"Alright then, I'll arrange a place for you to rest."
After a lengthy explanation, Principal Jim finally let out a sigh of relief.
It didn't matter what Natsume had come for—as long as she wasn't here with another research project, that was a blessing!
Last time, she talked about testing regeneration speed and insisted on cutting a Slowpoke's tail three times a day. Eventually, she developed an "Angry Form Slowpoke." Every teacher on campus had to learn how to glare just to keep it in check—its effect was on par with Intimidate, and only then did they manage to bring the situation under control.
And then there was her experiment on "Paternal Care Potential", where she snuck off with thirty Kangaskhan babies, sprayed them with pheromones, and left them to be raised by a Nidoking population. The very next day, the Kangaskhan herd raised at the academy declared war, and half the Nidoqueen population joined in.
It was pure chaos.
And that wasn't even the time before last...
"Then I'll leave it to you, Principal."
Natsume said as she opened the office door.
"Heh heh..." Jim watched her leave like he was sending off a walking disaster.
"Ack!"
As soon as Natsume stepped out, she bumped right into a small figure.
Looking down, she saw a delicate, doll-like girl in the academy's uniform—about the same age as Ash.
"Are you alright?" Natsume helped her up before the girl could say anything and handed her a business card:
"If your family's interested, feel free to contact me. We could talk about investment opportunities."
Top Student: "???"
Wait a minute—that person...!
The girl's gaze instantly sharpened as she locked onto Natsume's retreating figure.
"And another thing—you're not allowed to harass my students!"
From inside the office, Jim chased after her in a rage.
"Got it," Natsume replied, casually stuffing another handful of business cards into the hands of passing students.
"Ladies and gents, come visit sometime~"
On campus...
Behind Ash and his group followed a shy-looking boy in a school uniform.
"You're telling me that heavy fog just now was made by your school!?"
Ash exclaimed in disbelief.
"What about the other Pokémon living on the mountain?" Misty added with concern.
"The entire mountain is part of our academy grounds. All the Pokémon populations were introduced and are now semi-wild under our management," Shun replied honestly.
"Wow, this school is seriously loaded—tuition must be sky-high!" Misty clutched her head in disbelief.
Brock, however, seemed thoughtful:
"If I'm not mistaken, this is the Kanto Pokémon Research Academy, right? The students who attend here are mostly from wealthy families."
"Exactly. And students who graduate from our academy don't even need badges to enter the Indigo Plateau Conference!" Shun added.
"No badges?! That can't be right!" Ash frowned deeply, clearly offended. "You can't become a Pokémon Master just through theory!"
"You're wrong. You can become a Pokémon Master purely through theory," Shun shook his head without concern. "I used to think like you. But after coming here, I realized—theory matters far more than actual battles."
"Oh? So those guys who bullied you earlier—they were just better at theory than you, right? Doesn't mean they're better at battling," Misty said, siding with Ash for once.
"Exactly! Why didn't you just send out your Pokémon?" Brock asked.
"No use. Their theory is stronger, so their battling must be, too. My Pidgeot can't beat them," Shun replied, clearly discouraged.
"Hey, hey! You can't lose faith in your partner like that! If it were me, I'd have Pikachu shock them into next week!" Ash said, frustrated.
"Pika!" Pikachu echoed with fighting spirit.
"You?" Shun glanced at Ash, then at the two Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Even your two Pikachu might not be able to beat me."
Shun shrugged, seemingly unfazed by Ash's outburst.
"He's totally resigned himself to this," Brock whispered to Misty.
"Yeah... maybe we shouldn't have helped him," Misty muttered, mildly annoyed.
With Natsume nowhere to be found, the trio went looking for her around campus.
They didn't find Natsume—but they did find a student being bullied: Shun.
"Hey, hey! Don't act like it's no big deal when you're being bullied! Tell me who their leader is—I'll go get revenge for you!"
Ash, burning with righteous fury, grabbed Shun by the collar and shouted.
"Actually... having them push me like this kind of motivates me," Shun said with his usual indifference.
"Why does he think that's a good thing?" Misty sighed, holding her forehead.
"Whatever. Just show me what the leader looks like—I'll take them down for you!" Ash was still fuming.
"Pika!" Pikachu was raring to go.
"Alright." Shun pulled out a photo from his pocket and handed it over.
"That one in the middle—that's the founder of the Disciplinary Society."
Ash rolled up his sleeves. "Let me see which jerk it is—"
Then suddenly, he fell silent. Pikachu, too, froze in place like it had been petrified.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're scared, Ash!" Misty frowned and leaned in for a look.
She fell silent as well.
"What are you guys doing?" Brock asked curiously.
He looked over—and then also stopped talking.
In the photo were several students, including those who had bullied Shun. And standing at the center...
A clean-cut, innocent-looking guy with a big sunshine smile flashing a peace sign at the camera.
It was Natsume!
"NATSUME!!" Misty cried out in shock.
Though he looked younger in the photo, it was unmistakably him.
"No way... Natsume bro, how could this be!?"
"There must be some misunderstanding," Brock recovered first. He pointed to the photo, asking:
"Shun, do you know this person?"
"Nope," Shun shook his head. "Some seniors said Mr. Natsume was just the founder. The current president's someone else now."
"Phew, I knew there had to be a misunderstanding," Brock wiped imaginary sweat from his brow.
"Alright then! Shun, tell me—who's the current president of that club!" Ash's eyes lit up with renewed fury.
"Shun, watch closely. I'll prove to you that battling is what really matters!"
"The current president?" A gleam suddenly lit up in Shun's eyes.
He carefully pulled out a poster and unfolded it with reverence.
"Here! Her name's Honor Student Jiaozi!"
Ash once again rolled up his sleeves, ready for a fight.
"Alright, let me see what kind of—whoa, she's cute."
"Totally. In five years, she'll be an absolute knockout," Brock added with sincere admiration.
"Hey! What are you two doing!?" Misty stormed over to take a look herself.
On the poster stood a girl slightly older than Misty.
Black hair tied with a black satin ribbon, sharp gaze, a beauty mark under her left eye. White uniform, black skirt, thigh-high socks. Her chin slightly raised, her eyes pierced through the poster like blades—her presence almost tangible.
"This has nothing to do with being cute!" Misty huffed.
"And anyway, people change a lot in five years—you don't know what she'll look like then!" she added sourly.
"She's already an adult," Shun said, admiration shining in his eyes. "She's a senior student."
"Oh? So even if she's underdeveloped, she's still ahead of Misty in—OW!" Brock yelped as a massive lump formed on his head.
"Suddenly, I think a bit of 'disciplinary motivation' might actually be helpful," Brock muttered after recovering.
"Totally agree," Shun replied with a knowing smile.
"Hold on! Just because she's cute doesn't give her the right to be a bully!" Ash snapped back to reality.
"I'm going to challenge her!"
"Pika!"
And with that, Ash stormed off through campus, two Pikachu in tow, searching furiously for her.