As Xiao Zhi embarked on his journey, he released his Pokémon, simply wanting them to travel alongside him. The energetic Growlithe played with Charmander, while the Milktank was busy producing milk. The Blissey was preparing eggs for everyone, Meowth was tinkering with a machine, and Ralts held Xiao Zhi's hand. Pikachu sat on Xiao Zhi's shoulder, enjoying a ketchup packet.
Someone might ask, "Why are there more than six Pokémon allowed?" Well, Professor Oak helped with that, and Meowth, Pikachu, and Blissey rarely battled. Plus, Milktank was essentially there to provide milk, so Xiao Zhi was truly carrying only three Pokémon with him.
"Growlithe, Charmander, stop playing with fire!"
"Woof!"
"Char!"
Seeing that the two little guys were behaving, Xiao Zhi didn't stop them. He turned to Pikachu and said, "Pikachu, we're having dinner soon. You're still eating ketchup?"
"Pika!"
"I know you can eat a lot, but aren't you worried about getting fat?"
"Pi!"
Xiao Zhi chuckled as Pikachu struck a muscular pose. He patted Pikachu's head.
"Alright, I get it. Meowth, how much longer until we reach the town?"
"As long as the weather doesn't cause any trouble, we'll be there today, Meow. But the sky looks a bit… we should reach it soon, Meow."
"Alright, let's cover some more distance then! Everyone, keep up! Let's move faster!"
Despite their desire to leave quickly, the weather changed in an instant. Heavy rain began to fall, forcing Xiao Zhi and his Pokémon to seek shelter in their tent.
"See, Meowth, I told you having a super-sized tent was a good idea."
"True, Meow. Everyone fits inside, Meow. But this rain is going to last a while, Meow."
"We'll just wait it out then. Let's start cooking."
"Good!" *N
Just as Xiao Zhi began cooking, a figure rushed towards their tent.
"Ugh! Why am I so unlucky! Hey! Excuse me, can I… Oh my gosh! Why are you not wearing a shirt?"
A scream followed, and Xiao Zhi, shirtless in his own tent, turned to see who had barged in.
"That's rude. It's my tent; I can do whatever I want."
The girl realized that she was the intruder and quickly apologized, "Sorry, I got startled. I'm Kasumi. Can I please take shelter here?"
Seeing Kasumi, drenched to the bone, Xiao Zhi grabbed a blanket and tossed it to her. "Change your clothes first. You'll get sick if you stay like that. I'll put up a curtain in the middle."
Kasumi quickly wrapped the blanket around herself and said, "Thank you. Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Xiao Zhi. But let's talk about that later. Just change your clothes."
"Oh, okay."
Once Xiao Zhi put up a curtain for privacy, Kasumi changed into dry clothes and snuggled into the blanket. After that, she and Xiao Zhi properly introduced themselves. Kasumi was surprised to learn that Xiao Zhi had a Blissey and a talking Meowth.
"Dinner's ready! Here, Pikachu's egg fried rice. Add your own ketchup. Meowth, your fish. Growlithe and Charmander, your chicken breast. Ralts, your mixed berries. Milktank, your hay. Blissey, your cake. Kasumi, do you mind having egg fried rice like me?"
Kasumi, still dazed, finally replied, "No, no, I don't mind at all. Thank you!"
Kasumi was increasingly curious about Xiao Zhi. He had just demonstrated what it meant to cook fast; his speed was incredible.
"Here you go. This is fresh milk from Milktank. It's really good." Xiao Zhi handed Kasumi a cup of Milktank's milk. Then, he noticed Charmander had gotten milk all over its face and helplessly grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth.
"Don't move."
"Char!"
Kasumi smiled as she watched Xiao Zhi patiently wipe Charmander's mouth.
"Xiao Zhi is really gentle."
Kasumi then released her Pokémon and began feeding them.
After everyone had finished eating, Xiao Zhi first called his mother, Hanako, to let her know he was safe. Then, he received a call from Kikuko.
"Hey, Xiao Zhi, did you reach Konban City?"
"I ran into some bad weather; I haven't arrived yet."
"Really? Be careful not to get sick. Also, you're an adult now, but you can't go to those places, you know~"
Xiao Zhi knew exactly what Kikuko meant and replied with a deadpan expression, "I'm not that bored..."
"You never know. In some families, people are married and even have kids at your age. I'm just reminding you not to be swayed by the temptations of the outside world."
Xiao Zhi was about to burst. While that was true in the Pokémon world, where fifteen years old was considered adulthood, he wouldn't be that reckless.
"Come on, you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Of course, I know you're not. But I'm worried about someone charming you, you know. Be careful, or Nana and Joy might come after you. Or maybe there's a girl already by your side?" Kikuko's expression was smiling, but the black aura around her scared the manager nearby.
"Sis, you're scaring me…" Xiao Zhi glanced at Kasumi and suspected Kikuko might have installed a surveillance device on him. So he asked without thinking, "Meowth, are there any cameras around?"
Meowth gave Xiao Zhi a strange look, then shook its head, "No, Meow."
But Kikuko's voice came through the communication device.
"Oh, looks like I was right! I knew Xiao Zhi was attractive, but isn't that a bit too fast?"
"Sis, stop messing around. I prefer it when feelings develop over time."
"Ara? Then why don't I have any feelings for you?" Kikuko's voice sounded increasingly dangerous, and Xiao Zhi wondered why that thing hadn't arrived yet.
"Miss Kikuko, your delivery!"
Hearing the delivery announcement, Xiao Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. It had finally arrived, but he supposed it made sense since it was cross-district. Then, Kikuko's scream filled the communication channel.