"We have to stop them, now!"
Ash and the others were growing anxious, already preparing to throw their Poké Balls—until Shoko stopped them from behind.
"Wait, everyone!"
Shoko called out and pointed above the Meowth-shaped hot air balloon.
Hovering just above the balloon was a massive figure, half its body cloaked in shadows.
Inside the balloon, Team Rocket was busy fantasizing about their bright future.
"This time, we specifically waited until that ghost-like researcher wasn't around. We're sure to succeed, nya!"
"Yeah, and for some reason, the power just happened to go out. We were planning to sabotage their circuits too!"
"Wahaha! Promotion and riches, here I come!" Jessie cheered.
Suddenly, Meowth bristled, fur standing on end like he'd been shocked.
"What's wrong, Meowth?" Jessie and James turned to him, puzzled. Meowth was trembling violently.
"I-I dunno, nya... I just got super scared all of a sudden... Like there's a terrifying Pokémon right above us, nya..."
Above us?
Before the other two could react, a deep, low-frequency hum tore through the roar of the balloon's engine. Jessie's and James' neck hairs stood up instinctively—a colossal shape was descending from above the balloon, draped in the shadows of the night, too dark to make out clearly.
But faintly, they could tell—it was a Pokémon.
And riding on its back was a human.
As the creature flapped its wings, the balloon began to sway. The steadily burning flame faltered, flickering like it could go out at any moment.
James shakily turned the spotlight mounted on the gondola toward the shape. When the beam landed, two scarlet, slit pupils suddenly narrowed—the irises glinting with a cold, terrifying light.
"T-That's...!"
James' eyes widened in shock.
"Dragonite—use Hyper Beam!"
A voice rang out from the red-haired figure atop the Dragonite.
BOOM!
A deafening blast echoed through the night as the balloon exploded. Team Rocket's three silhouettes were sent flying skyward—destination unknown.
[Dragonite: The Dragon Pokémon. The evolved form of Dragonair. Said to be capable of circling the globe in just 16 hours.]
Hearing the Pokédex entry, Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So that's a Pokémon used by an Elite Four member? Looks super strong!"
"Yes," Shoko nodded. "That's the Dragon-type Elite Four member the League sent to assist us—Mr. Lance."
As the Dragonite and its rider disappeared into the distance, admiration flickered in Shoko's eyes.
He had once dreamed of becoming a top-tier Pokémon Trainer himself. But now... sigh. No talent, no future—it was best not to dwell on it.
"Shoko! I want to challenge Mr. Lance!"
Ash suddenly turned around, fiery resolve burning in his gaze.
"Eh?" Shoko blinked in surprise, but didn't reject the idea.
"Alright then. I'll mention it to Mr. Lance tomorrow. Whether he accepts or not is up to him."
"Thanks, Shoko!"
Ash bowed gratefully, then turned to the two Pikachu beside him.
"Pikachu, Middle-Part Pikachu—let's do some special training tonight!"
"Pika!"
"Pikapi!?"
The next day, inside the lab.
"Yes, just like that. Try to merge with it."
Under Natsume's nervous gaze, Rotom exited the smartphone and entered the red-and-white Poké Ball on the lab's testing platform.
This Poké Ball was laced with blue circuitry. As Rotom entered, the blue lines lit up like they were charging—gradually transforming into dazzling gold.
Soon after, the red-and-white Poké Ball sprouted a pair of upside-down triangle-shaped eyes and lightning bolt-shaped wings at the back.
"Roto!"
With a sharp shout, the Poké Ball shattered!
"Failed?!" Natsume exclaimed—but quickly calmed down.
Though the ball had broken, the shards had fractured precisely along the golden circuitry lines.
As expected, the cracked Poké Ball revealed a chip Natsume had embedded inside. Rotom was now inhabiting that chip, and blue electric arcs sparked outward, pulling the fragments back together.
Zing!
With a flash of light, a much larger Poké Ball Rotom—about ten times bigger than before—materialized in front of Natsume.
"Rotom, how are you feeling? Let me know if anything feels off."
Natsume grinned with delight as he took in the dramatically transformed Poké Ball Rotom.
Rotom had bonded with the central chip. Golden arcs of electricity pulled the red and white shards together, forming a giant "Poké Ball" body.
Rotom nodded at Natsume, indicating it felt perfectly fine.
Relieved, Natsume finally relaxed and began examining Rotom's new form in detail.
"Hm... About the size and form of a Gastly?"
After careful observation, Natsume activated his internal system—only it could fully analyze unknown forms like this.
[Rotom (Poké Ball Form), Lv. 50]
Type: Electric / Psychic
Base Stats: 520 (HP: 160 / Atk: 20 / Sp. Atk: 40 / Def: 140 / Sp. Def: 140 / Speed: 20)
Moves: ??? / ??? / ??? / Protect
Ability: Poké Ball – Exerts strong suppression over other Pokémon.
"A massive tank, huh?"
Electric + Psychic meant four weaknesses: Ground, Ghost, Bug, and Dark.
But judging by the stat distribution, this Rotom form was clearly a defensive wall.
"A regular Poké Ball grants it the same base stat total—520—as the standard Rotom appliance forms. If I use a Great Ball, Ultra Ball, or Master Ball, its stats could increase even further."
Still, breaching what the system called the "world's limits" seemed... unlikely.
After all, in the movies, Eternatus in its Eternamax form hit a record-high 1125 base stats—the highest in Pokémon history.
To surpass that, Natsume would need to push his mecha-Rotom concept even further.
But for now, this research laid the groundwork.
Thinking this, Natsume tapped the three mystery moves listed on Poké Ball Rotom's screen:
[???] – Absorbs one opposing Pokémon and seals it for 3 turns. Rotom can still act during this time. The sealed Pokémon loses 20% max HP each turn. When expelled, it receives a random status condition. (PP: 2)
[???] – Absorbs one allied Pokémon and expels it after 1 turn. During that time, Rotom can act normally. The expelled ally has all negative effects removed, recovers 50% max HP, and gains a random positive status. (PP: 5)
[???] – Absorbs and seals one opposing Pokémon for the rest of the battle. Rotom cannot act while doing so. The sealed Pokémon cannot be recalled. All damage to Rotom is redirected to the sealed Pokémon. (PP: 1)
[Protect] – Fully blocks incoming attacks for one turn. Repeated use lowers success rate.
(The above effects are based on simulated battle mechanics. Real-world performance may vary.)
"???"
After reading them, Natsume's mind was full of question marks.
"These moves… They're competitive nightmares!"
Just reading the descriptions, Natsume was instantly reminded of those infamous stall Pokémon from his past life's games.
Hundreds of words per move. Left, right, up, down—he could only read one word between the lines: 'toxic'.
He was certain: If Poké Ball Rotom had existed in his past life's competitive scene, it would have topped every usage tier.
But—if it's his Pokémon?
Then it's not an infamous stall mon...
It's the most reliable teammate he could ask for.
"System, how does it compare to divine-class Legendary Pokémon?"
Natsume asked, a little smug.
[Out of your league.]
Natsume froze.
He'd learned long ago that many Legendary Pokémon in this world held divine positions, roles granted to the strongest in their species.
In past games and anime, "divine roles" weren't emphasized and often felt like weak lore.
But after transmigrating into this world and studying... (continued in next chapter)