"Brother Mo, after looking through so many places, have you decided where you're going to travel yet?"
Inside the bedroom, Ah Hui watched Chen Mo continuously clicking through pages of information on his computer and couldn't help asking curiously.
"No."
Chen Mo gently shook his head.
The system's guidance had only given him a general direction.
The location of the Aura Trial was definitely somewhere along the southern coast, but the exact place still required him to follow that faint, intangible pull and find it himself.
Of course—
Once he arrived there, Chen Mo was certain he would recognize it immediately.
After all...
He still possessed that beginner version of Aura Power within him.
However, Ah Hui didn't know any of this.
Looking at Chen Mo's actions and the information flashing across the screen, he grew even more confused.
"Brother Mo, I can understand researching places worth visiting within the country, but some of the locations you've been checking are overseas. And honestly... none of what you're looking at seems related to local tourist attractions."
The keywords appearing on the screen were mostly similar to the one he'd seen earlier—
The Disappearing Island.
They clearly had nothing to do with sightseeing.
"I'm just curious."
Without looking away from the screen, Chen Mo continued:
"Ah Hui, do you know something?"
"While researching the southern coastal regions, I discovered a lot of things worth thinking about."
"Compared to inland areas, conflicts between humans and Pokémon are actually far more severe along the coast."
"The reason is simple. Many coastal communities depend on the ocean for their livelihood."
"And because huge numbers of wild Pokémon gather in the sea, activities such as fishing have had to be suspended."
"Back when people still called Pokémon 'magical beasts,' a single coastal county could experience over a dozen human-Pokémon conflicts every month."
"And when I had only just started livestreaming Pokémon education, there was a small coastal town in the south called Crescent Moon Town."
"The conflict between humans and Pokémon there intensified so severely that it nearly resulted in a terrible tragedy."
"At the time, large numbers of wild Pokémon surged out of the sea and flooded into the streets where humans lived."
"Eventually, an enormous tsunami appeared without warning and nearly swallowed the entire town."
Hearing this, Ah Hui shuddered.
When Chen Mo suddenly stopped talking, he quickly asked:
"Brother Mo, what happened afterward? What happened to the town?"
"Nothing happened."
Chen Mo turned around and suddenly flashed a playful grin.
"The tsunami vanished just before it engulfed the town."
"The wild Pokémon retreated back into the sea."
"No one knows what happened, but the whole incident simply ended like that."
"..."
Ah Hui stared blankly.
He clearly hadn't expected such an abrupt twist.
But it made sense.
If a tsunami had truly destroyed an entire coastal town, even someone living inland would definitely have heard about it.
Since he hadn't...
The disaster clearly hadn't reached that level.
Crescent Moon Town...
The name echoed in Ah Hui's mind.
The more he thought about it, the more familiar it sounded.
It felt as though he had heard it somewhere before.
Had he traveled there before Pokémon arrived in this world?
After all, his family was wealthy.
His travels had never been limited to their own province.
He had been all over the country.
Perhaps he really had visited a place called Crescent Moon Town at some point.
Just then, Chen Mo's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Our country's tsunami disappeared mysteriously before it could strike."
"But overseas, there have been cases where tsunamis actually fell."
"Entire cities were swallowed by the sea."
"Countless people were displaced and left homeless."
At this point, Chen Mo paused once more.
Then he slowly listed a series of strange phenomena.
"Disappearing islands."
"Mysterious whirlpools that suddenly appear in the ocean."
"Gigantic meteors falling into the sea."
"And the tsunamis we were just discussing."
"Ah Hui."
"What do you think the truth behind these events is?"
Ah Hui froze.
What do I think...?
How would I know?
Just as he was struggling for an answer, he noticed the faint smile on Chen Mo's face.
That expression seemed to say:
You definitely know.
At the same time—
A flash of inspiration struck him.
He suddenly remembered the towering figure he and Chen Haoran had encountered on Mount Taibai.
That godlike presence.
Those world-burning flames.
"Legendary..."
Ah Hui asked uncertainly:
"Brother Mo... are these related to Legendary Pokémon?"
"Bingo."
Chen Mo snapped his fingers.
"The world has always been full of unsolved mysteries."
"But if you isolate the unusual incidents that occurred after Pokémon appeared, you'll notice something interesting."
"Many of them contain traces of Legendary Pokémon."
"For example, the tsunami at Crescent Moon Town."
"It appeared without warning."
"It vanished just as mysteriously."
"It's difficult not to suspect the involvement of a Legendary Pokémon."
Ah Hui's eyes widened.
Then he suddenly realized something important.
He looked up sharply.
"Brother Mo..."
"Don't tell me you deliberately choose travel destinations based on places where Legendary Pokémon might appear?"
"How could that be?"
Chen Mo immediately denied it.
"The reason I investigate these things is so I can avoid Legendary Pokémon."
"I'm not the type who goes looking for trouble."
"Really?"
Ah Hui gave him a suspicious look.
"Brother Mo, you seriously feel like one of those novel protagonists."
"Everywhere you go, something happens."
"Slander. Pure slander."
Chen Mo rolled his eyes.
"Let's not even mention anything else."
"When I went to Evergreen Forest, wasn't that because of you and Caterpie?"
"By your logic, you're even more of a protagonist."
"After all, you were the one who encountered Entei on Mount Taibai."
"..."
Ah Hui looked helpless.
"If I were really a protagonist, I wouldn't be struggling this much just to compete in the Pikachu Cup."
"Fair enough."
Then Ah Hui remembered another question.
"Brother Mo."
"When you travel to the southern coast this time, will Brother Yi be going with you?"
"Brother Yi..."
Chen Mo shook his head.
"Probably not."
"Huh?"
"Don't think he's some unemployed drifter."
"He's actually incredibly busy."
"Psychic-type Pokémon are extremely valuable."
"Especially after Natu evolved into Xatu."
"He's constantly assigned new tasks."
"Since we returned from Mount Qingzang, I barely see him anymore."
"So next trip, he probably won't be joining me."
Chen Mo explained slowly.
Of course—
Even if Zhou Yichuan somehow found the time, Chen Mo probably wouldn't let him come this time.
Ah Hui's earlier comment had reminded him of something.
While he wasn't exactly cursed with protagonist-style trouble magnetism...
He did have a habit of actively seeking out places where trouble might occur.
For example—
Mount Qingzang.
He could have avoided it.
But his restless curiosity had pushed him there.
And he ended up encountering the crystallization incident.
This trip south for the Aura Trial probably wouldn't be nearly as dangerous.
Still—
To avoid unnecessary complications, traveling alone seemed best.
Just as Chen Mo was thinking this—
Ah Hui spoke again.
"Brother Mo."
"Can I ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?"
Chen Mo suddenly had a bad feeling.
"When you go to the southern coast..."
"Can I come with you?"
"Since Brother Yi won't be there, I can help carry the camera equipment and handle all the livestream stuff."
Ah Hui's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Ever since missing the trip to Mount Qingzang, he had regretted it deeply.
Now that Chen Mo was preparing for another journey—
His excitement was impossible to suppress.
He wanted to go.
He wanted to travel with Brother Mo.
Chen Mo looked at Ah Hui's shining eyes and silently sighed.
I knew this was coming...
After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head firmly.
"No."
"Huh? Why?"
Ah Hui looked stunned.
In his mind, Chen Mo wasn't the type who would refuse him.
And with Zhou Yichuan absent, stepping in as his replacement seemed perfect.
"Carrying camera equipment isn't actually that complicated."
Chen Mo suddenly called toward the window.
"Gengar! Come upstairs for a second!"
In response—
A large purple figure floated up from outside.
Passing through the balcony, Gengar entered the bedroom with its usual grin.
"Geng?"
It glanced at Ah Hui, then at Chen Mo, asking what was needed.
If nothing important was happening, it wanted to return downstairs and continue building sandcastles with Gible.
"Take out your phone."
"And show Ah Hui that new skill you secretly learned recently."
"Geng?"
Gengar tilted its head.
It clearly had no idea what Chen Mo was talking about.
Ah Hui was equally confused.
"Brother Mo, why did you call Gengar up here?"
"It's a Pokémon."
"For livestream work, shouldn't it still—"
"GENG!"
Gengar suddenly clapped its hands loudly, interrupting him.
Then—
Under the combined gaze of Ah Hui and Chen Mo—
Gengar reached into its own body and pulled out a smartphone.
After licking its little claws for good luck, it began tapping the screen while cackling mischievously.
Before long—
Ah Hui saw it open a livestream.
The title read:
Ghosty Teaches You How to Play Games
"..."
Ah Hui froze.
Beside him, Chen Mo smiled.
"Gengar's actually pretty smart."
"A while ago, it learned how to livestream simple games using a phone."
"Next trip, I'm planning to officially hand Brother Yi's responsibilities over to Gengar."
"It won't be as skilled as Brother Yi."
"But it's more than capable of handling educational livestreams."
"No way..."
Ah Hui stared at Gengar's proud expression.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined being replaced by a Pokémon.
Just then, he quickly added:
"Fine, let Gengar handle the camera work."
"But Brother Mo..."
"Butterfree and I aren't the same as before."
"We've gotten stronger."
"We don't need you protecting us all the time anymore."
"Now we can actually help you."
"Muyi~!"
Butterfree immediately cried out in agreement.
"Ah..."
Chen Mo sighed softly and shook his head.
"This isn't about strength."
"Ah Hui."
"Life itself is a journey."
"Meeting one another and walking together for part of that journey is a wonderful thing."
"But everyone has their own destiny."
"Their own path."
"We can't always travel side by side."
"Just like before."
"If you'd stayed with me instead of going to Mount Taibai with Chen Haoran, you might have missed Entei."
"You might have missed the best opportunity to heal Caterpie."
Chen Mo stood and gently patted Ah Hui's shoulder.
"You're in a period of rapid growth right now."
"Both you and Butterfree."
"Your limits are far beyond simply reaching the Top 16 of the Pikachu Cup."
"But some roads..."
"You need to walk alone."
"A road of my own..."
Ah Hui murmured.
His expression still carried resistance.
Chen Mo didn't rush him.
Instead, he walked onto the balcony and gazed at the moonlit night sky.
Then he suddenly asked:
"Ah Hui."
"You really love Bug-type Pokémon, don't you?"
"..."
Ah Hui froze.
Looking at Butterfree beside him, he nodded without hesitation.
"I do."
"Good."
Chen Mo spoke softly.
"In the world where Pokémon originally lived..."
"There existed a group of trainers."
"They specialized in a single type."
"They possessed overwhelming strength."
"They protected peace throughout the world."
"After countless battles and challenges..."
"They stood at the pinnacle of all trainers."
"The world called them—"
Elite Four.
Ah Hui's pupils contracted sharply.
In the distance, Chen Mo's voice continued.
"Even in that world..."
"Those who became members of the Elite Four using Bug-type Pokémon were exceptionally rare."
"The reason is simple."
"The path Bug-types must walk is even harder than that of other Elite Four members."
"I've never personally raised Bug-type Pokémon."
"My understanding of them is only superficial."
"If you continue following me, I can guarantee you'll become an excellent trainer."
"But becoming an Elite Four member?"
"That would be incredibly difficult."
"Therefore..."
Chen Mo turned around.
Moonlight bathed his back.
His warm gaze fell upon Ah Hui.
"Ah Hui."
"I hope you can carve out a path entirely your own."
"Become this world's first Bug-type Elite Four member."
"No."
"Go beyond an Elite Four member."
"Become a pillar of this era."
"That..."
"Is my expectation of you."
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