before Natsume could answer, she immediately pressed her ear against the trapdoor, holding her breath to listen to the sounds coming from the floor.

A few seconds later, after confirming that no disturbance had occurred, she let out a long, trembling breath, leaning back against the cold wall as if completely exhausted. She raised her clean hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and murmured:

"That was too close! We absolutely cannot let them find out about this place."

Natsume rubbed his wrist, his gaze unconsciously sweeping downwards.

By the faint light from the lighter, he saw a rough, metal shackle-like ring protruding from the bottom of her white coat trousers, tightly fastened to her ankle.

That "thump-thump" sound just now came from there.

The metal hoop looked very heavy.

His gaze quickly swept over the other figures in the cellar who had been startled and were struggling to sit up or looking over—they all wore similar, heavy-looking metal anklets on their ankles.

captivity?

It doesn’t look like it either.

What are these things for?

Natsume pointed curiously at Dr. Yew's metal anklet.

The anklets were made very crudely, leaving the fair skin completely red, with some areas showing signs of wear and bleeding, and repeated scabs.

The other person didn't answer, but instead subconsciously swept their hand towards Natsume's feet.

There was nothing heavy, nothing at all.

In an instant, Natsume could clearly sense that the atmosphere had changed.

(End of this chapter)