Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

Chapter 211 The Golden Bridge to the Other Side of the Stars (3K)

Ash first expressed his helplessness, then slowly said:

"When I was in the Kanto region, my Tomoe also left because she was looking for love."

"So that means..."

Kojiro murmured to himself, as if he had also remembered that Ash had this Pokémon.

Although the impression wasn't deep, there was still some impression, and in this respect, Kojiro and Satoshi were the same.

"So your attitude is..."

"Of course I support it."

Ash silently moved the stones in his hands and piled them on the river, saying:

“Power and fame are things that Pokémon trainers can give, but the love between Pokémon is something we cannot give. If it’s for the sake of the Pokémon’s happiness, it’s better to let go in this situation.”

"But, however!"

Kojiro waved his hands anxiously, his tone sounding very tense.

"What if the trainer can't bear to part with it? This kind of farewell is just like releasing a fish; you'll never see it again!"

Kojiro emphasized the phrase "never to see you again" with a firm tone, as if trying to express the long period of time that had passed since their separation.

But Ash simply remained silent in response—

"Who says we'll never see each other again? As long as the journey continues, we'll meet again someday."

"Perhaps I'll encounter a Pokémon that I released."

"Perhaps we'll encounter their offspring."

"It's not impossible that you might even encounter the two of them returning to you with their offspring."

Kojiro: "..."

Kojiro fell silent upon hearing this. Although he was still reluctant to part ways, a happy smile would unconsciously appear on his lips whenever he subconsciously thought of the scene Satoshi had described.

It felt as if one's child, who had traveled far away, would unexpectedly appear before them one day in the future and greet them, while their wife and children peeked out from behind, calling out affectionate nicknames.

Even a fleeting thought of such a scene can spark imaginations about the future and fill one with happiness.

"Musashi, you..."

Just as Kojiro turned around to discuss things with Musashi, he saw a hand reaching out in the rain, allowing the poisonous butterflies to land on her arm.

A person and their pet gaze at each other in the rain.

"You heard it too, and you can sense what I'm thinking, right?"

Musashi gazed tenderly at the Poisonous Butterfly and murmured these words.

"..."

The poisonous butterfly remained silent, only nodding quietly. Although it felt a deep reluctance in its heart, it did not—

"When your children grow up and can fly with you, remember to bring them back to see me, or I'll definitely give you a good scolding, you hear me!"

Musashi put his hands on his hips and reprimanded her in a deliberately fierce tone.

"Do!"

The poisonous white butterfly flew up from Musashi's arm, scattering plumes of feathers in mid-air, as if offering Musashi a blessing.

Musashi silently stretched out his hand, raised his head and stared at the Poisonous Butterfly, remaining silent for a long time.

The sky gradually cleared up.

.......

"Xiao Zhi? What happened to you? Did you just go to the mountains?"

When they returned to the entrance of the Pokémon Center, even though he was wearing a raincoat, Ash had gone deep into the river himself, and he was now completely soaked, looking like a drowned rat, as he appeared in front of Dawn and Brock.

The weather cleared up, and the two originally planned to find Ash to go back to the lake to reserve a good spot, but they didn't expect that when they saw Ash again, he was already in this state.

"It's a long story, but to put it simply, I went to save tonight's festival."

"???"

The two were filled with question marks, but Ash had no intention of explaining anything at the moment.

Ash went back to the Pokémon Center to take a shower, and in the meantime, the stalls outside the Pokémon Center were set up again.

Following her original plan, Dawn booked a yukata for herself, then arranged a time and place at a booth that offered video recording services for tourists. After renting a yukata for Ash as well, Dawn returned to the Pokémon Center satisfied and placed Ash's yukata at the entrance.

Xiao Gang, who had been following Xiao Guang and watching her actions, couldn't help but sigh, "Youth is wonderful! I wonder when my own spring will arrive..."

......

As night falls, the Pokémon Center in the mountains is not alone tonight.

The stalls were flashing red lights, creating a festive atmosphere. All the shopkeepers stopped what they were doing and came to the lakeside with the tourists, watching the poisonous butterflies fluttering in the air one after another.

The colorful lights that Miss Joey had hung on both sides of the lake shore that morning were now reflecting the moonlight and the glow of feathers, making the lake surface even more dazzling.

One by one, the poisonous butterflies, fluttering in the air, found their mates and flew together in pairs.

At the same time, Hikari finally found Ash in his yukata and gently patted him on the back.

"Finally found you! Honestly~ Didn't you say you'd wait for me? Why did you leave first!"

Xiao Guang handed the candied apple to Xiao Zhi, then reached out and rolled up his slightly drooping sleeve.

Hwang chose a pink yukata, which was different from her usual style of dress. Various rays of light shone on Hwang's face, allowing Satoshi to clearly see her expression.

Dawn, who had been running to find Ash as quickly as possible, had beads of sweat hanging from her temples, and her face was slightly flushed. Her slightly panting appearance was indescribably cute.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I saw something that caught my eye, so I came over first~ But I also asked Pikachu to wait for you there... Hmm? Where's Pikachu?"

As Ash said this, he looked around but couldn't find Pikachu anywhere.

This guy probably just saw some ketchup stall and ran over there, right? And Xiao Gang isn't here either...

Ash glanced around briefly and then didn't pay much attention. He figured Pikachu and Brock shouldn't encounter any accidents in this venue.

Ash ate his candied apple while watching Jessie's Viper in the sky, who had found her other half. Perhaps having made a promise to meet Jessie again, Viper seemed to have lost all sadness and was wholeheartedly enjoying this celebration that belonged only to it.

"It's so beautiful."

Hwang and Ash looked up at the Poison Dust Butterflies fluttering in the air, and couldn't help but sigh.

During the brief pause in their conversation, the distance between Dawn and Ash seemed to have been deliberately shortened, though Ash was unaware of it.

"But it seems to last only a few minutes... Ah, it's about to fly away."

Before Ash could finish speaking, the poisonous butterflies on the lake began to flap their wings and fly away in droves into the distance.

The poisonous white butterflies fluttered about, their countless powders swirling like snowflakes in early winter, yet gleaming golden under the light.

The gold hues collided and connected with each other, forming a golden bridge in the air that seemed to connect lovers.

"Xiao Zhi".

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

With all his attention focused on the magnificent scene before him, Xiao Zhi turned around in confusion after hearing the girl's call from his right.

The next second, Xiaozhi clearly felt his face being gently touched by the other person's palm, and his arm being carefully supported by the girl's arm. She slowly turned her body around, facing away from the overpass behind her, and looked at the prosperous celebration scene in front of her.

They stood side by side, or rather, Ash's arm was currently surrounded by a small halo.

She smiled, making no attempt to hide her joy, and made a "V" sign with her free hand. Then, she gently poked Ash's waist with her elbow, which was wrapped around Ash's arm, and parted her lips slightly:

"eggplant!"

"Eh?"

Before Ash could even react, a flash of white light appeared in the bushes behind the stall in front of him.

"This is......"

Ash finally realized what Dawn was doing. Dawn's face seemed even redder than before, whether it was because of the red glowing lanterns hanging at the stalls or because she finally felt ashamed of her "bold" behavior.

She put her hands behind her back, walked up to Xiaozhi, leaned slightly forward, closed one eye, stuck out her tongue, and said playfully:

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, please forgive me~"

"..."

Not knowing how to react, Xiaozhi just stared blankly as Xiaoguang hurriedly left to ask the photographer hiding among them about the shooting situation.

Ash chuckled softly as he finally came to his senses, turning his head to look at the golden sky bridge where the figures of the Butterfly had gradually disappeared.

"This feeling is not bad either."

Ash stretched and yawned, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

On the mountain hundreds of meters away, although there was no commotion as below, Musashi and his companions watched the departing Butterfly with the same gaze as Ash.

Musashi rested his face on one hand, his expression one of contentment, as if he were blessing the future of the Poisonous Butterfly, or as if he were saying goodbye to his past regrets.

She said:

Goodbye, be sure to be happy, including me! Goodbye...

The two farewells seem to convey different meanings, but the sentiments Musashi expresses are the same.

.......

P.S.: Daily gift request~!

(For better readability, there are no chapter breaks; here's a 3-word chapter.)