Chapter 119: The Lost Diglett and a Zygarde-like Presence

By the time everyone returned, Ash had already defeated Koga.

"These are your two Soul Badges."

At dusk, at the city gate, Janine handed a heart-shaped badge to both of them.

"Huh? Aren't there two of us, Natsume and I?" Ash asked in confusion.

Janine smiled slightly and split the heart-shaped badge in two, placing one half in Ash's hand and the other in Natsume's.

She reached out, holding both of their hands.

When Janine withdrew, the two halves of the badge each restored themselves into complete badges.

"Wow, that's amazing! Just like the street magician who made my coin disappear last time!" Ash exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

Janine said nothing.

Janine: "..."

If he's praising you, let him keep going.

"I told you, I'm a ninja!"

Misty grabbed Ash by the ear and dragged him away.

"Let's take a break in Fuchsia City," Brock suggested.

"Sure, and dinner's at the Pokémon Center," Ash replied, leading the way just as he had on the mountain path.

"I told you, if we take the mountain path, no need to detour," Brock said, pulling Ash back and continuing deeper in the opposite direction.

Fuchsia City, Pokémon Center

Upon arriving, Natsume went straight to the local lab.

Unfortunately, there were no league-sponsored labs here, only private ones.

Looking around, Natsume realized some of the equipment wasn't even as advanced as the Pokémon Research Lab.

Reluctantly, he gave up on the idea of upgrading his Great Ball Rotom and returned to the Pokémon Center.

"Ash, are you trying to study the strange black gas inside Rotom?" Ash asked, handing him a glass of milk.

"Yes, I plan to try again back at Professor Oak's lab," Natsume said, nodding.

Ash reminded him of the unusual mist inside his Rotom, capable of animating machines.

Though nothing had happened over the past few days, Natsume hadn't observed much.

But if the mist suddenly appeared while developing the upgraded Ultra Ball Rotom; he shivered at the thought.

If the instruments came to life, running wild and destroying the entire lab, he couldn't imagine the huge financial loss he'd face.

Even a small lab could deplete Natsume's savings from months of work, and he'd still be in debt.

At Professor Oak's lab, where Natsume had been for his second year, special precautions were in place.

For safety, Professor Oak fixed each instrument in position, locked them, and checked them daily.

Even if the instruments came alive, they couldn't get far.

The next day, everyone bid farewell to Fuchsia City.

On the road, the group walked at a leisurely pace, looking unusually relaxed.

According to Natsume's calculations, their pace for earning Gym Badges was quite fast.

Once all eight badges were collected, Natsume felt he could return to Oak's lab and complete the Ultra Ball Rotom.

"Where's the next Gym?" Ash asked excitedly, opening his jacket to show six gleaming badges.

"Let's take it slow. If we rush, even after collecting all the badges, the tournament might still be a month or two away," Misty said, holding back the enthusiastic Ash.

The recent encounter with Gary had made Ash slightly nervous.

After all, when he had five badges, Gary already had seven.

So last night, Ash called Professor Oak to check with his mom about the situation.

Trainers departing from Pallet Town, along with Natsume, totaled five.

Two of them had already given up and had run home crying to their mothers.

"Hahaha! I'm first in Pallet Town!" Ash laughed loudly.

"What? There are only five of us," Misty rolled her eyes, letting go of Ash's shirt and letting him run ahead.

"Oi!"

After only a few steps, Ash tripped and fell to the ground.

Quack quack! A yellow Psyduck waddled out of Misty's Pokéball, staring blankly at Ash.

Bang! Misty grabbed a brick and swung at it.

Psyduck's three tufts of hair on its head visibly shook, and a bump appeared on its head.

Psyduck turned and stared at Misty in a daze.

"Ah, sorry Psyduck. I'll use less force next time," Misty said apologetically, raising the brick again.

Psyy— Psyduck jumped and tapped the Pokéball at Misty's waist.

Star! A red light flashed, and Starmie was released.

Psyyy?

Psyduck looked at Starmie strangely, wondering why it hadn't returned to its Pokéball.

Bang!

The brick fell again, and Psyduck fainted, holding its head.

"Uh, sorry," Misty said, spraying healing medicine and recalling both Psyduck and Starmie.

Meanwhile, Ash discovered the culprit that had tripped him.

"What? A Diglett?"

Rubbing his rear, Ash looked at the Diglett in front of him, confused.

As if signaling the start of an attack, countless Diglett began popping out of the ground.

Dig dig

The Diglett swarmed around the group, chattering endlessly.

"They seem to want something from us," Brock said, glancing at Natsume.

Before Natsume's translation software had been released, he was the most suitable translator among the group.

Natsume's gaze was fixed on his Rotom Phone.

On the screen were models and data of Gary's motorbike.

Even now, Natsume was replaying why the Rotom he had engineered to become a Mecha behaved so strangely after transformation.

Although the Mecha Rotom was unusable, once his Rotom leveled up, he could continue refining the Mecha Rotom research.

Giselle rested her head on Natsume's shoulder, her nose brushing his ear, cheeks slightly pink.

Nominally studying, her eyes were fixed on Natsume's profile.

She loved him in his thoughtful state, unaffected by the outside world, and took advantage of it to move without being noticed.

Suddenly, she realized numerous eyes were on her.

"Uh, ahem, Mr. Natsume, it looks like everyone wants your attention," she said, lowering her head and adjusting her clothes, speaking seriously.

Natsume looked up and saw Ash and his group, with many Diglett behind them.

A wisp of smoke rose nearby, and Natsume noticed Giselle blushing intensely.

Why was his assistant reacting again?

"Alright, tell me what's going on," he said.

After grasping the situation, Natsume stepped to the front of the Diglett swarm.

Soon, a Digtrio that seemed to lead the group emerged.

Dig dig, trio trio trio

The trio's voices carried a hint of urgency.

A faint blue glow appeared in Natsume's eyes as he established a telepathic link.

"They said that one Diglett in the group is missing."

Natsume translated the Digtrio's words for everyone.

Ding!

[S-Rank: Form with Zygarde-like Characteristics]

What does this have to do with Zygarde, the Order of the Ecosystem Pokémon?

Natsume looked completely puzzled.

But judging by the timing of the mission, this is related to the missing Diglett.

You can read more (around 100+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https://ravenarchives.com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.