Chapter 107: Midchu's Little Scheme
Midchu's face and hands were blackened, as if it had just crawled out of a coal pile.
Natsume glanced down the corridor, where a small heap of coal lay.
The fire blazed, and the side of the Zapdos near the flames was slightly charred.
*Pikapi!*
Seeing Natsume approach, Midchu clasped his tiny hands together and looked up at the sky, his gaze drifting.
"First, this Zapdos doesn't have Divine Authority," Natsume said.
Midchu froze, disappointment immediately spreading across his face.
*Pika?* He wasn't convinced.
"Even if you want to fasten your process, lying on it won't help," Natsume said, reaching out to save the Zapdos from the fire.
*Hiss!*
The moment he touched it, the Zapdos sprang up, stepping on some loose coal and tumbling into the fire.
*ZAPPP!!!*
The Zapdos flailed wildly, sparks flying, flames licking its body as it ran through the corridor.
*Bang!* It slammed into the far wall, collapsing onto the coal pile.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Ash called, and the twin flames were extinguished.
"Natsume, is this really a Zapdos?" Giselle asked, eyeing the collapsed bird.
"The legendary Pokémon, Zapdos?" Ash scratched his head.
Normally, encountering a Legendary would make Ash eager to battle. This time, he had no such urge.
The Zapdos looked far too pitiful.
Ash pulled out his Pokédex.
**Zapdos: A Legendary Electric-type bird Pokémon. ITS wings crackle during flight. Distribution is unclear, but it is said to appear where electricity is abundant.**
Misty leaned in, glancing back and forth between the Pokédex and the Zapdos.
What should have been a majestic Zapdos now looked like a scraggly, charred turkey, its blackened skin glistening faintly red.
ITS wet, featherless tail dragged through the coal, leaving black sludge trails; bare wings resembled skeletal frames.
The iconic lightning-shaped crest now had only three curled stubs, looking like dry noodles stuck into its head.
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Misty burst out laughing.
*ZAP-DOSSS*
The Zapdos suddenly jumped up, flapping its bare wings, scattering coal dust, forcing everyone to step back.
*Gagagaga!*
Furious, it stretched its neck, its sharp beak pointed directly at Midchu.
Step by step, it advanced toward Midchu, leaving comical duck-like footprints in the coal, black powder behind forming ridiculous heart shapes.
*ZAPPP!* The Zapdos confronted the withdrawn Midchu, letting out a furious roar, venting its frustration.
*Pika!*
Midchu turned his head.
No Divine Authority, no right or wrong—it no longer cared.
Midchu was dejected, facing the wall.
He had thought life would be peaceful, with just one encounter with a Jeep per day.
*How infuriating—this Pikachu was utterly shameless!*
The cold-shouldered Zapdos trembled with anger.
Natsume watched silently, noting the bird's emotional state.
Amid the heightened emotion and lowered mental defenses, it was the perfect moment to probe.
A faint blue glow appeared in his eyes as he silently linked to the Zapdos' mind:
It had heard from his elders that the electricity in this power plant was exceptional, and it had come seeking it.
But it got nothing—there had been a blackout.
Just as it was about to leave, it encountered this brazen Pikachu, which immediately struck with Iron Tail.
*Who is it? A Pikachu.*
*Who am I? The Zapdos.*
*Can I tolerate this? I cannot.*
Immediately, it attacked the Pikachu.
But the fight quickly became frustrating.
His Electric-type moves ended up healing Pikachu instead. Fine, it tried Flying-type moves.
Pikachu just lay down and slept, taking no damage at all!
It tried several times, but nothing worked.
If you can't beat it, avoid it. Zapdos tried to leave, wings just newly spread, Thunderbolt landing from behind—but it crashed.
Looking back, the shameless Pikachu had somehow woken up.
*Tolerate it? Cannot.*
A peck strike—Pikachu again fell asleep, refusing even a bit of pain.
If you can't beat it, avoid it. Zapdos tried to leave, wings just newly spread, Thunderbolt landing from behind.
After countless cycles, the crashed Zapdos never got up again.
After roughly assessing the situation, Natsume rubbed his nose.
*ZAPPP!*
Seeing Midchu ignoring it, Zapdos turned and roared at everyone.
*Who here is his trainer?*
"Uh… what does it want?" Brock stepped back.
"Maybe give it something to calm it down?" Ash offered, handing over a small cake.
*Pika!* Midchu quickly swallowed the cake whole.
*ZAPP!*
Zapdos grew even angrier, electricity surging violently, suddenly erupting.
"Ah!" Everyone froze, then quickly ran out.
*Boom!*
At the moment they escaped, an explosion sounded behind them.
Looking back, dust and electric sparks poured out uncontrollably, winds whipping.
"Ah? Did it explode out of anger?" Misty gasped.
"Yes. Zapdos is a Pokémon that easily gets furious," Brock nodded.
After a while, through the smoke, a gray, scraggly Zapdos emerged.
After its earlier outburst, it seemed calmer.
It glanced at everyone, then looked at Natsume.
*ZAP—oh!*
"You're asking who this Pikachu's trainer is?" Natsume was taken aback.
"I don't know. I think it's wild."
At that moment, Midchu tugged his small blanket over and tapped Natsume's Pokéball.
*Whoosh!* Midchu returned inside.
There was no way for him to take responsibility—it would fall on his trainer.
Natsume: "..."
At that instant, he suddenly understood how Professor Oak felt.
"As you can see, I just caught it," Natsume said to Zapdos.
Zapdos blinked, then realized it had been tricked.
*ZAPDOS!!*
"You want to challenge me?"
Natsume called out the sleeping Midchu from the Pokéball again.
Seeing the yellow figure, Zapdos visibly trembled.
**Zapdos, Lv.15.**
Natsume raised an eyebrow—such a low-level Zapdos was likely recently hatched.
*ZAP—DOS!* Zapdos stomped, glaring fiercely at Natsume.
"Want to switch? Fine." Natsume's mouth twitched.
"Go, Dragonite!"
*Wuu~* An unusually large Dragonite appeared on the field.
Her level was very high.
Seeing Dragonite's exaggerated size and fierce expression, Zapdos's eager eyes cleared slightly.
*ZAP—DOS!*
"Want to switch? Fine." Natsume remained silent, complying with the request.
After all, Midchu had caused this mess.
It wasn't like he was afraid of the parents of this little Zapdos being nearby.
"Go, Gaint Ball Rotom!"
Zapdos tilted its head, scrutinizing the unusual *Pokéball* before it.
*Zap!* That's it!
Natsume's mouth twitched. Out of the three Pokémon, it chose the sunniest one.
Three minutes later.
"Rotom, use a Healing Ball!"
A green beam hit the half-dead Zapdos.
Moments later, a lively Zapdos was released again.
This time, it couldn't hold itself at all.
*Zap—dos!* Tears streamed down as it leapt out of the enclosure, hopping and crying wildly.
"Uh, looks like a frustrated child," Misty muttered.
"Natsume, why not catch it?" Ash asked.
"Because…" Natsume struggled to put on a Paul-style headgear.
From the corner, a bare head peeked out—the Zapdos that had left earlier.
Unable to beat Pikachu was one thing, but these humans hadn't even helped it up. That was completely contrary to how its species usually judged humans.
In an instant, a humiliation greater than losing to Pikachu surged through its heart.
ITS legs moved uncontrollably, turning back halfway.
It was certain Natsume regretted not taking the chance to catch it.
Once the headgear was on, Paul's persona took over, a cold voice resonating:
"In my team, there's no place for trash!"
Zapdos: "???"
Everyone: "..."
"Natsume, who's that?" Ash asked, pointing at the headgear.
"Just a tactical-minded cool guy. I'll introduce you when there's a chance," Natsume replied, removing the headgear and returning to his normal voice.
"Oh," Ash nodded, half understanding.
"All right, since that's over, let's leave quickly," Misty yawned; it was already late at night.
In the darkness, a pair of furious eyes glared at Natsume's departing figure.
You can read more (around 100+ 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.