Chapter 111: Gary
Following the driver's instructions, everyone moved forward.
Soon, a huge *plaza* appeared.
The square was filled with cranes and trucks, and people in work uniforms and hats moved busily back and forth.
"Look! There are vendors and even an open-air cafeteria!" Brock said, eyes wide with excitement.
"Seems like this is where the workers take their breaks," Ash said, looking around for the *person in charge* the driver had mentioned.
"Make way! Everyone, make way!"
A shout came from afar, and everyone turned to look.
A group of rescuers carrying supplies was rushing toward them, led by a large man in a suit.
The buttons of his jacket stretched tightly over his frame as he sprinted, his gold tie flapping wildly.
The tie fluttered in the wind like a hamster clutching a gold bar spinning on a wheel.
"Wow, the driver's description was spot on. That's definitely their boss," Ash said, pointing at the suit-wearing man in front.
"I think they've already heard the commotion here and are heading out to help," Brock said, glancing at them, feeling there was nothing more for them to do.
"It's getting late. Let's rest here for today," Brock suggested.
"Sure. I want to try the food there," Misty said, pointing to the open-air cafeteria where smoke was rising from the cooking fires.
"By the way, where's Natsume?" Ash looked around but couldn't see him.
"Don't know. He'll show up when he needs to," Misty said, pulling him toward the cafeteria.
...
Meanwhile, in the parking area, Natsume walked among various construction vehicles.
"This little truck doesn't perform well."
"The heavy truck won't do, too big to modify alone."
"The crane… no experience."
"An excavator? Hmm… is there a smaller one?"
Natsume examined all the parked vehicles.
Every single one was large—none suitable.
The Rotom Motorcycle was the test platform, meant to see if the Rotom body could handle complex transformations.
If successful, his Six-in-One Mecha Rotom would have a much higher chance of working.
A test experiment only needed the same principle, so he kept it simple.
"Tch, the only usable one is probably that small truck that brought in the vegetables."
Natsume approached the small truck, shaking his head slightly.
He wanted to discuss with the owner about borrowing or buying a used vehicle.
But as things looked, the only qualifying truck was probably not for sale.
"Huh?" Natsume's gaze caught something in the distance, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
Amid a cluster of giant vehicles, a small car that could easily be overlooked was parked.
Approaching it, he realized it was a rose-red sports car, flashy to the extreme.
"Huh—this looks familiar."
Squinting, Natsume checked the Rotom Phone for its location.
A boy with teal hair, looking a bit cocky, appeared nearby on the screen.
"So it's you. That makes things easy."
Pocketing the phone, Natsume skillfully jumped into the car, took out a key, and started it up.
...
**In an outdoor cafeteria**
"Wow, the portions here are huge and so cheap!" Misty said, cheeks puffed with food.
"Yeah, I heard workers eat here for free," Giselle added.
"Seems like a nice boss. These chefs offer affordable meals to passing trainers," Brock said.
Brock took a bite. Not gourmet, but definitely worth the price.
"Hahaha!"
Laughter echoed from a distance.
Everyone turned and saw a group of girls laughing cheerfully.
Among them, a boy with a spiky haircut and a cocky attitude stepped forward.
"Yo? Isn't that Ash?" the boy said, locking eyes on him.
"Gary!" Ash cried out when he saw him.
"Gary?" Misty, Brock, and Giselle all said in unison.
"That's right! I'm Professor Oak's grandson, Gary!" Gary said, pointing to himself with a confident smile.
"You're Professor Oak's grandson?" Giselle's eyes lit up.
"That's right! I am—" Giselle reached over to pat Gary on the head.
"Hey, let go!"
"Come on, say hello to your sister-in-law!" Giselle teased, grinning.
"Sister-in-law?" Gary straightened, slightly confused, but the next moment Ash scooped him up.
"Gary, you have to become a great Pokémon researcher someday!" Ash said, eyes brimming with tears.
"???"
Gary froze, the teasing words he had intended for Ash swallowed back.
"Let go! Let go, all of you!"
Once Gary understood the situation, he pointed at Giselle with a panicked look.
"Sister-in-law, is Natsume nearby too?" He glanced around and ducked into the group of trainers.
"Natsume's not here right now; we don't know where he went," Ash said seriously.
"Not here? That's good, that's good," Gary said, taking a chair and sitting down comfortably.
"Ash, you really have no taste, still eating this kiddie scrambled eggs, haha, and it's even shaped like Pikachu!"
Gary stared at Ash's dinner for a moment, then shook his head.
"And what about your taste?" Ash retorted, frowning.
*Pika!* Pikachu thumped the table in agreement.
"I want a plate of little sausages cut like octopus shapes!" Gary called to the chef.
"Hmm…"
"Does he remind you a bit of Ash?" Misty whispered to Brock.
"You're right," Brock nodded.
Ash's gaze kept shifting between Gary and his own dinner.
He felt his taste wasn't far behind Gary's.
While everyone was enjoying their meal, the fat boss from before came running over.
"Are you all Pokémon Trainers?"
The boss was covered in dust; his suit was dirty, and his golden tie was missing. He looked utterly disheveled, like he had just finished a rescue mission.
"Yes, sir. Can we help with something?" Ash asked, looking up and nodding.
Gary remembered that a boss willing to rush ahead of the workers must be a good one.
"You're right about that!" the boss said, clapping his hands.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm the owner of this dam project. You can call me Walter," he said, handing out a poster to each of them.
"Diglett disasters are slowing the construction. Trainers needed to drive them away!"
Ash read the text aloud, word by word.
Everyone gathered around to see.
"Today, all the vehicles passing through got tipped over by Diglett holes," Walter began, sighing.
"I'm from Gringey City, where conditions were bad. My dad was a worker and passed away early. I thought if I earned some money, I could build a dam here. At least then Gringey City would have clean water, without having to haul it from Pallet Town," he explained.
Ash felt tears welling up, deeply moved by Walter's story. He remembered Gringey City well.
"All right, Mr. Walter, I'll take this job!" Ash carefully rolled up the poster.
"Hmph! I'm a Trainer with seven badges already. I'll solve this before you!" Gary said, pulling open his shirt to reveal seven badges pinned inside.
"What? You already have seven badges!" Ash exclaimed.
"Wow, he seems much stronger than Ash," Misty said, leaning closer. All the badges were officially recognized from Gyms.
"Hahaha! No time to waste. I'm heading out now!"
Surrounded by a group of girls, Gary laughed heartily.
Finally, he got to show off.
Feeling elated, Gary pulled a car key from his pocket and pressed it.
"Huh?" Nothing happened.
He pressed it several more times.
Still no response.
"What are you doing?" Ash asked, curious.
"Ahem, you wouldn't understand. You can't drive a gas car before 14, but—"
"My supercar was modified into an electric car by Natsume, and it's higj-tech. Just press the button and it comes to me automatically."
Gary's face flushed as he pressed the button repeatedly.
Finally, after his persistent efforts, a rolling sound came from a short distance away.
Turning to look,
In the darkness, a wheel slowly rolled toward them.
"???"
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.