This time, Natsume's script replaced Giovanni's.
As a result, the original plot didn't happen—the clash between Team Rocket and the others, the sinking of the St. Anne, and everyone being stranded on a deserted island.
A week later, the St. Anne docked at a port city.
"Porta Vista, a place with no Gym and nothing special," Brock said, pulling out a map.
"Ah, no Gym…" Ash looked a little disappointed.
"But I heard they're developing it for tourism. Look over there," Giselle said, pointing toward the sea in the distance.
There was an offshore construction site, surrounded by ships going back and forth. The roar of drills echoed as ripples spread endlessly across the water.
Natsume glanced over, displeasure flashing across his face.
If he remembered correctly, this was the city where the Gigantamax Tentacruel appeared.
That Tentacruel nearly destroyed the entire city.
"This is illegal construction, hmph!" Misty suddenly grew angry.
"Why?" Ash looked at her in confusion.
Misty was too upset to explain, so Giselle picked up the thread.
"Construction at this scale will seriously affect Pokémon living in the surrounding sea. I bet the developers didn't consult any Pokémon ecology experts." She pulled out a book.
"It's written in Mr. Natsume's book."
*"Electabuzz politely turns buried power cables into free charging stations, with a bonus Thunderbolt service for overdue electricity bills."*—Excerpt from **Thousand Methods Pokémon Use To Trouble Human Society Under Ecological Destruction**, author: **Natsume**
"Why do you always write such weird stuff?" Misty skimmed the book, frowning.
Though she complained, she actually liked Natsume's satirical way of raising awareness for Pokémon ecological protection.
"I have a bad feeling something's going to happen here." Misty stared worriedly at the rippling sea.
*Bwoop!* With a splash, a light-blue Pokémon appeared from the surface.
**Horsea, my favorite Pokémon. Horsea, my favorite Pokémon.**
"Uh, Natsume, how do I switch the Pokédex back from custom mode to the original?" Ash scratched his head awkwardly.
"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A."
After some fiddling, Ash somehow entered a side-scrolling action game.
Ash: ???
"Beat the final boss, Caterpie, and it'll go back," Natsume said with a thumbs-up.
"Forget it, I'll do it." Misty covered her face and pulled out her own Pokédex.
**Horsea, the Dragon Pokémon. When threatened, it sprays special ink from its mouth with force.**
"Huh? This Pokémon doesn't look like a dragon at all. The Pokédex only says Water-type!" Ash leaned in. In his game, the Caterpie suddenly evolved into a dragon, and he died six times in three seconds. He figured his Pokédex might never return to normal.
"Hmph, you don't know this, but Horsea's final evolution, Kingdra, does gain the Dragon type!" Misty explained proudly.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to know that."
"Of course! Water-type Pokémon are my specialty!" Misty puffed out her chest.
"And I have a strong affinity with Water Pokémon!" She squatted down, beckoning to Horsea.
"Come here, little one."
*Pffft—* Horsea sprayed ink straight into the water in front of it.
"Haha, must be because you look scary!" Ash laughed at her misfortune.
Misty: "…"
"Wait a second, don't you think this ink looks strange?" Giselle noticed something.
Everyone looked closer. The ink Horsea sprayed formed two pictures, each resembling a Pokémon.
"That's… Tentacool and Tentacruel!" Misty cried out.
**Tentacool, my favori—BEEP**
Ash expressionlessly shut off the Pokédex.
"Give it here, I'll enter a cheat code for you," Natsume said, holding out his hand.
"Thanks, Natsume."
"Guys, that Horsea seems hurt." Brock, ever observant, pointed to the fin on Horsea's back, his voice serious.
"Could it have been bullied by Tentacool and Tentacruel?" Giselle guessed.
*BOOM!*
Not far away, a massive explosion suddenly erupted on the sea. Everyone turned their heads, their expressions changing drastically.
A transport ship had inexplicably blown up, sending dozens of crew members into the water.
"Quick, save them! Go, Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen!" Misty was the first to react.
"Go, Squirtle, Pidgeotto!" Ash followed right after.
"Hahaha, my ultimate water-resistant Onix can finally be useful!"
The sailors were overjoyed when they saw Pokémon being sent out to rescue them, but when they caught sight of Onix, they nearly fainted on the spot.
To their surprise, this Onix swam swiftly through the water with no discomfort at all.
In just two trips, more than ten crew members were safely brought back to shore.
"Too bad… Horsea got scared away." Misty glanced at the now-empty sea with regret.
"Oh? You wanted to catch it?" came Natsume's voice from behind.
Turning back, they saw him holding a soaking wet brick in one hand and a fainted Horsea in the other.
"Here." Natsume recalled Horsea into a Pokéball and casually tossed it to Misty.
That Horsea might know something about the Gigantamax Tentacruel, so it was better to keep it for now.
"Wait, didn't you catch it?"
"I released it." At some point, the Pokéball in Misty's hands had already been swiped back by Natsume.
"Hold on—I want it!" Misty quickly changed her words.
"By the way, Natsume, up until now you've only had Midchu, Dragonite, and Rotom. Aren't you going to catch more Pokémon?" Ash asked suddenly.
"No need. I can just borrow yours."
"…"
Natsume tucked away the dripping wet brick, clapped his hands clean, and walked over to the sailors still spitting out water.
"You're all part of this construction project?" Natsume asked bluntly.
"Yes, thank you so much," a slightly chubby middle-aged sailor, who seemed to be the leader, stepped forward to express his gratitude.
"League inspector. Take me to your boss."
Natsume pulled out a black badge. At the sight of it, the sailors all turned pale.
"Of course, of course! We'll contact the boss right away and have her come meet you!"
"Don't let her prepare in advance. Take us to her directly!"
Natsume was straightforward.
The leader's face froze awkwardly, but he could only nod and lead the way.
"Natsume, since when are you a League inspector?"
On the road, Ash whispered.
"Shhh—fake ID."
"…"
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.