Natsume did not find anything resembling an Electric Orb inside Pikashin's stomach.
Possibility 1: Excluded.
That left Possibility 2.
The more Natsume thought about it, the more certain he became that his Pokémon Doctoral thesis was on solid ground.
Soon, he would be Dr. Natsume, on equal footing with Professor Oak!
"Goo-goo—"
"Oh? Are you hungry? Let's go eat."
Natsume gently lifted Pikachu from the device.
Pikashin: "???"
The sound of hunger wasn't coming from you, was it?
Pikachu looked at Natsume helplessly.
For now, Natsume decided to pause his research on Pikashin.
The most important thing was to fill their stomachs first.
As for his second hypothesis, it wasn't time for validation yet.
Once Ash and Brock took Pikachu to the power plant for special training, Natsume would see it through.
No need to rush; let's wait calmly.
Later, at the Pokémon Center, after Ash had driven off Team Rocket, there were no banners, but a feast was certainly in order.
As a token of appreciation, Nurse Joy prepared a lavish dinner for the three.
At the dinner table, the two ten-year-olds were discussing their dreams:
"Excuse me! I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master!"
"Hmm, then I— I'm going to be the greatest Water-type Pokémon Master!"
"Hmm? Water-type?" Ash squinted, looking at Misty, and then waved dismissively:
"But you don't seem like the type to be a Water-type Pokémon Trainer."
"What do you mean by that?"
Misty narrowed her eyes, looking puzzled.
"You look like a Fighting-type Trainer—ah!"
Before Ash could finish, he was suddenly yanked by his ear.
"He's messing with us! Can't you tell?" Misty shouted loudly.
"Messing with us?" Ash snapped to attention, then turned to Natsume with a serious expression:
"So, Natsume, what's your dream?"
"My dream?"
Natsume seemed to have momentarily forgotten where he was, swaying slightly.
"Of course, of course, I want to be the world's greatest Pokémon Master and Water-type Pokémon Trainer!"
"Well, I didn't expect your dreams to be the same as mine and Misty's. I won't give up easily—ah!"
Before Ash could finish, his ear was twisted again.
"Stop fooling around, you know?" Misty scolded.
The evening continued as Natsume, despite seeming drunk, stayed collected.
He suddenly stood up, clutching his milk. "I'm going home—"
Natsume mumbled before tipping over dramatically.
"Natsume?"
Misty, puzzled, was interrupted by Natsume falling unconscious.
"Ah, Natsume! I forgot to tell you, after being poisoned by gas, you shouldn't drink milk!"
Nurse Joy rushed to his side, stunned by how fragile Natsume was.
The next day, on the path through Viridian Forest:
"Heh heh heh! Come, Oddish, want to try some?"
"Great, I knew cow dung was the best for growing grass!"
"Walk?!"
A wild Oddish froze for a moment before spitting on Natsume and then fleeing.
As expected, never eat food made by wild trainers!
"Come on, Rattata!"
Natsume lost his concentration and vanished from sight.
Behind him, Misty squinted, clearly irritated.
"Honestly, why is he so hard to defeat?"
After fainting twice, Natsume, in Misty's eyes, had become the definition of survival against all odds. Every time she thought he was done for, he'd be up and running the next day.
"Natsume may often get hurt, but every time, he manages to escape unscathed."
Ash remarked thoughtfully, observing Natsume's resilience.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu voiced in agreement from Natsume's shoulder.
This research facility had memories of Natsume too, particularly the hatchery, which he had helped establish. Though they often saw him "fainting" all over the lab.
"Pik!"
Suddenly, Pikachu perked up and looked towards a nearby bush with caution.
The rustling in the grass indicated it wasn't Natsume.
"Hmm, Pikachu, did you find something?"
"Pik!"
Before Pikachu could approach, Misty's Bug-type instinct kicked in.
"Aaaah!"
With a scream, a Caterpie appeared in their line of sight.
"Alright, I'm going to catch my first Pokémon!"
Ash was suddenly filled with excitement.
"Are you kidding? Catching something like that?"
Misty responded with a loud yell.
"You can't stop me! Go, Poké Ball!" Ash shouted confidently, tossing the ball in the air.
"Didn't you know you have to battle before catching a Pokémon?" Misty facepalmed.
"I know! But Natsume said I could throw a ball before battling, just in case I catch it right away. He even gave this method a name."
"What's it called?" Misty asked, confused.
"It's called the 'One-Ball Man.'"
Ash explained seriously.
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Misty looked perplexed, though she couldn't deny that it worked.
With tense eyes watching, the Caterpie was caught in the Poké Ball, glowing briefly before settling down.
"Alright, come on out, Caterpie! Say hello to everyone!"
"Put it away!" Misty ordered, sounding alarmed.
Ash shrugged, "It's cute, really. Some people just don't get it."
Turning to find Natsume to share the moment, Ash noticed Natsume lying unconscious in the grass nearby, his face pale and purple, as though he'd been out for some time.
Nearby, a shamed and embarrassed Weedle retreated, seeing Ash's gaze.
Ash sighed.
"Yeah, guys can be pretty annoying too."