The sightseeing car was moving slowly, but Yang Tao didn't mind at all, driving leisurely along the small road leading to Evergreen City.
"Dudu!!"
A Doduo quickly ran past the sightseeing car. It had two heads, with long, sharp beaks and small, black-bean-like eyes. Its body was spherical, without wings, and its body and heads were covered only in a layer of down.
It resembled an ostrich but also had many differences.
"This speed, the texture must be good!"
Chewy? He specifically bought a pressure cooker and hawthorn, and with his good teeth, there was no such thing as chewy for him.
However, the dark clouds drifting in the distance made Yang Tao temporarily give up the idea of trying the Doduo. Anyway, this Doduo wasn't a rare Pokémon; in the town, there were even Doduo specifically responsible for early morning crowing.
"It looks like it's going to rain..."
At this speed, trying to reach Evergreen City before the rain started would be a pipe dream.
Driving the sightseeing car off the main road, he headed towards a nearby hillside. He planned to rest on this hillside today and, while he was at it, look for any unique Pokémon.
Preferably the kind that comes with its own ingredients.
For example, Farfetch'd.
As soon as he parked the car, the dark clouds in the sky had already gathered overhead, and fine, needle-like raindrops began to fall.
The rain hitting the car roof made a pattering sound.
Just then, a sound of flapping wings came from a distance. Yang Tao turned his head and saw a disheveled Ash riding a bicycle, speeding towards his location.
At the same time, Ash's anxious voice called out, "Excuse me!! Excuse me!!"
The exaggerated speed of the bicycle made one wonder if the bicycle Ash was riding was a modified motorcycle.
A weak, golden Pikachu lay in the bicycle's small basket, and behind them, countless Spearow were in pursuit.
"Be careful, ahead is a broken..."
Before Yang Tao could finish his sentence, Ash rode his bicycle down the broken slope.
"...slope."
With a splash, Ash and Pikachu, riding the bicycle, fell heavily to the ground and were thrown forward.
Upon seeing this, Seraphimon and Angewomon instinctively moved to fly over and rescue them, but Yang Tao stopped them with a hand.
"Wait... You two just watch. This is their moment to form a bond."
"A bond?"
Seraphimon looked at Ash, who was struggling to get up from the ground, and nodded thoughtfully.
Ash had fallen directly to the ground from a steep slope several meters high, but aside from being a bit dirty, he had no injuries whatsoever.
He was practically a superman.
Ash came to Pikachu's side and said with a worried expression, "How could this happen..."
A clap of thunder sounded, lightning pierced the darkening sky, and the flock of Spearow chasing them caught up. Ash turned his head, took out the Poké Ball from his fanny pack, and said to Pikachu:
"Pikachu, you go inside first. I know you don't like being in a Poké Ball, but if you stay inside, you have a chance of being rescued."
Ash's voice carried a pleading tone. He placed the Poké Ball in front of Pikachu and continued, "Please, hurry and go inside. Leave the rest to me!"
With that, he stood up, turned to face the aggressive flock of Spearow, and spread his arms: "Hey, do you even know who I am?! I am Ash from Pallet Town, the future world's number one Pokémon Master!"
"I won't lose to you! I'll defeat all of you!"
The provoked Spearow swooped down from the sky, but at this moment, Ash was still urging Pikachu: "Hurry and go inside, please!"
At this moment, Ash's back had become incredibly majestic in Pikachu's eyes.
On the hillside, Yang Tao looked at Pikachu, who had gotten up from the ground, a smile on his face, and said to Seraphimon beside him, "See? Pika-god and his mount have formed their bond. Now, just a little bit more..."
"A little bit more..."
"Watch closely!"
Pikachu quickly ran, leaped with all its might onto Ash's shoulder, and then leaped again towards the Spearow.
Electricity burst forth from Pika-god.
For a moment, the world changed color, and the dozens of Spearow in the sky were directly electrocuted to the point of being unable to function.
Even the bicycle that had fallen to the ground next to them turned the color of charred remains.
Yang Tao looked at Ash and Pikachu, who had fallen to the ground after their outburst, and asked with some uncertainty, "Just now... did I see that kid's bones?"
The bicycle had turned to charcoal, yet Ash had only fainted, which meant Ash possessed at least 99.9% special attack resistance.
Yang Tao looked up at the sky.
He was already prepared for a battle with Phoenix. If he remembered correctly, the bond between Ash and Pikachu would be sensed by Phoenix, who would then directly dispel the rain clouds in the sky and appear before Ash and Pikachu.
One minute... two minutes...
There was no change in the sky; in fact, the rain seemed to be intensifying.
"Where's Phoenix??? Where's my big Phoenix?"
Unbeknownst to them, Phoenix, who was originally preparing to come over, used its Future Sight ability to predict that it would encounter danger if it came here, and immediately turned around and flew to other regions.
It couldn't predict Yang Tao, but it could predict itself.
After waiting another two minutes, Phoenix still didn't appear. Yang Tao sighed and said to Seraphimon beside him, "Go save them..."
"Alright."
Seraphimon emitted a warm light that shone on Ash.
Recovery Light.
A basic ability possessed by most Angel Digimon, capable of restoring others' stamina and injuries.
Soon, Ash and Pikachu regained consciousness.
Ash quickly got up, picked up Pikachu, and said, "Pikachu, hold on! I'll take you to Evergreen City right now."
Then, holding Pikachu, he ran through the rain towards Evergreen City.
"What incredible creatures..."
"Hehe, there's even more amazing stuff. Let's rest here for the night and continue our journey tomorrow."
Just then, a rapid sound of footsteps came from behind them. A red-haired girl wearing a raincoat ran towards them.
The person who arrived was Misty, one of Ash's future travel companions.
"Hello..."
As soon as she greeted them, Misty's gaze was drawn to Seraphimon and Angewomon.
Her face was filled with disbelief...
"This..."
"Oh, they just like to cosplay. Little girl, is there something you need?"
Cosplay?
Misty observed Angewomon and Seraphimon, thinking how beautiful they were, her eyes almost glued to Angewomon.
"I wanted to ask, did you see a boy riding a bicycle pass by?"
"Just now, a trainer who said he was from Pallet Town, named Ash, passed by holding a Pikachu. I don't know if that's the one you're looking for."
Misty quickly nodded and said, "That's him! Did you see where he went?"
Yang Tao pointed in the direction Ash had left, then said with a smile, "That way... He just left a little while ago."
Then he said meaningfully, "Oh, and that young man left something behind."
He pointed to the bicycle wreckage below the broken slope.
Misty looked at the bicycle, which had turned to charcoal: 'This thing looks so familiar. Why does it look like a bicycle? How strange...'
Silence for a moment.
Misty let out an astonishing scream.
"Ahhhhhh! My bicycle!"