20demayo Chapter 571 The Night Before Parting
Chapter 571 The Night Before Parting
The Olympic flame has been extinguished, and the dazzling fireworks over the Lily of the Valley Stadium have also dissipated, leaving only the deep blue of the night sky.
The air after the rain, carrying the earthy smell and damp coolness, permeated every corner of the Pokémon Center.
The Pokémon Center's lobby was brightly lit, the warm light dispelling the damp chill outside, but unable to dispel the lingering anxiety in the air.
Xiao Guang, Serena, and Xiao Gang sat on the sofa in the corner of the hall, their eyes all looking towards the door.
It was already very late, and Ash disappeared after the awards ceremony, with no one knowing where he went.
"Why isn't Ash back yet?" Dawn was getting restless, turning anxiously to Brock beside her and asking, "Could something have happened?"
Serena chimed in, her face filled with worry: "I'm a little worried too... Should we go out and look for them?"
Xiao Gang, however, appeared unusually calm. He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and wore a knowing smile on his face: "Don't worry, Xiao Zhi is probably just calming down by himself in his usual spot."
"old place?"
Xiao Guang and Serena exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion.
They naturally didn't understand where Xiaogang meant by "the old place".
Xiao Gang just smiled and didn't explain.
That was a habit Ash developed after participating in the League for the first time, but it's more accurate to say that most trainers have this habit than Ash.
This time, Ash just made it to the end.
Although Xiaogang thought Ash's way of relaxing after the game was good, it was a pity that Professor Oak, Gary, and Aunt Hanako went back first after the award ceremony and didn't even have a chance to say a few words to Ash.
At this moment, only those who had returned from Celeste City with Ash remained in the entire hall.
Well...except for Serena's mother.
Seeing that Xiao Guang looked preoccupied, Xiao Gang changed the subject: "By the way, you seemed very anxious after you answered the phone just now. Did something happen?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Guang's worried expression was replaced by a sorrowful one.
She sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice: "Sigh~ This time it really isn't without problems."
Xiao Guang looked up and summarized the contents of his phone call, saying, "Miss Paris just contacted me and said that work over there is a bit busy, and I might need to go over tomorrow. Apparently, there are some location shoots I need to go to in advance for reference, and then we need to discuss the matching of different outfits for the location shoots... I didn't realize that fashion models have so much work to do!"
"Tomorrow?" Xiao Gang was taken aback. "So soon? We've just finished a large celebration and the League Tournament, and now we have to go out for inspections without any rest time. Won't that be too tiring?"
Xiao Guang was silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Chasing dreams is bound to be tiring. Xiao Zhi went through the same thing back then, didn't he?"
Xiaogang couldn't refute this point, especially since Xiaozhi even went into seclusion to train in order to win during the Battle Frontier. At his busiest, he was definitely more tired than Xiaoguang is now.
Serena, who was standing nearby, felt a complex mix of emotions after hearing this conversation.
She stood up and said softly, "Then I'll make you a cup of coffee!"
"Thank you." Xiao Guang smiled gratefully.
Watching Serena walk away towards the restaurant, Brock turned to Dawn and asked, "Since it's already the last night before we part ways, do you want to go find Ash? He should be there right now—"
Xiao Guang suddenly shook his head.
"No need." She swayed and said, "Xiao Zhi definitely needs some time to himself right now, just like I felt when I won the championship... Only I can understand that feeling. I'll just wait for him here."
So you're planning to sit here all night?
Xiao Gang couldn't help but sigh.
In the end, they all went their separate ways for the sake of their ideals.
Although Xiaogang had gotten used to the separation, he knew they would eventually meet again.
The night before parting does indeed evoke a sense of loneliness and sadness, a feeling that follows the hustle and bustle and returns to tranquility. This is an unavoidable aspect of traveling in groups.
.....
Serena was walking toward the Pokémon Center's restaurant, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Xiao Guang will be traveling around tomorrow to pursue his dream, but what about me?
At this moment, she began to feel a little envious again.
It was only at this moment that she finally began to understand just how important the dreams her mother had been telling her all the time were.
but--
Serena's pace suddenly slowed.
She then suddenly realized that she hadn't told her mother about her future plans yet.
Serena didn't say it immediately because she didn't know how to bring it up.
Because he has amnesia, he has to go to Pallet Town to find his memories? That's so strange....
Whether others believe it or not, Serena certainly wouldn't believe such a claim if she weren't involved.
Thinking of this, a faint look of sorrow appeared on Serena's face.
After making three cups of coffee from the restaurant's coffee machine, she carried the coffee and walked back with somewhat heavy steps.
It's already late at night outside, but the lights in the Pokémon Center's main hall will probably stay on until dawn.
......
Meanwhile, Ash, just as Brock had imagined, sat with Pikachu in the stands of the Lily of the Valley Arena, gazing at the empty arena and reflecting on everything that had happened in the match.
By this time, almost everyone had already said goodbye to him.
Ash also learned that Professor Oak and the others had gone back first. After all, Gary had come to see him earlier, and Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Gary awkwardly congratulating him.
As for Shinji, he has already set off for the Kanto region.
Ash and Kakuhei formed a team, and the two set off towards the Hoenn region.
Ash was still there, rubbing Pikachu's head as he said, "We're saying goodbye again soon. Speaking of which, Piplup was quite upset when we said goodbye last time."
"Pikachu~"
Pikachu nodded with a sense of emotion, clearly not forgetting the scene when they parted ways in the Sinnoh region.
"This time, you'd better take good care of comforting Bogaman."
"Pikachu~"
"But I'm the same way. I still have to say goodbye to Hikaru and Takeshi... I think Hikaru will be fine saying goodbye... and Takeshi too... Even though we've been through this so many times, I still feel a little awkward when it comes to saying goodbye."
"Pikachu~~"
Pikachu always agrees to Ash's requests, as if this makes Ash feel a little more at ease.
Ash understood what Pikachu meant, and he gradually increased the pressure while rubbing Pikachu's head, but his tone became increasingly gentle.
"But this is so good... I'm so glad you've been by my side the whole time, otherwise I would have had to keep all this to myself. Thank you so much, Pikachu... for coming back with me, for staying by my side, and for fighting alongside me. Thank you..."
"Pikachu~!"
Pikachu raised its tail and gently patted Ash's hand, responding to Ash in the same soft and gentle tone.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xiao Zhi gently put on the baseball cap that he had placed aside, then stood up and turned around to look at the figure that had somehow appeared behind him. He said, "I thought you weren't coming tonight, since it's so late."
.......
P.S.: A huge thank you to Zhe Ji Xing Tian Ai Xian Xian for the official verification! A huge thank you to Xing Kong Xia De Shi Guang for the character summon! Thank you to Zhou Mo Di for the knife! Thank you to Chloe121 for the update reminder! Thank you to Ms. He who loves trombones for the two update reminders and the bubble tea! Thank you to her followers for the update reminder! Thank you all for your support~! There will be another chapter later~ QAQ~
(After much deliberation, I've decided to bring forward the time of parting. Returning to Futaba Town doesn't seem necessary anymore. It's best to write all the pre-parting events tonight, since there are still many side stories to write before entering the Unova arc. Writing about partings is truly painful...)