You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 154 New Hextech Runes! Farewell to Beishang Township! (5k)

Hextech runes are quite important.

After all, when choosing the first Hextech rune, Xia Chi unknowingly selected "Open Up!!!"

This directly caused Brother Tongzi to be three years late.

Looking back, it wasn't a bad deal to get a Prismatic Orb from the first Hextech Rune.

Having learned from the first experience, the second Hextech rune requires even greater caution.

If there are any purely negative side effects like "pretending to slack off" or "becoming a dummy," then it's better not to have any runes at all.

Just then, Brother Tong's voice rang out.

[Due to the host's outstanding performance in the second phase of the battle, the second round of Hextech Runes is "Prismatic Tier"!]

Please choose one of the following three Prismatic Tier Hextech Runes!

[New member joining: Team size increased by 1, one Ditto shard!]

[Chaos Summoning: Obtain one of the following powerful random rewards (three random spirit shards of spirits you already own; one random three-star spirit and one completed item; two artifact forging tools and one equipment dismantling tool; three thief gloves and one equipment dismantling tool; four random, non-repeating synergy emblems)!]

[Chosen Gear+: Your Chosen Spirit will gain an extra equipment slot and a Chosen Badge!]

Looking at the three Prismatic Hextech Runes on the virtual screen in front of him, Xia Chi fell into thought.

To be fair, all three Hextech runes are very useful.

The "Newcomer Joining" feature provides a valuable "team size +1", which is something you can never have too much of.

However, as a Prismatic Hextech Rune, its function is only the same as [Golden Spatula Crown], which is ultimately not quite there.
To be determined.

The risks of [Chaos Summoning] are quite high, and the quality of these rewards varies.

The worst is naturally the random spirit fragment, which isn't very useful.

A random 3-star Pokémon sounds impressive, but what if it's a 3-star Rattata?

Furthermore, it's somewhat risky to unlock useless Bond Emblems.
exclude!

The "Chosen Equipment+" seems to be the best, and also has the highest potential.

I already have two [Chosen Badges], and with the one given by the runes, I can have a total of three Chosen Spirits.

Then the Chosen Elf will also get an extra equipment slot!

This skill is incredibly powerful; even giving each Pokémon an extra piece of armor would be a huge boost to its strength.

Not to mention the possibility of obtaining the [Chosen Badge] in the future, allowing you to continue using this Hextech rune.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xia Chi thought to himself, "Brother Tongzi, let's choose [Chosen Equipment+]!"

【Successful selection! 】

Open the inventory, and two brand new [Chosen Badges] lie quietly inside.

So the question comes full circle: who should get the [Chosen Badge]?
The good news is that instead of sharing one of the four spirits, they've now been divided into two.

The bad news is that two elves still won't get a share.
The good news is that the elves don't know who has it and who doesn't, so there won't be any conflicts over the distribution.

Holding onto the idea that "you are all my wings and I am not favoring anyone," Xia Chi began to make a choice.

------

In reality, there's only one consideration when choosing who to give to—

Who can maximize the value of the [Chosen Badge]?

Includes an additional synergy and a 20% boost to all abilities.

Although they are legendary spirits, Ponpo and the unborn Victini have higher base stats, so theoretically they should be more efficient.

However, all Pokémon will be the main force in the future, so improving all their abilities is the same for everyone.

In comparison, additional bonds are much more important.

Some bonds are too few to reach the initial stage, such as the [Ghost attribute bond] of the Dream Demon.

This situation should be ruled out.

Therefore, taking all the above into consideration, Xia Chi made her final decision.

"Brother Tongzi, equip the Chosen Badge on Shakiras and Evil Phantom, and choose [Dark] and [Grass] for the extra synergies respectively."

After much thought, it's still best to combine these two synergies to improve development and combat power.

In this way, excluding unique synergies, the current lineup's synergies are "five evil, three grass, two speed attackers, one rock, one ghost, one fire, one psychic, and one late bloomer".

The six evils are just around the corner, and the six herbs are not impossible either.

Other top-tier bonds... well, that's a once-in-a-lifetime series.

With this, the second phase of the battle has come to an end!

Pulling her thoughts away from the system, Xia Chi's unfocused gaze returned to reality.

The soft, clear moonlight of a winter night in Beishang Township streamed through the window, adding a touch of peace and warmth to the dimly lit room.

Tire was curled up on the bed, fast asleep, but her pink paws were unconsciously groping for something in front of her.

Xia Chi lay back on the bed. Tire Cat, who was sleeping, seemed to sense the movement and wriggled like a cat worm to snuggle up to her trainer.

Then a relieved smile and a blush appeared on her lovely face.

Ponpo also got into bed and snuggled up on the other side of Xia Chi.

Still awake, she curiously stared at the elf egg on the table, which was occasionally swaying slightly, lost in thought.

As always, the dream demon floated on the ceiling above its head and slept, but the scarlet rosary around its neck occasionally flashed with an eerie light.

In the corner of the room, the sleeping Shakiras was much quieter than usual, making it look more like a large, heterochromatic armored pupa.

There's also Rotom mobile.

Xia Chi finally turned her gaze to Rotom, who was still diligently organizing the incubation data.

Although he can be a bit annoying most of the time, he's very reliable when it really matters.

In just over three months, I've already met so many friends!
Xia Chi felt a mix of emotions.

[Has the host forgotten something?]

Xia Chi was both amused and exasperated.

Well, it all started with this system that's occasionally unserious but exceptionally reliable and never messes with its host.

"I dare not forget."

[You'll be rewarded with a new battle round in a few days.]

"Brother Tong, you're truly my godfather!"

【.】

I finished contacting Brother Tongzi as usual to maintain our relationship.

After a day full of ups and downs, Xia Chi drifted off to sleep peacefully.

------

August 2, early morning.

Perhaps because she went to bed early last night, when Xia Chi opened her eyes, Tire and Dream Demon were already awake.

After the four elves woke up, they did nothing but stare at the elf egg on the table.

But then again, it is indeed strange.

Everything was fine before I went to sleep, but when I woke up, there was this thing in the room.

Is this ridiculous?

Shakiras bounced around the elf egg, its little eyes, hidden in the dark hole beneath the thick shell, filled with curiosity.

Tire Cat, fearing that this reckless and destructive creature might damage the fragile elf egg, stretched out its flower stems and vines to bind its body.

The dream demon was much more self-aware, fearing that the ominous ghostly aura within its body might interfere with or drain the life force of this new life, so it flew far away to observe.

Logically speaking, life is the longest, and Ponpo, who has seen birth, aging, sickness and death, is most interested in elf eggs.

I don't know if it was reminding it of its days inside the egg, or if it was vaguely sensing the aura of another legendary Pokémon.

"Nya?"

Tirey was the first to notice that Xia Chi had woken up, and pointed at the elf egg, asking a question.

"Tirey Meow says this is some kind of elf egg, Loto!"

Rotom, the elf-human translator, is now online.

Xia Chi took this opportunity to tell them about the new Pokémon egg joining the team.

"This is our new partner. As for what kind of spirit it is, you'll all find out in two weeks."

The Victini inside the egg seemed to know that Xia Chi was mentioning it, and shook its eggshell as if to greet everyone.

Xia Chi continued, "So during this time, please take good care of our new partner, and try not to make too much noise or disturb it."

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Shakiras, who was still bound by vines, and Tirey and Misdreavus also looked over.

Shakiras, a question mark above his head: "Gah?"

Why are you all looking at me? Am I that noisy?
Xia Chi looked at it without saying a word.

Shakiras retorted, "Gawoo!"

Okay, even if I'm causing trouble, am I the only elf causing trouble?

Tire Cat, Dream Demon, Evil Phantom: Stare—

Shakiras: "Gawoo."

I understand, I'll be careful, okay?
Tire Cat then released the vines.

Shakiras, who had been bullied by all the other members of his family, ran to a corner of the room and vented his lust on a basket of rock crystal ore.

"Xia Chi, I've prepared the list of items needed to hatch the Pokémon eggs, Loto!"

Rotom flew to Xia Chi's side, displaying a detailed list of supplies and incubation instructions. However, most of these items were unavailable in the remote and impoverished Beishang Township; they would have to wait until the major cities of Padiya to purchase them.

To be honest, the time for leaving Beishang Township has not yet been decided.

Xia Chi decided to ask Dean Lin later.

Although Lu Yiyi and Lü Gang were eliminated in the first and second rounds, they have stayed with Xia Chi in Beishang Township ever since Xia Chi made it all the way to the finals.

Those who came together will naturally leave together.

The matter of interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

------

After discussing it with Lin Qunzhi, the return trip was scheduled for the evening of February 27th.

After packing my luggage, I had a day and a half left before boarding.

Xia Chi decided to spend the rest of her time saying goodbye to Beishang Township.

Although he felt nothing for this place, and even disliked it due to historical reasons.

But since Pengpeng has lived here for two or three hundred years, and there may be no chance of her returning, it is still worth saying a proper goodbye.

On the way to Ghost Mountain, Xia Chi, leading E Guipeng, still passed by Baoban Square.

No, to be precise, this place has been renamed Evil Pon Square.

To be honest, Xia Chi's feelings were somewhat complicated when she saw this plaque.

He remembered an old friend from his past life—"From now on, this place will be called LBW Plaza!"

Okay, by the time Xia Chi time-traveled, this was already an ancient internet meme, a relic of the past.
Moreover, as a fellow streamer, Xia Chi deeply despises the behavior of inciting fans to hurl insults.

That said, the original Hoban Shrine in the square had already been destroyed during the "evil calamity" that occurred when Momotaro appeared, due to the resurrection of Gozen-gu and Gane-sama.

Xia Chi wouldn't indulge the unruly people of Beishang Township like the protagonist in the game's storyline.

The manager of Baoban Plaza didn't dare to utter a word when Xia Chi went to ask for Ponpon's other masks.

Not to mention asking for one million Alliance Coins to rebuild the shrine, like in the game's storyline.

More than ten days have passed since that battle, and "Evil Pon Plaza" has been presented to the world with a brand new look.

The original location of Hoban Shrine has been replaced by a huge bronze statue with the theme of "Evil-stricken Ponbang Beats Three Hoban", in order to commemorate the event of restoring order in Kitakami Village.

However, whether to leave room for imagination or to forget to create, the statue does not include Momotaro.

So when tourists came to visit, they all cosplayed as Tao Dailang under the thorny vines, which was somewhat reminiscent of McDonald's.

Besides this giant statue, other areas of the square have also been transformed into creative and cultural shops and restaurants themed around Ponpo.

The foot traffic has increased more than tenfold compared to when it was still "Baoban Plaza" a month ago!
As it turns out, this is indeed an era where appearance reigns supreme.

If those troublemakers had changed their guardian deity from those three pheasants and stray dogs to Ponpo earlier, Beishang Township would have become a world-renowned tourist attraction long ago, and they would have become rich long ago.

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Xia Chi pointed to the "Pengpeng Beats the Three Treasures" statue, where many people were gathered to take photos, and joked to the real Pengpeng.

“Boni.”

Egui Peng looked at the tourist who had run under the thorny vine and was cosplaying as Tao Dailang and getting beaten by him with great incomprehension, and looked up at Xia Chi in confusion.

Xia Chi twitched her lips. How was she supposed to explain the concept of "abstract" to the innocent Peng Peng?

Forget it, abstraction itself is a deconstruction pattern, and explaining it would only make it meaningless.

Xia Chi smiled and patted Ponpo's head, explaining, "Just think of it as them liking you a lot, okay? Are you happy?"

Ponpo blinked her bright yellow starry eyes and shook her head.

"Bonnie~"

All I need is for Xia Chi to like me~
"Look, isn't that Xia Chi and E Guipeng?"

A sudden sound shattered the warm atmosphere between the two people.

Then, this single stone stirred up a thousand waves.

"Really!"

"Ponpon, I'm your fan!"

"Waaaaah, Mommy loves you, Chi Bao!"

"Can I hug you, Ponpo?"

"."

Egui Peng was frightened by the enthusiastic crowd and hid behind Xia Chi's legs, trembling.

Xia Chi rubbed his temples in frustration.

It seems that being too popular isn't necessarily a good thing.
Xia Chi threw the Misdreavus from the Poké Ball and shouted, "Help me hold them off! We'll meet at the Terror Cave on Ghost Mountain later!"

"Miyo!"

The dream demon was also frightened by the "zombified" crowd, thinking that Momotaro had come back to life and used poison to control the crowd.

Xia Chi ran up the mountain with Pengpeng, not forgetting to turn back and remind Meng Yao, "Just a little scare is fine, don't let anything really happen!"

"Miyo!"

The dream demon responded excitedly.

After playing so many matches over the past few days, I finally have a new toy to play with today!

------

We ended our day trip to Osoriya with Ponpo.

In the evening, Xia Chi invited Zi Yu and Ni Mo to visit Grandpa Xue Zhong.

"So you're the mayor of Emerald Town now?"

Xia Chi looked at the elderly man with gray hair but full of energy with some surprise and asked him this question.

Xuezhong nodded with a wry smile and said, "Yes, it was personally decided by Chairman Ye Ci. You know, I'm already quite old."

Grandma Shu, who was pouring tea for Xia Chi and Zi Yu, laughed and exposed him: "Don't believe him, he's really into it. Bao Ban... no, he designed and renovated the Egui Pong Square!"

Xuezhong's stern face was starting to crumble, and he uttered some incomprehensible words like "What does this old hag know?" which made everyone laugh.

After the laughter.

Xuezhong looked at Pengpeng, who was sitting somewhat reservedly next to Xia Chi, and asked, "Speaking of which, is this child, Pengpeng, going to leave Beishang Township with you?"

There was no one else around, so Xia Chi nodded and said, "Yes, I probably won't be coming back often in the future, so I came here specifically to say goodbye."

Xuezhong laughed and said, "When I told you the truth of history, I had a feeling that you would become partners, and I was right."

Noticing the questioning look in Pengpeng's eyes, Xia Chi explained, "This is the descendant of the person who made the mask for you back then, the person who helped you repair the mask during this time, and the steadfast guardian who has preserved the truth to this day. If it weren't for the persistence of Grandpa Xuezhong's family, perhaps I wouldn't be here today to help you reveal the truth."

“Boni.”

Egui Peng stood up and bowed to Xue Zhong to express his gratitude.

Xue Zhong quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm nothing special. Although I know the truth, I don't dare to do anything that would make enemies of the entire Beishang Township. Xia Chi is the truly brave person who went against the tide. He has made a lot of efforts for you, so you two should stay together!"

Ponpon nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I want to stay with Xia Chi forever!
After having dinner at Grandma Shu's house, Xia Chi, Zi Yu, and Ni Mo, feeling a bit stuffed, walked back to the resort.

Along the way, I saw quite a few people passing by, strolling freely in the night.

Nemo remarked with some emotion, "In just over ten days, Beishang Township has changed so much!"

When the three of them first walked through Beishang Township at night, all they saw as they passed each other were suspicious and wary glances.

Zi Yu laughed and said, "Of course it's because certain people have been here!"

Xia Chi smiled slightly and remained silent.

When people come into this world, they always leave something behind.

Living an ordinary life with loved ones and fairies, leaving behind simple and warm memories, is certainly wonderful.

However, like this trip to Beishang Township, it can change the fate of a place, some spirits, and some people.

That seems like a good thing.
------

February 28, Padiyah region.

At the airport, in the bustling waiting hall.

Nemo looked at Ziyu with teary eyes and asked, "Are you really not going to stay in Zhuotai City for a couple more days?"

"I can't help it, my dad's been urging me to come home for ages!"

Unlike many others, Zi Yu did not refuse by making an X with her chest. Instead, she comforted Zi Yu, saying, "It's okay. Orange Academy and Blueberry Academy will always have exchange activities. See you next time!"

Then she looked at Xia Chi and said, "You too! If you ever come to Blueberry Academy or the Unova region, be sure to let me know!"

Holding the Pokémon egg hatching pod, Xia Chi joked, "Okay, I'll ride my Lizard to your gym to pick you up."

Zi Yu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "You'll be fine as long as you're not afraid of Daddy's dragon-headed ground squirrel punishing you."

Bai Leiya, who was not far away, urged, "Are you ready, Ziyu? It's time to board!"

"Teacher, right away!"

Responding from afar, Zi Yu bid farewell with a sweet smile: "Well then, Xia Chi, Nemo, goodbye, keep in touch~"

Watching Zi Yu and Blue Emperor join the Blueberry Academy team, Nemo looked at Xia Chi again, her eyes welling up with tears for the second time.

"Xia Chi, what about you? I see your teachers and classmates have all gone back to Donghuang. Are you going to stay in Padiya for a while? Why don't you come to my house to play!"

Xia Chi said apologetically, "Although I will indeed be staying in Padia for a while longer, it won't be in Tabletop City, so I'm sorry!"

Nemo said dejectedly, "Okay, but where are you going?"

Xia Chi replied, "We'll be going to the Paddy Pit next month, but before that..."

He raised the Pokémon egg in his hand as a gesture and smiled slightly, "Let's go to Brewlight City and enjoy some peaceful days first."

(End of this chapter)