Ash and the others had gone off to train Butterfree, while Natsume stayed at the ecological outpost with Giselle, working on designing a Rotom fusion circuit for a Ultra Ball.
Starting from the Ultra Ball, the difficulty increased significantly.
Inside such a small Pokéball was an actual internal space.
And this space was connected to research labs across different regions.
The original circuitry of a Ultra Ball was already extremely complex. Extending it to create lines suitable for Rotom fusion and then implanting a core—Natsume could manage that.
But the resulting circuit wouldn't perform ideally.
Unless he had a specialized deconstruction machine from a proper lab, something that could flatten and display every layer of the Ultra Ball's internal structure for micro-adjustments.
Otherwise, he was limited to downloaded schematics online, forced to rely on manual operations just like the professor who created the very first Ultra Ball hundreds of years ago.
Clearly, Natsume's hands weren't steady enough for that.
The more advanced the Pokéball, the more stable its inner space. Trying to implant anything new without weakening its performance was an incredibly difficult task.
He couldn't imagine how, eight hundred years ago, that old professor had managed to invent the first Ultra Ball under such primitive conditions.
Natsume shook his head slightly. Maybe modern researchers had simply grown spoiled by convenient precision instruments?
Still, he had to admit those instruments drastically lowered the entry barrier for researchers and pushed technology forward.
After all, centuries ago, becoming a researcher meant you needed a Psychic-type partner, rigorously trained in telekinesis, to assist with your work.
*Boom!* A loud noise came from the sky.
Giselle looked up and saw Team Rocket with a massive net, snatching up pairs of Butterfree.
"Natsume!" she cried out, panicked.
"Your job is to hold this steady," Natsume snapped, glaring at her.
"Oh…" She lowered her head, ignoring the chaos in the sky.
Both her hands were occupied, carefully holding a Ultra Ball.
Since Natsume felt he had hit a bottleneck, he had her act as a human stand. That way, he didn't have to hold the Ultra Ball in one hand and work with the other.
Now with both hands free, his precision doubled.
*Crack!* A faint sound came from the Ultra Ball. It split down the center—failure.
"Looks like it didn't work out, Mr. Natsume," she said softly, trying to console him.
"Forget it. I'll just find a way to borrow a lab in the next city," Natsume said, picking up the ruined ball.
Human fingers just weren't nimble enough against such delicate instruments.
If only he could reshape his hands like a Muk, flowing like liquid, it would be perfect.
His mind began to wander again.
"Mr. Natsume!" she waved her hand in front of him.
"Team Rocket seems to have caught all the Butterfree. Shouldn't we do something?" she asked nervously.
"It's fine. Ash and the others will handle it," Natsume said with a stretch, turning instead to Dragonite and Gengar nearby.
*Uuugh~* Dragonite looked delighted, slashing wildly with glowing claws—using Dragon Claw.
Gengar didn't dare take a direct hit. It frantically floated around to dodge—only making Dragonite swing faster.
"Stop, stop! Why can't she understand me?!" Gengar shouted at Natsume.
"Oh, you need to use telepathy," Natsume reminded.
Gengar did so, and Dragonite froze mid-swing. Tilting her head, sweat beaded down her fierce face.
How could this silly little Gengar suddenly speak?
"I usually only use telepathy with humans. Like now," Gengar muttered, retreating behind Natsume with lingering fear.
"So? How's Dragonite's control over her own strength?" Natsume asked.
"In human terms? Like giving a gun to a three-year-old," Gengar said gravely.
Thinking back on what just happened, it felt like the perfect comparison.
"Then you'll be the one to teach it how to shoot," Natsume said with a grin, patting Gengar's back. He handed over a small white box.
Inside was nothing but spicy sludge.
Gengar quickly tucked it away, still troubled.
"This is a death sentence of a job!"
"Two boxes a month," Natsume replied.
"Deal!"
"Once you've trained him well, I'll even get you a membership card for unlimited spicy sludge!"
*Hiss—ha!*
After stashing away the two boxes of spicy sludge, Gengar suddenly transformed, now wearing a full butler's uniform.
"Young Mistress Dragonite, no slacking—come hit me!"
Watching the two Pokémon go at it with such intensity, Natsume yawned.
The thing was, before he could even think about modifying Dragonite to prolong her life, he had to find a way to improve her strength.
Especially her control over raw power—Natsume really didn't want to be sent flying off the operating table by one careless kick.
These worries came from one of the very few good discoveries he'd made about Dragonite—
Possibly due to years of illness and pain, Dragonite had nearly no sense of pain left. Even paralysis, poison, or burns—whether inflicted or not—barely made any difference to her.
Meaning anesthetics were completely useless on this Dragonite.
And with her low intelligence, once startled, she would still lash out wildly. Even Gengar had to admit that.
By dusk, Natsume recalled both Gengar and Dragonite back into their Pokéballs.
"Let's go. Ash and the others should be back soon. We can catch the Butterfree migration," Natsume said, heading toward the beach, with Giselle following close behind.
The setting sun bathed the sea in golden-red ripples. Tens of thousands of Butterfree beat their wings, gliding above the waves.
The fluttering wings blended with the sea breeze, making a soft rustling sound.
"Mmm~ the wind carries a salty bitterness," Natsume said, standing next to Ash.
"Do you regret it, Ash?" Natsume turned to look at him.
"This is Butterfree's own choice. As his trainer, I have to respect that," Ash answered, raising his head toward the distant swarm.
There, a pair of Butterfree flew together—one of them a Shiny.
Suddenly, Ash's Butterfree turned back and waved from afar.
"Ah… who knows when we'll meet again," Misty said softly, raising her hand.
*Pika…* Pikachu drooped his head, looking sad.
"It'll only be a year. When the time comes, I'll take you to find it. Maybe you'll even meet Butterfree's children," Natsume said, patting Ash's head.
"Really? How would you even find it?" Misty squinted at him suspiciously.
"I've installed trackers on all of you," Natsume replied matter-of-factly.
"Huh?! When?!" Misty jumped, frantically checking herself.
"Uh…" Brock scratched his head. He didn't really mind. Honestly, having Natsume able to locate them in emergencies wasn't the worst thing.
"To be precise, I've installed trackers on all of you, and on all your Pokémon too," Natsume added seriously.
"Silently… that's terrifying," Misty groaned.
"Natsume secretly put a tracker on me…"
Behind them, Giselle held her face, her cheeks glowing like a second sunset.
Plop! She collapsed onto Natsume.
"Huh?"
Natsume turned and saw her flushed, fainting.
*What's going on?*
He blinked, only to notice Ash and the others all yawning at once.
"Natsume, I'm suddenly so sleepy… Is this what you meant by the bitter taste of parting?" Ash muttered, plopping down onto the ground before lying flat.
*Pikachu~* The Pokémon in his arms was already fast asleep.
"We're tired too…" Misty and Brock dropped one after another.
Even Natsume's own eyelids grew heavier.
"I forgot to mention… To protect themselves from predators during migration, Butterfree all release Sleep Powder together…"
And the sea breeze carried it straight to them.
Saying that, Natsume drifted into deep sleep.
*Pika… pi?*
Behind the group, Midchu looked around in confusion.
*Why was everyone asleep?*
*Is this… really a place to nap?*
*That's way too careless!*
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.