Pokémon Heart Journey

Chapter 271 Picnic Encounter

The next morning, at Quartz North Lake.

The lake was shrouded in mist, the distant mountains were covered in light golden morning light, and the lake was as calm as a mirror.

Serena spread the picnic mat on the soft grass and opened the wicker basket: peach pie, berry sandwiches, Pokémon cubes, and even spicy energy balls specially prepared for Charizard.

Pikachu and Eevee immediately circled around the basket; Tyrannosaurus squatted obediently by the lake, using its tail as a stand, allowing Sundae to take a picture of it.

The sun was shining brightly, and the lake was shimmering. Ash leaned against a tree trunk, watching his friends and Pokémon playing around, and suddenly felt that maybe occasionally stopping and looking at the scenery around him could also be a form of "training."

Pikachu jumped to his knees and held up the last piece of sweet peach pie.

"Pickup!"

"For me? Thanks." Xiaozhi took it and took a bite.

The sweet peach fragrance bloomed on the tip of his tongue, and he looked up at the blue sky and grinned.

"It's a pity that Xiaoyang and Xiaoyuan suddenly left early for something." He reached out and gently stroked Pikachu, then frowned. "Come to think of it, it seems that this happened several times before. Is it really such a coincidence?"

Looking at the two girls talking in front of him, Xiaozhi suddenly had an idea in his mind, but then he shook his head violently.

"No, no, no, that shouldn't be the case...right?"

Although Xiaozhi is still in a straight male state now, he has exploded once before, and his behavior when interacting with Serena and the others is always different from usual.

"If that's the case, what should I do?"

"Pica—?"

"It's okay." Xiaozhi rubbed Pikachu's head, stuffed the last bit of pie into its mouth, and stood up.

"Serena, sundae!"

He waved to the two girls.

"Huh?" Serena turned around, holding a tissue to wipe Eevee's mouth; Sundae was helping Tyrannosaurus Rex adjust the angle for the photo.

"I want to walk around and look for Xiaoyang and Xiaoyuan. I have a feeling they shouldn't have gone far," Xiaozhi scratched his cheek.

"Eh—now?" Serena subconsciously looked at the table full of unfinished snacks.

"Don't worry, I won't run far." Xiaozhi gave her a thumbs up, "Besides, there is only this one road by the lake. If you can't find it, I'll come back."

Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder and patted his chest, saying "Pikachu!" with an expression that said "I'm following you."

Sundae waved the camera and said, "Then let's clean up here first and continue taking pictures when you come back!"

"it is good!"

……

Along the gravel path by the lake, Xiaozhi and Pikachu slowly walked into the northwest woods.

The sun shone through the pine needles, casting mottled spots of light, and the air was mixed with the smell of grass and lake water.

Looking for Xiaoyang and the others was not an excuse, but it was better because he wanted to relieve the distress in his heart.

The gravel path turned into a sparse pine forest, and the shimmering reflections on the lake were cut into pieces of gold by the shade of the trees.

Xiaozhi kicked the stones, and the only sound he could hear was the rustling of Pikachu stepping on the fallen leaves.

"Where on earth did Xiaoyang and Xiaoyuan go? Did they really go far away?"

He muttered, and suddenly the bushes rustled, and several orb-weaving spiders and a moth flew low over the ground, as if chasing something.

Pikachu's ears perked up and his tail brushed across Ash's nose, "Pikachu!"

"Follow them and see." Xiaozhi bent down, pushed aside the grass, and walked in the direction where the Pokémon were running.

The pine needles gradually became scarce, and a small open meadow appeared in front of them. In the middle of the meadow, a girl with light purple hair was kneeling on one knee, holding a wounded mosquito in her hands, and there were many Pokémon surrounding her.

There was an open first aid kit next to her, with iodine and bandages neatly arranged. Her movements were very natural, and the mosquito coil tadpoles were also very well-behaved in her arms.

"Don't move, it will be fine soon," she coaxed softly.

Seeing this, Xiaozhi immediately stepped forward and asked, "Do you need help?"

The girl looked up at the sound.

The sunlight just happened to pass over her bangs, revealing a pair of clear gray-blue eyes.

"Ah... yeah!" She nodded gently, but didn't show any panic. "The tadpole's right leg was scratched by a thorn. I'm applying medicine to it, but the wound is a bit deep and needs to be fixed."

Xiaozhi squatted down and skillfully pulled out an elastic bandage from the first aid kit. "Let me do it. Mosquito Repellent is a water-type, so ordinary bandages will easily become loose when exposed to water. Wrap the waterproof patch around the wound twice first, then tie the elastic bandage on it for a more stable feel."

Pikachu also came over, stretched out his little hand and gently pressed the tadpole's back, using a weak electric current to stimulate blood circulation and help stop the bleeding.

The Pokémon watching around all moved away and showed vigilance towards the sudden appearance of Ash, but they soon calmed down after being comforted by the purple-haired girl.

"Mosquito coil..." The little guy made a comfortable purring sound, and his tail no longer twitched nervously.

The girl watched Xiaozhi's movements intently, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Your technique is very professional. Are you a trainer or a Pokémon doctor?"

"Trainer, this is Ash from Pallet Town." He tied the last knot and looked up with his signature smile. "The tadpole has good stamina and will be able to swim on its own soon."

The girl smiled back and said softly, "My name is Lila, and I'm here to recruit people."

.........

There were a few "splash" sounds in the distance, and a few tadpoles and a mosquito swimmer poked their heads out of the water, making anxious "beeping" sounds.

Lila gently put the mosquito coil tadpole in her arms back into the water, and the little guy was immediately surrounded by his companions.

The mosquito-repellent swimmer nodded to the two of them and sprayed out a small stream of water.

"You're welcome. Be careful next time!" Lila waved to the swimmers.

Lila buckled the first aid kit and slung it over her shoulder.

"The population of mosquito coil tadpoles has swam to the shallows of North Lake. They will rest in the reeds tonight." She pointed in a direction, then turned to look at Xiaozhi.

"Ash from Pallet Town... I remember."

She extended her right hand, and the sleeve of her sleeve slipped down, revealing the metal badge of the Battle Frontier on her wrist. "During the broadcast of the Quartz Conference, I was deeply impressed by the Eevee's smooth switching."

Xiaozhi scratched the back of his head sheepishly: "Haha, I've been recognized."

Pikachu also imitated him by scratching his head, but his ears were secretly erected, with a proud expression of "I am famous too".

"Yes!" Xiaozhi scratched his cheek, and Pikachu jumped from his shoulder to the ground and waved its little paw at Lila, "This is my original partner Pikachu."

Lila squatted down and showed a tree fruit cube in her palm.

Pikachu sniffed it, then politely took it away, his cheeks puffed up into balls.

Lila narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You control the static electricity very well, and the muscle lines are smoother than those of ordinary Pikachu. It seems that the intensity of your daily battles is very high, and it can be seen that the relationship between you is very good."

"Of course!"

"Pickup!"