You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 166 The Strange Tree: Only the Strong Deserve to Possess the Summer Pool, I Want to Be One of the Four Heavenly Kings! (4k)

Speaking of which, Xia Chi has almost run out of money after not doing live streams for over a month.

Although the prize money for the World Pokémon Academy Championship, as well as the prize money from the school and the East Alliance, is quite substantial.

But bonuses are ultimately one-time events, and it's easy to squander them.

The two world-shaking events at the beginning of the year only boosted Xia Chi's fame, but haven't yet translated into real benefits.

To truly monetize it, we still need to rely on the development of Taijingzhu.

Now that the bictini have hatched, there are more and more mouths to feed at home, and it's time to move on to the Padia Crater trip.

As Xia Chi was pondering this, Qi Shu suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, how about we rent a yacht and go out to sea for a couple of days?"

"No, I don't have time."

Xia Chi shook his head and said, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm setting off for Jinhui Town in a couple of days."

"what"

After trying to hide his disappointment, Qi Shu forced a smile and asked, "What are we going to Jinhui Town for? To eat something? Or to challenge Qingmu?"

Jinhui Town is not a metropolis like Zhuotai or Yangguang, nor is it a tourist city with beautiful natural scenery.

The only two things that can attract tourists from other places are probably the very famous food street and Jinhui Martial Arts Hall.

Xia Chi ladled another bowl of sweet soup for Bictini, replying, "No, we need to go to District Zero. Isn't that the entrance?"

"Sector Zero?"

Qi Shu searched his memory for the somewhat unfamiliar place name before he remembered what it was.

She stared wide-eyed incredulously and exclaimed, "You're going to the very bottom of the Parthian Pit?!"

Although the Taijing Bead was mentioned in a post-match interview during the Academy Tournament, apart from Ye Ci, no one knew that the origin of "Taijinghua" was in the mysterious Padia Giant Pit.

All the people of Padiya knew that the Padiya Pit, especially the lowest level known as "Zero Zone," was full of countless dangers!

Even setting aside the strange spirits in "The Book of Zhu Zi," which exists like an urban legend, most of the ordinary wild spirits in it are also very powerful.

There is no such position as a "forest ranger" in the area.

Even rangers with the skills of professional trainers cannot completely guarantee safety while staying there for an extended period.

However, precisely because of this, very few elf poachers go hunting in Zone Zero.

There aren't many rare Pokémon in the Big Pot Lake, so why bother going to Zone Zero and suffering like that?

You may earn money but not live to spend it!

That's why Qishu was so surprised when he heard that Xia Chi was going to Zone Zero.

To be precise, it was worry and fear.

Xia Chi felt a warmth in her heart when she saw the worry on Qi Shu's face, and said, "Yes, it's something very important that I have to go."

It's about whether you can afford to raise a whole family of elves in the future, so how could that not be important?

Seeing that the doubt in Qi Shu's eyes had only increased, he said easily, "Don't worry, even if we encounter any danger, we still have Ponpo!"

The Right Protector, Ergui Peng, on the right side shouted loudly, "Boni!"

That's right, I won't let any elf hurt Xia Chi!
Left Protector Tire Cat was a little sullen.

Everything else is fine, but when it comes to strength, it can never stand up to the evil spirits.

Damn it, am I going to be forever shorter than this little dwarf?

Tire Cat felt somewhat unwilling.

The clenched claws were suddenly enveloped by a warm, large hand.

Tire Miao looked up and saw Xia Chi looking at her with a smile.

She didn't say anything, but the trust in her eyes was enough to make Tiremy forget her anxiety.

A hazy mist appeared in its crimson eyes.

"Nya."

------

Qi Shu ultimately failed to dissuade Xia Chi.

Or perhaps she never intended to advise him; she was just worried.

The fact that Xia Chi had "an evil spirit by his side" was enough to dispel Qi Shu's worries.

Xia Chi, who stayed in Niangguang City for another day, booked his flight to Jinhui Town for March 16.

"Aren't you afraid they'll give the Brewing Light Dojo a bad review?"

Just before boarding the plane, Xia Chi jokingly said to Qi Shu, who was waiting another day to board the dojo.

"I don't care about any of that."

Looking rather downcast, Qi Shu lowered his head and whispered, "Anyway, all of them combined aren't as important as you."

Xia Chi was taken aback and asked, "What did you say?"

It wasn't that he was pretending to be deaf; rather, the second half of Qishu's sentence was so faint that it was completely inaudible.

Tire Cat, who had excellent hearing, heard it, but it didn't help Qi Shu pass on his unfinished words to Xia Chi.

Just kidding, Xia Chi is mine!

"nothing."

When he looked up again, Qi Shu was smiling: "Be careful on your trip to Zone Zero this time~"

Xia Chi nodded and smiled, "Of course, I'm not without any attachments in this world."

Attention passengers traveling to Jinhui Airport, your flight...

As the airport announcement sounded, Xia Chi stood up and said, "Alright, I'm leaving now. Go back to work!"

Qi Shu wrinkled his small, straight nose slightly and said in a feigned fierce tone, "Can't you say something nice before you leave?"

Looking at the adorable appearance of Qishu, which resembled Xinye Miao with its fur standing on end, Xia Chi smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I hope that next time we meet, I can call you King Qishu."

Qi Shu muttered, "That's not the nicer way to say it."

Xia Chi shook his head helplessly and said, "Stop buzzing like a mosquito, we're really leaving."

After saying that, he turned around and led Tire Cat toward the boarding gate.

Qi Shu stared blankly at Xia Chi's retreating figure, then angrily clenched her fist and slammed it down.

"Damn it, I still can't do it?"

Babuto, whose height was just around Qishu's waist, was unlucky enough to take the punch and said aggrievedly, "Babuto."

Why does it seem like it's harder for a trainer to confess their feelings than to win a championship?
How about we consider challenging the Four Heavenly Kings?
Believe it or not, Qishu has actually started thinking about challenging for the Heavenly King title.

She muttered to herself, "Only the strong deserve to have beauties! Xia Chi must admire a strong person like Xilona even more, so I need to work even harder!"

"Who should we challenge? Sister Xinli? No way, I'm no match for her Earth King. Uncle Hachisaku? His lineup looks terrifying. How about Uncle Aoki?"

Xia Chi, who was already seated on the plane, was unaware of Qi Shu's inner thoughts.

He called out to a passing flight attendant and said, "Excuse me, do you have any desserts?"

Upon seeing a handsome young man in first class, the flight attendant smiled and asked, "Yes, sir, would you like some macarons?"

Xia Chi exclaimed with delight, "That would be wonderful!"

The flight attendant took a plate of delicate macarons from the food cart and handed it to the passenger.

Just as she was about to push the cart away, she caught a glimpse of an extremely horrifying scene before she left.

A macaron floated into the air, then seemed to be being devoured by something unseen, before disappearing completely in a short while. Only crumbs drifted down from the sky.

There's something dirty!

The flight attendant quickly pretended not to have seen anything and hurriedly left.

------

"Couldn't you wait until they left before you eat?"

Seeing the flight attendant scared away, Xia Chi said helplessly.

“Tini.”

In the empty air, Bictini's small and cute figure suddenly appeared, with macaron crumbs still lingering at the corner of her mouth.

It scratched its head sheepishly, then glanced at the macarons on the plate.

Xia Chi sighed and said, "Alright, everyone's gone. You can continue eating."

"Tini~"

Bictini kissed Xia Chi on the cheek, then flew to the plate and began to feast without restraint.

Xia Chi wiped the macaron crumbs off her cheek and smiled helplessly.

He discovered Victini's ability to become invisible yesterday.

At the time, Kiju said he would take Natsuki to experience the exciting nightlife of Niangguang City, and the curious Victini also wanted to go along.

While there's no danger with Ponpo around, there's no need to flaunt a legendary elf in public.

After hearing Xia Chi's reason for not taking him along, Victini demonstrated his invisibility ability.

Xia Chi then realized that the Victini in the "Black and White Heroes" movie also possessed this ability.

Perhaps it's something Bictini was born with?

Although the reason is unknown, Victini's ability to become invisible undoubtedly greatly benefits Xia Chi.

That way he can carry this little cutie with him without worrying about being discovered.

Like today.

Upon hearing that they were going to be flying, Bictini was very excited and expressed her desire to go with them.

Xia Chi reluctantly bought a plane ticket costing over ten thousand yuan, just so that it would be convenient for Bictini to eat and play on the plane.

Unexpectedly, the deception was exposed before even taking off.
But it doesn't matter, we can just attribute all the ghost stories in the Pokémon world to Ghost-type Pokémon anyway.

By the time Bictini finished a plate of macarons, the plane had already taken off smoothly.

As expected, the little guy flew to the porthole and stared at the scenery with eyes as pure as the blue sky outside.

Xia Chi was pondering the Padia Giant Pit and the Taijing Pearl in his mind.

He had naturally spoken to Ye Ci before heading to Jinhui Town.

Through Ye Ci's communication, Xia Chi met with Fu Tu and Dr. Orin via video call.

The mad scientist couple, who were almost obsessed with studying Zone Zero, were like Daigo seeing a rock when they saw Xia Chi; they were incredibly eager.

Although they spend most of their time at the Zero Zone Research Institute, they must have known about the big news that Xia Chi used Taijinghua in the competition.

They knew even better that this was the energy that could be released from the crystal fragments scattered throughout Zone Zero.

After studying this problem for most of his life, he actually found a solution in Xia Chi.

How could Orin and Dr. Fortu not be overjoyed?
So they quickly explained the current research direction and progress of the institute to Xia Chi, who was about to join the "Zero Zone Research Institute Special Advisor".

The study of Taijing energy is one direction, while the strange spirits recorded in the Book of Zhu Zi are another.

They had long harbored the idea of ​​developing crystal beads or even a time machine, but it seemed that they were missing some key elements and had not yet succeeded.

Although Xia Chi didn't understand the various advanced technologies in the Pokémon world, he knew what the key missing was.

Another timeline's "Dr. Orin's Research Notes" records the star crystal energy in the Zero Void!
Therefore, Xia Chi's purpose in going to Zone Zero is also very clear—

Open the void of zero, mass-produce the Taijing Beads, and achieve financial freedom!
------

Jinhui Town is located near the third district of western Padiya, far from Niangguang City on the east coast.

The flight was supposed to take about three hours, but it was extended by almost an hour due to "turbulent airflow".

I wonder if it was the strange-colored Sky-Sided that was lingering over Padiya that was causing this trouble.

In short, when Xia Chi, who had departed in the afternoon, landed, it was already completely dark.

Since it was also considered an "official mission" for the Padiya Alliance, Ye Ci naturally arranged for someone from the alliance to pick Xia Chi up at the airport.

Question: Given that Futu and Dr. Orin are unable to leave Zone Zero, is there any other office worker in Jinhui Town who can pick Xia Chi up from the airport?
When Xia Chi saw Aoki holding a sign that read "Xia Chi" with a look of utter despair in the arrival area, he felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason.

This state and expression really remind me of myself in a past life.
Having empathized with Aoki, Xia Chi quickly led Tirey and the invisible Victini away.

"Hello, Aoki Tenno!"

Xia Chi said somewhat apologetically, "Due to weather conditions, the flight was delayed by one hour. Thank you for waiting!"

Aoki, dressed in a suit and seemingly having just finished get off work, came to pick up Xia Chi at the airport and sighed.

"It's not hard work, it's just bad luck."

Xia Chi: "."

"It's okay, the flight delay isn't your fault."

Aoki glanced at his watch and said, "Treasure Cafeteria is still open. Let's go, I'll treat you to something to eat."

Xia Chi followed Aoki's steps, saying, "I'm so sorry, let me treat you to this!"

"I'll do it; I'm the host after all."

Aoki sighed, "Besides, President Yeci said that all your expenses for coming to Jinhui Town will be reimbursed, so don't argue with me about this."

Xia Chi asked cautiously, "Isn't it supposed to be reimbursement? Why do you look unhappy?"

"This one"

Aoki said with distress, "The thought of having to deal with a pile of invoices and wrangling with the alliance's finance department makes me feel like my life is utterly bleak."

Xia Chi: "."

I understand. Anything that makes work more troublesome will have a great effect on Aoki.

Jinhui Town is really not a big town.

Less than half an hour after leaving the remote Jinhui Airport, Qingmu drove Xia Chi to the famous Jinhui Food Street in the city center.

Legend has it that this place originated a couple of hundred years ago when a cook from the East China Sea traveled across the ocean to the Padiya region.

His Donghuang Restaurant became very famous, which later attracted many other Donghuang people, as well as people from Guandu and Chengdu who belong to the same pan-Donghuang culture, to open restaurants.

Gradually taking shape, it eventually became the brightly lit and colorful food street with a strong old Donghuang atmosphere.

The Chinatown in another world belongs to that.

If we're talking about which restaurant is the most popular on this street, aside from the oldest "century-old" Donghuang Restaurant, it's undoubtedly Bao Shitang.

"Hmm, I feel like I've come back to life!"

Inside the popular Takara Shokudo, Aoki's demeanor and even his spirit changed instantly after taking a bite of the grilled eel rice ball.

Half an hour later, after lamenting that he felt "life was utterly dark," he took another sip of beer and then let out a satisfied sigh: "This is life!"

Aoki turned to Xia Chi and urged, "Don't be shy, you should try some too!"

(End of this chapter)