In a distant forest, a green Pokémon flapped its wings, which were as thin as a cicada's, and wove through the forest, flying towards a time portal that had appeared in the sky.
The Pokémon that passed through the portal took a look at the surroundings; the city was lush with greenery. It covered its mouth and giggled secretly, then used the cover of night to weave through the city.
Alleys, roads, rivers, bridge piers, parks, rooftops—
It greeted the various Pokémon living in the city.
It dove into the leaves to greet the Bellossom and Budew hiding inside, stopped on the water's surface to greet the Azumarill, and greeted the Breloom and Sunflora in the park—
Its figure kept flying throughout the city.
In the night sky elsewhere, a gray-black Pokémon fell from an airship, crashed onto a Hoppip, and then transformed into the appearance of the Hoppip, descending towards the ground.
Ash and Dawn followed behind Brock. "Hey, Brock, are you sure we aren't lost?"
Brock looked at the map in his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Listen to me, this is exactly what the map says."
"Really?" Dawn asked skeptically.
"Piplup?"
Brock nodded affirmatively.
The three of them continued walking forward.
"Pikachu?" Ash heard Pikachu's cry and looked in the direction Pikachu was pointing. A gray-black Pokémon was being surrounded by a group of Vigoroth on the edge of a cliff.
"That is—" Ash had never seen that Pokémon before, but he still took the lead, running over with Pikachu.
Just as the Vigoroth were about to attack the Pokémon, Ash and his friends arrived. "Hey, is it really okay for so many Pokémon to gang up on one?"
Ash then tossed a Poké Ball. "Go, Infernape."
"Mamoswine, I'm counting on you."
"Sudowoodo, I'm counting on you too."
Infernape appeared before the Pokémon, looking at the Vigoroth in front of it, flames burning violently on its body.
Piplup rolled up its sleeves, said something seriously, took a step forward, and then missed its footing. Its whole body rolled forward until it hit a tree.
It held its head and shook it, then turned around to look at the group of Vigoroth. "Piplup!"
The Vigoroth looked at each other and then left together.
Ash walked up to the Pokémon. "Strange, what kind of Pokémon is this? I don't think I've seen it before." Ash said, looking at the Pokémon.
"You saved me, so I'll consider you my good friends."
"Good friends? Sure."
"I didn't expect we'd be able to make a friend even while lost."
"So we are still lost, right? Brock."
"That's not important."
"? You can talk?!"
"Telepathy?"
Ash and the others were startled. The Pokémon in front of them giggled.
"Although Ma told me not to talk to humans, since you saved me, you must be good people."
"Who is Ma?" Ash was confused about who Ma was.
"Ma is Ma. We weren't originally from here; we were forcibly taken from another place. Later, I ran away from the airship, but I got separated from Ma."
"So you were captured and brought here?" The Pokémon nodded, then looked at the brightly lit city below the cliff.
"I can feel it, Ma is right there."
Brock followed its gaze. "Right, that's exactly where we're heading."
"Really?" Dawn was a little surprised.
"In that case, let's take you to find your Ma."
"Thank you."
After saying that, it transformed into Ash's appearance and snickered.
Pikachu couldn't stand it, jumped up, and tugged on its tail. It turned back into its original form and subsequently transformed into Pikachu, staying on Ash's head or shoulder alongside Pikachu.
On the other side, on the airship, a man wearing glasses with multicolored hair looked at the screen in front of him. "Time is up, release it, and get the cameras ready."
His subordinate nodded upon hearing this, then the airship opened. "If you want to save the Zorua, do as we say."
A standing fox Pokémon heard the message from its earpiece, shouted angrily, and then used the cover of the night sky to rush towards the city ahead.
Meanwhile, Lucas was sitting on Ninetales's back, walking slowly forward under the moonlight.
"Strange, it seems like ever since we entered this forest, we haven't seen a single trace of snow." Lucas sat on Ninetales's back, noticing that this forest was lush and didn't look like it had snowed at all during winter.
"I can feel a very rich aura of life here." Latias's telepathy echoed in his mind. "It's just like some of the aura on your Lilligant."
"Lilligant?"
"Lilli?" Lilligant, walking in front, turned around to look at Lucas, asking what was wrong.
Lucas shook his head. "Nothing, I just wanted to call you."
Lilligant smiled sweetly.
"Some of the aura on Lilligant? Could it be Celebi?"
Hearing Lucas's question, Latias shook her head. "I don't know, but it should be."
"Does that mean Celebi is here?" Lucas looked around but didn't spot Celebi.
"I don't feel Celebi's presence. It must be the energy left behind by Celebi that makes this place spring-like all year round."
Hearing Latias's words, Lucas suddenly realized. It was just like the blessings at the Breeding House; they all had Celebi's blessing.
"I wonder if the Celebi that left its power here is the same one as the Celebi at our Breeding House." Lucas thought to himself, then finally shook his head and smiled.
"There's a city ahead, right? Let's go visit it tomorrow."
Hearing this, Ninetales stopped. Gothitelle found a relatively open area and set up the tent.
Lucas and Gengar and the others gathered around a campfire.
"It's quite comfortable to warm up by the fire in the middle of winter." Lucas stretched out his hands and said with narrowed eyes.
Gengar sat beside him and nodded in agreement.
"Gothitelle." The tent was set up.
Lucas turned to look; there was only one tent, which was now firmly staked to the ground by Gothitelle, and Lilligant was spreading the quilt inside the tent.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Lilli~"
Lucas turned his head back to continue warming up by the fire with Gengar and the others, when suddenly he heard some movement from the deep darkness in the distance, followed by a burst of firelight.
Gothitelle appeared in front of Lucas instantly, shielding him behind her, while Ninetales stood up and stared intently ahead.
The firelight drew closer, and a majestic, fiery-red Pokémon appeared before Lucas. The fire behind it was the flames it was carrying.
"Entei?!" Lucas's pupils constricted; there was no time to wonder why Entei would appear here.
Ninetales was wrapped in flames, meeting the oncoming Entei.
The expected collision didn't happen. The Entei looked at the Ninetales coming towards it, jumped decisively, and then its body transformed into a black fox Pokémon.
"That is—" Lucas looked at the Pokémon jumping over his head and recognized it.
Ninetales saw Entei jump high and transform into another Pokémon, paused in confusion, then turned around and spat a Flamethrower at it.
The Pokémon cried out in pain, landed on the ground, and continued running forward.
"Why would Zoroark appear here?" Lucas muttered to himself, staring intently at Zoroark's disappearing back.
At this moment, a buzzing sound rang out overhead.
Lucas looked up and found some drone cameras.
Something seemed to flash through his mind, and Lucas stared at the cameras overhead.
"Gothitelle."
Without needing Lucas to finish, Gothitelle understood his meaning and used her psychic power to destroy all these cameras.
Cameras, Zoroark—
Lucas took out his rotom phone to check the name of the city ahead.
Sure enough.
Lucas looked at the name on the map.
Three bright characters.
Crown City.
In a distant cave, a green Pokémon felt the wooden plaque hanging on its chest, which was slightly hot, and then covered its mouth and giggled.
With a wave of its two little hands, a portal appeared in front of it, and then it dove in.