Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 625 The New Problem of the Three-Hole Rat

All of this was observed by Talebagos, who was perched on the branch of the tree of life, watching quietly.

It looked down at the group of "problem children," especially Hoopa, who was jumping around and forcing Lazybones to train, and rolled its eyes speechlessly.

As if it had anticipated something, it suddenly pulled its head back a little deeper into its crystal turtle shell.

Sure enough, the next second.

"Thump, thump, thump!" Hoopa waved his golden ring and pounded hard on the tortoise shell of Talebagos.

"A new partner, training with Hoopa?"

"Hoopa has booked a training session with the boss today. Have you seen that super big Tyranitar?"

Like Tang Sanzang, Hu Pa began to ramble on and on.

Inside the tortoise shell, Talebagos rolled his eyes.

Who are the new partners?

But it didn't explain either.

Natsume has very few normal Pokémon under his command, so he can't be bothered with them.

"Middle-parted hair! Wake up!"

Seeing that the little turtle completely ignored it, Hupa turned its attention back to the middle-parted hair.

It even used its halo to try to "rescue" the middle-parted hairstyle from the darling's arms.

"You'll regret it later if you slack off now!"

"Hupa used to be...it was."

Hupa's voice suddenly lowered, and a barely perceptible sadness and regret flashed in his large golden eyes.

It once possessed immense power, but due to a lack of control and guidance, it led to irreparable consequences, causing harm to those who were important to it.

Now, seeing the talented but unmotivated man with the middle parting who only knows how to eat and sleep all day, it's as if it's seeing its past self.

That feeling of regret, of "if only I had tried harder back then," made it impossible for it to sit idly by.

He didn't want the person with the middle parting to experience that kind of pain in the future.

"Hupa, I'm going to get you moving today."

Hupa shook her head, cheered herself up, and her little face was full of determination.

It began conjuring various gadgets with its halo—a noisy bell, an energy cube emitting an enticing aroma, and even a mini treadmill.
There's a half-shoe stuck on the treadmill; I wonder which unlucky person was using it.

Hupa circled around the middle-parted hair, but to no avail.

The only constant, besides the even breathing of the man with the middle parting, is the other person's raised middle finger, which has never been lowered.

Seeing this, Jiaozi couldn't help but chuckle softly, and said to Natsume:

"Hupa seems to be particularly interested in the middle-part hairstyle."

Natsume stood to the side, but his eyes held a sense of helplessness.

Now, training together separately has almost become Hoopa's "daily task".

He knew about Hoopa's past and understood the goodwill and concern behind his obsession.

"Let them be."

Natsume said calmly, without interfering.

He knew that some growth required a gradual, subtle process.

When Hupa realized that the soft approach wasn't working, he started using the "hard" approach.

It subtly used its halo to lift a small stream of water, trying to revive the middle-parted hair.

However, before the water could get close, it was intercepted by the giant dragon that moved almost instantly.

"Ah—glug glug glug."

The giant dragon blocked Hoopa's path, tilted its head back, and opened its mouth wide to drink all the water.

Excess water splashed all over Hupa.

"Hupa! You're angry!"

Hoopa glared angrily at the giant dragon, but looking into its intelligent eyes, it couldn't stay angry.

In the end, Hupa was exhausted and panting, while the man with the middle parting was still sleeping soundly in Jiaozi's arms, even snoring softly.

Hupa sat dejectedly on the ground, looking at the middle-parted hair with a complicated expression.

There was helplessness, worry, and a touch of envy.

I envy that he can enjoy life so carefree.

That's just like my past self.

But Hoopa was also keenly aware that she couldn't do that.

"Alright, Huba."

Natsume finally spoke, his voice calm.

"Training can't be rushed. Let it rest first."

Hoopa raised its head, looked at Natsume, then at the soundly sleeping man with the middle parting, and finally sighed, muttering softly, "Hoopa just doesn't want it to regret it like Hoopa did later."

Natsume looked at all of this and felt pretty good.

Sunlight streamed through the simulated sky, warmly bathing the large family of "problem Pokémon," creating a lazy and cozy atmosphere.

However, this tranquility was soon broken by a small commotion.

The source was that three-legged gopher that burrowed in and out of the fertile soil beside the Tree of Life.

It seemed to take a keen interest in some loose, nutrient-rich soil that had accumulated under the tree.

Then, its middle head began to carefully and meticulously pile the scattered soil particles into a small mound using its nose and front paws, its movements precise and with an almost observant persistence.

Natsume calls it a kind-hearted head.

Its left side, however, was clearly uninterested. It turned to the side, its nose constantly sniffing the sweet scent of energy cubes wafting from Hoopa's side, its eyes revealing a desire solely to satisfy its appetite.

Natsume calls it a neutral head.

The rightmost head is the complete opposite. It looks at the small mound that head A has painstakingly built, a mischievous glint in its eyes, and suddenly shakes its head, smashing the mound into pieces.

Natsume calls it the "Raging Head".

This really stirred up a hornet's nest!
The kind head was clearly enraged; it stopped piling dirt and instead turned angrily to the furious head, making a disgruntled "squeak" sound.

The enraged head, showing no weakness, bared its teeth and retorted.

The neutral head was caught in the middle, being jostled left and right by the two arguing heads.

It seemed to want to mediate the fight, yet it also seemed to only want to escape this place of trouble and pursue the aroma of food; its expression was full of helplessness and inner conflict.

The three heads bumped and shoved each other, refusing to give way, their entire bodies trembling slightly from the internal "strife," spinning in place.

This comical scene caught Natsume's attention.

He had only glanced at it casually at first, but as he looked, his brows furrowed slightly.

He keenly sensed that this "dispute" seemed to be more than just a simple conflict between three independent consciousnesses.

What surprised him even more was that after he telepathically linked with the three voles, he seemed to be able to "hear" some subtle "sounds" or "thoughts" originating from within the three voles.

It is not true language, but a vague flow of emotions and tendencies:
From the direction of that kind-hearted head diligently piling up dirt, came the obsessive determination to "neatly," "orderly," and "must be tidied up!"

From the direction of the neutral head sniffing the aroma came a casual response: "Hungry," "That smells sweet and sour," and "This is too much trouble, stop fighting."

From the direction of that wreaking havoc and furious head came excited shouts of "Fun!", "Make trouble!", and "Let's fight!"

It feels like there isn't one head representing one will, but rather that within each head, there are several different "voices" arguing and dominating.

To verify this hypothesis, Natsume focused his mind and projected his telekinetic perception more precisely onto the three-legged grub.

really.

He "saw" that within the inner consciousness of each head, three different colored energy glimmers were faintly intertwined and colliding.

This seems to be some kind of stance?
Under the influence of telekinesis, Natsume's expression gradually became strange.

The blue light that dominates the good head, which Natsume will assume for now represents lawfulness, is also present faintly in the other two heads.

The yellow light in the neutral head should represent neutrality, and this is also reflected in the other two heads.

The blazing red light burning in the enraged head likely represents chaos, which also lurks deep within the consciousness of the other two heads.

This is not simply a matter of "three heads and three wills".

Instead, each head is a complex "mini-parliament" containing sub-wills with three tendencies: orderliness, neutrality, and chaos.

In terms of outward expression, each mind may be temporarily dominated by one of its tendencies, but the internal debate never stops.

Evolution has not simplified its consciousness structure; on the contrary, it has made this peculiar phenomenon of "collective will" more complex and hierarchical.

The current Triple Mole is practically a miniature society composed of three "factions," each with further subdivisions.

"I see."

Natsume muttered to himself, a look of understanding and great interest flashing in his eyes.

He recalled the time when the tricorn was still a baby ground squirrel, when it had three distinct and independent wills within its single body, which often caused it to act erratically.

I thought that after evolving into a tridacna, it would naturally evolve into a single head and a single will, but unexpectedly, the will also "split" and "proliferated" along with the body!

"No wonder its behavior pattern is still so erratic after evolution."

Natsume looked at the three heads of the three-headed gnomes fighting each other and shook his head helplessly.

This is probably the most unique tricorn in the world.

This sudden "internal dispute" also attracted the attention of other Pokémon.

Hupa temporarily abandoned his "training" for the middle parting and curiously drifted over to watch the commotion.

The giant dragon tilted its huge head and looked on with a silly expression.

Even Talebagos, who was perched on the tree, couldn't help but peek out a little more, glancing at the chaos below with the look of someone who thought he was an idiot.

The three gophers seemed to realize they were in the spotlight, and their three heads temporarily stopped fighting and turned to face the surroundings.

Then, due to the question of "who to look at first," the three heads stared at each other again, creating a tense atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)