It was already getting late. After learning that Chen Mo and the others still hadn't found a place to stay, Qiao Cheng suggested they go to the inn where he had been staying recently, saying outright that the owner there didn't mind Pokémon.
To be honest, Chen Mo hadn't fully believed it at first. After all, during this period, the vast majority of people they'd encountered had been rather unfriendly toward Pokémon.
But once they arrived at the inn called Good Reunion Lodge, Chen Mo realized that Qiao Cheng hadn't exaggerated even a little.
"Pokémon? Ah, that kind of thing doesn't matter at all. Right now, only Little Qiao is staying here anyway—who's there to disturb? Just bring your Pokémon in and stay, no problem."
The innkeeper was a very interesting man—tall, broad-shouldered, with a thick beard. His personality matched his appearance perfectly: bold and hearty.
After learning that Chen Mo and the others were bringing Pokémon with them, the boss not only showed no fear, he even clicked his tongue in amazement, saying he'd never seen someone as interesting as Chen Mo—someone who dared to tame Pokémon.
In high spirits, and with Qiao Cheng and Ah Hui vouching for them, he waved his hand grandly and tried to give Chen Mo and the others a discount.
But thinking about how tough business must be for inns these days, Chen Mo quickly stopped the overly enthusiastic man.
"He's… way too warm," Ah Hui said sincerely.
Just as the bearded boss was processing their check-in, a young, tender voice suddenly came from behind Chen Mo and the others.
"Daddy…"
Even though they knew the child wasn't calling them, Chen Mo and the others still subconsciously turned around.
They saw a cute, short-haired little girl—about ten years old—wearing dark blue pajamas, standing at the stairwell, timidly looking toward them.
The moment he heard "Daddy," the bearded boss immediately dropped what he was doing, stepped out from behind the counter, and hurried over. He scooped the little girl up and asked affectionately,
"Sweetheart, why did you come downstairs all of a sudden?"
"Daddy, I can't sleep. I want you to tell me a story…"
"Alright. Give Daddy three minutes. Let me finish checking these three big brothers in, then I'll come tell you a story."
"Mm."
The innkeeper set the little girl down, then gently rubbed his beard against her cheek, making her giggle nonstop.
"That child's name is Xiao You," Qiao Cheng said softly, watching as the bearded boss hurried upstairs with the girl after tossing them the keys.
"She's a very cute… and very pitiful kid."
"Hm?" Chen Mo turned to look at him.
Qiao Cheng sighed lightly.
"Xiao You's mother passed away from illness not long after giving birth to her. And Xiao You herself—probably due to heredity—has always had poor health. She gets sick a lot. Just during the time I've stayed here, I've seen her catch a cold three times, and once it was a really serious fever."
"I see…"
Hearing this, Chen Mo and the others couldn't help but feel a wave of pity for the adorable short-haired girl.
Just as the four of them were about to head upstairs to rest, when they reached the second-floor corner, the door to the room at the very end suddenly opened. The bearded boss stepped out and said to them,
"If anything comes up tonight, just come knock on this room—or call me. Little Qiao has my number. Don't feel embarrassed about it. You all know things have been strange lately, so it's better to be careful."
No sooner had he finished speaking than another call came from inside the open room. The bearded man answered immediately, not even closing the door, and quickly turned back inside.
Standing in the hallway, Chen Mo and the others looked at one another. Aside from Yi-ge, they all wore smiles.
"To be honest, I've always thought the boss is a total doting-dad," Qiao Cheng said with a grin.
Ah Hui shrugged.
"Totally normal. If I had a daughter that cute, I'd be a doting dad too."
Laughing and chatting, the group started heading upstairs.
However, none of them noticed that beside them, a faint creak… creak… of a door closing suddenly sounded.
Only Pichu—perched on Chen Mo's shoulder and uninterested in the conversation—twitched its ears at the sound and curiously turned its head.
And then it saw it.
In the narrowing crack of the slowly closing door, an unknown creature completely shrouded in black matter floated in midair, gripping the doorknob as if in the act of closing it.
"Pichu?"
Perhaps sensing Pichu's gaze, the thing slowly turned its head, revealing a pair of crimson eyes.
It stared straight at Pichu, those black pupils seemingly filled with endless resentment.
"Pi—Pichu!"
Terrified, Pichu cried out and clutched tightly around Chen Mo's neck.
"What's wrong, Pichu?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled, feeling Pichu's body trembling.
"Pichu! Pichu pichu!"
Listening to Pichu's description, Chen Mo's brow furrowed slightly.
Ah Hui asked in confusion, "What is it?"
"Pichu says it saw something very scary," Chen Mo replied softly.
Taking two steps back with Pichu, Chen Mo and the others looked again at the dim hallway and the innkeeper's still-open door.
"There's nothing there," Qiao Cheng said, scanning the surroundings in confusion.
"Pichu?"
Pichu tilted its head, its expression full of doubt and bewilderment.
It had clearly seen it just now—the terrifying creature with crimson eyes.
But why…
In the blink of an eye, there was nothing left—only warm light spilling from the half-open doorway.
"Pichu…?"
After a moment of thought, Chen Mo walked toward the door.
Just as he approached, the bearded innkeeper's tall figure appeared again. Seeing Chen Mo and the others outside, he asked in confusion,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. We just noticed your door wasn't closed and wanted to help you shut it."
Chen Mo smiled lightly.
The innkeeper immediately understood, a rare hint of embarrassment appearing on his face.
"Ahahaha, that's just how I am—careless. Xiao You always says that about me too. Thanks for your kindness. It's already late, so everyone should get some rest. Don't forget what I said earlier."
The door closed.
Led by Ah Hui, the trio all turned to look at Chen Mo.
After a long pause, Chen Mo let out a soft sigh.
"Should I say our luck is good… or bad? To run into it this easily. Still—Pichu, you did well."
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