At their feet, Middle-Part stared at Pikachu's tail with a face full of envy.
It clutched its little blanket and waddled over, lifting its tail and pointing it at Natsume.
"Pika pika pika!"
Coach! I want to learn this too!
"What are you doing?" Natsume paused, seeing Middle-Part suddenly stick its butt at him. After a moment of contemplation, he solemnly lifted his foot.
"Pika—!"
Middle-Part flew through the air.
A butt offered up is a butt that shall be kicked.
Middle-Part stood back up, teary-eyed, rubbing its rear.
Oh no... what if his trainer's elbow is turning outward?
Behind him, Natsume's voice followed up sternly:
"If you want to metabolize the specialized steel reagent, you'll have to double your daily training, or your joints will stiffen up."
Middle-Part's ears suddenly perked up.
"Wait! Could it be? Is Middle-Part finally ready to turn over a new leaf?"
Ash looked at him hopefully.
"Pika—" Middle-Part pulled its blanket back over itself, clearly declining.
"Aw, come on! Natsume, aren't you going to do something about this?" Ash pointed at Middle-Part, baffled by Natsume's indifference.
"Why would I?"
Natsume took a sandwich from Brock, looking curiously at Ash.
"Well, because Middle-Part is too lazy. He's slacking off in training and all…"
Ash couldn't understand Natsume's relaxed attitude.
"Yeah, and aren't you planning to enter the Indigo Plateau Conference?"
Misty chimed in through a mouthful of sandwich, mumbling in agreement.
"That?" Natsume answered without even turning his head. "My old philosophy on raising Pokémon was to go with the flow and respect their natural instincts."
"Old? What about now?" Everyone leaned in, intrigued.
"Now I've realized… that kind of raising gives you Pokémon that are lazy and gluttonous."
"Then why are you still letting it get away with that?" Misty asked, clearly confused.
"Because I've come to understand something." Natsume slowly took a bite of his sandwich, speaking calmly:
"Respecting a Pokémon's instincts doesn't mean indulging them. It means finding the right way to awaken their hidden potential."
Suddenly, Natsume's gaze sharpened. His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced with a cutting edge.
"Did you know?" he said mysteriously.
"Before a Magikarp leaps over the Dragon Gate, it goes through a long period of dormancy. It curls up at the bottom of a deep pool for three whole seasons, its scales dull and gravel-like."
"Natsume! You mean Middle-Part's about to become strong?" Ash's eyes sparkled.
"No, no, he means he's just found a way to uncover Middle-Part's potential!"
This time, Brock seemed to understand more than the others. Unlike Ash and Misty, who bickered as usual, Brock had self-taught knowledge of Pokémon breeding.
More than an amateur, Brock could sense the deeper meaning in Natsume's words. He couldn't help but ask:
"Natsume, could you tell me what you have in mind for Middle-Part's future training? I'm really curious."
"Currently? I don't see any future."
Brock: "…"
"So, uh… where are we heading next?"
Suddenly, Ash and Misty stopped arguing and turned to Natsume and Brock.
"Well, the closest place is Witherwood Town."
Brock rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"All right then, let's go to Witherwood! We've gotta check out the luxury cruise liner S.S. Anne! Totally worth the trip!"
Misty's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Alright, let's head out!"
Ash wiped his mouth and stood up, full of energy.
Somewhere in the forest, thick fog rolled in.
"Natsume, where exactly are you taking us?"
Ash looked around the dense mist, completely disoriented.
"Sluuurp~ Dunno. But according to the GPS, there's supposed to be a school nearby."
Beside him: white cloth, a vase of flowers, a full afternoon tea setup.
Natsume was seated comfortably in a chair—no one knew where he got it—sipping coffee.
"Pika—!"
Middle-Part mimicked Natsume's pose, holding a juice cup and sipping like a connoisseur.
"Pika—chuuu!"
Good stuff. Certified!
"It's getting dark! Don't you two even care?!" Misty fumed, clenching her fists as she glared at the chill duo.
"Getting anxious won't help. Might as well sit down and relax."
Natsume remained seated, the picture of leisure.
"ARGH!!! How can you be like this?! Brock has been handling all our logistics and he hasn't slacked off once—Brock, what are you doing?"
At the far end of the picnic table, Brock also held a cup of coffee, wearing a blissful expression.
"These are mist-roasted coffee beans from Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh." He took a deep whiff and looked even more entranced.
"Slow-roasted by volcanic geothermal heat, with a unique smoky, mineral flavor… it's a rare treat. Unmissable."
"That… sounds really fancy." Ash, who had been scouting ahead, wandered back over curiously.
"Natsume, can Pikachu and I get a cup too?"
"Me too!" Misty came over as well, now intrigued.
"Kids shouldn't drink too much." Natsume said, handing each of them a juice instead.
"Tangerine Drift Juice… Product of the Orange Islands…" Misty read the price sticker still stuck to the cup and twitched slightly.
"Alright, but what about dinner?"
"Pika pika—!"
After gulping his juice down in just a few sips, Ash's stomach growled even louder.
"No idea. Natsume said we could borrow the school's kitchen and dorms, so I didn't cook."
Brock remained fully immersed in his coffee.
"Wait, school? Where is it—Natsume? Where'd he go?"
Misty suddenly noticed: Natsume, who had been seated across the table, had vanished. Only Middle-Part remained, staring blankly at the empty chair.
In the fog, faint lights began to flicker.
As they drew closer, the silhouette of a large building gradually took shape.
At the top floor of this building—an office with floor-to-ceiling windows—two figures were locked in a tense standoff.
"Natsume, the Pokémon Mimicry System here's been out of order for a while. I'm afraid I can't lend it out!"
Behind the desk, an old man with a white beard stood up, staring at the young, clean-cut man across from him as if facing an intruder.
[Ding! The Fog Simulation Practicum has concluded. The next scheduled simulation will be Snowy Weather. Please prepare accordingly.]
A loudspeaker echoed across the school grounds.
With a sudden gust of wind, the thick mist covering the forest scattered completely—revealing a vast school campus in full view.
"Cough cough."
The white-bearded principal coughed awkwardly. The atmosphere grew tense.
"Relax, Principal Jim. I've left Professor Oak's lab and am traveling now," Natsume said, casually scooping a handful of coffee beans from the tin on the desk.
Principal Jim ignored the move and eyed him suspiciously.
"So? What are you doing here?"
"I'm just—"
Before Natsume could finish, Jim cut him off:
"No borrowing students. No borrowing facilities. Most importantly, no borrowing Pokémon!" Then he paused, as if remembering something.
"Even if you've got paperwork from Professor Oak and the League, it's still a no!"
"No need to be so tense, Principal Jim." Natsume pulled out a chair and sat down like he owned the place.
"I'm just passing through. I've got nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat, and my stomach's growling."
Natsume looked truly pitiful.
"Is that… true?"
But clearly, Principal Jim had seen this kind of act before. His face said extremely skeptical.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin