Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 611 The Origin of the Cursed Pagoda
"Mr. Natsume, what are you doing?!"

Danyu screamed in terror.

But before she could react, Natsume jumped into the black hole as well.

In an instant, the black hole vanished.

The villagers looked at each other, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened.

The space fluctuated violently, and a familiar sense of distortion and weightlessness came over me.

The next second, the dizzying scene stabilized.

The surrounding light became dim and strange, and the air was filled with a familiar, dull atmosphere mixed with some kind of burnt energy.

They appeared at the cave entrance of the underground factory in the Reverse World.

Ergui Peng fell onto the cold ground with a whimper, its small body trembling violently from fear and lingering dread.

The terrifying black hole on its back seemed to vanish instantly, as if it had returned to its "home turf".

It looked up in shock, its gaze filled with bewilderment and fear as it looked around at the strange, unfamiliar place filled with metal pipes and eerie green light.

Then, its gaze settled on the black-haired youth beside it who had "kicked" it in.

Upon seeing this, Ergui Peng was completely dumbfounded.

Natsume stood there, wearing a familiar, worn yet neat light green cloak and scarf.

On its face was the green grass mask that was most deeply etched in its memory, exuding the soft scent of grass and trees.

This outfit, this aura.
In an instant, countless fragments of memory, blurred by the passage of time, surged forth.

Those distant images of being protected, taught, and treated with gentleness overlap with the figures before my eyes.

Is it him who's back?
Is it the companion who once took it in, made a mask for it, and then suddenly disappeared?

"Poponi—!!!"

The immense grievances, the loneliness of the long wait, the terrible fear just experienced, and this sudden "reunion".

All emotions instantly overwhelmed Egui Peng's psychological defenses.

Forgetting the pain and suction it felt, it suddenly got up from the ground, like a bullied child who had finally found its parents, and threw itself into Natsume's arms, its little arms tightly hugging Natsume's legs, burying its tear-streaked face in his cloak, and bursting into tears.

The cries were heart-wrenching, filled with an indescribable dependence and catharsis, as if trying to cry out all the loneliness and grievances accumulated over a century.

The surrounding energy seemed to fluctuate slightly in response to its mood.

Natsume stood still, his expression hidden by the green grass mask.

He didn't push the Spectraldo away, but he also didn't crouch down and pet it like a typical trainer would comfort a Pokémon.

It seems that Egui Peng has mistaken his image in the Reversed World for someone else.

He stood there quietly, letting Ergui Peng cling to his legs and weep, like a silent statue.

Egui Peng's cries gradually turned into intermittent sobs, and his emotions calmed down slightly.

Only then did Natsume slowly raise his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the edge of the green grass mask on his face, and then—

They picked it off cleanly and decisively.

Beneath the mask was a young, calm face, completely different from the gentle trainer in Evil's memory.

"Look clearly."

Natsume's voice traveled through the cold air, completely calm, even carrying a hint of cruel composure:

"I am not the person you are looking for."

Fantasy, like a burst bubble, shatters instantly.

Egui's sobs stopped abruptly.

It suddenly raised its head, its eyes blurry with tears, and looked at that unfamiliar young face, the one with the kind smile it remembered. Its small body stiffened, and the arm that was holding Natsume's leg unconsciously loosened its grip.

The nascent light of dependence and hope in those large eyes dimmed and extinguished at a visible speed, leaving only a deeper sense of confusion and helplessness.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze. However, the next second—

Natsume held the green grass mask that he had just taken off, which still retained his body heat, and slowly squatted down.

His gaze calmly met Erguipeng's large, bewildered, and wounded eyes. Then he reached out and carefully and steadily placed the green grass mask on Erguipeng's face.

The mask seemed to fit perfectly, conforming to his face and concealing his pitiful, tearful expression.

"You need to be independent, understand?"

Natsume's voice remained calm, but it seemed to have lost some of its coldness compared to before.

He hates all whiny Pokémon.

Simple words. Instantly cleaved through E's chaotic thoughts and centuries of memories.

Time reverses, and scenes overlap.

Once upon a time, the trainer, dressed in a cloak-like garment with a gentle smile, also knelt before it, carefully placing the first handmade green grass mask, still carrying the fresh scent of wood, onto its bewildered face, and speaking to it in a gentle yet firm voice:

"Be brave, understand? From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself."

Then that person disappeared and never came back.

Overwhelmed by immense sorrow and belated understanding, Egui Peng stared blankly through the eye holes of the mask at the unfamiliar, calm-eyed youth before him.

He is not that person.

He seems to be that person.

The only difference was that after Natsume put the mask on him, he didn't disappear.

The black-haired young man in front of him stood up and then reached out his hand to Egui Peng, who was still sitting on the ground.

"stand up."

"I'll take you to get the rest."

Ergui Pong hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended its little paw, cautiously and tentatively, and grasped Natsume's finger.

Natsume didn't let go; instead, he used a little force to pull it up from the ground.

Without saying another word, he led the seemingly quieter Egui Peng, who was wearing a green grass mask, and turned to walk towards the brightly lit core production area of ​​the factory.

From now on, Natsume roughly knows who left those three pieces of wood in the cave in the Reverse World.

I reckon he was the first partner and first trainer of the Fiend.

"Could you tell me his story? Maybe it will make you feel better?"

Natsume lowered his head, his green cloak trembling as he moved.

In a sense, it is very much in sync with the Egui Pong.

“Bony.”

Egui Pong looked up, his orange-yellow star-like eyes hidden in the emerald green light, staring straight at Natsume.

After a long silence, she nodded and began to tell the legend that had been buried in her heart for hundreds of years.

“Bony.”

In order not to disturb Ekipon's train of thought, Natsume deliberately led him on a long detour through the forest.

When he led Ergui Pong past the same stone again and again, Ergui Pong stopped.

"Bony".

She looked up, her big eyes staring at Natsume.

"Uh, you're saying that the rest of the story is basically all just you talking about it, and you've finished telling it all?"

Natsume scratched his head awkwardly.

Actually, he wanted to hear all of them.

However, since Egui Peng is unwilling to talk about it, there's no need to force him.

(End of this chapter)