Pokémon: Pikachu Bonds

In the endless wilderness, Xiaozhi and his companions were taking a leisurely walk...

"I miss the days when the three of us travel together so much~" Xiaogang said with emotion.

"Yeah~ Since the end of the Johto trip, Misty went back to take over the Cerulean Gym. Later, after the Sinnoh region trip ended, you, Brock, also left the team. After that, the three of us never traveled together again." Xiaozhi interrupted.

"Sometimes I miss traveling with you guys."

"We have been through a lot together, some happy and some sad."

"But they are all beautiful memories for us," Xiaoxia sighed.

"That's right~ These memories are very precious."*2, Xiaozhi and Xiaogang agreed.

"Pica~"

"By the way, among all your travel companions, Xiaogang is the one who has been with you the longest, right?" Xiaoxia asked.

"Well~ Xiaogang has been with me for four and a half years, traveling together in the Kanto region, Johto region, Hoenn region, Battle Frontier, and Sinnoh region." Xiaozhi replied.

"Yeah~ I witnessed with my own eyes how Xiaozhi grew up step by step from a rookie trainer who knew nothing." Xiaogang said with emotion.

Xiaogang changed the subject: "Xiaoxia, you have been with Xiaozhi for quite a long time, right?"

"Yeah~ I stayed with him for two and a half years, traveling together in the Kanto region, the Orange Islands, and the Johto region. I even witnessed Satoshi defeat Yuji and become the new champion of the Orange League."

"Although the Orange Alliance is an informal alliance, it is still a Pokémon Alliance after all," Xiaoxia replied.

"The unofficial league champion, this reminds me of Xiaozhi's journey to challenge the battle frontier. Although the battle frontier is not an official league competition, it is also very valuable."

"After all, Ash's opponent, Kamishiro, is extremely powerful, and Ash went through a lot of hardships before he earned the title of leader of the Battle Frontier." Brock recalled.

"Actually, sometimes I really hope that you guys will always accompany me on my travels. After all, we are the golden triangle." Xiaozhi sighed.

"Life is a constant flow of encounters and separations. If we always accompany you on your journey, you won't meet new companions."

"Besides, aren't we back with you now?" Xiaoxia said with a smile.

"That's true~ Xiaogang, Xiaoxia, welcome back." Xiaozhi stopped and turned around and extended his right hand.

"Pika~chu~"

Xiaogang and Xiaoxia were stunned for a moment, then they held Xiaozhi's hands at the same time: "Xiaozhi, I'm back!"

Then Xiaozhi and the other two smiled at each other...

"Xiaozhi, what are your plans next?" Xiaogang suddenly asked.

"I plan to go to the nearby Pokémon Center to sign up for the joint conference and get the gym badge." Xiaozhi told his plans.

"It's a joint conference jointly launched by the eight major regions... This is the most grand league competition ever. The opponents you will face in the future will also be very strong. Xiaozhi, are you confident?" Xiaogang asked with some concern.

"Of course I have confidence~ I am determined to win the championship of this league conference." Xiaozhi said confidently.

"Don't worry, Xiaogang. After all, Xiaozhi is not the silly rookie trainer he used to be. After eight years of training, he will definitely stand out among many trainers." Xiaoxia comforted.

"That's true~ I was too nervous."

"Xiaozhi, where do you plan to start challenging the gym competition?" Xiaogang asked curiously.

"Let's start the challenge from the Kanto region. After all, that's where I first started my journey. I plan to start the challenge from Kanto like I did before." Xiaozhi replied.

"This is a good suggestion. This time, I will accompany you to travel through the eight regions." Xiaoxia said with a smile.

"As for the gym in the Kanto region, I remember it was Xia Bo's Honglian Gym. So let's go to a nearby city to buy tickets to the Kanto region, and then take a ship to Honglian Island." Xiaogang suggested.

"No problem~" Xiaozhi agreed.

Xiaoxia nodded to show that she had no objection...

So Xiaozhi and his group set out on a journey to the next town...

.........

Xiaozhi and his group, who were preparing to go to the next town, came to the Devil's Forest...

As soon as Xiaozhi and his companions stepped into the Devil's Forest, they found that the forest was unusually lively, with many wild Pokémon playing in groups in the grass...

"Have you noticed something unusual here? You know, most Pokémon have their own territories, and it's rare for different Pokémon to gather together in groups." Xiaogang discovered the abnormality.

"Now that you mention it... I also noticed something unusual about this forest. Although there are many Pokémon living in the forest, they generally live in their own territories, and this kind of situation rarely occurs." Xiaoxia agreed.

"Could we have accidentally entered a Pokémon sanctuary? This could only happen in a Pokémon sanctuary," Xiaozhi analyzed.

"This possibility is very high." Xiaogang agreed.

"Ouch~"*3

Suddenly, three dog-type Pokémon emerged from the bushes, surrounded Xiaozhi and his group, and looked like they were ready to attack at any time...

"This Pokémon is..." Xiaozhi took out his Rotom phone and scanned the other party's information: "Horlogne, a dark Pokémon, the evolved form of Daelvy. It is said that in the past people imagined Horlogne's terrifying howl as the call of the god of death from hell."

"What's going on with these Houndooms?" Xiaoxia asked puzzledly.

"The situation is not good." Xiaogang frowned.

"In this situation, we can only drive them away. Pikachu, please!"

"Pica~"

"Swamp Leap Fish, please!"

"Bang~"

"Go! Sun Coral!"

"Where's Shan~"

Xiaogang and Xiaoxia released their Pokémon at the same time...

"Pica~"

"Bang~"

"Where's Shan~"

"Ouch~"*3

Pikachu, Swampert, and Suncoral are facing off against three Houndooms, and a war is about to begin...

"Heroga, stop it!" A crisp voice came to everyone's ears.

Xiaozhi and his group looked in the direction of the sound with a little confusion... only to see a purple-haired girl with a Daluby coming in front of them...

The three Houndooms gave up their plan to attack Xiaozhi and his group and walked to the girl's side...

"What are you guys going to do in the Pokémon Sanctuary?" asked the girl.

"We're very sorry. We didn't know. We just happened to pass by this forest." Xiaozhi said apologetically.

"Just passing by?" the girl asked puzzledly.

"That's right~ We're going to a nearby town to take a plane to the Kanto region." Xiaozhi explained.

"Pica~"

"I see. I'm very sorry. There have been many poachers in this area recently, so these kids mistook you for poachers."

"My name is Kato Mei, and I'm the manager of the Pokémon sanctuary." Kato Mei introduced herself.