James: ???
Meowth: ???
Jessie: ???
Suddenly, James caught sight of Natsume's outfit and exclaimed:
"Wait a second, how do you have my family's butler uniform?!"
This reaction was so genuine that not only the onlookers, but even Jessie and Meowth turned their heads in unison, staring at James with suspicion.
"I've found it! He's actually the young master of the Wilfred family, one of Kanto's top elite clans!"
"What! I heard that Boss Natsume once worked a single summer job at the Wilfred family estate, and in return, they gave him this entire luxury cruise ship!"
The crowd burst into chatter.
"What! You're actually Young Master James?!"
Not far away, Morgan's face suddenly went pale, as though the world had collapsed around him.
Pointing at James, he gasped and shouted:
"Don't tell me—you're the legendary prodigy! Recognized by Victini at age one, defeated Arceus at age two, tore apart Dialga and Palkia with your bare hands at age three, and now infiltrating Team Rocket as a spy to overthrow Giovanni—the one and only Young Master James?!"
"Don't spout nonsense, you idiot!" James roared, furious, feeling powerless like someone slandered by a ridiculous rumor.
"Young Master James, spare me! Please spare me!"
Morgan ignored his pride completely. His knees seemed strapped with wheels as he slid across the ground, kneeling at James's feet and begging for mercy.
"Disgraceful fool!"
Natsume's eyes went cold as he struck Morgan with a slap so powerful it sent him spinning several times in midair before hitting the ground.
"Young Master James, please permit me to serve as the Wilfred family's butler one last time!"
Rising, Natsume took James's hand reverently.
Nearby, two terrified crew members immediately stepped forward to guide the way.
And perhaps it was just an illusion, but the gazes of the surrounding people instantly shifted—now filled with a mix of envy, awe, and shock.
On the deck, Misty and Brock, who had seen everything, were dumbfounded.
"Wait… what are they even doing?" Misty muttered blankly.
"Performance art?" Brock scratched his head.
Team Rocket Headquarters, Giovanni's Office.
"Boss, the League still refuses to budge," the secretary said, refilling Giovanni's glass.
"I expected as much."
Giovanni's sharp gaze darkened. He had long foreseen the League's refusal—there was no way they would allow Team Rocket to meddle in the promotion of Dynamax.
He stroked Persian's head, swirling the wine in his glass without drinking, the silence heavy.
"What about James? How is that matter progressing?" Giovanni asked.
"According to plan, he's already boarded the ship. Would you like to see, Boss?" The secretary gestured, and a massive screen appeared before Giovanni.
"Show me. After all, this was Wilfred's request."
Giovanni rubbed his brow.
Although Team Rocket couldn't directly involve itself in the League's Dynamax expansion, he could use Kanto's elite families as gloves to indirectly reach into it.
The Wilfred family was a perfect choice.
And since this was their request, Giovanni naturally had to handle it well.
All it really required was boosting James's *resume*, giving him a little confidence, weaving a villainous act centered on the trio. A simple task.
Thinking of this, Giovanni's mood improved. He downed his wine in one gulp.
"Click—" A flash of white lit the screen, showing the St. Anne's surveillance feed.
"Welcome back, Young Master James!" came the resounding voice.
*Pffft—*
"Boss! Are you alright?!"
The St. Anne had already set sail.
James, Jessie, and Meowth were surrounded and escorted onto the ship.
Though they felt something was very off, they couldn't deny it—if they stopped thinking about it too hard, the whole situation actually felt pretty great.
Natsume wasn't worried at all that the trio might find things strange.
After all, Giovanni's plans were always full of holes, yet the trio still firmly believed—
If Giovanni had the money to host a banquet on a luxury cruise, he'd be better off hiring a few Pokémon hunters instead. That way, they could catch far more Pokémon.
"Hey, hey, hey, Ash, what were you guys doing just now?"
At the banquet, Misty held a plate of small cakes and curiously grabbed Ash, who had just come back after a bath.
"Oh, that. Natsume hired a bunch of people to act out a scene. I joined in too, and afterward, he said he'd give me pocket money."
"Pocket money? How much could that be?" Misty didn't believe it was worth embarrassing yourself like that for a little spending cash.
"A million."
"What!?" Misty and Brock were stunned.
Just shouting a few lines, and that was worth a million?
"Shhh~ keep your voice down. Not everyone gets that much!" Ash hurriedly covered Misty's mouth.
"No way! With something this good, how could Natsume not call us?!" Misty fumed.
"Yeah, that's way too much!" Brock agreed.
"Don't worry. You two are the key players in luring Young Master James onto the ship. The Wilfred family won't treat you unfairly."
Natsume suddenly appeared, shoving a bank card with a Great Ball design into each of their hands before they could refuse.
"There's half a million inside. Thank you for taking care of my young master outside." Natsume, sporting a fake mustache and an aged tone, declared.
Behind him, Giselle was still in a sharp suit with square sunglasses, looking every bit the part.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're taking this roleplay way too seriously," Misty said speechlessly.
"Young lady, don't you realize you've gained weight?" Natsume suddenly eyed the cake on Misty's plate.
"Huh? Really?" Misty froze.
"So let me eat it." Natsume grabbed the cake and popped it into his mouth.
"Hey!"
Misty stomped her foot, but Natsume slipped away in a flash.
As he walked off, he kept slipping bank cards into people's hands as if he were paying off tabs.
Misty even noticed that flashy *Morgan* again—only this time, he had taken off the gaudy blonde wig and looked much more normal.
The card he got was the most upscale of all—the one with an Ultra Ball design. Who knew how much *performance fee* was inside?
"Ash, Natsume said James's father gave him a lot of money, so on this St. Anne trip, he's going to take extra good care of James."
On Ash's shoulder, the two Pikachu were back again, the three of them munching happily on fruit snacks.
"What? James really is a young master?" Misty's jaw dropped.
She had thought Natsume was just being weird. Turns out James really had a super-rich dad.
"That's so strange. Why would James join Team Rocket instead of inheriting his family's fortune?" Brock wondered.
"Mmph—when I first heard it, I was surprised too. But Natsume calls it: *the path you choose for yourself, even on your knees, you must walk it to the end*."
Ash's mouth was stuffed with food, his words muffled. He'd been the one leading the extras, dashing around the crowd, and it was exhausting.
Misty twitched at the corner of her mouth.
Meanwhile, in the St. Anne marketplace—
"This is too scary, way too scary!"
On the deck, James hugged himself tightly, feeling utterly unsafe, keeping his head down as he walked.
"Hey there, young master, want to take a look at this Golden Magikarp?"
James ignored the merchant's pitch, trudging forward.
Could it be… his father's influence had reached into Team Rocket?
As he walked, he bumped into Natsume.
Natsume sprayed some onion water on his face, eyes reddening instantly as he rushed forward.
"Young Master James!"
James: "…"
"Natsume, what's going on? Did my father send you?" James asked directly.
"No. It's because I truly am the head butler of the Wilfred family."
Natsume tugged at his butler's uniform, looking at James with a face full of sincerity.
"Who are you trying to fool?" James rolled his eyes.
"The truth is, in the second year after you ran away from home, the master passed away."
"What!!"
James gasped, worry spreading across his face.
"And in the third year, the lady followed him."
"Hold on! You've got to be lying. Otherwise, why are you putting on this whole act?"
"Of course, it's because I want to get rid of you, Young Master James. That way, all the fortune will be mine." As Natsume spoke, a Gengar floated up behind him.
"Ahhhhh!!"
James turned and bolted, vanishing in a flash.
Watching him run toward the Magikarp stall, Natsume straightened his clothes.
Out in the world, identity was something you gave yourself.
Besides, Wilfred had one more request.
He had prepared a Magikarp for James—one just a step away from evolving into a Gyarados.
Natsume had to find a way to pass it to James without raising suspicion.
Normally, Natsume hated troublesome work.
But the payment was far too generous.
At the Magikarp stall, James absentmindedly got forced into taking one by the vendor.
When he returned to his room, Jessie and Meowth were already waiting.
The last time, James had explained a little about his background.
They hadn't made much fuss over it—at most, they just figured he could serve as emergency cash. If they ever ran out of money, they could stage a kidnapping and extort his dad.
But today was different. Thanks to Natsume's stunt, Giovanni's whole plan had gone up in smoke!
"James, this time it wasn't me messing things up, nya!"
Meowth clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Wait, Meowth." Jessie pulled him back, noticing James's expression looked unusually grim.
"I need to call my dad!"
James's face was dead serious as he turned and walked out of the room, heading straight for a public phone booth on the deck.
Jessie and Meowth followed close behind.
Soon, the video call connected.
On the other end appeared a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache, dressed like a refined gentleman.
"Hahaha! So, how does it feel to experience the thrill of your true identity?"
Wilfred laughed heartily, clearly pleased with Natsume's *script*. Maybe this would awaken James's dormant noble blood.
"You're alive!" James exclaimed.
Wilfred: ???
James let out a long sigh of relief.
You can read more (around 80+ 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.