novelraw Chapter 131: Charizard
Chapter 131: Charizard
Chapter 131: Charizard
"All right, since Gary collected so much ancient poop, I won't fall behind— here I come—ugh!"
Ash was cut off as Gary clamped a hand over his mouth.
"You don't need to repeat that so loudly," Gary said, veins bulging in frustration.
As everyone chuckled silently, a deafening explosion echoed from afar.
Boom! Rocks tumbled, and the ground trembled.
"Looks like Team Rocket!" Misty exclaimed, pointing at a Meowth-shaped balloon peeking over the distance.
Everyone dashed off, leaving only Natsume and Giselle behind.
"Natsume, aren't we going?" Giselle asked, curious. Natsume tucked away his Master Ball and pulled out a stone tablet.
"Ash and the others can handle it," he replied.
Natsume held the damaged stone tablet up, examining it carefully in the sunlight.
"Mm!" Giselle nodded knowingly, a smile forming. Through their travels, she had come to understand their companions well. While they often bickered, Ash and the others were reliable in critical moments.
Sunlight reflected off the stone tablet, casting a faint golden glow. Natsume frowned, closing his eyes, feeling slightly unaccustomed.
"Wow—a fossil I've never seen!"
A young man carrying a camera approached with a click of the shutter.
"You're being rude," Giselle said, stepping in front of Natsume as the camera lens aimed at the tablet.
"Ah, sorry! I know I shouldn't, but the sunlight hitting that moment was too beautiful to miss," the young man said, handing a photo to Natsume.
The photo captured sunlight falling across Natsume's face, with tiny black dots on the tablet representing Pokémon populations. The carved areas were shallow, letting light pass through.
Natsume's gaze shifted to the deeper shadows on the tablet.
"Sir, look! Doesn't this shadow look like a crown?" the young man said excitedly, pointing at the shadow near Natsume's forehead.
"And here, these two long shapes—like royal guards holding spears?" His imagination ran wild, and he got lost in his own world.
Only when he looked up did he realize Natsume and Giselle were staring straight at him.
"Ah, sorry! Let me introduce myself. I'm Todd Snap, and my dream is to become the world's top Pokémon photographer!"
He raised his camera proudly.
"I even won last year's Kanto photography competition—oh!"
Before he could finish, the photo he had taken fell into Natsume's hands, and Giselle immediately took the camera.
"Todd, this tablet cannot be shared," she said, deleting the photo completely.
"Uh, are you researchers?" Todd asked, scratching his head.
Natsume nodded, putting the tablet away, then examined the photo Todd had taken.
"Hunting," he muttered, frowning, remembering the legend the old ranch chief had told him.
"All right, here," Giselle handed the camera back to Todd.
"Hey, researcher, do you know if there are any rare Pokémon around here?"
"You can call me Natsume. If you want to photograph rare Pokémon," he said after a moment's thought, pointing toward the pit Ash had left.
"Wait there by the edge; you'll likely get the shot," Natsume instructed.
"Got it, thanks, Natsume!" Todd's eyes lit up as he ran toward the crater left by Team Rocket's explosion.
"He's a lot like Ash," Giselle said, tilting her head. She noticed that along their journey, many people they met were full of dreams and determination.
Natsume nodded.
He had dealt with many Pokémon photographers before, especially those who specialized in wild habitats. These photographers often captured rare Pokémon tucked away in hidden corners of mountains. Their photos were usually sent by the League to nearby research labs as part of survey tasks. As the only assistant at Professor Oak's lab, these routine surveys were always Natsume's responsibility.
Glancing at the sky, Natsume opened Gary's green tent.
"Giselle, come here," he called.
Giselle, who had been staring at her phone with a dazed smile, suddenly snapped to attention.
"It's time to test your classification skills," Natsume said, pointing to the fossils inside the tent. "Sort these fossils."
Giselle worked outside classifying, while Natsume tinkered with the Fertile Stone tablet inside the cleared tent.
In the corner, he noticed a book titled Kanto Fossil Classification Compendium by Bill. It was clear Gary had been collecting fossils according to this book. Though many pieces were fragments, there were plenty of fossils with research value.
Time passed quietly, and the sun began to set.
After sitting for so long, Giselle's legs went numb, sweat dotted her face, and strands of hair clung to her cheeks. She glanced at Natsume in the tent from time to time.
Roar!
A fierce roar split the air, and a pillar of fire shot into the sky.
Natsume poked his head out of the tent, watching the sky with Giselle. Under the sunset, the flames were vivid and striking.
A gray-purple figure shot upward, flames trailing behind it.
"That's… an Aerodactyl!"
Outside the pit, on a giant rock with a perfect view, Todd crouched, snapping photo after photo like rapid fire.
Aerodactyl habitats in the Kanto region were extremely rare. This was just a fossil site; there shouldn't even be Aerodactyls here!
Todd's excitement was palpable. He could very well be the first person to photograph Aerodactyls in this area. One day, his photos might even appear in textbooks when the League introduces this site.
Roar!!!
The air around suddenly grew scorching. A Charizard burst out of the cave, chasing after the Aerodactyl in the sky.
"Is Charizard trying to save me?"
Ash's eyes filled with tears as he clung to Aerodactyl's claws.
The next moment, a jet of fire scorched his face.
Aerodactyl swung its claws, realizing it couldn't shake off the human clinging to it. It now deeply regretted the situation.
Below, Misty and Brock looked up nervously.
"To save Ash, Charmeleon evolved," Misty said.
"No… I think Charizard just wanted a challenge," Brock muttered, watching Ash get scorched repeatedly.
"Mr. Natsume, there's someone on that Aerodactyl's claws!"
Todd ran toward Natsume, snapping photos rapidly.
"Ash is in real danger!"
Misty, Brock, and Gary rushed back as well.
"Come out, Dragonite," Natsume called.
He released his Dragonite.
Roar! Dragonite howled, immediately drawing the attention of the two Pokémon in the sky.
"Wow, such a huge Dragonite!" Todd snapped dozens of photos of the massive Dragonite.
"But Dragonite can't fly," Misty frowned, noticing the difference in its wing size.
The destructive power of the last giant Dragonite gliding incident was still fresh in her mind.
"No flying? No problem." Natsume said confidently.
Natsume spoke, his eyes glowing a deep blue.
Roar! Dragonite was enveloped in a blue aura, its wings flapping violently as it soared into the sky.
The massive Dragonite focused purely on power; Natsume handled all directional control. Before any modifications, this was the only way it could fly.
Boom!
An orange cannonball shot skyward, positioning itself between Aerodactyl and Charizard.
The sheer size of Dragonite made the two Pokémon look like tiny chicks in comparison.
Ah-woo! Natsume grabbed Aerodactyl by the neck with one hand.
Ah-woo! He gripped Charizard's neck with the other.
Dragonite began its descent.
Bang!
The cannonball hit the ground, creating a massive crater.
Roar!
Aerodactyl shot out from the pit, using all limbs, almost flying as it retreated back into the underground hole.
Hmph!
Charizard exhaled a burst of heat from its nostrils, eyes blazing as it stared at Dragonite.
However, Natsume recalled Dragonite first. He studied Charizard, who had evolved out of frustration at Aerodactyl, and couldn't help but think of all the Pokémon at the lab that had evolved early after being moved by him. The situations were oddly similar.
Roar! Charizard looked at Natsume, clearly wanting to challenge Dragonite.
"Charizard, don't even think about it. Dragonite's strength is as great as mine," Ash stepped forward to calm it.
Roar? Charizard looked at Ash suspiciously.
After a moment, it leaned toward Ash, tapping its head with a finger.
"Ash, what's Charizard saying?"
"Oh, it wants you to give it a ride," Natsume translated.
Pika-pika-pi-ka!
Midchu popped out quickly, persistently advocating for Charizard as if tirelessly looking out for its best interests.
Ash thought for a moment, then gently patted Charizard on the head.
"All right, but you have to be careful," he said.
Hearing this, Charizard shook its head, nostrils flaring a little, clearly unconcerned.
The next moment:
Boom!
Charizard's expression twisted as it rocketed backward through the air.
Click! Todd captured the perfect shot.
You can read more (around 150+ 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.