"The strange fog has lifted, and the Pokémon Research Academy is finally in sight, meow!"
"There must be loads of rare Pokémon inside, meow!"
Perched on a tall tree in the distance, Meowth peered through a pair of binoculars, visibly excited.
"What's up with you two, meow?"
But there was no enthusiastic dreaming from Jessie or James behind him. Meowth turned around, puzzled, only to see strange expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong, meow?"
Meowth looked at them strangely. Their expressions—Meowth had only ever seen them like this when they were carsick.
"Are you two feeling sick?"
"No... we're just... having a traumatic flashback."
"It's too dark... too dark!" James said, tears streaming down his face.
"Wait... don't tell me... you two were once students at this academy!?" Meowth suddenly realized.
"That's right. Which is why—for this mission—let's just give up," Jessie said solemnly, turning to Meowth.
"What are you talking about, meow!? We're Team Rocket! Villainy is our middle name! You think just because this place is your alma mater, we're gonna back off!?" Meowth snapped, disappointed.
"No, Meowth, you don't understand—blegh!" James gagged dramatically.
"Pull yourselves together, meow! Even if it's not about the mission, don't you want to see your old school again?" Meowth tried to pump them up.
"Think about the good old school days, meow! Morning runs getting trampled by Onix, homework soaked by Poliwag and left to dry on Psyduck's head, lunches permanently marked by Snorlax's drool—"
"Don't you want to go back to those wonderful memories, meow!?"
From nostalgic to passionate, Meowth's speech intensified. Flames started to flicker in Jessie and James' eyes...
...but those flames were not warm nostalgia. They were rage.
"That suffocating hellhole? Anyone who wants to go back can go alone!"
"SHUT UP, MEOWTH!"
WHAM!
A double flying kick sent Meowth sailing into the treetop.
"Let's go, Jessie. If I look at this place one second longer, my stomach's going to implode."
"Same here—ugh!"
Arm in arm, Jessie and James stumbled away from the Pokémon Research Academy.
"Why... meow...? I thought my speech was moving..." Meowth murmured from the canopy.
Having never gone to school himself, Meowth had always imagined campus life to be just like the books described—warm and joyful.
Unwilling to give up, he raised his binoculars once more. Looking through, he spotted a familiar figure on the academy rooftop.
"That researcher's here too?! Jessie, James—wait for me, meow!!"
Meowth jumped up in a panic, terrified that Natsume might materialize behind him like a ghost again.
"Achoo!"
Natsume rubbed his nose and thought: Must be the Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab missing me.
On the third floor of a teaching building, he leaned against the railing, wondering if he should borrow the school's printer to make more business cards.
He hadn't even gone downstairs yet and had already handed out all his cards.
Hmm... better not dance in Jim's danger zone anymore.
He considered it and nodded to himself—he was an honest man, after all. Rules should be followed.
He glanced down and saw Ash and his friends nearby. Time to head over.
Just as he reached the stairs, a figure stepped in his path.
"You must be Natsume, right?" said Top Student Jiaozi, chin raised, her tone brimming with pride.
"Kiddo, step aside," Natsume replied, casually nudging her head to the side.
Her proud expression froze for a moment but quickly returned to normal.
"Who are you calling a kid!?" she snapped, tossing her student ID at him.
Natsume picked it up and glanced at it.
"You're still not graduated at your age?"
"I could've graduated three years ago—but I stayed... for you!" Jiaozi said, then realized the implication and paused awkwardly.
"Ahem! As the Fourth President of the Disciplinary Whip, I challenge you, the founder!"
"Disciplinary Whip?" Natsume blinked. "What's that?"
"What do you mean, 'What's that'!?" she retorted, eyes narrowing.
"What is the 'Disciplinary Whip'? Who came up with that awful name?" Natsume waved dismissively.
Jiaozi: "..."
Stunned by his reaction, she took out a photo and started comparing it carefully.
"It really is you!" she finally exclaimed, pointing at him.
"You're the founding president—and I, as the Fourth President, formally challenge you!"
"Well, first you'll have to explain what this 'Whip' thing is."
Natsume looked her over. The name did ring a faint bell...
"It's that thing... you know..." Jiaozi suddenly blushed, voice growing shy.
Now Natsume looked confused.
"It's... that thing!" she burst out at last:
"When decayed textbooks are blasted to pulp by Gyarados' Hydro Pump...
When cowardly Poké Balls shatter under Tyranitar's Stone Edge...
We are the steel whip forged in flames!
Shattering the glass dome of the greenhouse!
Driving out the parasites clinging to spreadsheets—
And forcing them into the stormy battlefield of real combat!"
After her dramatic outburst, Jiaozi bowed her head, cheeks burning red with embarrassment, her body trembling with shame.
"Oh! That thing—I remember now!" Natsume finally clicked.
"Three years ago, I started a club here!"
Back then, during his first visit to the Kanto Pokémon Research Academy, he had noticed a major problem.
The school heavily emphasized theory and neglected actual battling.
And Natsume understood why. Most students here were rich or came from powerful families—if something went wrong in a battle, the academy would be held responsible.
So over time, the curriculum became so theory-heavy it was borderline unhealthy.
To shake things up, he casually founded a club called The Disciplinary Whip.
Its philosophy was to "bully" other students into battling—force them to engage in real Pokémon fights.
Surprisingly, the club became popular among students hungry for strong opponents.
What Natsume didn't expect was for this half-joke of a club to actually gain academy approval—and now it had lived on to a fourth generation?
He was genuinely shocked.
"So you're the fourth president, huh?" he said, then suddenly changed tone:
"But seriously, how'd you even manage to recite such a cringe slogan? Even I couldn't bear to read that back when I wrote it."
Jiaozi: "..."
"That's your fault! You're the one who said all future presidents had to memorize it word for word!"
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She puffed up angrily.
She had worked hard to remember the motto—and now the founder couldn't even recall the club name!
"Yeah... I guess something that edgy wasn't really a great club motto, huh?"
A voice piped up behind them—it was Brock.
Turning around, Natsume saw that Ash, Misty, and Shun had appeared at some point.
All four of them stared at him curiously.
Misty raised an eyebrow and teased:
"Don't tell me you started this club just to watch each president embarrass themselves."
"Impossible! Natsume-bro wouldn't do that. He must've had a good reason—right, Natsume-bro?" Ash asked firmly, turning to him.
"Well... yeah, I did," Natsume scratched his head, beginning to explain.
His concern was that the club might evolve into a genuine bullying group after he left.
So, he deliberately made everything—the motto, the initiation—over-the-top cringey.
Because people who go full chuunibyou usually aren't that bad at heart.
And more importantly... they're easy to manipulate!
After Natsume's explanation, the group had mixed expressions.
"Ohhh, no wonder those guys talked so weird," Shun muttered, recalling the bullies' dramatic speech patterns.
Brock rubbed his chin.
"Sounds like a silly plan... but strangely effective."
"Ash, you've been squirming this whole time. What's up with you?" Misty asked.
"Oh... what does 'chuunibyou' mean?" Ash asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Pika!" Pikachu raised a paw—same question.
Misty: "..."
He'd heard the term before but didn't think much of it. After hearing Natsume mock Jiaozi with it, he assumed it was a bad word.
But Natsume's explanation made it sound cool.
Yet everyone else's reactions... didn't quite match.
"Think of 'chuunibyou' as a different kind of passionate spirit," Brock explained after a pause.
"Huh... then why are you all looking at it like it's weird?" Ash said, suddenly enlightened. He whipped out a Poké Ball and pointed it at Jiaozi:
"Even if your intentions are good—I still want a chuunibyou-style battle!"
"Why did you even explain it to him!?" Misty groaned.
"Step aside." Jiaozi expressionlessly pushed Ash aside and walked straight up to Natsume.
"No more playing dumb, Founder." She held out a keychain with a Poké Ball on it.
Seeing her determination, Natsume gave her a thumbs up.
"You've done well, kid."
Her icy gaze grew even sharper. She looked like she was ready to murder him on the spot.
"I said—I want to challenge you!"
She locked eyes with him, her determination unwavering.
"You can't beat me," Natsume replied with a casual wave.
Unless there was a massive level gap, his Rotom Poké Ball Form could solo just about anything in a 1v1.
And in a 6v6... well, he only had two Pokémon total.
"You!" Jiaozi looked like she'd been slapped. Rage burned in her eyes.
"I spent two years mastering every course! I unified the entire Disciplinary Whip at age fifteen!"
"And now—" her gaze darkened, pointing straight at Natsume.
"Only you remain!"
Hands on her hips, she stared him down stubbornly.
After all that... surely she had earned the right to fight him.
"Wow, good for you!" Natsume said again, giving another thumbs-up.
A bright red line visibly shot across her face—she looked like she might explode.
"Pfft!" Misty couldn't hold in her laughter. For some reason, seeing Jiaozi get mad wasn't pitiful—it was hilarious.
"Don't mock her! An entry-level student here is equivalent to having two Gym Badges, intermediate is four, and advanced equals six!" Shun explained.
Then his expression turned deadly serious:
"Someone like Jiaozi—who mastered all coursework in two years and crushed the entire club—already has the strength to compete in the Pokémon League!"
"What kind of nonsense equivalency is that? I'm not buying it," Ash scoffed.
"Exactly. If that's how it works, then what's the point of Gyms?" Brock agreed.
"Wait, that means Shun, as a beginner, has the strength of someone with two Badges." Misty suddenly pointed out.
"Of course!" Shun puffed his chest proudly.
"Yeah... that scaling makes no sense," Misty nodded seriously.
Shun: "..."
"Who dares challenge our Fourth President!?"
A loud voice rang out.
They turned to see a group of flashy youths, each sporting a wild pompadour hairstyle.
"You want to challenge the Fourth President? You'll have to get through me—The Flame Whip—first!"
"And me—The Steel Whip! No one gets—WAIT, THE FOUNDER HAS RETURNED!!!"
One of the older members recognized Natsume.
"What!? That's the legendary Founder!?"
In an instant, all the new recruits stood at attention. Their gazes toward Natsume turned respectful and awestruck.
Rumor had it that when this Founder appeared nearby, his mere aura made every wild Pokémon in the forest tremble in fear...
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin