A normal Pikachu might be as common as a stray dog, but Ash's Pikachu was different—he was **Pikachu the God**.
*Why?*
This question lingered constantly in Natsume's mind.
Even though this Pikachu was special, and even though he'd had countless chances to study him up close at Oak's Lab, Natsume had never thought of claiming him for himself.
After all, he had already run an IV check on his Rotom Phone, and Pikachu's stats were all perfectly average.
That proved it: Pikachu started out as nothing more than an ordinary Pokémon.
It was Ash who made Pikachu into Pikachu the God—not the other way around.
What Natsume needed to figure out was how Ash managed to accomplish that.
On the path through Viridian Forest, Natsume pieced his thoughts together and nodded in agreement with himself.
"Natsume, have some humanity!"
Up ahead, Ash's strained voice carried back to him.
Natsume looked forward—Ash was struggling to drag Pikachu along.
Right now, Pikachu was in his rebellious phase. He refused to enter a Pokéball and wouldn't obey any commands from Ash.
For Natsume, the solution was simple: a few Spearow would fix that attitude quickly.
But with no other choice, Ash had put on a pair of insulated gloves and was literally dragging Pikachu forward with a rope.
Only, unlike in the anime, Ash wasn't dragging just one Pokémon. In his hands were two ropes, pulling along two Pikachu.
The second Pikachu was one Natsume had asked Professor Oak for.
For research, after all, you needed a control group.
To tell them apart, Natsume had combed his Pikachu's fur into a middle part.
*Pika?*
Midchu tilted his head, staring blankly at Natsume.
He didn't understand why his trainer was letting this human drag him around.
Still, if his trainer was doing this, there had to be a reason.
So, following Pikachu the God's example, he plopped itself down stubbornly too, letting Ash haul him across the ground.
"Argh! Natsume, look at him, just look!"
Ash pointed at Midchu with a hopeless expression, his eyes saying clearly:
*If you don't take him back, my Pikachu's will corrupt him.*
But Natsume ignored him completely, his attention fixed instead on a patch of grass ahead.
Curious, Ash stopped as well and looked over.
The grass rustled, and a Pokémon leapt out.
"It's a Pokémon!"
Ash's eyes lit up as he quickly pulled out his Pokédex.
**Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Unlike Pidgey, it has a fierce temper.**
"Awesome! A Spearow!"
Ash's eyes shone with fighting spirit.
Watching him get into battle mode in an instant, Natsume clicked his tongue in admiration.
No wonder he'd one day become a battle fanatic.
But while Ash was fired up, Natsume's thoughts were entirely different as he gazed at the Spearow.
*This Spearow…*
His eyes narrowed.
With Pikachu refusing to listen to anyone, he was impossible to run proper tests.
So Natsume decided to push the original storyline forward—let the flock of Spearow attack and help Ash bond with Pikachu.
With that in mind, he started walking toward Ash.
Ash, meanwhile, after his initial burst of determination, quickly felt it wane.
His Pikachu still wouldn't obey him.
"No! I have to catch my very first Pokémon!"
Determined, Ash rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his pajamas, planning to sneak up and toss them over the Spearow.
*Plop!*
Large hands suddenly pressed down on Ash's shoulders.
It was Natsume. Under Ash's puzzled gaze, Natsume handed him a small stone.
If Natsume remembered right, in the original story Ash had thrown a pebble that angered a Spearow, which brought the whole flock down on him.
In that life-or-death moment, Ash stepped up to protect Pikachu, and their bond deepened instantly.
But looking at the *stone* Natsume had handed him, Ash froze in disbelief.
"Natsume… where did you get a brick!?"
"Ahem, well… when you're out traveling, throwing something heavy makes knocking it out and catching it more likely!"
Natsume coughed twice, his pale face putting on an earnest, encouraging expression.
"Really!?"
Ash's eyes sparkled. He took the brick from Natsume's hand and hurled it at the Spearow as if he were throwing a Pokéball.
Though his motion was clumsy, as if by fate, the brick smacked right onto Spearow's head.
*Bang!*
A huge lump swelled up instantly.
"Yes! Direct hit!"
Ash jumped for joy.
But his excitement quickly faded.
The Spearow didn't go down—instead, its eyes welled with tears, and it turned on Ash with fury.
A terrible premonition filled Ash's chest.
*SKREEEE!*
Spearow cried sharply toward the sky.
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, dozens of dark shadows rained down from above.
A whole flock of Spearow, every single one glaring viciously at Ash.
Swallowing hard, Ash trembled as he spoke:
"N-Natsume, I threw it… so… what now?"
He turned around—but Natsume was gone.
Looking down, Ash realized even the rope in his hands had only one Pikachu left, staring up at him with dead eyes.
Glancing back, he saw Natsume had already bolted far into the distance.
"See yaaa!"
Natsume's voice echoed faintly from afar, leaving Ash petrified on the spot.
At that moment, he finally understood why everyone had told him to *take care of Natsume*.
"Natsume, you traitor!"
Behind him, the black mass of Spearow descended and engulfed Ash.
Natsume, having run a safe distance, finally stopped.
It wasn't that he lacked loyalty—it was just that he didn't have Ash's superhuman Pallet Town constitution.
Ash could be mobbed by a hundred Spearow and come out of it fine—maybe even pedal a bike fast enough to get Pikachu to the Pokémon Center.
But Natsume? Without running ahead of time, he'd be lucky to escape alive.
"You fool, I'm doing this for your own good."
He took off his cap, placed it against his chest, and bowed his head in silence for three seconds.
Then, turning decisively, he began walking toward the nearest Pokémon Center, planning to wait for Ash there.
As he went, he pulled out his Rotom Phone.
*Tom!*
"Rotom, locate the nearest Pokémon Center."
*Tom!*
The phone answered twice, quickly projecting a map with a marked route.
Natsume glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.
This Rotom Phone had come as part of his system's beginner's gift pack—and he had to admit, it was unbelievably convenient.
Rotom, the Electric/Ghost Plasma Pokémon, could infiltrate all sorts of appliances.
Though in the games, it only had five appliance forms—Lawnmower, Washing Machine, Microwave Oven, Electric Fan, and Refrigerator—
But games were games—what did they have to do with reality?
In the real world, Natsume had relied on developing new Rotom forms to complete many of the research projects assigned by his system.
He had even earned a large sum in patent fees from those projects.
Air Conditioner Rotom, Electric Toy Rotom…
He had created them all.
As he walked, Natsume was already planning ahead. Once he reached the Pokémon Center, he would bathe, change clothes, light incense, and finally scratch open the ten lottery cards he had been saving up for years—all at once!
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, eyes catching sight of something.
Not far ahead, a familiar-looking girl was slowly pushing her bicycle toward him.
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the nearest Pokémon Center?"
The girl called out to Natsume.
Raising an eyebrow, he took in the sight of Misty with her bike.
Come to think of it… *did Misty's Psyduck count as a special individual among its species?*