The next day, after buying a large pile of local specialties, the group set out once more on their journey.
"Alright, our next stop is Saffron City!"
After catching Gastly, Ash's confidence soared—he could hardly wait to teleport straight to Saffron.
Before long, the group arrived at a steep sea cliff.
"Brock, are you sure we need to go through here?" Misty nervously glanced down the cliff. The drop was terrifying.
"Yes. There's a path up there." Brock pointed to a narrow, winding trail hanging along the cliffside.
"What? That's way too dangerous! Wouldn't it make more sense to build the road higher up?" Ash frowned in confusion.
"Don't tell me the League officials pocketed all the money!" Misty squinted suspiciously.
"That's not the case."
Behind them, Natsume fiddled with an Ultra Ball, Giselle quietly peeking out and watching.
Hearing their conversation, Natsume looked up from the ball and explained:
"This is a Pokémon ecological reserve. Too much human construction isn't allowed here."
"An ecological reserve?" Everyone looked puzzled.
"Look over there." Natsume pointed to the right side of the cliff, where a small forest stood.
Above the forest, swarms of Butterfree occasionally fluttered across the sky.
"So many Butterfree!" Ash's eyes lit up.
"Oh, I remember now," Brock suddenly said.
"This place is Butterfly Cliff. Every year around this time, during Butterfree's mating season, they gather here in flocks to choose their partners."
"Once they pair up, they fly across the sea to lay eggs and raise their offspring."
"That's right." Natsume nodded.
"That sounds so romantic!" Misty clasped her face, lost in fantasy.
"Do you guys want to go take a look?" Natsume suggested.
"Let's go!"
The group headed toward the forest.
Along the way, they passed many Trainers.
"These Trainers are here to release their Butterfree," Natsume explained.
"This practice is called *Butterfree Release*. The League encourages it since it helps increase the wild Butterfree population."
"Plus, Butterfree only really get one chance in their entire lives to reproduce."
"Only once in a lifetime…" Ash muttered in surprise.
"Hey, I'm just saying, maybe you should call your Butterfree back and ask what it thinks?" Misty suddenly said.
"Come on, there's an eco outpost here with a Pokémon transfer machine." Natsume waved them over to a small red-and-white cabin.
Inside was an elderly bald man in a forest ranger's dark green uniform, wearing a straw hat.
"We'd like to borrow the equipment here," Natsume said, showing his ID.
"Researcher, huh? Go on in."
The old man glanced at it and let them through to the backyard.
In the back, quite a few Trainers had already gathered—most were renting hot-air balloons to release their Butterfree.
Of course, some Trainers were starting *mating introductions* on the spot.
"Oh, I'm going to rent a balloon!" Misty said excitedly, rushing off to the staff.
"Hey, Butterfree hasn't even agreed yet!" Ash tried to stop her, but she was already gone.
"Ash, over here!"
Natsume stood under the eaves where an old-looking Pokémon communication device and a transfer machine were set up.
Ash stepped forward and dialed the Professor Oak Laboratory hotline.
"Hello, this is Professor Oak's lab. What can I help you with?"
An unexpected figure appeared on the screen.
"Mom? What are you doing at Professor Oak's lab?" Ash froze.
"Because Aunt Delia used to be Professor Oak's assistant," Natsume said from behind.
Whenever Professor Oak went out, Delia was the one managing the lab.
And in recent years, with Natsume around—Delia's burden had grown even heavier.
She not only had to manage the lab, but also calm the restless Pokémon there.
At the same time, for handling some research data, Professor Oak would occasionally go to Ash's house to ask Delia for help.
It wasn't that Professor Oak didn't trust Natsume—well, actually, it was that he didn't.
His student and assistant had ability, ideas, and determination, but he was far too fond of sudden inspiration.
And in research, sudden inspiration was the biggest taboo.
After Natsume's explanation, everyone gathered around.
Misty, having rented the hot-air balloon, pressed down on Ash's shoulder and leaned in first.
"Wow, Ash, your mom's a researcher too!" Misty's eyes sparkled.
"Ash, why didn't you ever say so?" Brock clapped him on the shoulder.
Ash stayed silent for a moment.
Truth was, he'd only just found out himself. Would they even believe that?
"Hahaha, your friends all seem wonderful!" Delia laughed, her eyes sneaking glances at Misty.
Natsume had always told her Ash was lucky in love, with an unshakable will.
"Oh right, Mom, can you help me switch Butterfree back?"
Remembering his purpose, Ash quickly asked.
"This one, right? No problem." Delia pulled out a Pokéball with Ash's photo stickered on it.
"Bye, Mom."
"Goodbye, Auntie."
After exchanging Butterfree with Pidgeotto, and saying farewell to Delia, the group boarded the hot-air balloon.
The sky was already filled with balloons, drifting among the wild Butterfree.
Many unpaired Butterfree shifted their attention to the balloons, fluttering and dancing as they began their courtship.
It was said that every year around this time, people would sometimes help hardworking Butterfree find partners.
"Wow, it's amazing!"
As their balloon rose, the world opened up even wider before them.
The view from the sky was completely different from the ground.
Looking out, they saw the Butterfree swarm surging upward like snow in reverse.
Male Butterfree gently tapped the antennae of females with their forelegs, their scale powder flashing faintly in rhythm with their courtship.
Occasionally, a stray was blown away by the wind, but soon another spiral of wings would fill the vortex of the cloud.
Looking down, sunlight pierced through their translucent wings, casting moving lace-like shadows on the ground—love letters, perhaps, written to the earth.
Giselle hid behind Natsume, quietly pulling out a phone, snapping a photo of itself with Natsume against the backdrop of courting Butterfree.
"This is amazing!" Ash excitedly released his Butterfree.
"So, Butterfree, do you want to join in?" He briefly explained the situation and looked at it.
*Bree!* Butterfree nodded vigorously.
"Alright then, Butterfree, go court that one!"
Brock's face turned red as he pointed at a Butterfree.
"Why that one?" Ash asked suspiciously.
"I get it—Brock's actually interested in her Trainer." Misty pointed at a nearby balloon, where a beautiful young woman was standing.
"Ahem. Anyway, once Butterfree pair up, it strengthens the bond between their Trainers. Out on the road, Ash, you need to make friends!" Brock said sternly.
"Oh…" Ash stroked Butterfree's head, then said softly, "Why don't you give it a try, like Brock suggested?"
*Bree!* Butterfree nodded hard and flew toward the other one.
Seeing his Butterfree gathering courage, Ash nodded proudly.
"My Butterfree will definitely be the most popular one here!"
But soon, Butterfree returned.
"Huh? Did he get rejected?" Misty patted his head, comforting him.
"Don't get discouraged. Just try a few more times!" Ash encouraged.
*Bree, bree…* Butterfree only shook his head.
Natsume pulled out his phone and opened the translation app:
"That Butterfree's a male, meow!"
Ash: "…"
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.