Through the camera controlled by Gengar, the viewers also saw the huge banner hanging prominently over Crescent Moon Town's plaza, as well as the Pikachu Cup promotional posters displayed around the square.
[This feels just like a second Anping City...]
[Gao Tianming... Isn't he the Trainer with Charmeleon?]
[That's pretty normal. Lots of cities have been celebrating local contestants who did well in the Pikachu Cup. The most obvious example is Lavender Town, where both the champion and runner-up came from. Xiao Qiao practically advertises it during every match.]
[Lavender Town has been incredibly lively lately. I'm actually vacationing here right now. The locals said there's going to be a huge festival in a few days. Anyone interested should come!]
[Who is Gao Tianming?]
[There have been so many foreign viewers these past couple of days. Has Teacher Mo finally gone international?]
[What I don't understand is this: Crescent Moon Town suffered enormous losses when Pokémon invaded the town. So why are the residents now celebrating Gao Tianming for making the Pikachu Cup Top Eight?]
The chat buzzed with discussion.
Chen Mo wasn't particularly surprised.
He had already decided long ago that Crescent Moon Town would be the first stop on this trip, so he'd done far more research on it than most viewers.
He understood the town much better.
In truth, for quite some time after the large-scale Pokémon invasion, the residents' hatred toward Pokémon had remained extremely strong.
However...
According to follow-up reports Chen Mo had found, there was one particular turning point after which public opinion in Crescent Moon Town gradually began to change.
Nowadays, many people regarded that moment as the beginning of the new era.
It was the time before the expedition to Evergreen Forest—
When the government officially stepped forward for the first time to vigorously promote Chen Mo's educational livestreams.
After that...
More and more people across the country came to know Chen Mo.
Gradually, they began changing the way they viewed Pokémon.
As some historians later put it, that event laid both the ideological and social foundation for the sweeping reforms that followed.
Of course...
The transformation in Crescent Moon Town was especially remarkable.
At the time, the Pokédex hadn't yet been introduced.
Poké Balls hadn't become widespread.
Even the government still hadn't officially replaced the term "monsters" with "Pokémon."
The influence of Chen Mo's livestreams was still extremely limited.
Conditions simply weren't mature yet.
Yet despite all that...
A town like Crescent Moon Town managed to shift its collective opinion of Pokémon from an extreme negative to a positive one within an astonishingly short period.
Across the entire country...
It was practically unique.
Curiosity was human nature.
Chen Mo genuinely wanted to know what had happened here.
What story lay behind Crescent Moon Town?
And what role had that mysterious existence—suspected to be a Legendary Pokémon—that had seemingly intended to destroy the town before suddenly withdrawing, played during the incident?
"Tianming..."
Chen Mo stared at the banner for quite some time.
For some reason, he had a feeling that the cheerful young man who had desperately wanted to show the entire country the bond between humans and Pokémon...
Had probably played a very important role in the events here.
Looks like I'll have to trouble Brother Hu and Brother Chuan later...
One of the Pikachu Cup Top Eight contestants, Gao Tianming, came from Crescent Moon Town.
Busy handling countless matters and improving his own strength, Chen Mo had overlooked that detail.
But the Strategic Response Bureau certainly wouldn't have.
With the government's efficiency, the moment Gao Tianming began making a name for himself during the tournament, someone in intelligence had probably already investigated his background thoroughly.
Retracting his gaze, Chen Mo started the off-road vehicle once more.
The disaster that had struck Crescent Moon Town was already long in the past.
Since he was only here to conduct a preliminary investigation, there was no need to rush.
His immediate priority was finding a suitable hotel before sunset.
"Found him!"
At that moment...
An excited shout rang out ahead.
Looking up, Chen Mo saw a group of young men and women sprinting toward his vehicle, their faces filled with excitement.
"Guys! Over here! Teacher Mo's here!"
"He's real! We finally get to see the real Teacher Mo!"
"Teacher Mo! Can I take a picture with you?!"
Watching people gather from every direction, Chen Mo's eyelids twitched violently.
Here we go again...
The last time, in Greenwood City, when he'd gone to retrieve Gible's Dragon Fang bracelet...
The city's famously "enthusiastic" residents had delayed him for ages.
Now he'd only just arrived in Crescent Moon Town...
And it was happening all over again.
"...What a headache."
He turned off the engine again and looked at the excited faces outside the window before letting out a heavy sigh.
Being too famous really wasn't all that great.
Half an hour later...
After satisfying the curiosity of quite a few Crescent Moon Town residents—while none of his own questions had yet been answered—Chen Mo finally managed to escape the plaza with the help of the local government before even larger crowds arrived.
Fortunately...
Thanks to the assistance and introduction of a young government official, he quickly found a rather pleasant inn.
"They have to pay extra! Absolutely extra!"
As soon as the young official left happily with Chen Mo's autograph in hand, Marshadow's resentful voice echoed inside Chen Mo's mind.
"Alright, alright. I know."
Chen Mo replied helplessly.
At the same time, he couldn't help wondering whether he should simply do what he'd done before and return to camping outdoors for the time being.
He knew perfectly well where he stood.
Even before the Pikachu Cup, his popularity throughout the country had already been enormous.
After the tournament...
His fame had even begun spreading overseas.
That was precisely why Hu Chengliang had repeatedly reminded him over the phone to pay attention to his personal safety.
After all...
Even with Aura powers, Chen Mo was still made of flesh and blood.
If someone managed to ambush him successfully...
He could still die on the spot.
That had very little to do with how powerful his Pokémon were.
So it wasn't that Chen Mo disliked the fans who admired him or were simply curious.
It was purely a matter of protecting himself.
Having learned his lesson in Greenwood City, he'd once again asked Marshadow to quietly strengthen his security whenever crowds gathered around him.
Marshadow's answer had been simple.
Pay extra.
Specifically...
More Pokéblocks.
Judging by Marshadow's current mood, however, spreading its aura across the crowd and monitoring all those enthusiastic townspeople surrounding Chen Mo had clearly been exhausting.
After apologizing to Marshadow once more, Chen Mo picked up his phone, intending to ask Hu Chengliang about Crescent Moon Town.
But just then...
Standing by the window, he noticed something outside.
The young government official who had just escorted him to the inn had returned.
This time, accompanied by several colleagues, he was standing across the street in front of what appeared to be a small fruit shop.
"I don't know anything about that thing! Get out of here! Right now!"
The shop owner was an elderly woman with snow-white hair.
After the lead official spoke with her for a while, the old woman suddenly raised her voice, her face filled with anger.
The official looked utterly helpless.
He gestured repeatedly while trying to explain something.
But the old woman's expression only became increasingly furious.
Finally...
As if she'd reached the limit of her patience, she turned around, grabbed a broom from beside the entrance, and brandished it toward the officials.
Faced with such a dangerous "weapon," the officials could only retreat several steps onto the street with resigned expressions.
"Ms. Qin, we know you're unhappy with us, but—"
The lead official raised his voice.
Before he could finish—
A gray blur suddenly shot out from inside the fruit shop.
It stopped two or three meters in front of the officials and let out a low growl.
"Meow!"
The livestream chat exploded.
Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.
He naturally recognized the Pokémon that had rushed out.
Soft gray fur.
A spring-like curled tail.
A graceful, catlike figure.
Without question...
It was one of the most popular Pokémon among beginning Trainers—
A Glameow.
The moment Glameow appeared, the government officials instinctively backed away even farther.
The lead official sighed helplessly as he called toward the elderly woman standing in the doorway.
"Ms. Qin, please think over our proposal again. We'll come back another day."
"Meow!"
Glameow's elegant face instantly twisted into a fierce snarl.
It crouched, preparing to pounce.
Chen Mo frowned slightly.
However...
The officials were obviously familiar with this Glameow.
The instant it moved, they immediately fled with practiced speed.
"Meow! Meow!"
Glameow didn't pursue them.
Once it confirmed they had retreated a safe distance, it simply stood at the shop entrance, growling repeated warnings.
Its meaning couldn't have been clearer.
Come back again, and you'll regret it!
"That's enough, Xiao Ai. Come back now. It's windy outside."
The elderly woman called gently.
The next moment...
The ferocious Glameow instantly transformed.
Turning around, it put on an adorable expression and scampered back on its four little paws.
Reaching the old woman's feet, it affectionately rubbed against her calves over and over.
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Ai."
Ms. Qin bent down and picked Glameow up.
As she gently stroked its back, she slowly walked back into the fruit shop.
Her lonely figure disappeared through the doorway.
The viewers all began discussing why the government officials had gotten into such a heated argument with the elderly fruit shop owner.
Chen Mo continued watching until she had gone inside before finally withdrawing his gaze.
He was curious as well.
But he had no intention of interfering.
Judging from the officials' behavior...
They had been remarkably polite.
It was obvious they were trying to negotiate rather than force anything.
More importantly...
Those very officials had just helped him find this inn.
Chen Mo didn't believe they would dare bully an elderly woman right under his nose.
Just as he turned around to continue what he'd been doing...
He noticed Gengar.
Normally cheerful and mischievous, Gengar was standing by the window with an unusually serious expression, staring thoughtfully at the fruit shop below.
"What's wrong, Gengar?"
Chen Mo asked in confusion.
Still sounding uncertain, Gengar slowly looked away before explaining.
"Gengar... Gengar..."
(Just now... I sensed a trace of Ghost-type energy from over there... but it disappeared almost immediately. I'm not sure whether I imagined it...)
"Hm?"
Chen Mo froze.
Ghost-type energy?
After all...
Glameow was a Normal-type Pokémon.
Ghost-type energy and a Normal-type Pokémon simply didn't fit together.
Just as Chen Mo wondered whether Gengar might have been mistaken...
Marshadow spoke up inside his mind.
"It disappeared very quickly, and the energy was extremely faint."
"But Gengar wasn't mistaken."
"For just a brief instant..."
"There really was a trace of Ghost-type energy inside that fruit shop."
"I see..."
Chen Mo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
As a Legendary Pokémon with both Fighting and Ghost typings, Marshadow's senses in this regard were unquestionably reliable.
If even Marshadow confirmed it...
Then something inside that fruit shop was indeed unusual.
"Could it be..."
"Were those government officials talking to that elderly woman because of this?"
Chen Mo fell into thought.
If there truly was a Ghost-type Pokémon inside the shop...
Then regardless of how weak it might currently be, considering how dangerous most Ghost-type Pokémon could become...
The authorities certainly had reason to take the matter seriously.
The livestream viewers couldn't understand what Gengar had been saying.
But seeing Chen Mo's expression gradually grow serious, they immediately realized something important had happened.
The chat was instantly flooded with questions, everyone desperately trying to will Chen Mo into explaining what was going on.
After quite some time...
Chen Mo finally snapped back to reality.
Looking at the wall of complaints covering the screen, he hurriedly apologized.
"Sorry, sorry."
"I got so caught up thinking about something that I completely zoned out."
"My apologies."
"But..."
"It looks like I really do need to look into what's going on with that fruit shop."
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