The moment Xiao You drew close, Banette finally stopped its attack.
This scene didn't go unnoticed—neither by Chen Mo nor by the countless viewers in the livestream.
[It actually stopped itself!?]
[Honestly, from Mo-bao's angle, I thought Xiao You was definitely dead. I was already cursing Mo-bao in my head for stopping Pichu…]
[One thing's for sure—Banette's move was aimed at Xiao You, but for some reason, at the very last second, it stopped on its own.]
[Isn't that obvious? It's the bond between Banette and Xiao You.]
[I didn't really believe it before, but seeing a berserk Banette still refuse to hurt Xiao You… I suddenly feel that what Mo-bao said—"emotion is the most important bond between humans and Pokémon"—he really meant it.]
[Let's go home together. At this moment, Banette and Xiao You probably see each other as true family.]
So what kind of relationship should exist between humans and Pokémon?
Even in the original anime, different people held very different views about Pokémon.
While Ash and his companions did everything they could to show the bonds between humans and Pokémon, there were also plenty of people—Trainers included—who treated Pokémon as nothing more than tools for battle, discarding them the moment they became dissatisfied.
No matter what others thought, Chen Mo personally disliked that second kind of relationship. He leaned far more toward the attitude Ash and the others showed toward Pokémon.
Humans and Pokémon should grow together.
That was also what Chen Mo had been trying his best to convey to viewers throughout his livestreams.
He didn't want a future where, once Poké Balls appeared in this world, a massive wave of people emerged who captured and "subdued" Pokémon purely for profit and gain.
Although such a thing was surely unavoidable to some extent, at the very least, Chen Mo wanted—at this stage—to pass on his stance and his way of thinking, so that those people would remain a minority.
He looked at Xiao You in the distance, still holding Banette tightly, and his expression softened completely.
At that moment, Chen Mo suddenly noticed—
Banette's arms, which had been raised high the whole time, slowly lowered. Carefully—almost reverently—it placed its hands on Xiao You's head, gently stroking it, as if touching the most precious treasure of its entire life.
Drip.
A drop of water fell onto the ground.
Chen Mo lifted his head slightly. The dark clouds above had quietly begun to release a gentle, drizzling rain.
In the distance, strands of thick resentment rose continuously from Banette's body, but under the wash of rain, they dissipated like smoke.
Chen Mo extended his hand, feeling the late-spring rain as it nourished and cleansed everything.
"…It finally started raining."
Draping his jacket over Xiao You's shoulders, Chen Mo and the others rode on Pidgeotto, quickly beginning their return.
"I'm sorry, Brother Chen Mo… I think I did something really bad earlier."
Sitting in front, Xiao You looked down at Banette—now shrunk back into the size of an ordinary doll—in her arms and apologized softly.
"You mean when you rushed straight toward Xiao Ji just now?" Chen Mo asked.
"…Mm."
"Then yes, you should apologize—but not to me. You should apologize to Banette, and to your dad. Everything they do is so you can live safely and healthily. If anything were to happen to you, they'd be the ones who suffer the most."
Chen Mo glanced at Ziyuan Town through the fine rain, then lowered his head and looked at Xiao You, who was clearly drowning in guilt. He smiled lightly.
"But being able to realize you were wrong at your age—and to admit it on your own—is already a very good thing."
"Humans, just like Pokémon, are creatures easily influenced by emotion. Staying rational all the time is hard even for adults, let alone children."
"So you could say, Xiao You—you and Xiao Ji still have plenty of room to grow together."
Xiao You nodded, half-understanding.
Chen Mo smiled and said nothing more.
Some things, at certain moments, were best left at that. Say too much, repeat too much, and it would only make the other person resentful instead.
Still—
Chen Mo truly valued Xiao You as a child.
Or more precisely, he deeply valued the bond between Xiao You and Banette.
This might be the first time since coming to this world that Chen Mo had seen a human form such a deep bond with a Pokémon—especially one of the Ghost type.
This child deserves a much better future.
Amid the misty rain.
Inside Good Gathering Inn.
The bearded innkeeper stood before a group of parents from Ziyuan Elementary School, his face filled with guilt as he bowed again and again in apology.
"What's the use of apologizing? If apologies worked, would we still need the police!?"
"Do you even know what condition my kid is in now? The moment it gets dark, they start screaming in fear. Do you have any idea how painful that is for me as a mother!?"
"Exactly! Even the psychologist said my child has suffered severe psychological trauma. How are you going to settle this!?"
"Stop bowing already—I'm sick of looking at it!"
"An explanation? With what are you going to explain yourself!?"
"You really have some nerve—raising monsters in your own home. Completely brainless! Aren't you afraid of retribution!?"
The small reception area had turned into something like a marketplace, deafeningly noisy.
Standing a short distance away, Ah Hui and Qiao Cheng both looked uncomfortable watching the scene.
If Chen Mo hadn't told them over the phone to wait and not get involved until he returned, the two of them would have already rushed over to argue with these people.
Purely to argue.
"It's because of that monster your kid keeps that my child is still lying in the hospital! How are you going to take responsibility for this!?"
From within the crowd, a man shoved his way forward and stormed toward the bearded innkeeper, extremely agitated, spraying spit all over his face.
As for why he was shouting but not actually hitting—
First, because there was a police officer standing nearby.
Second, because the difference in their builds was… quite significant.
"No! Hui-ge, I really can't watch this anymore. I'm going over to help the boss," Ah Hui said angrily.
"I'll go too," Qiao Cheng added.
Just as the two of them were about to step forward, the inn's door was pushed open once again.
But this time, it wasn't another parent.
It was a young man wearing a short-sleeved shirt soaked through by rain, with strikingly handsome features.
He swept his gaze across the lively, chaotic scene.
Then he snapped his fingers lightly.
The rainwater dripping outside was instantly swept up by a gust of wind, rushing into the inn and splashing directly onto everyone present.
As face after face turned toward him—each twisted with anger—the young man instead broke into a wide grin.
"All here, are we?"
🌟 Early access (60+ chapters ahead): [email protected]/plotwired💬 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter🔷 100 Power Stones = Another🔥 You decide how fast the story unfolds.