Pikachu and Togepi's Adventure Team

After a round of questioning, Yan Yang and the others failed to uncover any further clues.

The Pokémon nearby said they had not paid much attention to the stone. Moreover, Yan Yang was not familiar with many of the Pokémon in this area, and some simply ignored them altogether.

Yan Yang felt somewhat disappointed. It seemed they had wasted some effort, but many things did not unfold as one expected, did they?

Which direction should they investigate next? Too much time had passed, and many details could no longer be verified.

Just as he was deep in thought, a familiar flash of yellow entered his sight.

It was the Pikachu from before, accompanied by the Togepi that Entei had rescued.

The two Pokémon also recognized the people ahead of them and happily greeted them.

"Pika~ Hello." Pikachu rubbed its cheeks, looking quite happy.

"Hello. It's great to see you again." Yan Yang naturally returned the greeting.

Litleo and Pidgey did not know the two of them, so they looked rather confused.

Pikachu and Togepi did not know the two Pokémon beside Yan Yang either, and they were curious.

Yan Yang acted as the intermediary and introduced them to one another.

Once everyone had grown closer, they quickly became familiar, each greeting the others in their own Pokémon way.

"By the way, why is it only you two? Where are the other two Pokémon?" Yan Yang asked curiously.

"Pika pika~ We formed an adventure team. We wanted to learn from Entei and help Pokémon in need everywhere, but Bellsprout and the other one only kept at it for a while before they didn't want to continue. So, only the two of us are still adventuring." Pikachu explained, though it was clear that it was still a little unhappy about losing its two companions.

Pikachu truly admired Entei. It wanted to become a righteous Pokémon like Entei, one who found joy in helping other Pokémon. However, both of its teammates had given up, leaving only Togepi, who also admired Entei, willing to continue the adventure with it.

Yan Yang greatly admired their actions. Pikachu and Togepi were not particularly strong themselves, so their adventures in the wild could not have gone very smoothly. Yet they had persisted. Never mind how long they had kept at it—having that kind of resolve was enough.

Wild Pokémon generally looked after themselves. They did not have extra energy to deal with unfamiliar Pokémon, though they would not simply stand by and watch others die. They just rarely involved themselves in other Pokémon's affairs.

Yan Yang reminded them to stay safe and told them that if they ever needed help, they could come find him at Entei's place.

He also reminded them to find more Pokémon to adventure with in the future. That would naturally be safer.

Pikachu nodded in agreement, but finding other companions was still difficult. They had tried asking unfamiliar Pokémon to join them, only to be turned down every time.

There was no need to mention that. It would only add to their worries.

"Pika~ What are you doing? Do you need any help?" At first, Pikachu had seen them bustling about and become a little worried, thinking Yan Yang and the others might need help.

Yan Yang briefly explained the situation.

"Pika~ You should've said so earlier. Togepi and I will ask around for you." With that, the two Pokémon left, telling them to sit here and wait for good news.

Yan Yang was a little doubtful. Was it really all right to simply wait like this?

After all, they had already asked around once. Yan Yang felt that some Pokémon probably did know something, but his questioning had gone very poorly. That made him doubt whether Pikachu and Togepi could get anything out of those Pokémon.

Still, doubts aside, he had to trust in their abilities. Since they were adventurers—and two cute Pokémon who would not put other Pokémon too much on guard—they surely had their own methods of gathering information. All he had to do now was wait quietly.

Yan Yang sat on the ground and began teasing Yan Bao, the Litleo.

He clenched one hand into a fist and held it before Yan Bao. Yan Bao happily tried to grab it, but Yan Yang pulled it away again.

Just as Litleo was about to get angry, Yan Yang extended his other hand. This time, he did not pull it back. Litleo successfully grabbed the fist waving before its eyes and happily held it for a while before pushing it away as if in retaliation.

Yan Yang raised his other hand again, only for it to be pushed away too.

And so, every time one hand was pushed away, he extended the other. The cycle continued, and both human and Pokémon had quite a good time.

Pidgey, beside them, thought this was far too childish. It was already a mature Pokémon and would never do something so utterly childish.

After playing for a while, Yan Yang suddenly held both fists out in front of Litleo. Litleo was just about to push one hand away when it noticed another hand beside it. For a moment, it had no idea what to do. Its brain seemed to crash as it stared blankly at the fists.

Its expression was truly hilarious. The way it froze looked as though there were a loading icon above its head, and Yan Yang could not hold back his laughter.

Litleo had not yet recovered from the sight of the two fists, but seeing its Trainer laugh at it made it feel embarrassed and angry. It pounced on him and started biting him.

However, its teeth had not even fully grown in yet, so its bites did not hurt at all. On top of that, Litleo did not truly want to bite him, so Yan Yang only felt ticklish. It did not feel like punishment in the slightest.

Yan Yang loved cute, fluffy Pokémon like this. He immediately picked Litleo up and gave it a thorough petting. Before long, both human and Pokémon were thoroughly satisfied.

Pidgey felt it could not bear to watch.

After a while, Pikachu and the others returned, looking extremely excited. Could they really have found a clue?

"Pika~ Yan Yang, I found something. Hurry and come with me." After saying that to Yan Yang, Pikachu turned and led Yan Yang and the others toward their destination.

At the same time, in an Interrogation Room within the Johto League.

Li Gang was questioning one of the higher-ranking hunters from the group of Pokémon Hunters captured last time.

The League was short on talent, so he had to handle all kinds of criminal investigation matters.

In the tense Interrogation Room, a metal table separated Li Gang from the hunter. Apart from several documents and a recording device, there was nothing on the table. Other staff members stood to one side, ready to record and analyze the interrogation.

The room was so quiet that only the sound of the interrogator flipping through documents and the prisoner's slightly hurried breathing could be heard.

As the captain, Li Gang was well practiced in interrogating criminals. His eyes were sharp and his expression stern as he briefly reviewed the materials in his hands. The hunter sat nervously in his chair, his gaze darting about. From time to time, he licked his lips with a dry tongue, unable to conceal his anxiety.

Li Gang slowly spoke, breaking the silence. "You came all the way from Kalos to our territory. You weren't here just to sell Pokémon, were you? You must have had other plans." His tone was calm yet carried unquestionable authority, making the hunter's body tremble involuntarily.

"No. We only sold Pokémon. We had no other plans." The prisoner was flustered, but he still refused to admit it.

"We already have sufficient evidence proving that you were doing more than merely trading Pokémon." Li Gang snorted coldly and pushed a document toward the suspect. "Take a look at this."

As piece after piece of evidence was placed before him, the prisoner gradually broke down in the face of the irrefutable facts. Panic and fear flashed through his eyes. He lowered his head and fell silent.

Li Gang did not rush to press for a confession. Instead, he gave the other party time to think. He knew well that in situations like this, silence could sometimes be more powerful than words.

As the seconds ticked by, the air in the Interrogation Room seemed to grow even heavier. Finally, under Li Gang's calm and steadfast gaze, the suspect could no longer hold out. "I'll talk... I'll talk..."