The night of April 12th.

The sky was exceptionally clear that night. The sky was smeared with clear and deep blue, and the stars were dotted in the endless night sky, bringing twinkling light to the world on the ground.

The climate of Honglian Island is very warm. Even on the top of the mountain, you can't feel the slightest chill. Naturally, you don't need to set up a tent to sleep in the open. A sleeping bag is enough.

Under the starry night sky, four people were lying side by side on the soft grass. Their Pokémon were also lying in a ball not far away, and the sounds of playing and playing could be heard from time to time.

"I'm so full..." Xiaoling stretched her hands and feet with satisfaction.

The four of them were speechless for a moment, quietly looking up at the starry sky above their heads. The twinkling light spots reflected in their pupils were like the brilliance of the distant shore of time and space, or like pearls within reach.

"Hey, everyone."

The blond boy stretched out his hand toward the sky - in his hand was a crystal green stone the size of a table tennis ball.

The magnificent translucent stones reflect the light of the stars, and the bright blue highlights swim among them with tails of light, as if they are carrying countless tiny creatures.

"Do you know what this gift Celebi gave us?" Xiaojie said softly.

"Its name is-"

"Heart of leaves."

"..."

The words that were deliberately twisted into a eloquent tone were interrupted. Xiaojie suddenly lost his composure and stood up to glare at the interjector.

"This is Ye Zhixin, what's wrong?" Xiaotian looked at Xiaojie, looking a little confused.

"...Boy Iceberg, do you dare to let me finish this sentence handsomely?"

"Oh, I thought you didn't know." Xiaotian said calmly, with a clear expression on his face, "Who asked you to play such a long note?"

Xiaojie: "..."

Xiaoling: "Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

After clearing his throat, Xiaojie simply sat down opposite Xiaoye, the only person with a confused look on his face, "Xiaoye. Yes, the name of this stone is Ye Zhixin - do you know what it is like?"

"I don't know." Xiaoye shook her head very obediently - compared to Xiaotian.

This made Xiaojie breathe a sigh of relief and continued talking briskly.

"People are not human at the beginning, only when they have a heart - there is an old saying." Xiaojie said, "And in nature, there are some things that can sense the human soul. No, it is not so much induction, but "mapping"

” may be a more appropriate description. They can absorb the power of people’s hearts and use them as their own source of luminous energy.”

As he spoke, the blond boy spread his hands and showed off the green pebbles in his hands.

"It is one of them. Stones that can reflect the soul are called "mind gems". There are seven attributes in total. Each attribute of the mind gem has an incredible ability."

Vibrant green light spots circulated inside the boulder, as if echoing Xiaojie's words.

"——The heart of the leaf we got represents "bond", and its ability is "connection"." Seeing Xiaoye's expression of confusion, Xiaojie grinned, "This may be a bit difficult to understand, why don't we

Come and try it yourself?”

So, the four people gathered around and sat facing each other.

Mind Stone - This is the name of a prop that Xiaoye has never heard of. Most of the props with incredible power that she usually comes into contact with are used by Pokémon, and there are really very few natural props that can be used by humans.

Not only Xiaoye, the other three people did not know the existence of such a strange prop at first. It was not until they received such a thank-you gift from Celebi and consulted their elders in the family that they learned the final result.

As for why he didn’t inform Xiaoye right away——

They didn't have Xiaoye's phone number at all, so they couldn't notify her even if they wanted to.

And Xiaoye doesn't have a mobile phone at all - although she hasn't told everyone the truth.

Too bad.

"I also heard my father say it." Xiaotian looked at the magnificent round stone in his hand, "The Heart of Leaf is the only soul gem that can only appear in plural forms. When people with the same origin of the Heart of Leaf have similar thoughts,

When the time comes, it will connect the holder's mind - the effect is similar to telepathy."

"My brother and I tried it ourselves, but it didn't work at all. It seems that all the people holding the heart of the leaf must be present for it to work." Xiaoling fiddled with the pendant on her chest - the heart of the leaf is a very beautiful stone.

, it is very suitable as an inlay on a pendant, making the girl's face shine even more.

The Ye Zhixin of the other three people were carried directly in their pockets like miscellaneous items. They can be said to be very straight men.

Although there is actually a biological female among them.

How does it feel to be connected to one's soul? Xiao Ye found it a bit unbelievable, playing with the round stones that were no more than the size of cherries.

"Then, let's recite silently together - let our hearts be connected." Xiaojie said seriously - although his serious expression only lasted for a few seconds, "Oh, such a line is too shameful..."

"Hahahaha, why don't you say - right now, we are becoming one." Xiaoling said seriously.

"...That one is even more shameful!"

Xiaoye: "..."

Do you have to read something?

Reluctantly stopping their nonsensical joking, the four young trainers fell silent.

Xiaoye closed her eyes and placed her right hand holding Ye Zhixin on her heart.

Of course she didn't actually say something about how our hearts could be connected - nor was she thinking about how we could become one now.

She knows that the person sitting next to her now is her closest friend in this life. They have fought side by side, supported each other, and trusted each other - it is natural to want to become closer and understand them better.

Xiaoye is not a person who can express these emotions, and she has never taken the initiative to seek any friendship. In friendship, she is always a passive responder; however, the gem that reflects the soul will reflect it exactly as it is.

Her truest thoughts.

Whether it is words that can be spoken or words that cannot be spoken, direct feelings, gentle and gentle thoughts, everything is read by the blue round stone.

Then, the stones in their hands began to glow.

The four people who had closed their eyes could not see the changes in Ye Zhixin, but their hearing was still there. In the hazy moment, they had a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.

The heartbeats were amplifying. The heartbeats of not one person, but four people.

A clear green light circled around the bodies of the four people. It was as if there was a transparent connecting line connecting their perceptions - all the noisy sounds faded away, leaving only four synchronized and clear heartbeats.

echoing in each other's minds.

They had experienced this feeling before - when they took over the Heart of Leaf from Celebi.

But this time, Guanghua didn't stop there.

A green curtain of light spreads out from four identical boulders. It is like a veil or forest-colored waves. It moves gently but resolutely, shrouding the figures of the boys and girls.

Immediately, the green light rushed into the sky and turned into the brightest star in the night.

Xiao Ye opened her eyes and looked at the stars in the sky around her.

She found that she could not make a sound, but her vision did not fail. She looked around and saw her three companions who were also a little surprised.

As if they were wandering in the universe, everything they looked at was the color of the night stars. There were only four of them in the silent world.

Everyone can feel it - they are four different individuals, but they seem to be the same person.

At a glance, the colors of everyone's hearts were clearly visible. Xiaoye could "see" Xiaotian's slight surprise, Xiaojie's calm joy, and Xiaoling's excitement.

When their eyes met, something tied them together. Just like every leaf is connected by a branch - "connection" is one of the mysteries of life.

For leaves, this power is called "connection".

For humans, it is called "bond".

====================

In the distant urban area of ​​Honglian City, Xinghai, who was sitting in front of the ward window, suddenly raised his head as if aware of something.

He looked through the window at the Honglian volcano in the east.

He felt a kind of rhythm. Different from the tranquility of the power of the waveguide, the forest-colored ripples were full of warmth and longing, even mixed with the very familiar atmosphere of Xinghai.

The silver-haired young man was stunned for a while, then looked down at his chest.

——A water-colored round stone is hanging on an inconspicuous necklace. As the necklace sways slightly, the azure light filaments are like waves in the vast ocean, gently swaying inside the round stone.

This fluctuation of heart power...is it Ye Zhixin?"

After being surprised, Xinghai laughed softly.

So that’s it.

It seems that you have made friends that you will treasure for life, Xiaotian.

====================

April 13th, early morning.

"Wake up! The time is coming soon——"

"...What are you doing, Xiaoling? It's still so early..."

"What are you doing? Isn't watching the sunrise a regular program after climbing to the top of the mountain?"

Before dawn, everyone was forcibly dragged up by Xiaoling, and even the Pokémon were not spared.
To be continued...