Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 315 Lake of Life Reserve

"Uncle Zaiyong, will we be able to reach Asagi City if we follow this highway?"

Ash picked up the walkie-talkie on Arcanine's back and shouted.

Arcanine is extremely fast; when it runs, the only sound around it is the whistling of the wind.

"We're not going to Asagi City either."

Zai Yong's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"what?"

Everyone was stunned.

“You didn’t say anything either,” Zaiyong continued.

"Oh, so should we get off the bus? Dog."

Xiaoxia hugged the Growlithe, its fluffy texture making her reluctant to part with it.

"Don't worry, although we're not going to Asagi City, the general direction is the same. You'll get there in a little while."

As soon as Zai Yong finished speaking, the Speed ​​Dog team made a turn, deviating from Xiao Gang's original planned route.

"Okay." The group exchanged glances.

"Natsume-san"

Ash turned around and found Natsume, who had stayed up all night, lying on Arcanine, fast asleep.

That should be fine, right?

Putting aside the initial novelty, the riding experience of the Speed ​​Dog is really not as good as that of a car or bus.

The powerful wind pressure from the high speed makes it impossible to open your eyes, let alone appreciate the scenery along the way.

In the end, everyone could only follow Natsume's example, lying on Arcanine's back and closing their eyes to rest.

After a long while, Natsume yawned and opened his eyes.

That's strange, how come the landscaping is getting better and better?
The telekinetic barrier dissipated, and Natsume looked up, surveying the scenery around him.

Tall trees began to appear along the roadside, their branches reaching towards the highway.

Further on, the trees grew denser and denser, layer upon layer, with greenery covering the sky and the traces of the city completely disappearing, leaving only lush jungle enveloping the road, as if swallowed by endless green.

"No, uncle, where did you come from?" Natsume picked up the walkie-talkie.

"what?"

A Growlithe approached Natsume, and on top of the Growlithe was Zaiyu himself.

Natsume discovered that, apart from Zaiyong and the Growlithe beneath them, all the other Angry Dogs had disappeared.

"Here's the thing, we deliver to designated locations. I wasn't comfortable with you guys, so I had these Growlithes follow me. Don't worry, the general direction is towards Asagi City!"

Zai Yong's voice came through, tinged with weariness.

Natsume opened his phone and found that it was already 8 p.m. Ash and the others had all fallen asleep while holding Arcanine.

Zai Yong charged to one side of the road, blocking the direction of the Growlithe's advance.

The night was so dark that the shadows of the trees twisted into strange shapes.

The wind howled among the branches and leaves, and the occasional cooing sound broke the silence, only making the surroundings seem even emptier.

"hiss"

Natsume touched his arm and felt a little cold.

He just located himself and found that he was in the "Lake of Life" protected area, moving towards Asagi City.

This is one of the earliest protected areas, with a history of nearly a century.

This road must have been built recently.

Apart from this highway, there is no trace of human technology anywhere; it is a completely pristine jungle.

"That's strange, Uncle Zaiyong. What are you sending? Are you sending it to the staff of the nature reserve?"

The other delivery personnel and the speed dog were nowhere to be seen; only Zai Yong was delivering in this direction.

Moreover, the opponent's Arcanine was not carrying any weight, except for two bags hanging around its neck.

Could it be a delivery?
Natsume speculated.

"I don't know what this is either. Anyway, the only people living here are the two grandmothers and their granddaughter."

Zaiyong's voice rang out, piquing Natsume's interest.

live here?

Then they're not staff members, but this is a protected area!
Before Natsume could ask any more questions, the Gyrogoo slowed down.

At the same time, a glint appeared in Zaiyong's eyes, and he said excitedly:

"Great, we've finally arrived at the rest stop!"

Lights appeared not far ahead, making Natsume feel somewhat disoriented.

One by one, the Gyrogoa dogs jumped into the rest area. Although it was called a rest area, it was completely different from the rest areas on a regular highway. This was just a small wooden cabin built on a short extension of the highway.

The wooden house is about the size of a basketball court, but it has two floors, and there are plenty of Pokémon food prepared around it, which means that Zaiyong had given prior notice.

"Brother, I'm here!"

Zaiyong flipped over, nimbly jumped off the Arcanine, and shouted into the dimly lit wooden house.

"Huh? Where are we?"

Ash and his friends were awakened by the noise and got up from Arcanine's back one by one, looking confused.

"Kacha!"

Suddenly, the room was brightly lit as half of the door was pushed open, and the light pierced the darkness, illuminating the surroundings.

Someone walked out of the house, casting a shadow.

He was an old man wearing a military green uniform with a stern face.

"What are you yelling about? Come if you want, what's it to me?"

The old man looked impatiently at Zaiyong, but when he saw Natsume and his group, he was suddenly stunned.

"Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Bin Laden, the ranger of the Lake of Life."

As soon as Zai Yong finished speaking, the sound of bullets being chambered came from behind him.

"Crack—click!"

Bin Laden held up his shotgun, the dark muzzles pointed at Natsume and his group.

"Grandpa, what are you doing!"

Ash and the others, still half-asleep, were suddenly awakened.

"Who knows if you're poachers in disguise? Things haven't been peaceful lately!"

Bin Laden had a stern face, and a large tail peeked out from behind him, warily looking around.

Natsume looked up and saw a Pidgeot circling in the sky. Not far away, on a tree branch, an owl tilted its head and scrutinized them.

"Grandpa, I am a Pokémon League trainer."

Ash thought for a moment and then handed over his Pokédex.

"do not come!"

Bin Laden pulled a catalog from his pocket and threw it on the ground:

"These are all forged guidebooks created by poachers I recently caught!"

"There are even people impersonating scientific expedition teams and researchers!"

Laden glared at Xiaozhi and casually tossed another handful of documents from his pocket.

"Hey bro, they definitely aren't."

"Who's your older brother?!"

Bin Laden glared angrily at Zai Yong.

Zaiyong shrank his neck and was about to back down when he saw Natsume step forward.

"Wait, let me handle the communication!"

Zai Yong's pupils contracted, and he wanted to stop him.

Bin Laden has a fiery temper and will never show mercy.

However, no one knows what kind of identification Natsume handed to the other party, but Bin Laden's expression visibly softened.

"It's true, please come in."

Bin Laden stepped aside.

"Li Li!"

At her feet, Wei Li hopped and hopped, pulling open the door on the other side.

Curious, everyone crowded closer and discovered that what Natsume was handing to the other person was actually a forest ranger's ID!

"Wow, Natsume-kun, when did you get your forest ranger certificate?"

"Yes, it's still the highest-ranking position, A."

Everyone was astonished.

Behind them, the dog with the middle parting stood guard by the food bowl, its hind legs on the edge, its rear end sticking out, squeezed between the two dog heads, trying to snatch food with its mouth.

"Pikachu?" The man with the middle parting twitched slightly.

Seemingly hearing the praise from the crowd, it proudly raised its head.

Two Growlithe dogs seized the opportunity, each delivering a headbutt that sent the man with the middle parting flying into the house.

This yellowish-brown thing eats like crazy, as if it's been running around all day.

(End of this chapter)