Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

"Mmm~ So satisfying, so satisfying~~"

"Seriously, I've been in the Hundred Generations Forest for so many days now, and this is the best meal I've had in all these days—no, in all these years!"

After the meal, Xiaoguang and Yami chatted excitedly with the old man. Although there was an element of wanting to help alleviate his loneliness, they were probably more grateful to the old man for treating them to such a delicious meal.

"Ash, do you think... there's a problem?"

On the other side, some distance away from Xiaoguang and Yami, Xiaogang asked Xiaozhi in a deep voice.

Although Xiaogang initially thought the old lady was the one managing the mansion and there was nothing wrong with her, his doubts began to slowly rise after he saw and tasted the delicious food on the table.

Hikari and Yami were clearly inexperienced; after receiving the old man's kindness, they completely let their guard down. Compared to them, Satoshi seemed much more reliable.

"I don't know."

Xiao Zhi shook his head.

"Although I initially suspected that what we were seeing was a prank by Ghost-type Pokémon... I've observed for so long but haven't seen anything suspicious... Nevertheless, what we're experiencing now is still a bit strange, so it's best to be careful."

"...That's the only way."

Xiao Gang sighed, and reluctantly accepted Xiao Zhi's suggestion.

However, despite accepting it, Xiao Gang still felt a little worried, as if something big was about to happen.

"Well then, I'll go back to my room to rest now. Call me if you need anything."

Xiao Zhi said this in a low voice, then got up and walked towards the room on the second floor.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but take one last look at the old woman who had even forgotten her own name. Seeing her still talking to Hikari and Yami with a kind expression, Ash stopped paying attention to them.

......

Upon reaching the second floor and standing before his room, Ash didn't open the door immediately. Instead, he returned to the stairwell and observed the situation below. Only after confirming that no one was paying attention to him did Ash breathe a sigh of relief.

"Pikachu?" (What are you doing sneakily?)

Pikachu was puzzled by Ash's actions. Although it had overheard Ash and Brock's conversation, it didn't sense anything strange. Under these circumstances, it was difficult for Pikachu to get into a state of alert.

"Shh~! Keep your voice down!"

Ash didn't explain his motives to Pikachu; he simply made it cooperate with his plan.

"You stay here and keep an eye on things downstairs. I'm going to check on a few rooms on the second floor."

"Skin......"

Seeing that Pikachu's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Ash smacked its head in annoyance and said:

"What are you thinking?! I'm just going to investigate! It's a bit too suspicious for an elderly woman with poor eyesight and memory to live alone in such a large mansion... And didn't you notice that she didn't make a sound when she was cooking?"

"???"

Pikachu has three huge question marks on its head.

After all, besides Dawn and Yami, Pikachu was also one of the members who was immersed in eating rice. Being able to eat such a satisfying meal seemed to be more important than anything else.

"Ugh--"

Ash looked at Pikachu and sighed in exasperation, then casually took out a bag of ketchup from his pocket.

"No matter what, this is your reward. You've already received the benefits. Just stay here and watch, understand?"

"Pikachu! Pikachu!" (I promise! I promise I'll complete the mission!)

Pikachu, with ketchup in its mouth and its eyes shining, answered with such certainty.

That's easy to solve...

Ash thought to himself, speechless, then left Pikachu at the stairwell entrance and turned to leave alone.

However, Xiao Zhi didn't notice when he turned around that the old man below had suddenly looked up and glanced at the second floor. The smile on his lips was no longer kind, but full of mockery and ridicule, as if he was waiting for some good show to begin.

However, she quickly suppressed that meaningful expression and lowered her head, just as kind and approachable as when Xiaoguang and Yami first met her.

If the two women had noticed the change in the old woman's expression within that brief second, they certainly wouldn't have been able to continue chatting and laughing with her as they were doing now.

Unseen by the crowd, a dark figure moved swiftly underground, using the shadow cast between the chandelier and the wall, and in an instant, it blended into this ancient mansion.

.......

Although the mansion has only two floors, it is divided into four areas from left to right: two larger spaces and two smaller spaces. The various sizes are staggered, giving the whole building a sense of layering.

Xiao Zhi chose a room on the far left of the mansion, so he started exploring from his room and headed right.

There's no need to look at the room where Xiaoguang and the others are staying, since the other party wouldn't give them a room with problems, right?

Still nothing..

After briefly searching the leftmost room, Xiaozhi didn't find anything special. The layout of each room was similar, but just as he had initially wondered, there wasn't a speck of dust in any of the rooms, from the doorway to the bedside.

It was clearly an old hotel, but everything inside looked brand new.

It's a bit too incredible from any angle.

A spotless hotel, an elderly man with poor eyesight who has forgotten everything, and a table full of unexpectedly abundant food...

If it's an illusion created by a Ghost-type Pokémon, then this illusion is far too real. But if it's not an illusion, how can all of this be explained?

Ash carefully avoided Pikachu and the others' sight as he passed the open platform, cautiously making his way from the left side of the house to the right.

"Oh, right, there's something I forgot to tell you guys."

As Xiaozhi bypassed everyone's view and came to the right side of the house, the old woman who had been sitting and chatting with Xiaoguang and the others suddenly stood up. She beckoned to Xiaogang and called him over to her.

She smiled, revealing no flaws in her demeanor.

She stretched out her hands, one on Xiaoguang's shoulder and the other on Yami's shoulder.

Chansey was drowsy, its vision was blurry, and its body was swaying. Pikachu, with ketchup on its mouth, was leaning against the wall next to the stairs on the second floor and had fallen asleep at some point.

"Um... what's wrong?"

Xiao Guang instinctively wanted to take a step back. For some reason, although the old man's smile was still kind and gentle, Xiao Guang subconsciously felt fear.

However, after struggling for a moment, Xiaoguang unexpectedly found that she could not break free.

"Don't be in such a hurry, we...we still have so much to say...we can keep talking...don't rush off...just stay here and enjoy it..."

The wrinkles on the old man's face were gathered together, and joyful notes seemed to dance between his brows. His kind voice became hoarse at this moment, and a cold wind blew up from behind the crowd, making them shiver involuntarily.

"Remember... close your eyes, don't look behind you, and just sit down like this. Let's continue our conversation."

.......