Chapter 75. Ash, Give Him the Full Treatment
They entered the Saffron Gym, and inside was a passage like a corridor.
On both sides of the passage were many small rooms, and faint rustling sounds drifted out from within, purpose unknown.
"What are the people in these rooms doing?" Ash rose on tiptoe and peered through a window into one of the rooms.
Everyone followed suit and looked.
There were roughly twenty or thirty people inside, like a small classroom.
Each of them held a spoon and was making some sort of motion with it in front of them.
"Is this performance art?" Misty tilted her head.
"It's Psychic training," Honora suddenly said.
"I heard a lot of beginners in Psychic powers practice by bending spoons with telekinesis."
"Is there any threshold for that?" Natsume watched the beginners training inside, and a spark of interest rose in him.
If he could learn Psychic powers, then many experimental procedures might no longer require instruments.
And he would be able to control some large machines more smoothly, with improved precision.
"Natsume, do you want to learn it?" Honora looked at Natsume and hurriedly added:
"I've heard many people who study Psychic powers end up with drastic personality changes after they master them."
Honora cast Natsume a worried glance.
She did not want Natsume turning into someone strange.
"Right, we even have an example in Cerulean City." Misty suddenly chimed in.
"A man's personality totally changed after he learned Psychic powers!"
"Tell us." Natsume raised an eyebrow slightly.
Everyone seemed curious, their interest piqued.
Although he felt it was unlikely that external means could alter a person's personality, a bit more knowledge never hurt.
"Ahem, I don't know if it's the same as this systematic training here, because he was self-taught," Misty paused, then went on:
"So, he learned Psychic powers from his own Psychic-type Pokémon."
"I heard he had a fiancée, but he kept resisting the engagement, and then on the very day he mastered Psychic powers, he suddenly had a change of heart!"
"What was that Psychic-type Pokémon called?" Natsume's expression turned odd.
"Mm, I think it was called… Kirlia!" Misty answered.
"Did it evolve?" Natsume followed up.
"Huh? How did you know?" Misty was puzzled.
"On the very day the man changed his mind, his Pokémon happened to evolve too."
Natsume was silent for a beat.
Maybe he discovered that the newly evolved Gardevoir was holding a Big Root.
"Misty, is that true!" Honora suddenly grabbed Misty's hand, her eyes filled with four big words—change of heart.
She suddenly wanted Natsume to study Psychic powers.
"Hey, don't lump us together with that kind of back-alley approach!"
A displeased voice came from behind the group.
They turned and saw three young men.
The one in front wore a suit with slicked-back hair, and the two behind looked like assistants, dressed the same as the beginners in the small rooms.
"Sir, are you a teacher here?" Ash stepped up curiously.
"Yes." The man nodded.
"I'm Shirakawa, the head of the Telekinesis Club."
"The Gym Leader here, Sabrina, is our club's president."
After introducing himself, Shirakawa glanced at Ash, then shifted his gaze to Natsume, only to shake his head in disappointment.
"Give it up."
"You'd better go to another city to get a Badge."
Ash was full of question marks.
Why had everyone he met in the past two days looked down on him?
Did he have 'weakling' written on his face?
Unconvinced, Ash argued loudly:
"Mr. Shirakawa, how do you know I can't win?"
"My Pikachu is really strong!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu let out a vigorous cry.
"Still so stubborn." Shirakawa shook his head.
Lately Sabrina had been in a strange state, and he tried to save as many unlucky challengers as he could.
Thinking so, Shirakawa took out a can.
Just as he was about to speak, the can vanished from his hand.
"Gulp—gulp—ah!" Natsume drank heartily.
"What do you think you're doing!" Shirakawa glared at him, and was answered only by an empty can.
Grabbing the can, Shirakawa's mouth twitched.
"Forget it."
"An empty can works too."
"Watch closely."
Shirakawa set the can upright on his palm and held it up in front of them.
The next second, a faint blue light rose in his eyes.
The blue glow grew brighter, and when it filled his eyes, the can in his hand was also wreathed in blue light.
Slowly, the can began to float.
"How about that?" Shirakawa looked at the group.
"Oh, amazing," Ash praised without enthusiasm.
"But what's the use?"
"I could blow it over with a breath." Misty snarked.
Feeling insulted, Shirakawa ground his teeth.
"Then keep watching!"
A creaking sound came from the can.
"Creak—creak!"
As if set into an invisible hydraulic press, the can was gradually flattened into a big disk in no more than three minutes.
"Wow, that's kind of impressive!" Ash very politely applauded.
"Well? Do you understand now?" Shirakawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at them.
"Understand what?" The confusion on Ash's face deepened.
"I mean that President Sabrina's Psychic power is hundreds or thousands of times stronger than mine."
"She can crush you flat just like this can!"
Shirakawa looked at the group of trainers who didn't know the height of the sky.
They didn't retort as before, so he figured they finally grasped the danger.
But then, the trainer who had snatched his can earlier—fair-skinned and seemingly easy-going—spoke up.
"Ash, give him the full treatment!"
"Got it, Natsume!"
As soon as Natsume finished speaking, Ash took the flattened can from Shirakawa's hand.
"What are you doing?" Shirakawa asked, puzzled.
Ash took a deep breath and put his lips to the mouth of the can.
"Hah—pff!"
Ash drew in a huge breath, then blew into the can.
With a gurgling pop, the flattened can instantly sprang back to shape.
Shirakawa was dumbfounded.
And that wasn't all.
Ash's cheeks were still puffed out.
He kept blowing, and the can visibly swelled.
Some spots even started to leak air, but the leaks were nowhere near Ash's output.
In just three seconds, there was a bang, and the can exploded.
"Huh? Why did it explode?"
Ash scratched his head, unscathed.
The only noticeable mark was an upside-down red triangle stamped on his lips.
Natsume looked down at the can tab clipped in his hand, then at Ash's reddened lips.
Hmm.
Should he keep it as a collectible and sell it to Serena?
Natsume's thoughts drifted off again.
Across from him, the three young men stood stupefied, unable to react for a while.
Silence fell over the corridor.
"Sir, he's practically superhuman!" the two assistants behind Shirakawa stammered, pointing at Ash.
"Please come in."
"You may be the greatest challengers we've had."
Shirakawa stepped aside, terrified that Ash might go for a mouth-to-mouth on him.
"All right, let's go in!" Ash cheered and strode in at the head of the group.
Behind them, Shirakawa let out a breath.
Maybe this was a good thing.
In the state Gym Leader Sabrina was in, his efforts at persuasion never worked, and every time challengers came, he had to notify the former Gym Leader to come save the day.
Hopefully this Trainer named Ash could knock some sense into her.
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