Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 605 'Humans' are too terrifying
Natsume's exclamation startled the female trainer opposite him.

Her strong eyebrows furrowed, and the hostility and wariness in her eyes intensified. She was clearly surprised and displeased by the address.

Natsume immediately realized what was happening.

He scrutinized the other person closely—although their faces bore an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to Dr. Yew, with the same chestnut-colored short hair and intelligent, sharp eyes, their temperaments were completely different.

The woman before him was even more upright and agile, dressed in the neat attire typical of elite trainers in the Unova region, with six well-maintained red and white Poké Balls hanging from her waist, ready for battle at any time.

He exuded a sharp, battle-hardened aura and confident edge, rather than the bookish air of a research institute.

The other party is the counterpart of Dr. Yew in the Reverse World.

Natsume raised an eyebrow slightly, showing a hint of interest.

The female trainer's voice was clear and cold, carrying the decisiveness unique to trainers:

"What did you do to this village?"

She clearly believed that Natsume was the culprit behind all the horrific scenes before her eyes.

Before she finished speaking, she had already thrown out a high-level ball without hesitation.

"Arcanine, use Super Impact!"

A flash of light, and a gigantic Arcanine appeared.

However, it is not the usual orange-brown, but rather a translucent, ghostly purple, surrounded by cold, phantom energy. It has sharp fangs, fierce eyes, and a roar that echoes with a chilling intensity.

It transformed into a ghostly purple shadow, enveloped in dense, eerie green energy, and lunged at Natsume.

"Whoa! There's a fight! There's a fight!"

Talebagos was startled and instinctively tried to shrink behind Natsume.

Natsume reacted very quickly, but he did not take action himself, nor did he release any other Pokémon.

Just as the Ghost Arcanine was about to pounce, he seemingly casually flicked it with his toe—

"Whoosh!"

Talebagos, who was watching the commotion from his feet, felt a sudden, subtle force from the bottom of the turtle's shell, and the entire turtle was suddenly and uncontrollably spun around and was "sent" away.

It was heading straight for the charging Ghost Arcanine.

"Hey! What are you doing—ouch!"

Talebages cried out in alarm, instinctively retracting its head and limbs back into its shell.

"boom!"

The dark purple energy slammed violently against its incredibly hard shell, producing a muffled thud and scattering energy, yet it failed to budge it in the slightest.

The Ghost Arcanine was forced back a step by the recoil, baring its teeth and growling, watching the suddenly appearing, ridiculously hard blue turtle warily.

Talebagos poked his head out, his beady eyes filled with confusion.

The next second, it heard a loud shout from behind:
"Come on, Talebagos, you can do it!"

What do you mean by "it can"?
The little turtle turned its head in confusion.

After a moment of stunned silence, it came to its senses.

Why should I help him fight?

On the other side, Dr. Yew saw this and his eyes flashed with surprise. He immediately judged that Natsume's strength was extraordinary.

She quickly gave Wu Li a wink:
"Leave this to me. You go and check the surrounding area to see if there are any other villagers. Most importantly, find your sister!"

Wu Li understood, gritted his teeth, turned around and rushed towards the woods on the side of the factory.

Aside from the underground factory inside the cave, this area generates the most noise.

However, when he rushed into the woods, the scene before him stunned him once again.

In a clearing deep in the woods, dozens of young and middle-aged villagers were working enthusiastically.

They cut down trees, cleared away rubble, and built simple shed frames. They were all working hard, sweating profusely, but their faces showed an urgent and even somewhat anxious expression.
"Hurry! Hurry!"

"The boss said that once the dormitory area is finished, we can consider expanding the production line!"

"We'll be able to 'start working' then!"

"I can't wait! Look at how energetic my dad is, I'm so envious!"

Wu Li: "???"

"Everyone! You all!"

Wu Li rushed forward, about to speak, when a large log was casually shoved onto his shoulder by a burly man chopping down trees.

"Well"

Wu Li's body suddenly sank, his face turning red, as the weight pressed down on his lower body, almost causing it to sink into the ground.

"Hurry, everyone hurry! Let's build the new house quickly so we won't have to live in the cave anymore!"

The burly men who were cutting down the tree called out to each other, and when they turned around, they spotted the black chestnut that had almost been killed by the log.

"You really are something."

The man spoke, reaching out to lend a hand. His hand had barely touched the log when a surprised voice rang out:
"Huh? I've never seen you before?"

The man stared at Wu Li strangely, glancing at him several times.

It looks familiar, but I can't quite place it right now. It should also be from Emerald Green Town.
Could it be that those who went to Hezhong to look for jobs are gradually returning?

The burly man was surprised, then heard Wu Li continue:
"What are you doing?"

Wu Li swayed as he stood up, weakly raised his head, and pointed shakily at the bustling scene.

"Oh, they're building new dormitories for us."

The burly man said matter-of-factly, and then extended an invitation to Wu Li:
"Would you like to join us? We can add one for you."

Wu Li was struck dumb, standing rooted to the spot, his chest heaving violently.

His voice trembled with confusion and anger:
"What are you doing?! You're actually trying to cover yourselves up! How ridiculous!"

The absurdity of the scene even gave rise to a ridiculous thought in Wu Li's mind:

Are they really destined to be enslaved, as the language suggests?

"Do you know that the old people in the cave are being..."

Wu Li clenched his fists, furious at his son's lack of ambition!

Unexpectedly, this time the burly man finally responded.

"boom!"

A strong hand slammed down on Wu Li's shoulder, and the burly man's face finally revealed his suppressed anger.

"Those elderly people"

"I know you're angry, but this is a fact that can't be changed for the time being!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Li stood still, staring blankly at the other person.

Thankfully, there are still normal people here.

Seeing that Wu Li had calmed down, the burly man said earnestly:
"It is indeed shameless of them to ask the boss for priority in hiring because of their seniority, but they are still our elders. Let's give them a break for now. There will be plenty of job openings here during the second expansion."

Wu Li: "???"

He was petrified on the spot until a voice nearby recognized him:
"Are you Danyu's brother? She's been looking for you all day."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers slapped their foreheads, recognized him, and immediately surrounded him.

They chattered amongst themselves, their tone a mix of excitement and complaints:
"Wu Li? Where did you go before? I remember you were arrested too."

"Great, we have another helper. Come on, help us with the work."

"That's right, let's finish this as soon as possible so the boss can assign us 'workstations' sooner."

"You have no idea, your father and my father are now so healthy that they could knock a Tauros flying."

"Why should they be the only ones to enjoy 'benefits'? We want them too!"

As soon as Wu Li was freed from its petrified state, it was struck by lightning and stood frozen in place once again.

A strong sense of absurdity almost overwhelmed him.

Benefits? Enjoyment?
What are these people even talking about?!

What happened to this world?
"You...you've all been brainwashed!" he roared.
"Those old people in the cave! Them...them..."

He attempted to describe the maddening, terrifying, and execution-like "work" scenes.

However, the villagers looked at each other in bewilderment, and then burst into laughter.

"Brainwashing? Hahaha! Wu Li, did you hit your head outside and damage it?"

"Shh~ Keep your voices down, we don't even know who's here!"

"Of course, the old folks who are always so energetic are the most energetic."

The crowd started chattering, but Wu Li stood there, overwhelmed by a surge of fear and helplessness.

"You. You!"

He turned around abruptly and ran towards the direction where Yew and Natsume were fighting.

This is terrifying! These people are not the villagers he knew at all!
Humans are truly terrifying!

Wu Li ran wildly through the woods.

All he wants now is to find Danyu as soon as possible and escape from here!

However, he was lifted up after only a few steps.

"What...what are you trying to do?!"

Two strong men lifted up the black chestnut.

Without saying a word, a group of people surrounded him and headed towards a cave not far away.

"Come on, let's go register you and report to the boss."

(End of this chapter)